Every new Thai restaurant seems to trigger a predictable set of reactions that start with “not another one” and end with curiosity. Does this new entry, with a name that stands for “creativity-elegance-education,” have anything to offer that is different, memorable, unusual? Anything that sets it apart?
For Cee, the answer is yes but it is hard to explain why. Perhaps it is the surprise of discovering a subdued yet elegant dining space just down the street from Harley-Davidson in the company of furniture stores, muffler shops and a handful of other restaurants. This is not garish Thai. The colors are muted tones of green and brick with splashes of bronze, silver and gold, the furniture dark wood with clean lines.
But it might also be the food. The menu is longer than most but random ordering — avoiding the ubiquitous pad Thai ($9 at lunch for chicken, $11 at dinner), which was touted as the most popular dish, as it almost always is — provided a meal that seemed more authentic than at restaurants that have tamed their dishes for Western tastes.
The food was well-prepared and presented. The chicken satay, for instance, ($7 for chicken, beefor pork) was thoroughly cooked yet remained tender-too often it is undercooked or dry – and the two sauces, peanut and a rather sweet cucumber, were appropriate.
Tender and thin rice noodles in a well spiced green curry sauce laced with pieces of chicken and a few bamboo shoots, curry noodles ($10 and $12), were a pleasant surprise, the kind of dish that would be hard not to order again.
Cee Fine Thai Dining
Address: 9901 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax, Va.
Phone: 703-293-9898
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, 11:30 to 11 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays
Credit cards: Major credit cards
