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Staycation Dining
Bodhi Thai Dining: Authentic and Modern Thai Cuisine
At a restaurant tucked into a former bank in the middle of Lexington, South Carolina, a passionate and imaginative chef strives to create a unique culinary experience for locals and visitors alike. Known for its elegant ambiance and the artful presentation of its menu items, Bodhi Thai Dining serves authentic Thai flavor with an upscale, modern twist.
“It’s totally different from everywhere. No one does what I do here,” says Nivit Tipvaree, the owner and executive chef of Bodhi Thai Dining. “I try to take Thai food to the next level…I think if you get good ingredients, you can bring it to the next level.”
With this in mind, the restaurant sources local ingredients, and even has its own organic garden. Tipvaree calls on cooking techniques from across cultures, including French and Italian, fusing them with Thai flavors and spices to deliver a distinctive menu he dubs a “modern take on Thai.”
“Nivit is a very artistic person by nature and brings to bear a lot of what he likes to refer to as ‘art on the plate,’” says Tim Brown, the restaurant’s general manager. To highlight this, he describes a martini that turns from indigo blue to bright purple with the addition of lime juice, and chor muang, an appetizer of steamed dumplings with traditional Thai spices that are hand-fashioned into flowers and dyed shades of blue and white with color extracted from the butterfly pea flower. “We have a little bit of magic that we like to work here,” Brown says.
The restaurant gives its decor the same care as its plating. At Tipvaree’s request, Bodhi Thai Dining was designed to be “black and gold and chic,” with a barreled ceiling, a wall adorned with hand-installed 24-karat gold leaf from Thailand and the bank’s original vault still located in the dining room. This luxurious atmosphere reinforces the elaborate, innovative dishes that are the heart of the restaurant.
“I care about my food; I just want all the guests and customers to care about my food,” says Tipvaree.
Bodhi Thai Dining is hosting a live guitar jazz event with Ricky Lane on Saturday, September 28. Keep up with more happenings at bodhithaidining.com or visit for lunch or dinner on Tuesday - Saturday. Bodhi Thai Dining is located at 126 East Main Street in Lexington, South Carolina.
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