Michigan's finest upscale,
yet casual American bistro
Savor the taste that is the
talk of the town

The Best Of Everything

Thai restaurants: mild or spicy in food and decor.

"Oakland Grill gets wows for
class act." — Observer & Eccentric

"Our meal at Oakland Grill was
exceptional and it left us talking
about our food all weekend long."
-- Oakland Press

Complimentary
hors d'oeuvres

in the lounge every Thursday evening

HOURS:

ition•Thur

11:30 o.rn. - 10.00 pM.
fri
11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m
Sof
5:00 p.m.-11:00 a.m.

Available
for private
engagements

Saturday afternoons & Sundays

32832 WoOdward Royal Oak

3/13
1998

98

Oust South of 14 Mile Rd.)

(248) 549-7700

DANNY RASKIN
Local Columnist

S

outheast Asian cooking has
been hot for some time, but
most of the Southeast Asian
restaurants that have opened
here have been Thai.
Wherever they open, they enchant
the local population with tasteful
decor; welcoming, utterly charming
service and delicious food.
On the northwest side of metropol-
itan Detroit, in West Bloomfield, qui-
etly sits one of the area's better Thai
restaurants ... Mai Thai, at Orchard
Lake and Maple roads in the Old
Orchard Mall, near Farmer Jack.
It is interesting to note that some
of the Thai dishes tasted at other such
restaurants originated at Mai Thai.
Mai Thai was the first Thai restau-
rant in the region to have apple salad
... roasted coconuts, roasted onions,
cashew nuts, chicken and shrimp
($6.95 lunch or dinner) ... In Thai-
land, where mango can be gotten all
year long, it is called mango salad.
The karee puff appetizer (six pieces,
$4.95) is also an original ... Crisp
fried triangle pastry with curry fla-
vored chicken, snow peas and sweet
potato ... It is served with a wonderful
salad of thinly sliced cucumbers in
vinegar ... Also shrimp satay (seven
sticks, $7.95) ... marinated shrimp
charbroiled on a skewer and served
with peanut sauce, cucumber salad
and toast.
Among the big favorites at Mai
Thai is the pla rad prik, a spicy-crispy
fish which originated with Mai Thai
in this area ... The entire fish is deep
fried with hot pepper, garlic, bell pep-
per and green onion ... Also the
songkhla chicken ($9.95) ... three
pieces of chicken grilled after being
marinated in coconut milk, ground
peanuts, brown sugar and spices.
When customers are seated they are
immediately given a basket of shrimp
chips to munch on while waiting for
their authentic Thai dishes.
Youngsters love the baby corn
chicken, etc. ... Or they get chicken
nuggets and French fries.
This used to be the locale of Seifu
Lessanework's Blue Nile before Chola-
da Chan and Lynn Harnpanich

opened Mai Thai on Dec. 2, 1992.
can be gotten with any entree.
Mai Thai is big on healthy offer-
Cholada and Lynn have been
friends for 25 years ... They met at a
ings ... with vegetarian dishes, veg-
party in Bangkok, Thailand ... Four
etable spring rolls, use of vegetable oil,
years later, the two bumped into each
natural soy bean sauce instead of salt,
other at Cholada's Oriental
etc.
Homemade sauce of
Grocery on Lahser and Eight
pineapple, orange and peach
Mile, which she still owns
along with Shangri-La restau-
juices, mixed with ground
rant in Orchard Mall.
lime rind, is delicious ... In
Delightfully gracious and
Thailand, the sauce is with
warm, Lynn has been her man-
red pepper, which people
ager since Mai Thai opened ...
may ask for either in pow-
It is a seven-day-a-week opera-
der form or the finger pep-
tion ... Monday through
per.
Thursday, 11 to 10; Friday
Food at Mai Thai can be
DANNY
and Saturday, 11 to 11; Sun-
as
spicy
as people want (or
RASKIN
day, noon to 9 ... Lunches are
can
take)
or as mild as
from $4.95, and dinners from Local Columnist desired ... "Extra mild is
with no chili pepper added.
$6.95.
Pad Thai, also an original prepara-
Mild is with a hint of the hot stuff for
tion, is the No. 1 seller at Mai Thai,
those just starting out ... Medium, a
with chicken or beef or tofu or shrimp comfortable burn ... Hot, ask your
waiter for a pitcher of water before
or calamari or scallops or seafood ...
with the flat noodles fresh, not dried.
you begin ... Extra hot, for seasoned
All Mai Thai recipes are direct from professionals only!"
Thailand ... A main reason why you
Hottest dishes on the menu are
see so many Thai natives ... They love
with green curry or red curry ... If you
don't want your
food hot, order
peanut curry or
pineapple curry or
just tell them to
make sure it is
mild ... Your wish
will be obeyed.
Mai Thai is not
the type of Thai
restaurant that
brings you food
too hot to the
taste whether you
want it or not ...
Thai fare is won-
derful food to be .
enjoyed.
The decor is
Mai Thai's Lynn Harnpanich and Cholada Chan.
simple but taste-
fully designed
with an abundance of comfortable
the fresh noodles served by Cholada
charm and cleanliness ... A large
and Lynn.
mural on the back wall is the depic-
Also of interest are the spring roll
casings or rice wrappers, homemade at tion of a suburb in Thailand 200 years
ago ... An aquarium is soothing to the
Mai Thai ... And the natural brown
eyes with glamorous exotic fish swim-
rice dish which Mai Thai claims to
ming peacefully ... Also a dogfish that
have originated in this area ... Many
only eats vegetables.
people come for the natural brown
Seating is for 98, with brown linen
rice because of its healthy help, in low-
napkins, framed pictures on the walls,
ering cholesterol ... As a side dish it