Ever eat here? Manee Thai

I had a bad experience at a shady Thai restaurant the one time I tried it, so it was a long time before I was willing to try it again. Someone suggested that I should give Thai food a second chance at Manee Thai. I was reluctant, but my friend said she wanted to try it too, so we ventured out to try some new tastes for lunch. The restaurant is right beside Kidd's on Broadway, so it has a very convenient location for students, or me since I work downtown.

The atmosphere is not what I expected. It's a lot bigger than what it looks like from the outside. It was very clean, and the decorating was very elegant, with oriental motifs and wooden tables with fresh flowers. Our waitress was very quick to help us as soon as we found our table. I really think it looks professional and clean when the servers all wear the same attire, like they did at Manee Thai-simple, all black. She was very helpful in deciding what to order, but I had no idea and everything sounded so strange to me, so I went the wussy way and ordered fried rice with beef. My friend, on the other hand, went straight for it and ordered the first thing the waitress suggested, Preow Wan.

We also decided to try an appetizer, the crispy egg rolls. They arrived soon after we ordered, and they were really good. Small enough to eat with your fingers and a little dish with sweet and sour sauce. Our dishes came as soon as we finished our egg rolls. My plate was as full as it could get. It was pretty good fried rice, but what really got my attention is the dish that my friend ordered. It came in a long, leaf shaped bowl alongside a plate with rice. She was spooning these vegetables and sauce onto the rice. It looked a little scary to me because of the color, bright reddish orange. She took a bite as I waited anxiously for the verdict.

"Well, what does it taste like?" I asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She said it was the most unusual thing she's ever tasted, but one of the best things she's ever tasted, too. She talked me into to tasting it, and I was also pleasantly surprised. It had carrots, bean sprouts, chicken, pineapples, mushrooms and lots of other things that had their own distinct tastes. I'm not sure what the sauce consisted of, but it was sort of sweet and tangy. I was wishing that I wouldn't have been such a chicken, and ordered something different for a change, but I definitely will the next time I eat at Manee Thai. The food was very filling, and there was enough to take home, which I did. The price was pretty good for meal served to you at a table with real dishes, about $8 for all that I ordered, half of an appetizer, one big order of fried rice with vegetables and beef, and a soda. They didn't have sweet tea, which is disappointing, but they do have Thai tea that I'm going to try the next time I go.

I would definitely suggest Manee Thai for a lunch meeting or a dinner date. I also urge you to try something you've never tasted, because you never know, you just might like it.