Pok Pok Ny Brings Thai Flavor To Life |Red Hook, NYC

As try as we might to hold fast when visiting the stunning new Pok Pok Ny in a pier-side section of Brooklyn, we always circle back to the legendary wings and the restaurant's fiery namesake papaya salad.

In addition to these must-orders, try any of the uncommon Thai dishes on Pok Pok Ny's extensive menu. We ordered nearly half the available items when we dined, and every dish was spectacular.

We're talking about charcoal-roasted catfish salad ($14) and smoke-saturated bites of eggplant with hard-boiled eggs in Yam Makheua Yao ($10). Rotisserie hens (half a bird, $12; whole, $20) are literally packed full of lemongrass, and demure Phak Kad Jaw (stewed mustard greens and pork ribs; $14) is a restorative brew far from the Thai-American norm.

Slam a beer slushy ($6) alongside mussels caught up in a rice-and-tapioca-flour crêpe (pictured; $14). From there, all roads must lead to an affogato of condensed-milk ice cream drowned in coffee ($7).

In a flash of chile heat, endless dipping sauces and sour-salty-sweet flavors, Pok Pok Ny has instantly redefined "destination dining."

Pok Pok Ny, 127 Columbia St. (at Kane St.), Brooklyn; 718-923-9322 or pokpokny.com