Popular, pocket-sized outpost serves affordable Thai cuisine to cramped but thankful Fenway denizens.

The Scene
Unlike its original Brookline location, Rod Dee 2 provides patrons with plenty of seating, both inside and outside on a sunny sidewalk patio. This is self-service all the way; customers browse dozens of colorful photographs depicting Thai dishes that haphazardly line the walls before ordering at the counter. Service is snappy, but it's an adequate trade-off for the food arriving hot and as ordered.

The Food
Rod Dee serves classic, albeit slightly Americanized, Thai dishes based on curry, noodles or rice and laden with fresh vegetables. The chicken satay appetizer sits in a just-sweet-enough peanut sauce. Pad Thai is a huge portion of tofu, egg and peanut-laced noodles, neither too soggy nor too spicy. The menu is not short on spicy offerings-the drunken chicken is soaked in a chili sauce that will light anyone's eyebrows on fire. However, the staff happily adjusts spice levels to each diner's liking.