Bai Pai Restaurant

Anna Roth

Citysearch

The Scene
This elegantly-decorated Thai restaurant is easy to miss, hidden under a block of condos. Warm walls, wicker chairs, large stone reliefs and carved sculptures all transport restaurant patrons away from the outside neighborhood into a more exotic setting. Food comes beautifully-presented on interesting tableware; servers are welcoming and forthcoming with recommendations.

The Food
In a city full of Thai restaurants, this one holds its own. The sampler plate is the standout appetizer, containing a good balance between crunchy and soft--shrimps fried in glass noodles, sweet banana shrimp cakes and chicken satay with a peanut sauce containing just the right amount of fire. Sauteed eggplant--fried, with tofu, in a black bean sauce--was a vegetarian knockout, while young coconut curry, filled with seafood, comes to the table in a hollow coconut shell. The flaming coconut rum ball is a slightly sweet dessert treat.