RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Whenever a restaurant claims to be “authentic” it always gives me pause. It seems that is the buzz word ethnic restaurants use to try and validate the food that — more often than not — isn’t very good.

It is a guarantee I am often disappointed in, but not at Silk Thai. I have been to Thailand and this is the closest I have come to the food I had over there.

Thai food in this area has become a melting pot. Restaurants will say they are Thai but then Chinese food seems to creep onto the menu. One place I have been even had sushi along with its Thai cuisine.

There is no such confusion when you come here. From the moment you walk in you know the restaurant is solely Thai. The wait staff is wearing traditional Thai outfits, the women with long gowns colored maroon and gold. The interior of the restaurant is elegantly decorated and the feel is warm and inviting.

My challenge for the evening: I was with two friends who did not like spicy food. I am not a spice-addict, but I will often zing something up with condiments to keep my attention from wandering.

We began with crispy-wrapped tiger prawns. The prawns were hiding in an egg-flour skin, very wonton-like, with egg noodles on the outside. They are then deep fried and served with a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce is almost unnecessary as the crunchy shell protects the tender prawn and makes for an unusual taste.

The Thai barbecue pork shoulder or chicken breast is mixed with coconut milk, garlic, ginger, palm sugar and an herb marinade and then put on a skewer and char grilled. It’s worth trying.

Other traditional Thai appetizers such as Thai crispy noodles, spring rolls and satay are also quite good.

Though it was still warm outside when we visited Silk Thai, I can never go to a Thai restaurant and not have soup. The flavors in their soups always blow me away, and the one I had here was no exception.

It was tough choosing. I like the Tom Kha Gai, a spicy coconut soup with chicken, but went with the Tom Yum Talay, a spicy Thai soup with seafood. The bits of calamari, prawns, mussels and scallops mixed well with the lemongrass and mushrooms, though I ordered it a bit too spicy and definitely paid for it.

The restaurant has a spicy guide on its menu and it is wise to ratchet down a notch from what you think you can handle. It goes from 1(mild) to 10 (“Hey!! We warned you, dial 911 now!!”)

With my soup I went with 4 (“Spicy! More water please!”) and had a tingle on my lips through dessert.

My two friends and I picked non-spicy dishes for entrees and were extremely satisfied with just about everything. The Thai barbecued pork ribs were incredibly tasty, and the marinade stays with the meat because it is slow roasted.

We also got garlic and pepper scallops. They were lightly grilled and sautéed in a black pepper and garlic sauce. They were good, but we got 10 scallops and I’m not sure it was worth the $12.95 price.

If I want fish I would probably go with the deep-fried pompano or spicy catfish with red curry sauce.

We finished our meal off with chicken Pad Thai and sticky rice. The Pad Thai was incredible — some of the best I have ever had. The chicken was moist, not dried out as it tends to be in a lot of restaurants. The noodles were fresh as well.

The sticky rice was sticky, but not sweet, and that was a minor letdown. But I will definitely return, sans the friends, and see how high on the spicy scale my tongue can stand.

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.