Myrtle Beach Restaurant Spotlight: Black Thai

Black Thai

Grand Strand diners are lucky to have several outstanding Thai restaurants they can visit, and one of the best I’ve visited lately is Black Thai, which is owned by Nan Black.

The food of course is the best reason to visit, but the ambiance is another motivating factor. The furniture is casually upscale, but the welcoming warmth (the friendly waitress helps a lot in this regard) is cozy. The décor features bamboo, carved wood and gilt-crusted elephants.

Black Thai is downtown on Main Street, which is bad for Nan because traffic, especially pedestrian traffic, isn’t what it used to be in the good old Pavilion days. There isn’t a lot of parking available, but nonetheless at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night we were able to park right in front of the door.

The dishes we tried were delicious and plated with pizzazz. First we shared Thai Dumplings (Kanom Jeeb) which are soft wonton “purses” filled with ground chicken, pork and shrimp. They came with soy sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce and a sweet/spicy sauce for dipping.

Other appetizers we could have tried include Spring Rolls (crunchy) and Summer Rolls (not crunchy), Chicken Satay, Golden Purses (crunchy stuffed wontons), Fried Tofu and Wrapped Prawns (shrimp stuffed with crab meat and veggies).

There are also soups like Tom Yum (spicy and sour with lemon grass, lime leaves and chili paste); and Tom Kha (chicken, coconut milk, herbs). Salads include Grilled Beef, Chicken Satay, Papaya and Grilled Prawn.

My husband picked the Crying Tiger Steak for his entrée, which is a marinated 10-ounce New York Strip served with jasmine rice and papaya salad. Personally, I would not choose steak at a Thai restaurant, but that’s what he was in the mood for. He said he enjoyed it, and ate every bite.

I had Duck Imperial, which is “one-half duck fried to a golden brown outside and moist inside, in a red curry sauce with pineapple, tomatoes, bell peppers and basil.” It came with jasmine rice, and even though I’m a light eater and usually take half my entrees home, I almost finished this one. The meat was crispy outside and moist and tender inside, and the red curry sauce was delightfully sweet and spicy.

More entrees are Hot Chili Garlic (with shrimp, pork, chicken or beef), Drunken Noodle, Grilled Beef with Yellow Curry, Cashew Chicken, Grilled Pork with Green Curry, Pad Thai, Spicy Crazy Noodle, Dry Curry Beef, Thai Pork Ribs and Grilled Lamb Chops. A dish we want to try next time is Shrimp and Asparagus that’s stir-fried with garlic, mushrooms and oyster sauce.

Fried Rice fans can get Pineapple Fried Rice, Crabmeat Fried Rice and Combination Fried Rice (with chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, veggies and eggs).

When you’re seated you’ll notice inset squares in the middle of the tables that look like black glass. They’re actually hot plates that are turned on if you order one of the Thai Hot Pots. Savory Broth in a pot is heated on the table, and you cook meats and vegetables yourself. There are the Queens Feast for Two ($26) and the Kings Feast for Two ($37). With the Queens Feast you get a choice of two meats (beef, pork or chicken), and with the Kings Feast you get four (beef, pork, chicken and shrimp).

Many beverages are available, including wine, Thai Ice Tea, Hot Tea Pots and Voss Sparkling Water. For dessert there are Sticky Rice with Sliced Mango and Coconut Milk; Chocolate-filled Spring Rolls with Coconut Ice Cream; Green Tea Crème Brulee; and Cheesecake-filled Spring Rolls with Raspberry and White Chocolate sauces served with Coconut Ice Cream.

Black Thai is at 710 Main St. in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 916-8424. They’re open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Becky Billingsley is an award-winning writer who has covered Grand Strand-area restaurant news for more than a decade. Visit her Web site at MyrtleBeachRestaurantNews.com.