Aroi: Thai Food in Rhinebeck
by Paul De Angelis

All summer I've been hearing about the fantastic new Thai restaurant that had recently opened on East Market Street in Rhinebeck, in the location formerly occupied by A Spot of Tea. Friends raved about the scrumptious pad thai, panang, and red, green, and masaman curries. The lunch specials at Aroi were the best deal in the area, exclaimed my business partner. One of our contributors was entranced by the quiet aura of the space and bowled over by the extraordinary graciousness of the owners, who welcomed her with complementary iced tea and spring roll. But the most common element of all these enthusiastic recommendations was the sentiment: "Oh, at last, a Thai Restaurant in our area!"

Anxious to check out the new restaurant in time for this issue, I stopped into Aroi with a friend after taking in a performance of one of the Bard Music Festival concerts on a steamy August weekend. We were both very much in the mood for a beer, so we were frustrated to learn they were still waiting for a liquor license—and that they'd been told customers were not to bring their own during the waiting period. It wasn't hard to shake off the disappointment, however, once we had a chance to peruse the attractive menu and settle into the tasteful, spacious décor of the several dining spaces.

While not overly extensive, the menu offers a half dozen or so choices of appetizer, soup, salad, noodles or fried rice, and curry, as well as a couple of traditional menu entrees (and an equal number of specials). To start off, we sampled the tod mun (fish cake) and som tum (papaya salad). While we both really enjoyed the salad, I was the only fan of the fish cake—maybe it's having acquired a taste for this subtly understated, gelatinous seafood genre during several trips to the Far East.

As a main course I had the Pla Tod with Yum Mango, a seared salmon fillet topped with shredded mango and lime sauce that offered just the right combination of sweet and spiciness, crunch and refreshingly juicy textures. My friend ordered the Green Curry made with chicken, Thai spices, basil, bamboo shoots, pepper, zucchini, simmered in coconut milk; it was a reminder of just how delicious and satisfying the special flavors of Thai cuisine can be. The real delight of the meal for this particular coconut addict, however, was the sticky rice with mango, a dessert special of which each glutinous grain seemed engorged with the rich milkiness of the coconut palm.

Hopefully Aroi will soon have its liquor license. Meanwhile I feel confident in recommending the new restaurant with enthusiasm. As my city friend said in summing up: people who know Thai food won't be disappointed, and those who don't are in for a welcome and authentic discovery.