Little Grenjai Review - Bedford-Stuyvesant - New York - The Infatuation
"Coming to Little Grenjai feels like stopping by a friend’s house for homemade burgers—good ones, without the smoke alarms. And sure, the owners of this Thai-American spot in Bed-Stuy are not actually our friends. But we’ve come here so many times over the past few months that we hope we’re on our way. On our first visit, Little Grenjai was making smashburgers out of a kitchen that had no gas. (We’ve heard National Grid is annoying.) Now they have a functioning grill, a diner-like space with red tables and black-and-white tiled floors, and a full menu of their takes on Thai classics, but we return here for the same reason—a thai-style smashburger and tea cake, eaten at lunch on a chrome stool in the front window. During the day you’ll find groups of friends who model occasionally and have hours to spare parked in the singular booth against the wall. The tables are so close together that you’ll end up comparing orders (burgers, with or without fried duck eggs) with the people next to you. There’s also no table service, so you’ll order at the counter and chat with the owner, who’s out of thai tea but just made an espresso if you want one. At night, the battery-powered tea lights on each table are turned on, and the burger is replaced by Thai small plates and natural wine. It’s a casual—yet aggressively charming—place to catch up with a friend over saucy clams on a thick slab of brioche, but some of the more traditional takes on Thai dishes on the menu fall a little flat—a plate of pad thai is small and limp, and the crispy rice salad might benefit from more crisp. And, if you’ve eaten the burger before, you’ll end up missing it. With a constantly changing menu that we hope might one day feature , Little Grenjai feels like it's still finding its footing. For now, take a long lunch break, or make up a dentist’s appointment to enjoy a midday meal on a barstool in the front window. Bring someone or don’t—either way, make sure to order your own burger. " - Willa Moore
