A great meal is often decided before the mains ever arrive. The right starter wakes up your appetite and sets the tone for everything that follows, and few do it better than our Satay Crab. It is the plate people stop on when they flip through the Mai Thai Kitchen and Bar photos, and I am happy to report it tastes even better than it looks. What makes the Satay Crab special We use marinated jumbo lump crab meat, sweet and delicate, the good stuff, paired with an aromatic peanut satay sauce and toasted artisan bread for scooping. The satay sauce is where a lot of the flavor lives: nutty, faintly sweet, and fragrant with the spices that make Thai peanut sauce so addictive. Piled onto a piece of warm toasted bread, it is rich without being heavy, and it has a way of disappearing fast, so order two if the table is hungry. It is one of those dishes that quietly makes the case for us being someone's favorite thai restaurant. Build a starter spread Thai starters are made for sharing, so I never stop at one. This is how I would build a spread. Add the crispy sago, little tapioca parcels with a savory-sweet filling; the shrimp sa-rong, prawns wrapped in crisp noodle threads and fried gold; and the larb chicken basket, zesty minced chicken salad served in crunchy wonton cups. Between them you get crunch, richness, herbs, and heat, and a table that keeps reaching across itself while the kitchen finishes your mains. It is the most sociable way to begin a meal. The plates people photograph Our starters get their own moment, and it shows. Browse the Mai Thai Kitchen and Bar photos and the crab, the golden money bags, and the larb baskets are the ones people zoom in on and send to their friends. We think good Thai food should look as inviting as it tastes, and starters are where that first impression happens. A plate that makes you want to pick up your phone usually makes you want to pick up your fork even more. Something for every table The nice thing about starting with a spread is that there is a way in for everyone. Vegetarians can lean on the fresh basil rolls and fried tofu, spice lovers can chase the larb, and anyone who just wants something rich and comforting can go straight for the crab. It is also the easiest way to feed a group while people are still arriving and settling in. Start your meal here Next time you are weighing restaurants near me for dinner in Buckhead, remember that the meal really starts with the first plate you order. You will find the Satay Crab and the rest of our starters on the full menu at 3872 Roswell Road NE Unit 18B, Atlanta, GA 30342, alongside the curries, noodles, and Chef's Creations they are meant to lead into. Call (404)-343-1516 to book a table, and start with something worth sharing. What is Satay Crab? Marinated jumbo lump crab meat served with an aromatic peanut satay sauce and toasted artisan bread for scooping. It is rich but not heavy, and it tends to disappear fast, so order two for a hungry table. What are the best Thai starters to share? Build a spread: Satay Crab for richness, crispy sago and shrimp sa-rong for crunch, and the larb chicken basket for herbs and heat. Add fresh basil rolls and fried tofu for vegetarians. See them all on the menu. What should we order after the starters? Move on to a shared Thai soup, then a mix of curries, noodles, and a Chef's Creation like the Crying Tiger Ribeye. Finish with mango sticky rice.