Bites Nearby: High Thai'd

If you only occasionally frequent Coventry Road shops, you may confuse the name of the new restaurant there with the gift shop, High Tide, Rock Bottom, which closed up on the strip in 2005.

But High Thai’d is in fact a near-reincarnation, at the same corner location, . The similarities are remarkable, right down to the menu, plus two of the four new owners used to work at the Café.

One of those owners, Thailand native Tony Chaichana, works the front of the restaurant. He is most engaging and welcoming, as is the atmosphere itself, which was bedecked on the evening of our recent visit with paper hearts hanging from the ceiling to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

As Chaichana explains, “We want to make the restaurant very family friendly, while offering a real taste of Thailand. In fact, if someone has visited Thailand and experienced some local flavors, we can recreate those in our kitchen.”

While many of the signature dishes and others are the same as before, High Thai’d is offering new plates such as duck choochee (duck with curry).

And if you ask nicely, Chaichana may even show you how they create the “carrot flower” garnishes that adorn many entrees.

1791 Coventry Road, 216-321-5000. Open Mon.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and 5–10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and 4-10:30 p.m., Sun. 4-9:30 p.m. Prices: $4.95-$5.95 for appetizers, $10.95-$13.95 for signature entrees.