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Go out of your box for Thai Classic

Posted: 04/20/2009 10:19:59 AM EDT

Fiat Yomgyoight, son of owner Surackai Yomgyoight, takes a dish from the kitchen at Thai Classic IV Restaurant on Chambersburg Street in Gettysburg. (Evening Sun - Shane Dunlap)

Is it possible that I'm still growing? Lately, I get so hungry and eat so much that I'm afraid to try anything new. What if I don't like it? What if the portion is too small?

But, part of this column is about being adventurous. So, like a culinary Indiana Jones - with a fork and spoon instead of a hat and whip - I tried something new to me. And new to the Gettysburg area.

Thai food.

While Thai food might be all the rage in some regions of the country, the restaurants serving it seem to be few and far between in many parts of Pennsylvania.

Thai Classic IV Restaurant opened Feb. 25 down from Lincoln Square at 51 Chambersburg St.

Owner Surackai Yomgyoight said he has been getting a steady stream of two kinds of

Thai Classic IV Restaurant s panang talay dish includes crab and other seafood served in a peanut sauce. (Evening Sun - Shane Dunlap)

customers. There are those who are curious, wondering, "Just what is this Thai food I've heard so much about, anyway?" And then there are those who are glad to finally have a place here to satisfy their cravings for Thai food.

I was one of the curious.

Yomgyoight came to the United States about 25 years ago and has been in the restaurant business even longer. This is his fourth Thai restaurant. The others are in Maryland in Sykesville, Westminster and Owings Mills.

Thai food, Yomgyoight said, is known for having a light sauce rather than the heavy sauce for which Chinese food is known. There are plenty of vegetables in each dish, he explained. These vegetables can include everything from the common green and red peppers to the less common bamboo shoots. If you order chicken, only white meat is used, Yomgyoight said. The Thai restaurant also uses no MSG.

Everything is prepared fresh, he said. So if you want your order tweaked from what's on the menu, it's no problem.

For the uninitiated, he has a user-friendly menu, describing the contents of each dish.

And, if you like the hot stuff, or if you're timid about burning your taste buds, just check on the star system used on the menu. Three stars means that's as hot as it gets. No stars, and it's a mild, non-spicy dish.

Kapow, or basil, dishes are among the spiciest on the menu, topping out at three stars. You can get chicken, pork, beef, seafood or shrimp with your stir-fried vegetables, fresh basil leaves all stir fried and cooked in chili and garlic sauce.

The less spicy pick is the ginger perfect. It comes with the same meat choices with a non-spicy sauce and vegetables.

I tried the two-star red curry chicken. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I watched a couple at another table who had just received their order. It didn't take long for their eyes to bug out, surprised that what they bit actually bit back. Once used to the spice, however, they seemed to enjoy it.

It felt safe. My red curry chicken came out. It was an assortment of white-meat chicken cut in small pieces and bamboo, eggplant, green beans and peppers. It was in a light sauce made with red curry and coconut milk.

The spice does have a bite. I'm a fan of the spicy, and, if you are too, this might be a good dish to try. It's sort of a medley between spice with the curry and mild with the coconut.

The two mix in a unique flavor - a flavor of a new kind of food. Something that can even satisfy the appetite of a growing boy. Albeit a boy who's growing more out than up these days.

- STEVE MARRONI, FLIPSIDE STAFF