Sarah Mintz | Contributor

Although people often think of it as being off the beaten path, Marnee Thai deserves to be considered more frequently as an interesting dining alternative to the typical Main Street establishments. As the only Thai restaurant downtown, let alone one of the only Thai restaurants in Ann Arbor (No Thai!, Siam Square, and Tuptim), Marnee Thai serves up authentic Thai food in a casual setting and at a reasonable price.

Marnee, which literally means “gemstones” in Thai, evokes thoughts of dazzling, colorful and precious stones. Similarly, Marnee Thai promises to use only high quality herbs and premium ingredients to retain Thai authenticity in its dishes.

At 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday evening, Marnee Thai was surprisingly busy, with a large group in the back, a family of four by the windows and few couples dispersed throughout. Once seated at table by the window with my friend Lauren, I looked around at the sophisticated interior brightly lit by large sky lanterns hanging from the ceiling above. However, out the window to my left was an unfortunate view of the BP gas station and the glowing neon green signs above it. It was definitely not the most romantic of views to say the least. Thank goodness I was in good company.

Marnee Thai recently added beer and wine to its menu, so a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling was in order. For $5, how could I not? The even balance of ripe pear and citrus flavors along with an off-dry finish allowed the Riesling to hold up against our heavily spiced Thai dishes. A great pairing. After waiting a few minutes for our waters and wine to arrive, service picked up and was on par the rest of the evening.

Ordering is quite the feat at Marnee Thai. The menu literally looks like a book, with page after page of different options. The many curry, noodle and rice dishes can be sautéed or stir-fried with seafood, poultry, beef or one of endless combinations of fresh vegetables and sauces. Oh boy! Thankfully our waiter did a great job explaining the inexhaustible options on the lengthy Thai menu. As a side note, all dishes come with jasmine white rice, but brown rice can be substituted for an additional $1. Also, although most dishes on the menu have a tamale marked next to them to symbolize spiciness, we were assured that the chef could tone down any dish to our desired spice levels.

Mixed Appetizer

To try a few of the starters available, we ordered the Mixed Appetizers dish that included an assortment of fish cakes, spring rolls, chicken and beef satay skewers and golden fried shrimp. On the side came a variety of sauces: peanut sauce for the satay, plum sauce for the fish cakes, and sweet cucumber sauce with lime, cucumber, garlic and onion for the spring rolls and fried shrimp. The fish cakes reminded me of veggie burgers, fairly firm patties with most flavor coming from the fried exterior and plum sauce. Nonetheless, the chicken and beef satay skewers were marinated in so many wonderful spices that I enjoyed them most without peanut sauce. The spring rolls and fried shrimp were my favorite, not overly greasy and perfectly crunchy.

Tom Kha Gai

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

Finishing our last bites of the Mixed Appetizers, our waiter delivered the Tom kha gai, a traditional creamy Thai soup. Although we only ordered one bowl, the chef intuitively prepared Lauren and I our own individual portions of the creamy coconut milk soup with chicken, lime, chili, lemongrass, mushrooms and galanga. This soup was a delicious twist on quintessential chicken soup served on the coldest of Michigan winter days. As a huge fan of milky coconut, tender chicken soup and aromatic lemongrass, the Tom kha gai was a winner for me.

Our entrees arrived at the perfect time, just as Lauren finished her soup and I savored my last few sips. Both entrees came with a side of white jasmine rice, providing a nice palate cleanser whenever the spiciness of a dish became overwhelming.

Lotus Catfish

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

Shrimp Panang

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

I started with the Lotus Catfish, a large portion of deep-fried catfish dish topped with Marnee Thai’s specially blended house spicy sauce, green onions, cashew nuts, green apple and dried shrimp. The substantial mélange of salty cashews, crunchy deep-fried catfish and sweet apples and spicy sauce were standout flavors that balanced perfectly.

Our second dish was the shrimp panang, many pieces of marinated shrimp in a thick red coconut milk curry and served with broccoli, carrot and bell pepper. Although we asked for this dish mild, the dried chilies still gave it a little extra kick. No single taste was predominate in this dish; however, I definitely tasted the lemongrass, coconut, peanut, garlic, coriander and lime which held together in perfect balance. The depth of flavor in the shrimp panang was wonderfully rich, subtly sweet and exquisitely spicy.

Kanom Tuay

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

To cleanse our palettes, we finished dinner with the Kanom Tuay, a tasty sweet Thai dessert made of flour, coconut milk, sugar and salt. At this point I was a little “coconuted out," but the pudding-like texture was still a refreshing and soothing change. However, I was slightly confused why the dessert was split into three separate and smaller dishes. Each exactly the same, why not combine them together into one bowl?

Kow Neow Mamuang

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

We also ordered the Kow neow mamuang, which came with aromatic wild sticky rice and fresh mango ice cream. The sticky rice, unexpectedly deep burgundy in color, did not pair well with the mango ice cream but both the rice and the ice cream provided nice flavor on their own.

Although Marnee Thai is not necessarily a gemstone of a restaurant, I definitely recommend it for the most authentic of Thai dining experiences in Ann Arbor.

Marnee Thai
Address: 414 S Main St, Ann Arbor
Phone: 734-929-9933
Cuisine: Thai
Payment: Credit Card or Cash
Alcohol: Limited beer and wine
Prices: Appetizers $6-$9; Entrees $12-$19; Desserts $4-$7
Wheelchair access: Yes
Outdoor seating: No
Reservations accepted: Yes
Dress Code: Casual
Specials: Lunch $7.95: Served 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Mon-Fri; Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 5-6:30 p.m. $1 off beer; $5 glasses of wine; $4 spring rolls.

Sarah Mintz is a contributor to AnnArbor.com's Food and Drink section. She is a senior at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. You can follow Sarah's other dining blog and contact Sarah at smintz@umich.edu.