Dumplings and fire at Land

Last weekend, AV and I went out for Thai food. Given all the coverage of Thai places on this blog, this may not seem significant, but it is: I've all but sworn off Thai since I got food poisoning in December after a particularly unfortunate Thai meal. While I still can't stomach the sight, smell, or even thought of peanut sauce, my cravings for veggie dumplings have been creeping back. So on Saturday night, we skipped down to the UES location of Land Thai Kitchen for their inimitable green gems.

We started by sharing an order of dumplings, and with an extra dish of the dipping sauce, we were delighted. These dumplings are green and glorious, fun little poppers with squishy insides and a dignified crown of fried garlic sprinkled on top.

Didn't disappoint

Then AV went with the wok beef with basil. It seemed a little undercooked this time around, but AV enjoyed it. Though it was requested mild, it was still quite spicy.

Rare beef & spice

But I can only imagine how it compared to the fiery inferno that was my papaya salad. Flecked with huge pieces of hot pepper, this salad (requested not spicy) seared my mouth and left a lingering burn that lasted for a good half hour after consumption. Yes, I'm somewhat of a spice wuss, but this stuff was HOT. It was still good-- the ingredients were fresh and the portion right-- but damn, next time I'm going to be explicit and emphatic about less spice!

It looks innocent, but...

Land is fast and casual, and the service is polite and fast without feeling rushed or pressured. The food is tasty and not too expensive. And so, through yet another visit, Land maintains its four Offset Spatula rating.

Land Thai Kitchen
1565 Second Avenue, between 81st and 82nd
212-439-1847

More Land. It's delicious.

On one of the most beautiful Sunday evenings this year, AV and I were on the UES and we were hungry. Nevermind that it was 5PM; it was dinnertime, dammit. We wandered down 2nd Avenue, debating the merits of various places we bumped into, but ultimately, as we approached Land, the call of the dumplings was too strong to resist. We settled into an empty table on the sidewalk and awaited deliciousness.

First up, of course, were the dumplings. Gosh, we love these dumplings. They're full of incredible peanutnutty, vegetably goodness that's pretty much indescribable-- hence the made-up words. But if you like dumplings, or if you like anything that tastes good, you should head to Land and try them out yourself.

Dumplings awaiting utensils

Interior shot, with dipping sauce inside

As a change of pace from the usual wok beef with basil, AV tried the pad thai with shrimp. It went over quite well, and my one stolen forkful of noodles was admirably delicious.

Peanutty Pad

My own selection was the Land salad. It had romaine lettuce, chunks of beets, hard boiled eggs, and little bits of fried tofu ("tofu crouton"). While all the elements were good (especially the lime-peanut dressing, which I got on the side and then proceeded to eat pretty much all of), I was a bit puzzled by the fact that the various parts didn't really mesh together that well. That is, all the individual components tasted good, they just didn't complement each other. Does that make sense? Plus the tiny bowl made it exceedingly difficult to eat the salad without having the ingredients fall all over the place. But that delicious peanut dressing made up for a lot, believe me...

Cobb salad, Thai style

And there we had yet another successful four Offset Spatula excursion to Land. We'll be back, Land, we'll be back.

Land Thai Kitchen
1565 Second Avenue, between 81st and 82nd
212-439-1847

The Rereview: A Land upgrade

On a gorgeous Thursday evening, AV and I were searching for a place to grab a quick dinner before a showing of "I Love You Man." I was googling restaurants near the theater on the UES, and lo and behold, I found out that Land Thai Kitchen has a location a mere few blocks from our destination. Now, as you'll recall, my last review of Land was only so-so, but as part of my near-insatiable recent craving for veggie dumplings, I had begun to long for Land's version of the delectable treat. So we decided to give the UES Land a try.

The dining room is bigger and much more comfortable than the UWS location. There's space between the tables, so you don't feel as though you're sitting in your neighbor's lap. It probably helped that the joint wasn't crowded on a random Thursday night, but nonetheless it was a much nicer space to be in.

We placed our order quickly and waited for the food to arrive. (It's worth noting that when I changed my mind about my entree after we had ordered, the Land staff accommodated my switch with ease and grace.) Shortly, our veggie dumplings made their appearance, and this time around they were delicious. AV's theory is that if you know what you're getting, you can enjoy these puppies much more-- they're not dumplings in the traditional sense, and they're a peculiar taste and texture sensation, so if you're looking for classic dumplings you'll likely be disappointed (as we were on our last visit). But as I said, I was craving these little green pouches, and they delivered their soft, peanutty filling deliciously. Mmmm.

