Two Weeks In, Little Serow Is Already a Critical Darling

It appears that the critics in town were just as eager as everyone else was to get into Little Serow, the new Thai restaurant that very quietly opened in Dupont Circle two weeks ago. The allure of eating Johnny Monis' food at a price level that is considerable lower than his high-end Komi makes resistance futile. And so DC's major critics wasted no time in filing their first takes on Little Serow.

Tom Sietsema doesn't want anyone else to know about the opening of Little Serow, and so today he writes in a national newspaper about the opening of Little Serow. The critic's First Bite column this week further stokes the public's excitement for the new $45 prix-fixe family-style Thai restaurant, writing that, "It's not every day that a four-star chef makes some of his favorite dishes available to a wider audience." Sietsema uses adjectives like "smoky," "fluffy," and even "rough and violent" — in a good way? — to describe the dishes and concludes that between the service, food and Patsy Cline-fueled ambiance, "no other Thai restaurant in the area presents itself like Little Serow."

Todd Kliman, meanwhile, fielded questions about Little Serow in his online chat yesterday. Initially a little bit more reluctant to offer his take on the barely opened restaurant, the Washingtonian critic notes that he likes the restaurant, expects it to evolve, but thinks the owners should consider dropping the price a bit more if they really want to be welcoming to the greater public. When pressed later in the chat, Kliman also adds that Little Serow is authentic: "It's not what you usually find when an accomplished Western chef tries his hand at an Eastern cuisine. It's not fusion. What it is, is a very reverent, very loving take on these dishes and flavors and techniques. So far, that's the single biggest thing that strikes me about the place, this quiet playing-against-expectation."

So there you have it. Raves all around. Now go ruin Tom Sietsema's day by making sure no one can get into Little Serow again.

· Little Serow review [WaPo]
· Kliman Online [Washingtonian]
· All Previous Little Serow Coverage [-EDC-]

[R. Lopez]