2 City Eateries Live Up to Their Stellar Names; 1 Is Thai, 1 Is Chinese

Despite the American tendency toward self-deprecation, several restaurants that have opened in recent months have awarded themselves as many stars as they please.

The most self-generous in this regard is the Twelve Stars European Cafe in Hillcrest, which was reviewed in this column several months ago and which, in fact, deserves a reputation as a stellar eatery--chef Andre Vautrin handles his saute pans with confidence and style.

Two other recent entrants in this astral competition are Five Star Thai Cuisine on Broadway and the Golden Star Chinese restaurant in Hillcrest. They may seem a little presumptuous in their nomenclature, but both live up to their opinions of themselves.

Just why San Diego’s Thai restaurants tend to be attractive is unclear, but, although they may disagree pointedly on their interpretations of this excellent cuisine, they do all seem to be of one mind when it comes to designing striking interior decor. Five Star Thai Cuisine honors its downtown location by aiming at industrial strength big-city chic, achieved through such elements as the blue neon that snakes high above the tables, the air-conditioning ducts transformed into architectural statements and the bold, contemporary artwork on the walls.

A similar genius, or at least a desire for authenticity, guides the cooking. Thai food is notable for its delicacy, although it paradoxically is never a timid cuisine, and it likes to go for big effects by igniting soups, sautes and even salads with feisty combinations of hot peppers, pungent basil leaves and garlic. Another favorite seasoning, lemon grass, adds a tart piquancy to many preparations, especially to soups, which with rice and various noodle dishes are a mainstay of the Thai diet.

Although the menu runs to great length, many of the dishes will be familiar at least by name to those who enjoy Thai cuisine. The difference is that many are prepared with considerably more attention to quality than at other local Thai houses. The appetizer list kicks off with a selection of satays , or savory skewers of marinated, grilled meats, and the most interesting here may be the shrimp satay , which reposes in a bath of spiced coconut milk before acquiring a lightly charred exterior on the grill. This and the other satays are accompanied by the traditional and pleasing garnishes of peanut sauce and barely pickled fresh cucumbers.

Tod mun , or deep-fried spicy fish cakes, are attended by the same garnishes, while a sweet sauce picked up with a bit of fresh cilantro arrives with the Thai-style egg rolls and spring rolls. The egg rolls come fairly close to the Chinese model, although the meat-and-vegetable stuffing also includes a few thread noodles. These taste like they are prepared to order and make savory mouthfuls. The spring rolls are quite a bit more elegant, however; soft rather than fried--the menu describes them as crepes, which seems fair. These contain a stuffing that happily mixes tofu with cooked pork and raw bean sprouts, scallions and cucumbers.

Thai salads sometimes stretch the American meaning of the word to encompass what really are cold entrees garnished with a bit of greenery, but they can be sensational, and Five Star offers several fine examples. The nam tok salad tumbles broiled beef with red pepper, two kinds of onion, fresh mint and lime juice and is hot, pungent, sweet and sour all at once. The prosaically named “shrimp disco” would not be a salad at all were it not for the few lettuce leaves that line the plate, and it seems more on the line of a Thai shrimp cocktail, the crustaceans artfully dressed with red and green bell peppers, minced ginger, oversized basil leaves and sprigs of fresh cilantro.

To its credit, the menu notes the presence of surimi-style “crab” wherever it appears (this is an industrial fish paste mixed with small or larger amounts of crab, according to brand), although it is not to the restaurant’s credit that this product, here called “crab stix,” is employed at all. One dish it enters is the otherwise delightful po tak soup, a murky, briny concoction of broth swimming with shrimp, squid and mussels, the liquid tinted green with fresh herbs and devilish chilies that add a mild but well-defined heat.

A glory of Thai cuisine is its assorted curries, which can be yellow, green, red or--when they contain a good portion of coconut milk--rather muddy in color. The yellow curries tend to be mild, as they are at Five Star; red and green can range from milquetoast to incendiary depending on whatever bargain is struck among diner, server and cook. If no specification is made, Five Star will serve a reasonably hot green curry. One prepared with chicken was excellent, the meat remarkably tender and juicy and the sauce chewy and sweet, despite its fiery undertones. Fresh basil added a wonderful flavor.

A house special, Five Star chicken, also was somewhat hot, although the coffee-colored gravy--gritty but savory from the addition of crushed dried shrimp--also held notes of sweetness. This fine dish was especially likable for its freshness, since it combined the chicken with barely cooked carrots, cabbage and pea pods.

Other offerings include pineapple fried rice; pad kari (stir-fried noodles with vegetables, a choice of meats and yellow curry powder); pork in a deliciously pungent garlic sauce, and a dish called “soldiers in the red sea” that submerges various seafoods in a spiced tomato sauce. The relatively brief luncheon menu mentions several of these choices but reaches top form with the $5.25 complete meal specials, of which a different combination is offered daily.

Hillcrest’s Golden Star serves above-average cooking in matter-of-fact surroundings and makes a specialty of the currently popular Mandarin and Szechuan cuisines.

So many restaurants offer commercial egg rolls that the plump, obviously fresh bundles served here seem a treat, especially when doused with the pungent sauce that servers blend at table. Dumplings, another popular starter, come off less well, but the plump steamed buns stuffed with barbecued pork make an excellent alternative.

The specialties need to be searched out from among the long lists of familiar dishes, among them are sea cucumber in three versions (there are doubtless other styles on request), an unusually savory roast duck and the deeply flavored sa wor seafood with bean curd and black mushrooms.

The kitchen pulls few punches when it comes to seasoning Szechuan-style dishes, and the yu hsiang eggplant is particularly successful, with a redolent flavor that veers into sweetness and yet smolders at the back of the throat. Among other dishes that achieve a similar effect are the imperial shrimp, the Szechuan beef (a very finely done version) and the “wonder” chicken, which may be so named because it makes you wonder what exactly has gone into the flavoring.

Desserts are a genuine rarity at Chinese restaurants, and Golden Star offers its patrons an unexpected treat by preparing a rich eggy custard that is not unlike flan or creme caramel and has the salutary effect of cooling palates overheated by spicy cooking.

DAVID NELSON ON RESTAURANTS

FIVE STAR THAI CUISINE

816 Broadway

231-4408

Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday; dinner only on Sunday.

Credit cards accepted.

Dinner for two, with one beer each, tax and tip, $25 to $45.

GOLDEN STAR

3761 6th Ave.

291-8168

Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday.

Credit cards accepted.

Dinner for two, with a glass of wine each, tax and tip, $20 to $40.