Try a little of everything at Thai Cuisine's dim-sum brunch

Ithaca has lots of brunch possibilities, from the simple egg-and-accompaniments approach to fancier entrees or sprawling buffets, but one unique approach is the dim-sum style Sunday brunch at Thai Cuisine, Ithaca's original Thai restaurant on Route 13. This excellent eatery, now over 20 years old, always features beautifully presented and delicious Thai food, but on Sunday from 11am to 2pm, just relax as servers bring by a never-ending parade of small plates to tempt you. Say yes to the ones you'd like to try; your check will be tallied at the end of the meal based on the number of empty plates you've accumulated.

Some items are cold, such as the lightly spicy Thai chicken salad, and many are hot, including fried shrimp spring rolls or chicken with peanut sauce served over fresh spinach. Much of what the servers bring around on trays of small plates matches dishes from the regular menu in sample sizes, but they also stretch beyond the usual each weekend.

There's lots of seafood, such as stuffed crab served on the shell, and plenty of vegetarian fare, including tofu and veggies steamed inside a tin-foil packet. I love the steamed buns, available in shrimp or vegetarian variety.

Our servers did a great job describing each dish and helping us gauge how spicy it would be, so we could cater to the varying tastes among our group. Just as with tapas, the right approach here is to share several things among several people -- get a second of a particular plate if it looks good, just in case the same thing doesn't come around again 15 minutes later. That's especially important for a big group, where the small plates won't go very far when divided up.

Perfect on a warm weekend afternoon, especially in the restaurant's warm greenhouse-like front dining room, is the Thai iced coffee. It's strong and sweetened with condensed milk, and the creaminess goes a long way toward cooling off anything you taste that's spicier than you expected. (If it's warm enough out that you won't enjoy the sun-warmed front room, ask to be seated inside. We bet it's nice in February.)

We also took the opportunity to grab a couple of desserts as they came around, even though we weren't ready for them yet. The mango pudding was sweet and fruity without being cloying, and I loved the sticky rice with red bean paste steamed inside a folded banana leaf. Of course, once we'd decided to eat those desserts, other new and intriguing dishes that we hadn't seen earlier came around.

It's hard to know when to stop, because everything looks and sounds so tempting, but save a little room for that dessert -- and decide when enough is enough. You can always come back next weekend.

Find Thai Cuisine at 501 South Meadow Street in Ithaca's Southwest. Call 607-273-2031 or visit ithacathaicuisine.com and tell them you heard about them here.