Lynn Athavimol, who opened Lynn’s Thai Restaurant in Cotati in November 2008 is the former owner and founder of the Thai House in Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa. She sold the business in 2004 and has spent the past four years in Thailand. You can taste it in her food.
Crab Rolls with lime sauce ($9.95), given a white-tablecloth presentation set the bar high, making everyday spring rolls seem downright dull. The sharp acid of the lime, along with lots of garlic and cilantro is well-executed but can slightly overwhelm the delicate crab. Minor stuff. She also does duck rolls with sweet black plum sauce.
Lynn’s Tom Kha — coconut milk soup with galangal, kaffir lime, lemon grass and mushrooms is ridiculously fragrant and delicate. It steers clear of the ham-handed tendency to add too much lime or fish sauce.
A rainbow of curries, from yellow to red, green, Panang, brown and pumpkin, kicks out the flavor with a larder-emptying mix of veggies and spices. The sauce stands up to a spoon rather than puddling in fear. Even the rice is light and fragrant. WIth a price tag of $8.95 for lunch (including soup) or $9.95 for dinner, it’s a hearty value as well.
Other entrees include familiar players like honey pork ($8.95/$9.25), cashew chicken ($8.95/$9.25), Pad Thai, and fried rice. But there are also some surprises: Noodles with roasted duck and a marinated duck egg (?), grilled salmon with red curry and tilapia with sweet and sour lime sauce.
Lynn does a killer creme brulee infused with lemon grass. She’s still tinkering with the recipe (which could use a little more of the perfume-y herb), but it’s a solid effort.
With her delicate touch in the kitchen and constant-presence in the dining room, it’s a welcome relief to have another reasonably priced go-to Thai in town. Call it your appetite stimulus plan.
Lynn’s Thai Restaurant, 8492 Gravenstein Hwy, Suite M, Cotati, 707.793.9300
