Another day, another meal at Thai 9. It was my second visit, and with the restaurant five minutes from where I was staying in Dayton, there was no reason to overthink it. On the walk over I found a random shirt in the street. Dayton giving me an opening shot.
Dunno how long it was there for.
This time, I decided to skip the hostess and head straight to the bar.
RJ was working the bar, a fellow around my age. I started with something familiar: the hot-and-sour shrimp soup. It was as good as I remembered and exactly what I wanted on a cold Dayton night.
For the main course I ordered the Thai Spicy with vegetables at level seven. Every bite carried real heat without losing the flavor. It was the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out, and the rice was just as good as I remembered.
For drinks, I went back to the same Nigori sake as the first visit. Smooth, slightly sweet and a good match for the level-seven heat.
I also tried a cocktail called the Blitzen: spiced rum, cranberry juice, lime and cinnamon. The cinnamon stayed behind after the sip. That was the part that made it work.
Dessert was mango sticky rice. It was balanced and not overly sweet, with fresh mango and a subtle savory note in the rice. I still think a little cinnamon would push it toward Greek rice pudding—in a good way.
RJ comped the dessert after we got into a good conversation. I did not ask, and I was not expecting it. Sometimes treating people like people still works.
After leaving, I happened to find a black-and-white cat. They stayed for me to snap the pic, and looking into their eyes, they’ve seen stuff.
The next morning I was headed to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church to meet some extended family. Dayton was becoming more than a work stop.
The flights are the destination, but nights like this are the road between them. Subscribe if you want both. God bless.
Ask next time for your meat dish to be “phet” which is level nine. You can put out the fire with sugar.
Love you have so many adventures