Here’s the UWS Dish: Raenu Thai’s Beef Salad

By Abigael T. Sidi

A little over a half year since taking over The Dish column, I took the time to review the comments sections in search of recurrent criticisms. “Overpriced” (or other versions of the word) was one of the most common negatives. While it would have been easy to blame the neighborhood (“Well, it’s the UWS; what do you expect?!”), I asked myself whether I knew of a dish that would draw unanimous acclaim in the $ area.

One dish immediately came to mind: the beef salad from my go-to Thai spot for late-night pick up or delivery, Raenu Thai.

Raenu, a virtually invisible hole-in-the-wall on a faceless stretch of Amsterdam Avenue between 101st and 102nd streets (in the location of the former Amster Thai), has been a family favorite for years for its unpretentious yet generous, fresh, and simply delicious Thai cuisine. The joint’s beef salad is a perfect reflection of the restaurant’s approach: The ingredients are what you’d expect (sliced grilled beef, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, minced mint leaves, and lettuce), with no fuss except for the sprinkled rice powder on top for a slight extra crunch. Raenu also omits any fish sauce from the dressing — a rarity — placing the lime juice front and center with just a touch of sugar (to limit the sourness) and Thai chiles (for a pleasant but not overpowering kick).

The result is a great beef salad where the grilled steak, cooked to a perfect, juicy medium rare, is allowed to shine. Not only that, but the steak portion, which is easily akin to that of a 5- to 7-oz. bar steak, is unbelievably generous given the price of $10.50! Similar options in other neighborhood restaurants range from $13 to a whopping $26.95 for, at best, the same portion of beef.

Jay Jay, the sweet Thai lady behind the counter – in charge of everything “except the kitchen” – told the West Side Rag that “the owners, from Bangkok, opened Raenu seven years ago to make traditional Thai food at a good price.” She singled out their “crispy pork kra pao and tom yom soup” as authentically made “like in Bangkok,” both of which have become very popular among regulars. Asked about the cut of beef the restaurant uses for the salad, she answered, playfully, “It’s a secret!” (My guess: flank steak, one of my favorite cuts.)

The beef salad is not the only great deal at Raenu. The super-generous crab fried rice goes for $14.95, curries and pad thai start at $12, and their killer lunch special, which includes an appetizer and an entrée, starts at $9.95 (available every day including weekends).

Raenu is tiny – four small tables and as many bar seats – and is the quintessential family business; it is not uncommon to see family members and staff having lunch or attending to a new baby in the family. The place is also lovingly decorated with plants and flowers, with relaxing Thai music playing in the background. I get the sense that people in the neighborhood know; the other day, a party of three older fellas entered the store, with one of them asking the two others, “so this is the famous place, huh?”

Raenu is open from 11:30 a.m. till 10:15 p.m. every day except Sunday (noon – 10:15 p.m.)  Pickup and delivery are available at these times, and vegetarian options are plentiful  throughout the menu, including substitutions for most main dishes and curries. NYC SIG: Grade A.

The Dish: Beef Salad ($10.50)

The Restaurant: Raenu Thai, 844 Amsterdam Avenue (between W 101st and 102nd streets)