Surin of Thailand

I was kind of nervous about this one for some reason. Maybe it’s because I remember going here several times when Beardy and I were dating and just married, so I kind of associated it with going out without kids. Once we ordered fancy martinis and didn’t realize they were $10 each so we were surprised when the check came. This became a running joke between us.



But it was fine this time with Smalls. There were several other toddlers and babies there, and they all behaved themselves, including Smalls. We were offered a booth with a booster seat, which was perfect.

It's more exciting on the inside.

There’s no kid’s menu at Surin. I was expecting this, so I was armed with mango, carrot sticks, a “weird” cheese sandwich, yogurt raisins and cranberries. (The sandwich was weird because Smalls pronounces “grilled” like “weird.” We have a whole routine where I offer her a weird cheese sandwich and she says “Not a WEIRD cheese sandwich, a WEIRD cheese sandwich.”) However, this explanation is actually irrelevant because the sandwich wasn’t even cooked or grilled at all. We did order an appetizer of chicken satay, in an attempt to get her to try something from the restaurant. Even though we made them dance, called them chicken-on-a-stick, and emphasized the peanut dipping sauce, she wasn’t interested. Some other kid-friendly sides could be sticky rice, or rice noodles, or the vague “Vegetable” listed on the Sides section of the menu. Maybe you get to choose your vegetable? Or maybe it’s just luck of the draw… I don’t know. I suggest you bring your own toddler food if yours doesn't like Thai food.

Smalls was fairly entertained by the carrot flower garnishes that came on our plates (she called them carrot boats, and carrot sticks rode in them), and by her own shadow. Really. I think the two of them even carried on a conversation for a few minutes.

Smalls said she was washing her hands. 

Surin’s entrées are about $8-18. Beardy ordered and loved Nam Tok Beef, and I ordered and liked spicy beef noodle (it was fairly spicy—both of our dishes had two chilies to indicate how hot they were, but mine was much spicier.)  Appetizers are about $4-7.

Coupon alert: Go to Surin’s website (http://www.surinofthailand.com/huntsville/index.htm), and click on the Surin of Thailand: Huntsville Coupon link for a printable buy-one-entrée-get-one-free coupon. Do it soon, because it expires on April 30, 2012.

Toddler friendliness ratings:

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 booster seats. Plenty of highchairs and booster seats. Loud enough so no one should be annoyed by toddler chatter.

Food: 2 out of 5 booster seats. You may want to bring your own for a toddler.

Surin of Thailand

975 Airport Rd.
Huntsville, AL 35802
256-213-9866

Lunch: Monday-Sunday 11:00-2:00
Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 5:00-9:00
Friday and Saturday 5:00-10:00

http://www.surinofthailand.com/huntsville/index.htm