Like green hard candies. Except soft. And not sweet.

For an entree, AV chose the wok basil with beef. Last time, this dish burned all the taste buds out of his mouth. But this time around, the dish wasn't overly hot and was duly delicious.

Suitably spicy, not searing.

My own entree (the late-ordered selection, after I had had second thoughts about my previous selection) was the papaya salad. I'm very glad I decided to go ahead with this choice-- it was crunchy and tangy and spicy but not too spicy, as I had requested. Delectable and refreshing.

Papaya on a pedestel

We were in and out of Land very efficiently and easily made our showtime. Given the improved comfort level of the dining room and the spice-tempered deliciousness of our entrees, the UES Land easily trumps its West Side cousin. As a result, I hereby upgrade Land to a solid three Offset Spatula Thai restaurant. I'm sure I'll be back for the veggie dumplings. They haunt my dreams...

Land Thai Kitchen
1565 Second Avenue, between 81st and 82nd Streets
212-439-1847

The squishy, the spicy, and the bland at Land Thai Kitchen

On a chilly Monday night, AV and I were driving down the West side when I suggested we stop at Land Thai Kitchen for dinner. Land had been a favorite of AV's-- we considered going there for dinner last weekend, but the no-reservations policy left us facing an undesirable wait time. This seemed perfect: we'd park right nearby, and on a weekday night at around 7PM, the wait couldn't be too long.

We were right--though the tiny dining room seemed full, we were seated right away. One table switch later (as is often the case in NYC, tiny = uncomfortable, especially when a cold draft envelops the room aggressively every time the door opens), we were ready to order.

First up: a shared order of the vegetable dumplings. Described as "shitake mushroom, sweet corn, tofu, spinach, peanut, garlic chip, and sesame soy," these appeared as four kelly green blobs on the plate next to a dish of dipping sauce. The one word I can use to describe these dumplings is squishy. In fact, I couldn't stop saying that word while we were eating them, which probably detracted from the overall dumpling experience. But I couldn't help it, I swear, as these dumplings were the most squishy food I'd ever ingested. The wrapper had no texture, and the filling was sticky and gummy and... well... squishy. It felt like a food you'd gum rather than chew if you had no teeth, or even if you did have teeth, which is what we did. The flavor itself was powerfully peanutty, which was weird because there were no visible or detectable peanuts in the green parcels. Overall consensus was that if the chef had pan-fried the dumplings, thereby giving them a bit of crunchy texture, they would have been improved immeasurably.

Squiiiiiishy

For an entree, AV got the wok basil with beef. It's listed as very spicy on the menu, but he specifically requested mild, which our server seemed to acknowledge. What emerged, though, was an inferno on a plate. AV noted that the portion sizes used to be much bigger (Land is under new management, and according to AV previously the plate would have been completely full rather than what you see below). But that may have been a blessing in disguise, because after shoveling the food down as fast as he could, a masterful technique to avoid tasting and/or searing one's tongue, AV had to take a bit of quality time in the bathroom to reorient (reattach?) his taste buds. And again: this was MILD. Let that be a lesson to you, folks. Exactly what lesson, I can't say. But a lesson nonetheless.

Spiiiiiiicy

My own choice was the wok vegetable medley with tofu. This melange included napa cabbage, baby corn, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn, and tomato, along with a few big chunks of lightly fried tofu, all in a ginger-garlic sauce. Ironically, perhaps, this dish could have used some of the wok basil and beef's spice. While there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with the dish, it just lacked flavor, or punch-- I guess it was a bit bland. It also seemed like something I could easily make in my own kitchen, and do, for that matter. Nonetheless, it was satisfying and ample, especially with the large dish of jasmine rice that came alongside (free with all the entrees).

Bland.

All in all, I guess I'd say Land was a bit disappointing, especially compared to how much AV used to like it. While there wasn't anything terrible about the food, we didn't have anything that we'd go out of our way to have again, and seeing as how Land is very much out of the way for both of us, I wouldn't necessarily go back. With the additional fact that the dining room is small, cramped, and largely uncomfortable, I'll give Land two Offset Spatulas and counsel you to stick with your neighborhood Thai place.

Land Thai Kitchen
450 Amsterdam, between 81st and 82nd Streets
212-501-8121