(This venue is closed.) Lagered in Laos, chilling in Chinatown.
There's a pleasant clutter in this little store, from the house-made desserts stacked at the front to the refrigerator case, which you can just barely reach by performing a single-file shimmy, in back. That's where you'll find BeerLao (330 ml.; $2), a brew I encountered first in Luang Prabang, then in Vientiane. (Thanks to Eating In Translation readers Jason, Nick, Sam, and Somchai for helping me track it down here in the States!) The standard lager has a thick creamy head, a full, mildly fruity malt aroma, a slightly sour flavor with a round mouthfeel, and a smooth finish; the dark lager swaps in a faint taste of toasted malt for the sourness. Both the light and the dark are more notable for their even-temperedness, especially in the presence of fiery food, than for any exceptional character of their own.
Previously: Golden King wax gourd drink (12 fl. oz.; $1), from Taiwan, tasted more of sugarcane sweetness than any vegetable, but I prefer to take the store owner's word: It's "good for you." That's what he said another time, too, about New House brand pickled sator beans (Parkia speciosa; drained wt. 110 g.; $3.50), from Thailand. Unjustly, they've also acquired the English moniker "stink beans," but paired with sambal shrimp sauce, they were quickly put in their place.
Udom's Thai and Indonesian Grocery
81 Bayard St. (Mulberry-Mott Sts.)
212-349–7662
