exceptional thai food at soi 4 in oakland

Had a great adventure in dining yesterday. Sometimes the unplanned has great end results.

That's the way it turned out when Deidre and I went to Jack London Square to try Eric Tucker's new collaboration at 202 Second, Encuentro. It opened on December 4, with lunch beginning Monday at 11:00am--no reservations taken.

Well, guess what, they were closed--a sign in the window said they would actually be open for lunch on Wednesday. Disappointed, but we will be back. The description on Yelp of the crispy kale chips and peppered portobello and caramelized fennel sandwich was mouth watering. Eric Tucker, executive chef of the great vegan restaurant, Millennium in San Francisco, surely has another hit on his hands.

Turns out Monday in Oakland is not a big restaurant day. Lots of calls to restaurants. Lots of closed restaurants. But a quick cruise up College thinking we might go to a favorite standby, Garabaldi's and we spotted Soi 4 Bangkok Eatery. It was a second visit for Deidre and a real find for me.

We ordered 4 dishes of what I can only say were absolute perfection with many others that sounded equally delicious. What made the dished so good? Slight variances in traditional ingredients, such as a salt and pepper calamari topped with delicate julienne of carrot and onion and a sauce that was more like a simmered Mexican red sauce rather than the usual sweet chili sauce. Tender and falling off the bone baby beef short ribs in a spicy kaffir panang curry, and Deidre's favorite, lightly battered prawns in spicy tamarind sauce with crispy shallots.  The wok sauteed wide noodles known as pad ke mao were hot and spicy with chicken, Thai chili and deep-fried basil leaves. Not one flavor competed or repeated itself.  I have been to Thailand and this is one of the best Thai meals I have ever tasted.