Who needs another Thai restaurant?
We do, when it is attractively decorated, well meaning and equipped with a broad menu of pristinely fresh food presented with understated artistry.
Such is the case at Benjarong, which is still finding its way after four months of operation in a storefront just north of Logan Square. Suruchi Boonpitak, owner with her husband of another Benjarong in Westchester, took a gamble when she opened in a nondescript block of Milwaukee Avenue far from the city’s Asian restaurant rows.
So far, Boonpitak has found herself in a classic restaurant bind: The talent and desire to produce fine fare is here. But the customers are not. This compromises the freshness of some of the cooking.
Pulling our eyes away from the food for a moment, a quick look around is enough to reassure the fastidious. Not only is the restaurant notably clean, but it also has simple, attractive tables, comfortable black chairs and a tasteful selection of art on the Chinese red walls. In contrast, the tableware and paper napkins come from a bargain basement, but are perfectly serviceable. (The restaurant is named for a type of Thai porcelain. It is used for decoration, though, not for dining.) Although Benjarong does not have a liquor license, proper glasses and a corkscrew are available to customers who bring wine.
The menu is long, listing more than 70 dishes under categories such as appetizers, salads, noodles, Thai curries and spicy dishes.
This is family fare. Boonpitak learned as a girl, helping her mother prepare meals for their large, extended family. Her presentation of various dishes is most attractive. Service is willingly provided by young family members who lack formal training.
Chicken, remarkably tender in several dishes, marries beautifully with ginger root in a ginger chicken stir-fry ($6.95) that gains color from chunks of tomato and red pepper and rings of medium-hot green pepper. Thai egg rolls ($3.25), an appetizer served hot from the deep fryer, offers the textural contrast of shredded carrot and cabbage, ground chicken and bean thread noodles in compact packets. Tom yum ($2.95 cup, $5.95 bowl) is a hot-and-sour soup classic. Here it comes with shrimp, scallops and straw mushrooms in a tasty broth with a refreshing hit of lime juice. Drunken noodles ($5.95), based on thin rice noodles, are on their best behavior in the company of chicken, broccoli, cabbage, bean sprouts and basil: subtle flavors, well combined. An off-the-menu dessert combining warm, slightly sweet coconut milk and small balls made from sticky rice powder ($2) is a candidate for the comfort food hall of fame.
Less remarkable but still tasty are two seafood dishes, spicy squid and spicy catfish (each $7.95). The squid, scored in diamond patterns and stir-fried, comes with green beans, green bell pepper and a red curry gravy. The boneless fish, cut in bite-size chunks, is firm and crusty and comes with similar vegetables. The vegetables in a generous order of tempura (12 pieces for $5.95), including onion, broccoli and green bell pepper, are fried in batter jackets instead of the gossamer coating favored by Japanese.
Good marks also are in order for pillows of fried tofu ($4.95) with peanuts and a peppery sweet and sour sauce; tangy beef salad ($5.95) with full-flavored though chewy meat, and yum woon sen salad ($5.95), featuring ground chicken, shrimp and bean thread noodles.
Only shu mai, appetizer dumplings borrowed from the Chinese, and bambe, a dry mixture of egg noodles, bean sprouts and barbecued pork, are mundane.
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Benjarong
(2 forks)
2886 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-252-9959
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Closed Sun.
Credit cards: M, V
Noise level: Conversation friendly
Wheelchair accessible
Ratings key:
4 forks: Don’t miss it
3 forks: One of the best
2 forks: Very good
1 fork: Good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
