To The Nines

It’s time to talk Thai. There is a Thai restaurant that everyone must try at least once in their life. It’s Thai 9, in Dayton, Ohio. It was recommended by my IT guy at work who is from the area. He is a semi-professional country singer and has done gigs all around Dayton. After we tried Thai 9, I told him, when it comes to food, I will never question any recommendation he gives. Thai 9 did something I thought was a made-up thing out of Hollywood. I’ll explain in a moment.

They serve this Seafood Hot Pot Soup that is fresh and full of shrimp, scallops, crab, squid, mussels, and Thai love. Oh, so much love. Because the wife doesn’t like lime and cilantro, which, like peanuts in Thai food, are staples in the Vietnamese cuisine (I know. She goes and marries a half-Vietnamese man who loves Lime and Cilantro in his Vietnamese food and strangely enough, doesn’t like Pho. That’s right, I don’t like Pho. I said it. Too much broth for me. First world problem I guess.), we get the soup without the Kaffir Lime Leaves, lime juice, and cilantro. You also get to choose the spicy level and we usually get the 2 out of, who knows? I think it’s 10, but maybe it’s 5. 5 sounds good for my Vietnamese ego, so we will go with 2 out of 5.

The Hot Pot Soup is the best seafood soup I have ever had. There is an animated movie about a rat that learns to cook and uses a chef to work as his hands. In the movie, a food critic comes to the restaurant, because he has heard how good the chef is. At the peak of the rat’s powers, the critic is served a meal that transports him back to his childhood. In the movie, there is this flashback and you see the critic as a little boy, enjoying his mother’s cooking, and all the best things of childhood. This actually happened to me. I believe it was the green curry in the soup. Whatever it was, one taste of the soup sent me back to my childhood. I saw myself running barefoot through the grass in the Philippines when my dad was stationed there. The tropical sun warmed my golden tan skin as the breeze blew through my curly hair. I was also at the dining table, trying to use chopsticks, and eating my mom’s homemade eggrolls. I was a little boy with not a care in the world except for this delicious soup before me. I have to tell you, it was magical. In my mind’s eye, I could see an elderly Thai grandmother, bent over the stove in Thai 9’s kitchen, heavy with all her experience and Thai love, making this beautiful dish.

The soup is very large. It's least enough for two people and maybe a third. It comes with a side of rice and it will fill you up. With chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other, every taste is a dream of culinary delight. If we’re within 25 miles of Dayton during Thai 9’s hours, we try to stop. I have to believe it is the best Thai food outside of Thailand. I’ve also had their Pad Thai, my usual go-to Thai dish. It is good. But the Seafood Hot Pot Soup cannot be missed. You could also order the Sushi, which I’ve had a roll or two, and it is good, but did I mention the soup? It may not take you back to your childhood, but it will take you on a magic Thai carpet ride. I can almost guarantee, you will go back. If it isn’t for the soup, it will be for their other great choices. Legally, it’s the best Thai love you are ever going to get outside of Thailand.