Decoration, Redux

The pressure is exquisite. Everyone will be expecting me to place a second ornament this morning. That coffee table is looking really big, what if I put the ornament in the wrong place? Its OK, just relax. Breathe.

Unpack the ornament, unpack the holder, hang the ornament on the holder. Whew, I'm spent! Its past noon in India, so as Jimbo so graciously pointed out, its more than acceptable to have a martini :)


To celebrate yesterday's decorating frenzy I had lunch out with my friend Deborah. We tried a new place.



Piman Asian Bistro
4835 N. O'Connor Blvd.
Irving, TX 75062
Phone: 972-650-0001

Location
Piman is in the Las Colinas area, a nice business park / high-rent district due west of Dallas. I lived in this area years ago when I first moved to Dallas. While it is a nice area, it also has a strangely homogenized and beautifully sterile feel, as if all of the character has been swept under the rug for the arrival of hyper-critical royalty.

Atmosphere
Piman has that same feeling on the inside, I call it strip-mall chic. Minimally decorated in shades of maroon and Pier One Buddha heads, it does not say 'take me here for a special occassion' rather, it says 'business lunch' or 'stop here for a solo dining experience on your way home'.

The Plate
But who cares about the decor, I don't, I'm a foodie, so let's get to the food. Piman is another entry in the Pan-Asian market. Pan-Asian, in their case, meaning they offer a little of Chinese, Japanese and Thai. I went full-on Thai.

Tom Yum, the quintessential Thai soup made from chicken broth, lemongrass, tomatoes, green onion and chili oil, was extraordinary. Piman, I believe, makes theirs out of shrimp paste, since my cup had a distinct seafood flavor rather than chicken. High lemongrass brightened up every drop. Generous drops of chili oil warmed up an otherwise chilly afternoon.

Spicy Basil, pick your choice of meat. Strange that there was no veggie option but no bother. The rice is presented in a vertical cone shape, nice, I like tall rice. The spicy basil concoction looks deceptively light on sauce but you better do some deep breathing exercises before you dig in. Someone get me a glass of water before my damn head explodes; very good but very spicy, as advertised. Other than the heat, the Spicy Basil had a slightly savory orange-infused sauce which was excellent against a modest amount of tender chicken, snow peas, carrot rounds and slivers of onion.

Price
Very decent lunch specials from $6-9; Tom Yum large cup $3-4

Service
Deborah and I had not seen each other since July, busy overscheduled people that we are. Our server was very good at quietly checking up on us every 5 minutes to see if we were ready to order. Drinks, soup and meals came in a timely, almost invisible manner.

Overall
If you work/live in the area, Piman could easily become a regular stop for your Pan-Asian cravings otherwise I wouldn't make a special trip out to Las Colinas to eat here.

In other news ...

Brian the Desert Mo has outdone himself with a truly remarkable story of survival, I found it ultimately life-affirming. If you can read the whole thing and remain unmoved I will award you the first ever, hand-made, yet-to-be-designed 2005 Cast-Iron Bitch Award.

(Brian, of course, you will not be able enter the contest :)

Piman
Irving
Thai