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In honor of International Women's Day, Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood is celebrating women-owned businesses with a dinner crawl on Thursday. (Published Tuesday, Mar 6, 2018)

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HERB IN EDGEWATER OFFER UNIQUE, AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD

Just down the block, Herb is attempting to re-define Thai food by going a tad more upscale in presentation. One of their typical starters is miang kham, a dish as common in Thailand as a hot dog in Chicago.

"Very important dish in Thailand and very popular. It's like street food," said Herb's owner Patty Neumson.

A betelnut leaf serves as a base and wrapper for a host of ingredients: toasted coconut; a peanut; fresh shallots; fresh ginger; sliced lime; tiny, lethal Thai chiles; dried shrimp; and a tablespoon of palm sugar to round it out. The combo of sweet, salt, spice and bitter is pure Thai, and it's meant to be eaten in one bite.

"And we have so many small little dishes to eat all together at one time," she said.

Thais know it well, of course, but even newcomers are taking to it fast.

"When they come back, they ask for it too. They love it," Neumson said.

Both are two unique dishes you're only going to find in a handful of Thai restaurants in the city - and they are both on the same block, which makes being adventurous kind of convenient.

There are obviously a lot more than just those two dishes between the two restaurants. But it's recommended that you eat them there and not get them to-go to ensure optimal temperature.

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BYOB Files: Herb

The backstory: Herb's chef and owner Patty Neumson also grew up in southern Thailand, where she assisted her mother in the kitchen and worked in her grandmother's restaurant before moving to the United States 21 years ago. After attending business school, Neumson opened four casual restaurants, including Lakeview's Satay, which she has since sold. She then changed careers and worked in financial services for seven years before her passion for cooking drew her back to the kitchen. Four-month-old Herb is the most upscale restaurant Neumson has operated, and it blends her focus on healthful eating with a commitment to authentic recipes and ingredients. "I opened Herb to serve food that's delicious, nutritious, with beautiful presentation, and to use my creativity," she said. "It was my goal to serve unique food that you couldn't find at other restaurants."

The highlights: Dishes are available a la carte, but I opted for the three-course prix-fixe. For $35, it was a deal, considering my table also received a memorable amuse-bouche (two-bite pre-appetizer dish) and a small dessert trio in addition to an appetizer, soup and entree (there's also a $55 six-course prix-fixe that includes three appetizers, a soup, an entree and a larger-sized dessert). The amuse on the night I visited—a betel leaf-wrapped mixture of roasted coconut, crushed peanuts, lime juice, chili and ginger—was characteristic of the freshness and un-dumbed-down spice that unified the rest of the meal. As temperatures cool, opt for the Snow Wood Ear soup, a simple but rich vegetable broth that suspends beet-red aka tosa seaweed, spinach, napa cabbage and nameko mushrooms. As an entree, the turmeric chicken could seem like a throwaway amongst more exotic options such as lamb in a musaman curry stew or salmon with choo-chee curry. Don't overlook it, though, because you would miss remarkably tender grilled slices of chicken thigh marinated in an Indian-inspired blend of lemongrass and coriander, the smell of which wafted to my table before it even arrived. The menu changes seasonally, so expect a winter menu to debut in a few months.

BYOB lowdown: Service was friendly but inconsistent when it came to the BYOB accoutrements. Servers provided a wine-chilling bucket right away, but forgot the bottle opener. They earned points, though, for offering new stemless glasses when I transitioned from beer to wine. Get off the Red Line at Thorndale rather than Berwyn if you want to swing by Independent Spirits (5947 N. Broadway 773-989-2115) for a bottle of wine or six-pack of craft beer. You'll also find In Fine Spirits (5418 N. Clark St. 773-506-9463) and Andersonville Wine & Spirits (5201 N. Clark St. 773-769-0858) a few blocks west on Clark Street. White wine would be a versatile choice with most of the menu, but a beer brewed with spices such as coriander or ginger also would be appropriate.

Try it for: A nicer date, or a celebratory dinner with friends who have adventurous palates

Coming attractions: Herb has applied for a liquor license, but plans to remain BYOB without a corkage fee even once the license has been approved. Neumson has a next-door tea house in the works, where she hopes to blend, brew and package tea with a focus on herbal teas and their health benefits. She hopes to open the shop within three to four months.

>>EXTRA: See all of RedEye's BYOB restaurant coverage here.

Herb

While Chicago has no shortage of wonderful BYOB Thai restaurants, there's one in particular changing the mold. Herb Thai in Edgewater is a sleek, affordable restaurant service elevated Thai food. With four menus representing each season, diners have the chance to order a la carte, or a three or six course meal. Prices are very reasonable, especially for the quality of the food. A three course dinner is $35, while six courses will cost you $55.

The BF and I stopped in on a Saturday night with our friends Courtney and Israel and the modern dining room was packed. We all decided to order three courses, including an appetizer, soup, and entree. We brought our own bottles of wine but had to ask for an opener and glasses. This is probably why there is no cork fee! Three courses per person was plenty--we couldn't imagine eating double the amount!

Our server brought out an amuse-bouche consisting of a betel leaf with toasted coconut, ginger, shallot, lime, bird's eye chili, peanut, and palm sugar sauce. We rolled the leaf like a taco and ate it in one bite. It was so refreshing and tasty!

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