Smokeater55

We had dinner last Friday and I'm happy to say the new space is now open and things look good. The old rugs are gone & replaced by wood flooring so the sound is a bit loud. I hope they will be adding some stuff to the walls to eat up the noise but the stand around & wait for a table should be less now. Love the food, everything was great!

I and friends have loved Ruan Thai for years and would like to offer a few suggestions. First skip the normal appetizers you may get at most other Thai spots, the Satay, Tod Mun, Spring Roll and Larb and all OK but let me point you to the Yum Ped Yang a great duck & chili w/ lime salad. Next, Yum Pla Korb is crispy fried fish with lemon grass that is like fish jerky. Yum Sam Krob is my top choice, a fried crispy dried shrimp and squid salad with cashews and lime. Many folks are talking about the Yum Watercress, we ask for it "Paula" style for someone who has a gluten allergy, thus they make it with corn starch and it seems lighter. Last, I know it is a normal choice but I think the Som Tum papaya salad is outstanding. The soups and salad section of the menu I confess I jump over out of habit and leap right into the main course, one of my favs is #46 Mhoo Korb Kha Nha, a stir-fried crispy pork with Chinese Broccoli and this wonderful sauce that rocks on some rice. One other pork dish that is great is #47 the Mhoo Korb Pad Prik Khing a very crispy pork with string beans and chili. I love the Ped Pad Kha Prao and stir fried boneless duck with basil and chili. I know all this sound hot but they will make it all hot or mild on request. A nice easy going light veggie dish is Tu-Fu Pad Khing, stir fried bean curd with ginger and black mushroom and black bean sauce; very warm and comfy on an icy night. My wife and the girls I go with just go nuts over a whole fish, more times than not it is flounder crispy fried with Pla Choo Chee, a red curry and coconut milk. And by the way, this stuff does not carry out as well as Chinese food so that is just the way it is. Hope you enjoy this place as much as I.

Richard, aka Smokeater55 signing on now and new to Don Rockwell, be gentle. I found the Rock board via Chowhound & have lurked off and on. I'm a local grown Rockville, Maryland product having roamed to school in Boston and San Francisco oh so many years ago. I came back to Silver Spring, Maryland in the 80's. Work did get me out on the road a lot, and thus I got to try flavor in a lot of domestic towns; the food that is regional to so many areas is to die for. It may sound corny but I think US food in so many stripes is cool. Be it Philly, NY, Southern, California, SW, NW, Fine, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Country, PA Dutch, Italian, BBQ, Creole, Cajun - OK, I know enough you get the idea, just don't ping me back that I forgot one. Yea it did not come from the US but it is all here now. Or be a purest and tell me just what "American" food is? Would it be the yellow plastic cheese, I hope not! My wife and I love to cook Thai, Chinese or Indian in huge party style. As one may catch from my on-line name, I'm a food smoker for fun, love to do pork, beef, fish, ribs, peppers, what-ever. I'm happy with anything between everyday home cooking & ethnic; foe gras & country ham; sushi & good omelette but, don't always like eating my vegetables. We are wine nuts; love to drive around the VA and Napa/Sonoma wineries country. I mix a wacky Tiki drink if I do say so myself, if I could only recall the recipes!! We love eating out, thus gain the thrill of reading about new places. Do our best to stay out of downtown (god I hate the DC traffic & metro) - so it must be a really good place or we focus on Silver Spring, Wheaton, Rockville perhaps up to Baltimore and Annapolis. As we are boaters, we like to get to a number of the spots on the Bay. My short list of restaurants: Ruan Thai, Minibar, Inn at Little Washington, Vidalia, Grace Garden, Jaleo and Lewnes. Still hold my hopes for Hollywood East to open again for Dim Sum. Thanks Don for the site!! I so look forward to learning from the folks on this board about new places and will offer notes on what I learn along the way. Cheers! Richard