Review: Not your ordinary Asian restaurant, this busy bistro serves amazing Thai food
Did you ever arrive somewhere special and feel like you were late to the party? Like everyone else knew how great this place was, but you were only just now catching on?
That’s how I felt when my entourage and I opened the door and entered Mai Tai Bistro on Miracle Mile in Vero Beach. There is really no excuse for my belated visit. TCPalm Entertainment Reporter Laurie K. Blandford had the scoop early on and published news of the restaurant in her column way back in March when it was first opening.
My only excuse for my reticence is that I had reviewed the two previous Asian restaurants in this same location and, thinking this one would just be more of the same, wasn’t very excited about it. Boy, was I ever wrong. I should have had a clue from outside the restaurant when I spied the light wood and wrought iron benches, tables and planters filled with colorful flowers.
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Inside, Mai Tai’s bar and dining room areas are fresh, bright, nicely done and oh, so chic with floor-to-ceiling tropical prints and appealingly trendy crockery and tableware. We were astounded to see the number of diners filling the restaurant on this off-season rainy Wednesday evening, but luckily we were given the very last available table.
We started off by sharing crabster rangoons ($10) and fried pot stickers ($7), both obviously hand-made in-house. The crabster rangoons were tender pastry dough deliciously filled with real crab, lobster and cream cheese served with a sweet and sour sauce. Fried pot stickers filled with pork and mixed vegetables were served with the most amazing house sauce. When I asked what was in the sauce, our demur server was understandably vague. I wouldn’t give that secret up either!
All the entrees were so appealingly plated.
The sashimi combo ($30) included the chef’s choice of 16 pieces of fresh seafood, including fresh tuna, salmon and whitefish. This platter was finished off in a deliciously colorful manner with crisp daikon radish, wasabi, carrots and green shiso. The signature poke bowl ($17) was a gorgeous presentation of fresh tuna, salmon, white fish, seaweed salad, edamame, seeds, mango, masago (fish roe), cucumber and avocado with sushi rice.
We had two Thai dishes: ginger chicken, a sauté of fresh ginger, onion, carrot, bell peppers, mushroom and celery ($16); and pineapple fried rice with chicken ($16). I chose medium spice level for the ginger chicken and it was perfect for all of us. However, we were all blown away by the sweet and savory flavors of sweet pineapple and stir-fried rice with egg, onion, carrot, broccoli, cashew nuts and scallions.
I wish I could tell you about the beautiful desserts we spied, but due to sated tummies, dessert was not in the cards for us. Next time.
Mai Tai Bistro
Cuisine: Thai, Japanese
Address: 762 21st St., Vero Beach
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 4:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
Phone: 772-205-2530
Alcohol: Full bar
Online: maitaiverobeach.com
Maribeth Renne dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm. Contact her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Restaurant review: Mai Thai Bistro in Vero Beach
