runs scored and five RBI This season, he broke the major league record of most consecutive stolen bases to begin a career with 29. The previous record, 27, was held by Hall of Fame player Tim Raines, who set the mark be- tween 1979 and 1981. Locastro is also tied with Washington Nationals’ Trea Turner for sec- ond among all Major League Baseball players in average sprint speed (30.7 feet per sec- ond). He also holds the highest hit-by-pitch rate of all time

DEFT COMBINATIONS

Mia Tapas Bar & Restaurant offers expertly flavored dishes with an Asian flair

By Henry Stark

Mia, on the Ithaca Commons, is the fifth restaurant: (Thai Cuisine, 1988; Just a Taste, 1991; Madeline’s, 1998; Za Za’s Cucina; 2002; Mia, 2011.) opened in downtown Ithaca by restaurateur and entrepreneur Lex Chutintaranond. Lex’s method of operation is to sell the establishment to family or staff several years after getting them started.

Chutintaranond sold it in 2012 to his cousin, Yuttanun Nakaranurck, who was then, and still is, the executive chef.

Since Chutintaranond was born in Thailand, it’s not surprising there’s a strong Thai and Indian flair to the cuisine offered at Mia. In fact, Mia has two distinct menu options: tapas and one featuring “large plate” entrées both demonstrating a strong Asian influence.

My favorite large plate is Crispy Half Duck. Actually, duck is a specialty here and comes as three different, and unique meat entrées. Don’t be concerned: this is not the greasy duck that sometimes comes cooked in fat in other restaurants. Mia’s three offerings (all $25), come with the fat burned off and a crispy, sometimes lightly charred skin. Going from mild to spicy, the first item is a Crispy Half Duck with Asian greens (during my visits the greens have always been bok choy), in a shiitake mushroom and five spice demi glaze. Despite the description, it’s mild. Next up the spicy ladder is a Thai Panang curry sauce that is sweet with a definite spicy accent. Then comes Crispy Duck Lad Prig served in a garlic, tamarind chili sauce. The chilis and peppers made me catch my breath and reach for the water glass.

If you’re not up for duck, I’ve enjoyed, under the Seafood Large Plates menu, Thai Shrimp Clay Pot with bamboo shoots, baby corn, shiitake mushrooms and cashews over rice. Despite the menu nomenclature, it wasn’t served in a clay pot, rather, a ceramic-type round bowl that didn’t remotely resemble the porous clay pot that regular users of clay pots soak in cold water to obtain and retain moisture and then use for cooking and serving. And although the meal was hearty and robust, I would have preferred a different ratio of interesting ingredients to rice — more shrimp, corn, cashews and mushrooms, less rice.

In addition to Meat and Seafood categories you’ll find an interesting and appealing selection of a half dozen Vegetarian Large Plates ($15-$16).

Speaking of vegetarian, there are many clearly marked (VG) vegetarian and (GF) gluten free items sprinkled throughout both sides of the menu.

The tapas side offers an interesting variety of about a dozen, smaller, à la carte type selections priced from $6.50 (sweet potato fries) to $12 (calamari or pork belly).

Once I tried the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Satay with Peanut Sauce ($9), which is on the “From the Grill” section of the tapas menu. I’ve never before had a satay that didn’t come on a skewer, however I enjoyed Mia’s unusual presentation which was a circular layering of butterflied shrimp artfully placed around a dome of shredded red cabbage.

I often select dishes from the Large Plates and the Tapas sides of the menu at the same dinner. For example, I recently ordered the Mushroom Leek Soup from the tapas side. It resembled the bowl offerings in other Asian restaurants with lots of solid ingredients in a hearty broth. The other soup on the menu, Tom Yum Goong, was too spicy for me to enjoy. In addition to the soup, I selected Alaskan crab meat and shrimp wontons in a mushroom and ginger broth from the tapas menu and the pan-seared sea bass from the large plates side. Those three dishes cost a combined $34 and offered a most satisfying meal with a lot of interesting variety of deftly combined ingredients and flavors.

Desserts: There are four at $8 each. The Thai Tea Crème Brulée is rich and creamy. The brulée effect is the result of using a torch on the raw sugar topping…common in many restaurants.

Beverages: There are a half-dozen domestic beers in bottles and another half-dozen imported — none over $6.

The wine menu is relatively short, but comprehensive, featuring all the major grape categories and they come from the best, and most appropriate, regions of the world, e.g. Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina and Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. Several mixed cocktails, coffee and jasmine and oolong green tea round out the menus.

Tidbits:

Note to allergy sufferers: The “From the Grill” section has five items and three include peanut sauce. The restrooms are down a short corridor and then up a rather steep flight of 18 steps. If this is a problem, ask a staff member about the out-of-sight nearby elevator. Arts & Entertainment