The New Tommy Tang’s Thai: Modest Tastes for the Young

When Tommy Tang opened his first restaurant in 1982, he gave Thai cooking a smart, urban edge and served it up to a big following in a hip Melrose Avenue space. The young Thai restaurateur was the first L.A. chef to go bi-coastal, opening a New York branch in 1987. (It’s closed for the moment; Tang plans to reopen as soon as he finds a new location.) Last year he opened on Colorado in Pasadena’s Old Town, the restaurant boom town of the moment.

And now, in tune with the times, Tang has downscaled, closing his original place and moving a few blocks east to the former space of the Lipp. He’s kept the yard-high neon that spells out EAT over the door and put up a show of paintings of old Buicks and Chevrolets.

There’s now a sushi bar where frail young things in black combat boots nibble on Melrose roll (carrot, sprouts and shrimp wrapped in seaweed) to the sound of the Supremes. And he’s hired a bevy of long-haired wait staff in neat white jackets emblazoned with the restaurant’s hot pink logo.

Welcome to Tommy Tang’s Modern Thai Cuisine and Sushi. With an updated menu and lower prices, it appeals to a younger crowd who dote on the oh-so-sweet sauces and don’t seem to mind the subdued firepower. The “Original Tommy Duck” tastes like duck candy; the chili fish has barely a tickle of heat. And sushi? Let’s just say that this sushi bar won’t be giving Matsuhisa a run for the money any time soon.

* Tommy Tang’s, 7313 Melrose Ave . (between Poinsettia and Fuller) . (213) 937 - 5733. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Valet parking. Major credit cards accepted. Appetizers $4.50 to $6.95; entrees $7.95 to $12.95.