Mukda Thai Cuisine

At Mukda Thai Cuisine, which chef Wisut Kaeoasdangkul named for his wife and business partner, my "bbq" beef salad is sparked with intrigue. There's the lively interplay of chili, lime and fresh mint, the pleasing staccato crunch, crunch, crunch of what turns out to be not peanuts but ground rice. As it turns out, some, but not all, expectations are met. --Joan Reminick