Thai Restaurant

The dual restaurant space at 1300 Bank St. near Little Italy always struck me as odd. When it opened, it had a Thai restaurant, Lemongrass, and a pan-Asian restaurant, Tsunami, so close together that they shared a kitchen. Lemongrass took off, but its sister restaurant didn't - probably because it was perceived as simply a more expensive version of the first place. The new owners of the restaurants (who also own Red Star in Fells Point) have taken a different approach. They have turned the pan-Asian restaurant into Diablita Cantina, a casual Mexican place that's a step up from the usual tacos-and-fajitas factory.

Get those crab mallets ready. Bahama Mama's (601 Wise Ave.) in Dundalk has become Mariner's Landing, with jumbo crabs available all year round -- to be eaten in the newly renovated dining room. New owner Steve Goff says more renovation is planned this spring for the outside, with lots of new decking. (The restaurant is located right on Bear Creek.) Besides crabs, the restaurant's signature dishes are the cream of crab soup and its huge crab cakes. Entrees run from $9 to $24.Greek-American in GreektownNew in Greektown is Karpathos (4712 Eastern Ave.)

Vanhdy Sesum's father is Chinese, and he himself has trained long years as a sushi chef. So you could reasonably wonder why he opened a Thai restaurant a couple of months ago. And not only that. He opened what may be the best Thai restaurant in the area.To be fair, Sesum's mother is Thai. But still, the 31-year-old's other two restaurants are Japanese: San Sushi in Cockeysville and San Sushi Too next door to Thai One On."Sushi does very well around here, but Japanese food isn't really strong," Sesum explains.

It may be that Talay -- Thai for ocean -- will succeed where others have failed. The Aliceanna location, ostensibly in Fells Point but close to the edge of Canton, was the home of an Italian and before that a Greek restaurant. But people downtown who want Greek or Italian food tend to go to Greektown or Little Italy. There isn't such an obvious destination when you have a sudden craving for chicken satay or pad thai. Why not then head for Talay, Baltimore's newest Thai restaurant? One word: service.

Curtis introduces the Quickfire with the absolute worst two words any high schooler has ever used to start an essay: "Throughout history," (insert my inner English major gouging out her eyes here). The challenge? Make a sexy dish using ingredients known for their aphrodisiac qualities. Guest judge is burlesque star Dita Von Teese. The chefs go gaga, even the ones that don't like girls. The six remaining chefs have 30 minutes to create something mouth watering and toe curling.  Within seconds, there are two triumphant crashes as two blenders fall to the floor and shatter.

I'm sitting here musing about the new Thai Orient's slogan: "contemporary Thai and Chinese cuisines." Three of us had dinner there, but I'm still not sure what it means.Healthier? Yes, if you order "Shrimp De Levine" -- "A dish created by a famous doctor from the city of Baltimore," according to the menu. Fat steamed shrimp are tossed with roasted garlic and scallions, then laid on a bed of lightly steamed fresh vegetables. The shrimp's seasonings pack such a punch you won't notice the lack of oil or sauce.

It wasn't exactly an average night at Papazee's. We knew that right away when we saw the balloons and the frolicking children, neither of which are frequently spotted at Thai restaurants. Ditto a laid-back, all-American maitre d' in a Redskins sweat shirt.When we discovered that the occasion for all the hilarity was a birthday party for the chef, we wondered if we should stickaround. Yes, the restaurant was open for business, and there were a few non-partiers on the premises. But if the chef was whooping it up opening presents, who would cook our dinners?

What else to talk about on turkey day, but food? Good thing a new crop of eateries has just sprung up around B-more. Spotlights heralded the grand opening last Friday night of Canton's newest hotspot, Canton's Portside Tavern. Located on O'Donnell Street a block from Canton Square, this restaurant/pub is hoping to attract the same crowd that hangs summers at the Starboard in Dewey Beach, Del. In fact, the guys who own the Starboard and several D.C. taverns have partnered with Annapolis native Steve Roop in the Portside.

Late spring seems to bring a disproportionate number of restaurant openings and closings. Is a fiscal year drawing to a close? Keep your eyes and ears open. There's very big news on the Eastern Shore, with the arrival of celebrity chef Mark Salter at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford. You might remember the British born Salter from his highly regarded 17-year stretch as executive chef at the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels. This move reunites him with Ian Fleming, Perry Cabin's former manager.

Baltimore's hot. Bangkok's hotter. Baltimore's humid. Bangkok's worse. Steamed crabs help beat the heat. So do hot peppers, fish sauce, ginger, garlic and Singha beer. Vis-a-vis "hot," one could do worse than go Thai.The Thais have been living at high temperatures for more years than Marylanders, after all, and they also spend more months every year being hot. Here, the mercury can go over 90 any time from, say, May to September. Bangkok hits 90 and up fromMarch to October. To me, the cooling-off techniques of Thai cooking make sense: a. spices b. chilies c. lots of rice d. vegetables and fresh fruits e. coconut milk.