Chiang Mai Thai

Remember when Chiang Mai Thai opened on the back side of Calhoun Square? I remember having a little yin-yang moment: Wow, I love the idea of a secret alleyway restaurant, but how will anyone find it? There was no door from the mall to the restaurant, no door to the busy street, and the only view was the parking garage and loading dock. What would become of it?

What it became is great. Starting out with all the brass and sass of a new place, it was packed to the rafters at all hours. Eventually, it settled into a groove, delivering a high standard of cuisine to the locals who became used to seeing other ethnic eateries come and go. Chiang Mai Thai is about ten years old and still going strong, a winning story in the fickle restaurant game.

Its longevity is due, in no small part, to the owner’s true love of Thailand. Charles Lodge is more enamored with the country, its people, and their food than other restaurateurs who are merely concerned with cranking out a weekly ton of pad Thai. He supports a program for his team, in which each shift worked earns you a dollar toward a trip to Thailand. When enough people have accumulated enough dollars, they all travel and eat together. If you get a veteran server, there’s no denying the level of food knowledge.

Chiang Mai’s menu provides a diverse picture of Thai cuisine, offering both Northern and Southern Thai dishes including street food, curries, and dishes from the Royal cuisine of Bangkok. Sensitive to the Minnesota palate, heat levels can be adjusted to your liking.

Recently, I ate there with both heat haters and heat lovers. Starting out, the birdnest was a good choice, wrapped in crunchy bands of fried rice paper, the interior chicken and seafood mix was moist and light. Wings of fire came with the chef’s signature spicy green sauce that did indeed light up the mouth but retained a depth of flavor beyond the burn. Garlic pepper stir fry with chicken, adjusted to a medium heat, avoided the oily trap and delivered fresh, snappy vegetables and plenty of lovely garlic. It was the khao cadeukadeek that provided the best balance. Chunks of surprisingly tender, marinated beef sit atop tomato fried rice. Even though our spice level was low, the rice still provided some zing. The best part was the accompanying sauce, a dish of half-hoisin, half-sriracha swirled in a yin-yang symbol. Dipping the beef into a mix of both made each bite a play of sweet and tangy against hot and tart. We finished happily with a banana smoothie and some Thai iced coffee, which cooled our palates nicely.

The subtlety of the calm, wood décor only works to enhance the feeling that you’ve found something outside of Uptown. Maybe that’s the key to the restaurant's success in such an unlikely location. Amid all the traffic and corner protestors and neon-bathed storefronts, all you need do is sneak down an alley to escape. —Stephanie March

Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-827-1606