Description
This Thai-Vietnamese spot gets its name from the aromatic leaf chewed all over South and Southeast Asia. It's supposedly a mild stimulant, and so is the restaurant, with its irritating unch-unch clubbing music. It's great to present Southeast Asian food in a fine-dining setting, but the dishes should be at least as tasty as those at our beloved cheap spots. And because Betel's food is good, but not that good, it seems a bit overpriced. On the other hand, we loved the vegetarian mussaman curry--the rich, peanutty sauce bobbing with plantain, green globe eggplant, pineapple, apple, and morning glory. Betel leaf wraps are zesty little bites. But skip the pedestrian dumplings.
