Thai Songs With Your Supper

Thais who go out for the evening want more than a good meal, they also want to be entertained. Both here in Los Angeles and in Bangkok, Thai restaurants with late-night stage acts are exceedingly popular.

These are places that bring in a singer after 8 p.m. on weekends. Some places even have full-blown cabaret programs.

I discovered one of them locally, the Palm Restaurant--and consequently the whole cabaret scene--by accident. A friend had recommended the restaurant for Isaan (northeastern-style) food. I’d expected a quiet, storefront restaurant. But when we walked in one Saturday evening, we could barely hear the hostess over the din of a Thai rock combo. When the music stopped, a stand-up comedienne took the small stage and soon had the group in a state of side-splitting laughter. She was followed by a young woman singing slow ballads in Thai.

As for the Isaan food, the Palm has a small but good selection of spicy choices that most seem to prefer with alcoholic drinks. These dishes, distinguished by the presence of toasted rice powder and dry chiles (and the absence of fresh chiles), aren’t really considered dinner, rather something to nibble between sips. One eats them by picking up morsels with a bit of sticky rice. All the Isaan dishes are listed under salads, but not all the salads at the Palm are Isaan . Yam neua , for instance, translated as spices of beef salad, is a Central-style dish. For those who want a full meal or those who don’t want anything so intensely hot as the Isaan or Central dishes, the Palm offers a long menu of more familiar Thai fare.

Palm Restaurant, 5273 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. (213) 462-5073. Open 11 a.m.-1 a.m. daily.

Le Carillon may be one of the more unique East-West ventures to come along in a while. At lunch and dinner it is an excellent Continental restaurant with table-side service and romantic lighting. Our Caesar salad, deftly prepared by the dining room captain (a skill he picked up in his youth training at Bangkok’s renowned Oriental Hotel), should be on the city’s 10 best list. And I’d almost forgotten how good crepes Suzettes can be when done properly.

But after 9:30 p.m. (Thursday through Sunday), Le Carillon changes into La Kantong (the golden bell) a Thai supper club with entertainment and fine Thai food.

La Kantong attracts an urbane Thai audience by wooing big-name performers from Thailand. During the month of October, for example, female singing star Dawjai Paichit headlined the multi-act bill. Paichit has won a Thai Gold Record, an award given only once a year by the Thai king.

La Kantong’s Thai dishes emphasize refined presentations. Seua rong hai is a lean, perfectly grilled American-style beefsteak, served sliced with a hot, tart dipping sauce. Lard na, instead of being the usual gloppy beef and broccoli noodle dish, is a plate of wide rice noodles topped with an assortment of seafood in a very light sauce.

Although La Kantong caters to a Thai clientele, many dishes are, as the menu says, “toned down.” If you like your food hot, you may request a higher degree of spiciness. In some cases, though, toning down is a good idea. Kaeng leung , a brutally hot Southern-style sour curry, is usually hard to eat, even for adventurous Western palates. But our version was a tart, lightly spiced soup filled with baby corn, straw mushrooms, zucchini, shrimp and shelled clams. Larb , the Isaan trademark salad, was less intense than most.

Le Carillon (La Kantong), 2555 W. La Habra Blvd., La Habra. (213) 691-1800 or (714) 526-1200. Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday. (Thai food and entertainment Thursday through Sunday until midnight.)

In the early era of Los Angeles Thai restaurants, Tepparod Thai was part of a small family-owned chain that introduced the cuisine to this city. These days, with only two restaurants in the family, Tepparod Thai owner, Chow Burana, concentrates on bringing popular recording stars from Thailand to sing at his cabaret. Expect talent from the local pool of Thai entertainers, too--Burana has a lot of shows to fill. There are three performers each night and no cover charge.

Whenever a big name singer appears at The Tepparod, Burana advertises in several local Thai newspapers. On these occasions, unless you arrive before 9 p.m., you may not find a seat.

The best things to eat are Tepparod’s sates . These and the grilled meat or seafood salads have the same distinctively smoky flavor. Try goong pla-- butterflied char-grilled shrimp on lettuce with a dressing of lemon grass, chile and lime. Tepparod’s thick, rich curry dishes are a good contrast for the salad’s sharp flavors.

Tepparod Thai Restaurant, 5151 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood (213) 667-9800. Open for lunch and dinner (until 3 a.m.) Tuesday through Sunday.