Description: Northern Alabama is probably not a place you'd expect to find truly outstanding Thai food. After all, it's not one of those places that automatically pops in your mind as a place to enjoy great Asian cuisine. Yet Huntsville is home to a very fine Thai restaurant.
Surin of Thailand is a small regional chain of Thai restaurants, with locations in Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia. The Huntsville location, on Airport Road, about a mile east of South Memorial Drive, is similar to many Huntsville restaurants in that it's located in a large strip center. While the cookie-cutter exterior of the center makes Surin blend in with the rest of the surroundings, once guests step inside they are met with a dining room and bar handsomely decorated in an elegant, contemporary style with lots of artwork and decorative pieces from Thailand. It's a great atmosphere, and gives the restaurant a very upscale feel.
Surin features an extensive menu of Thai favorites, as well as a sushi bar. I've never ordered sushi at Surin, but have always thought that what was being served from the sushi bar looked very good. Instead, I've always opted for the restaurant's signature Thai appetizers and entrées. It's hard to go wrong with the Thai dishes here. The basic curries and noodle dishes are all here, and the chefs are more than happy to vary the degree of spiciness to your personal liking. In addition to the regular menu, there are usually a variety of dinner specials. Some of these are truly outstanding, such as the roasted duck with red curry. Other good bets from the regular menu are the chicken panang, fresh basil rolls, and satay beef and chicken. Prices are quite reasonable, with most entrées priced at $10-15. As with many Asian restaurants, the portions are large enough to share, so a party of three or four adults can easily order three entrées and a couple of appetizers to share, and have more than enough food. Surin also has a good selection of lunch specials, which are served with a cup of soup.
Curiously missing from the menu are some traditional Thai desserts, such as mango with sticky rice and sweetened condensed milk. However, with the size of the entrées, it's unlikely you'll have room for dessert. Surin does feature a full bar and a decent wine list, including a number of beverage selections imported from Thailand.
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