Mandalay

Last Sunday Mandalay gave a series of private parties in their new location, and I’m happy to report that this second avatar is better than the original. The space is very simple but comfortable, with a carpeted floor, wood chairs and tables, several booths, and a few round tables to seat parties of six or eight. I would estimate that the seating capacity has doubled. There’s also a pleasant nook for people to wait in on busy evenings. The bar in one corner has my hopes up: will they now be able to offer beer?

The food that night was as good as ever, too. The capacity crowd could easily have overwhelmed the kitchen and staff, but the whole event was so well organized that I saw nothing but big smiles on everyone’s faces.

Joe and Ang, looking exhausted but happy, believed that the restaurant will be open by the end of this week.

[January 6, 2004 review follows] A very modest space, but clean, and they treat the guests well, and the food is quite good. Burmese cuisine is not among my favorites, yet there are several dishes here that I not only love, but crave.

What Elizabeth said — but with more emphasis that this is, really, very good food. Burmese food combines much of what I like about Indian and Thai.

Tomato Tofu Curry! Tomato Tofu Curry! Tomato Tofu Curry! Spicy Burmese goodness. Also, golden wedgie for dessert.

Really, everything I’ve had here has been excellent. Especially the service, even despite the fact that Joe keeps trying to steal my hat. It’s a fantastic place to take vegetarians, or people with food allergies, as they can make nearly any dish vegetarian. They are also scrupulous about making sure my friend with a serious shellfish allergy does not die a horrible death, which is more difficult than it might seem, given how many things normally come served with a fish sauce or crispy shrimp bits. It says a lot that we can and do trust them to not make any mistakes with our food.

It is amazing to me, considering that I grew up only eating plain american fare, how many dishes at mandalay I not only crave, but truly consider comfort food. I went hiking for several weeks last year, and while I did spend a condsiderable amount of that time fantasizing about food, what I wanted immediately upon my return was mandalay. Specifically, tomato tofu curry, homestyle, spicy. mmmmm. Say, is it dinner time yet?

Really, the food is much better than the location or presentation suggest. Burmese may not be a delicate cuisine, but it IS wonderful, and the atmosphere of happy diners reflects that. Or maybe they’re just giddy to have one good place to eat in the culinary wasteland that is College Park.