Kevin L.
Yelp
Wow, we've been sleeping on Rynn! The space might be small, but there's absolutely nothing diminutive about the flavor of the food, the creativity of their cocktails, nor the effervescence of the staff. From start to finish, we were surprised and delighted by every aspect of our meal here.
I'd been under the mistaken impression that Rynn was still waiting on a liquor license up until very recently. I remember coming across their listing on Yelp ages ago, but figured I'd wait until they were able to serve drinks. I clearly missed the memo, because they've been licensed now for nearly a year (if I remember correctly). And, boy, am I glad they are, because their drinks are outstanding. High marks for the Yakult-clarified negroni. I don't quite understand the alchemy behind this chemical reaction, but the product is superb. You still get plenty of herbal and astringent tones, but it's all rounded out into a refreshing, palatable concoction that's dangerously easy to down. Also, tasting negroni on the tongue, but seeing dirty martini with the eyes is a trippy experience, to boot.
The eats are no less appealing. Our server talked us into the spicy strawberry salad starter. I was kind of skeptical about it, and it wildly exceeded my expectations. We asked for ours medium spicy (being wary of proper Thai spicy) and it was right at the edge of our tolerance. Definitely brought some beads of sweat to my nose, but wasn't pain-inducing to the point of having to stop. Just be careful of the chopped-up chilies in the dish -- avoid those unless you really want to experience this dish coming in and going out later.
We also enjoyed the curry-infused mushroom croquettes, but the star of our meal was hands down the pu karee. Get you some flawlessly fried soft-shelled crab in a rich curry sauce, slop it over some steamed rice, and go to town. What stood out most to me about each dish was how robust, yet distinct the flavors were. They all worked together in symphony, but every single plate offered novel textures, tastes, and aromas.
Lastly, don't forget to snag a mango sticky rice to close out your meal. The butterfly pea rice is both beautiful and tasty, and I need a hookup on wherever Rynn's getting their mango, because it was the sweetest, juiciest fruit I can recall eating in recent memory.
I'm so glad this is a new fantastic Thai option in the neighborhood (although, I'm also spoiled with the likes of Pranakhon, Soothr, and Thai Villa, so there's already plenty of competition). Rynn easy holds its own and offers a novel, creative twist on the cuisine. And I might even go so far as to suggest that their cocktail program exceeds those of its peers. Regardless of how it fits in the stack rank, Rynn's undeniably a return-worthy resto.