Tiny Thai makes for a great date—at half the price

TINY THAI by ROSHEILA ROBLES

There is a certain danger implicit in long-term relationships. It has nothing to do with sex, keeping the flame alive, or commitment—and everything to do with food. You’re young, but you and your partner have been going together long enough that you can’t afford L’Opera every week (or just plain ever). Yet you know each other too well to just sit around eating microwave dinners every night. You need a place that won’t make you nervous that your card will get rejected, but classy so that you feel like you’re on a real date—you know, the kind you used to go on.

Enter Tiny Thai. So much about Tiny Thai is the way it should be that you may start to wonder if it’s a hallucination. Almost nothing on the menu is priced in the double-digits—in fact, most entrees run about seven dollars, the absolute perfect price to pay for dinner (especially if you happen to be paying for two). And even though you can get out for under 20 bucks, you’ll never leave hungry, as their servings are all decidedly un-tiny.

You could go to Tiny Thai week in and week out, trying something new every time, and end up neither broke nor bored. The curry is very spicy (and very good), and the garlic beef is one of my favorite dinners at any restaurant anywhere. The abundant sauce is perfect for drizzling over your rice. The Lard Nar and Pad Thai are also tasty, and they give you plenty of great ways to wash it all down, from Thai iced tea to dollar cups of hot tea. (However, if you order something a bit pricier, like the Squid and Shrimp KRA-POW—!!!—you might want to just ask for water, which comes with fresh lemons in it.)

Then there’s the up-all-year-‘round-because-they’re-pretty Christmas lights and homey storefront, both of which make you feel as though you’re walking into a nice Thai house. And the attentive servers never once bother you in the middle of a conversation, yet nonetheless ensure that you get your food quickly—which lets you decide how slow or fast your meal is. Plus, if you and your partner run out of things to say to each other (it happens), you can fixate on any one of the many strange art pieces (giant wooden utensils, anyone?) that adorn the walls.

For all its great-date-greatness, Tiny Thai does have is one catch: the restaurant has, bar none, the worst fortune cookies this side of Afghanistan. True story: Last time I was there, I cracked my cookie in half to read, “The sun is shining today.” This was in Long Beach. In June. Still, if you’re looking for a regular date-night spot that won’t leave you bankrupt—just with leftovers—Tiny Thai is as perfect a place as you’ll find here. Long-term relationships are hard enough; you shouldn’t have to worry about food, too.

TINY THAI 4152 NORSE WAY | LONG BEACH 90808 | 562.421.2207 | OPEN DAILY, 11AM-3PM AND 5PM-9:30PM | DINNER FOR TWO, $20

Tags: Long Beach, thai, tiny thai