Linger "Revives" Spirit; Thai Street Kitchen Damn Spicy

Calling the kitchen crew "hardly street food purists,"5280 Magazine awarded Linger three stars in the December issue. Giving a full four-star dose of love for the authentic street food favorites with added pizazz and the "genre-bending" uniques eats (sure enough, the restaurant will be featured on Unique Eats), Shari Caudron writes pretty fondly of the place. The barbeque duck buns and carrot and lentil kofte were her favorites, adding that some dishes weren't as successful, but still mighty tasty. The service at Linger is friendly and knowledgable and the atmosphere of the old mortuary/hearse garage-turned-eatuary is definitely an entertaining oddity.

"You’ll notice the subtle mortuary-esque touches—the stainless steel medical chart holders for the wine list. The toe tags that list dessert. The images from the funeral-centric 1971 film Harold and Maude. Cucci gets high marks for keeping the death motif in check; you scarcely notice it, and it’s more amusing than macabre when you do," Caudron wrote.

So overall? Linger revived her spirit, "something the building’s original inhabitants would likely have approved of." Clever. [5280]

Laura Shunk of Westword reviewed the homestead commissary kitchen for the 16th Street Mall favorite Thai Street Food, located in Aurora. The wait for food at the restaurant, which is only open on Saturdays, is nearly as long as the line for the street cart during the week downtown, but that isn't discouraging enough to not wait. It's worth the wait. And the stuff is real spicy.

"Isaan food also has one defining characteristic: enough heat to practically blister your esophagus. And Killoran [owner/cook] doesn't dumb down the temperature just because she's cooking for Americans, although she does offer everything on a sliding scale that includes such steps between mild and medium as "baby spice" and "nice spice," presumably so that posturing first-timers take the hint and avoid injury. For those who don't, there are boxes of Kleenex on every table," Shunk wrote.

Though the heat is no joke at Thai Street Food, Shunk said she'll be back for "Isaan fare at its finest." [Westword]

The Boulder Daily Camera's Liz Moscow also ventured out for some spice for this week's review, giving Aloy Thai (Chy Thai, recently renamed) two and a half stars. While she found it hard to stomach a check for $16 on a meal that would have cost her pennies Southeast Asia, the food was still good. The decor, not so memorable.

The verdict: "Slight inconsistencies in preparation and portioning aside, I've concluded from multiple visits that Aloy lives up to its moniker even if I can't pay in small increments of Thai baht while overlooking the deep blue Andaman Sea and anticipating my $6 Thai massage."[Daily Camera]

The Denver Post reviewed Queen of Sheba on East Colfax, and writer John Wenzel said it's the best Ethiopian food in the city, and simple that. It's darn good food, the aromas are pungent and wonderful and better yet, the feel of the place is welcoming and diner-like.

"The restaurant can swing from empty to crowded in a few seconds, and the small staff — usually one or two cooks and a single server — works hard to keep up. But patience is duly rewarded at Queen of Sheba, and regulars will attest to the fact that it's as addictive a food experience as you'll ever have," Wenzel wrote.[The Denver Post]

Overall, this week's reviews weren't condemning. Weekend toast to that.