Rexy's Bangkok Cuisine

Lauren and I have become real take-out connoisseurs since Noah was born (OK, maybe for a little while before), and Thursday night we acted on a recommendation and tried Rexy's Bangkok Cuisine in Royal Oak. I have been complaining for a while now that Lauren won't get Thai food with me, because she is still pining for Marnee Thai on Irving Street in San Francisco. Admittedly the options in Birmingham are not stellar, but in my thinking it was better than not eating Thai food. Marnee Thai was awesome, with its milky curries, sticky rice and Lauren's favorite, 'Country Style' Sweet and Sour Tofu. There was a great green papaya salad and May, the owner, would tell your fortune. She predicted that Lauren and I would have four children, and I once overheard her tell a woman dining with her family that "it's ok you're still not married, you'll meet someone this year." If you are ever there, try any of the lunch soups, I especially like rice noodles and fish balls. Red curry with rice noodles is great too. May drove an immaculate black S-Class Mercedes from the early '80s with a license plate that said "Marnee" and would give us a kiss when we came in. I miss her.

So this is what any Detroit Thai restaurant is up against in our minds. Luckily, we decided to try Rexy's after we were out shopping the other night and didn't have any time to cook. Although it is in a strip mall on the corner of Woodward and 13 Mile, the ambience is decidedly upscale. We were actually intimidated by the decor on the way in and thought that with jeans on and a baby we would be out of place, but hunger overcame unease and we found ourselves inside. Rexy's is beautiful inside, with murals that run the length of the building and a high ceiling that relieves the narrow space of any sense of claustrophobia. It's loud, with techno on when we were there and a lot of happy diners, and we found some space on couches in front of the bar while we waited for our food. Pricing was reasonable, although the wait was a little on the long side. I think that can be totally attributed to the popularity of the food, so it was bearable. When they arrived the portions were huge, well worth the extremely reasonable prices. More on the food in a minute, but suffice it to say we have found a replacement for the highly average Thai food typical of the Detroit area. Lauren is even ready to go back! Thanks Rexy.