Description
Utumporn Killoran had been running the Thai Street Food Cart on the 16th Street
Mall for years before she finally got her own brick-and-mortar spot in 2011 -- a space in Aurora that she uses as a commissary during the week and as a real restaurant on Saturdays only. Killoran hails from the Isaan region of Thailand, which is up north and close to the border of Laos; the food in that part of the country channels both Thai and Lao cuisine, with curries, pork larb, green papaya salad and sticky rice prominent. But Isaan food also has one defining characteristic: enough heat to practically blister your
esophagus. And Killoran doesn't dumb down the temperature just because she's cooking for Americans, though she does offer everything on a sliding scale that includes such steps between mild and medium as "baby spice" and "nice spice," all in an effort to encourage posturing first-timers to take the hint and avoid injury. For those who don't,
there are boxes of Kleenex on every table. That Kleenex also comes in handy when you realize that you'll only get to taste Killoran's incredible curry one day a week -- unless you're willing to brave the crowds on the mall.
