First Bite: The $39 Five-Course Tasting at Pig and Khao

Pig & Khao opened a few months ago on the same stretch of Clinton Street that's home to Yunnan Kitchen and wd-50. The immediate neighborhood, like many in New York, is a concentrated nucleus of popular restaurants and good eats, ie Pok Pok Phat Thai, 'inoteca, and Mission Chinese Food a few blocks away on Orchard Street. One way Pig and Khao stands out is by offering $1 beers and a five-course tasting menu for $39. Pig and Khao introduced both deals last night. The $1 beers are available for happy hour seven days a week, from 5 - 7pm. The prix fixe is available at the bar (six seats) Monday through Wednesday with a menu Leah Cohen put together exclusively for the tasting. We stopped in last night to check it out.

Amuse - Pineapple, minced pork and shrimp, Thai chili, and cilantro. The clean heat from the Thai chili does a great job waking up the palate.

First course: Grilled Squid - pomelo, pomegranate seed, mint, toasted rice powder, crispy shallot, Vietnamese nuoc cham dressing. This dish really expresses chef Cohen's knowledge of Southeast Asian cooking. Pomegranate seeds are a modern addition, but the crispy shallots is all the dish needs by way of texture. The classic nuoc cham made from fish sauce, lime, and sugar was spot on. It dresses the quickly charred squid and makes for a refreshing sweet and sour salad. 

Second Course: Oyster Omelet - bean sprouts, cilantro, sriracha. Oysters on a tasting menu priced this low is a nice surprise. Made popular in Taiwan, this dish has made its way to most corners of Southeast Asia. Here, rice flour and tapioca starch make a thin crispy crepe that gets folded into the omelet and gives every bite a welcomed crunch.

Third Course: Lechon Kawali - pickled green mango, crispy garlic, sweet and sour liver sauce. Lechon Kawali is deep fried pork belly. Lechon is a popular pork dish in the Philippines where a suckling pig is typically served whole (Lechón de Leche). In both instances, Lechon Kawali included, the skin is incredibly crisp and part of a dish that's typically accompanied with a liver sauce that's made from pork drippings and the animal's liver. The sauce is sweetened a bit and, coupled with the pickled mangos, adds dimension to a rich, fatty cut of meat.

Fourth Course: Braised Beef Short Rib - massaman curry, potato puree, crispy shallot. Massaman curry is a Thai dish of Muslim origin. Due to its Islamic roots, it's also made with tofu, chicken, and duck, but is most commonly made with beef. Coconut milk is one of the base ingredients in Massaman curry and its richness plays really well with the potato puree. A few too many chilies made their way into our plate (we're not spice babies), but the dish is a unique substitute for the ol' steak and potato routine.

Fifth Course: Homemade Donuts - pandan custard. Don't let them clear your spoon once you've eaten the Massaman curry, you'll want it to scrape up whatever's left of the sweet custard. It's made from coconut milk, sugar, and pandan paste, which is made by boiling pandan leaves and extracting their essence and color.

Pig and Khao | 68 Clinton Street (btwn Rivington and Stanton) | 212.920.4485 | www