Guest Chef Andy Ricker | Tasting Table NYC

Just hearing about Andy Ricker's schedule is enough to make you need a breather.

There are his four rollicking spots in Portland, including the original Pok Pok. In New York, Ricker just opened the drinking destination Whiskey Soda Lounge Ny, which joins Pok Pok Ny and Pok Pok Phat Thai.

His cookbook, Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand ($35), will hit stores on October 29. Amidst all the cookbook writing bicoastal restaurant opening and the seriously tasty Thai food cooking, Ricker is squeezing in a stop to be a Tasting Table Guest Chef.

Pok Pok–lively in food and flavor
On Tuesday, October 29, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Tasting Table readers are invited to join us for a Northern Thai feast (see the full menu here) with cocktails, beer and after-dinner drinks with Andy Ricker ($200 plus tax; purchase tickets here).

J.J. Goode, food writer and co-author of the upcoming cookbook, will conduct a Q&A session at the end of the meal, and Ricker will share anecdotes behind each dish. Guests will take home a signed copy of the highly anticipated book.

Tamarind Whiskey Sour | The new cookbook
To get you in the mood for a lively night of drinking, dining and more drinking, Ricker shared a recipe for a Tamarind Whiskey Sour (see the recipe), which he says, "was the very first cocktail that I came up with for Pok Pok, and is still the best-selling cocktail to this day." In a smart move, the drink "uses ingredients, like tamarind and palm sugar, that are already found in a kitchen cooking Thai and Southeast Asian food."

We'll say cheers to that.