At this point, many people would instantly recognize Thai food from some of the more popular dishes like Pad Thai or spicy curry. But Southeast Asia is by no means a monolith when it comes to culinary tradition and culture. Vietnam, of course, has a large place in the regional and global culinary scene. How about smaller neighbors in the region like Laos? My wife Jun would love to visit the country one day, but for now Baan Mae would offer a good preview of what the Laotian food tastes like. Chef Seng Luangrath, who has been the face of the Lao Food movement in the U.S. (she also has another restaurant Thip Khao that we had visited before), wants to showcase her country’s food at Baan Mae, which also draws from the influence of Thailand and Burma. Overall, we had a very solid dinner at the restaurant.

Based on the reviews of the restaurant, it seemed like a no-brainer to order the “FiLao-O-Fish” sliders. The sliders with fried Chesapeake blue catfish (the restaurant has a mission to eat as many of these invasive species as possible) with spicy tofu mayo was indeed a very delicious snack to kick off the meal. Jun, an avid fried chicken eater, also highly approved the crispy fried chicken wings with jaew bong sauce, a traditional Lao chili paste made with mushroom, soy and tamarind. If you are looking for a dish with a bit more neutral flavor, the Hua Pii salad would be a great option. The shredded banana blossom salad with jicama and tamarind sauce had this very addictive quality while also tasting healthy. For the main dish, we shared the Gaeng Daeng Puu red coconut curry with lump crab on the bartender’s recommendation, and it turned out to be a wise choice as well. We both wished the coconut curry had a bit more spicy kick, but otherwise the rich flavor was an unexpected antidote to the humid DC summer. We finished our meal with the green Thai tea gelato, which tasted more green tea than Thai iced tea; not a bad dessert but not as distinctive as we had hoped to be.

Getting a reservation at Baan Mae is fairly manageable with about a week out. The dining space is fairly modest, but you can also try your luck at the bar area like we did and chat with the bartender to discuss food and drinks options. The restaurant has a number of interesting cocktail options incorporating ingredients and flavors from Southeast Asia, as well as a short list of wines and beers. The atmosphere of the dimly lit dining space with colorful walls feels pretty lively and ideal for a casual get-togethers or dates. Baan Mae has long been on my list of new restaurants to visit, and I’m glad Jun and I finally paid a visit. Jun certainly liked her experience enough to say she can see herself going back again in the near future, and I feel the same.  

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.0/10)

Address: 1604 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

Website: https://www.baanmaedc.com/

Reservation via OpenTable