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Friday, November 08, 2002

By Munch

Going out to eat for the first time can be way sexy. Especially if you think your dinner date is sexy from the start.

	Thai Me Up, at 1925 E. Carson St., is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and 4-9 p.m. Sun. Phone 412-488-8893. E-mail: Munch@post-gazette.com.

The possibilities are, well, just that. You have no idea where dinner will go or what might happen. You have no idea what the other party is - you know - into. Munch, ever on the make, noticed this new one while driving down Carson Street on the South Side. Really cute. Petite. Well put together. Munch actually pulled over, parked and walked across the street for an introduction. Brand new in town, all right. Almost knocked the bag off Munch's head by saying, right up front, "Thai Me Up." Not once, but twice. Not even Munch moves that fast, at least not before lunchtime, so Munch mumbled something about getting together later, then moved in and asked for a phone number. Take out? Sure, said Thai Me Up. Printed on the paper menu, "You are bound to like it." Whoa. Munch knows Thai food is hot, but usually it's not until you taste it that you start to tingle. Munch got a little nervous. Decided to invite another friend along for the first date, just to make sure things didn't get out of bounds. Or into them. After all, the menu saucily invites bringing your own beer or wine. But actually, Thai Me Up was perfectly, well, restrained. Munch read through the entire menu without getting any more bondage innuendo, though it did use the term "spicy" a lot. "Deep" wouldn't be the word Munch would use, but there's a lot there. The five appetizers include a Thai-style chicken-and-shrimp wonton and a steamed pork dumpling. Salads include the classic Thai mint beef, plus an intriguing Spicy Carrot Salad with Shrimp and a Spicy Ginger Shrimp. Two of three soups are made with lemongrass. And you can pick whether you want chicken, beef, pork or tofu in most of the entrees, which are made with everything from cashews to pineapple fried rice. Where the place really loosens up is with the noodles, which range from classic Pad Thai to concoctions like Thai Spaghetti, Five Spice Beef Stew, and Z-U Noodles. There's even that Viet-yum-ese beef noodle soup, pho. Munch had never even heard of Z-U Noodles and tried to think of the naughty/knotty possibilities before less boldly ordering Thai Me Up Noodles, described as vermicelli with shrimp, shredded pork, bean sprout, scallion and cilantro in a clear soup. Munch's friend, who was just there for the food, ordered vegetarian spring rolls and tofu a la basil leaves. It was quite comfortable sitting with a nice bottle of French merlot at one of the seven small tables with mismatched chairs. Even close up, Thai Me Up is quite attractive, funkily dressed as it is in rich orange and red and blue and accented by sleek lighting. Two other tables were occupied, one by two 20-something women, the other by two 20-something men, both pairs seeming to prepare to go out for the night. The guys seemed to know the young proprietor of the place, who joked with them about how, now that she owns a restaurant, her going-out days are done. As for this date, well, nothing wild happened. Dinner was good, and it was enjoyably spicy, but nothing Munch couldn't handle. Thai Me Up didn't try to take Munch's wallet, either, since most of the entrees are priced at less than $7, and the corkage fee was only $1 per glass. Actually, it was sweet, at the end, and Munch went home with lips tasting of coconut ice cream with sweet rice. Maybe we'll do lunch sometime. Munch probably is a little old for Thai Me Up. But a little hottie like this, in a place like the South Side, probably is going to get a lot of action.