Curry? The Answer is Reangthai.

I'll publish a pictorial next week of the modernized dining room.

The rains came down, but we three friends would not give up our planned lunch at Reangthai. In truth, curry is good for everyone, especially during the "monsoon" season. Even when no one joins me there, I try not to miss my usual Friday treat.

We took our time, enjoying our Thai tea from long-stemmed glasses, sipping our soup, spooning out our dishes carefully over the fluffy rice. I almost never order anything other than curry. The taste is sublime.

You can tell three things about the restaurant from the food itself: the produce is fresh, the knives are sharp and the kitchen is clean.

Chef Donna has been cooking authentic family recipes in the same location for twenty years. We were lucky, yesterday, that she had the time to come out of the kitchen for a few minutes and greet the patrons personally. I usually simply send "compliments" back via waitstaff.

I discovered Reangthai and Chef Donna years ago, when I attended numerous meetings in Tallahassee. The food never wavers - it is remarkable and beautifully plated.

My favorite dish is available seasonally and only at the dinner service. The snapper. To die for. The older we friends get, the less we drive at night. As the days get longer, and the twilight begins to linger into late evening, my number one priority becomes whole Florida snapper a la Reangthai.

Meanwhile, I'll keep my Friday lunches going. The waitstaff is enthusiastic and diner-oriented. One young gentleman met me at the door yesterday to remind me of a dish that I said I was going to try this week. You see, I'm hatching a plan to eat my way through the lunch menu, even if I have to sandwich in a curry dish every other week!

(I apologize for using internet images of Reangthai in this review. Stay tuned for new pictures, as the decor has just changed.)