Mee Thai

Tried Mee Thai, (180 5th Ave., btw Berkeley and Lincoln) last week with a group, and if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive dinner or a Thai alternative to Song, this is a good bet. We shared a few appetizers between the eight of us, I had chicken dumplings, which were excellent, others I tried included a duck and a beef "salad," which was sort of the Thai equivalent of a taco salad, in that it's a salad in name only. They were both basically a small bed of greens piled high with savory chunks of the respective meats. Highly recommended, and very satisfying.

For my entree, I had my standby, Beef Pad See Ew (I have a nut allergy, so my options are extremely limited when ordering Thai), and it was very nice. I've had the same dish from Song a number of times, and Mee Thai's offering was just as good, even perhaps a bit lighter tasting. The service was gracious and quick, the decor is slightly elegant without being overbearing, and the overall vibe was very comfortable.

However, biggest selling point, and for those who know me, this is a big selling point, is that Mee Thai is BYOB. Yay! With appetizers and entrees, the bill worked out to $21 a person, so very affordable, and being able to provide your own wine is huge, in that regard. With the relatively recent demise of Jpan's BYOB status, Mee Thai will fill that niche quite nicely.