By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
February 5, 1995
Banana Leaf Kitchen
Phone: (312) 883-8683
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.;
Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
One afternoon, a friend and I were trolling for food after catching a matinee at the Music Box Theatre. Just a couple of blocks away from the cinema, we saw a quaint restaurant called the Banana Leaf Kitchen with a sign promising noodles, fried rice and curry.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a restaurant called Banana Leaf, but I was quickly won over once I stepped inside. Bright and spotless, the space is on the smallish side, and yet patrons don’t feel crowded. Full of plants – including a faux banana tree – the decor also includes some wonderful stone paintings done by a Thai art
student.
Though various Asian dishes are served – including tasty pork and veggie dumplings called gyoza (a tad pricey at five for $3.95) and light spring rolls ($3.25) – Thai food is the Banana Leaf Kitchen’s speciality.
If you want to know what the restaurant’s name is all about, order item D-2 for dessert. The banana treat comes wrapped in a banana leaf.
“Thai people often cook food wrapped in banana leaves,” said co-owner Ithichai Damprapa, who also is an architect. “So we thought it would be a fun name for the restaurant. Thai people understand the name right away, so that’s nice, too.”
Less than six months old, the Banana Leaf Kitchen is a cozy place with attentive waiters. It’s difficult to decide what to order because the menu is extensive. And the kitchen is just close enough to the dining area so that patrons can hear – and smell – a the food sizzling.
“I go nuts here because I want to get whatever I smell when I walk in,” said Lauren McCant, enjoying her order of garlic shrimp ($7.95). “Then, after I order, I smell someone’s else meal, and I want to get that, too! Needless to say, I’m a real pain when it comes time to order.”
“I first came to this place not too long after it opened thinking it would serve Caribbean rice dishes and things,” said Michael Glenn, digging into a bowl of wide rice noodles, duck, cilantro, Chinese broccoli and bean sprouts ($5.95). “I didn’t really know what Thai food was all about and had never gone out of my way to get to a Thai restaurant. So it was kind of a nice way for me to get initiated into this totally cool cuisine by accident.”
My Banana Leaf favorites include the spicy chicken pad kee-mao ($5.25), made with wide rice noodles, and the chili paste fried rice with shrimp ($6.50), which wasn’t as spicy as its name might indicate.
I couldn’t bring myself to order the American fried rice ($6.50), which includes ketchup and raisins in its list of ingredients. But I get the feeling a lot of kids will eat it up.
