Another Hound

At Another Hound, the décor is cool urban minimalist monotone romantic-gothic. The materials are wood, marble, concrete, ceramic, metal, glass and natural-fiber fabrics. Ceilings are optimistically high. Walls of windows separate the beautiful diners from the hungry masses. The music is hop-hop, electronic. The waiters—all men—are tall, with shaved heads and plenty of piercings. And they are outfitted in layered designer duds. All this you might expect from a restaurant that is the offshoot of a fashionable clothing (and now “lifestyle”) company. What you might not is for the substance—the food—to be as inspired or well-executed as the style. In fact Another Hound serves up a dining experience that transcends the usual plastic mall fare, which includes a healthy number of imaginative and often tasty dishes at reasonable prices. The official concept is “Italian gourmet with spicy Thai twists,” although they’re just as likely to start with Thai and do the twisting European-style. For example, the nua dat diao with som tam and khao niao we began with on a recent visit is “sun-dried” lamb, instead of the ubiquitous beef or pork. Not the best-executed som tam (syrupy sweet and carrot heavy) nor sticky rice (soggy), but together it somehow made sense (if you like lamb) as an appetizer. The baby spinach salad, though jazzed up with naem and a(n overly tart) balsamic dressing was disappointingly pedestrian, but bringing us back to life was a smooth lemongrass-accented “Rivera” (sic) Styled Lobster Bisque (B170). Purists won’t like the fact that they pre-cook their noodles (we assume for speedier service—the food comes out fast) and they’re not served al dente, but pastas are Another Hound’s strong point. They’re justifiably famous for their spaghetti with Thai anchovies; they might soon be for their spaghetti with pate and dried chili, fettucine with pepper crab or risotto with shitake and shrimp roe—all terrific. We would skip the intriguing-sounding Liver Pate and Spinach Ravioli in Hot Pursuit, however, which was likely conceived late at night after a few drinks. If you like something heavier, there are dishes like grilled lamb chop with Thai spices; we prefer the fried snapper, which is served Vietnamese-style: the fish cut into cubes and then fried and reassembled, with noodles, vegetables and a sweet sauce on the side.