| Does the Blue Elephant still exist, and if so, where have they moved to? They used to be out in Seef but closed down a while back.
As far as Thai food goes, there is a bit of a Thai-food ghetto in the Adliya area-- I can think of 5 restaurants within a short walking-distance of each other. Of all of them, the Banana Leaf is my favorite-- small, intimate, great food and ambiance, and reasonably priced (for Bahrain). It is also owned by a fellow Gulf Air crewmember of Thai-nationality. Maybe not the size to cater for your birthday party, but great for a casual lunch or dinner.
If you are looking for a spicy bite of something cheap but clean, look up one of the Charcoal Grill restaurants-- there is one right by Bab-al-Bahrain, kitty-corner to the Main Post Office.
Coco's is always great, and for that reason it often fills up during lunch too!
As a watering hole, I like Trader Vic's out in the Seef Area at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. The Polynesian-theme and live Cuban band every night suit me completely. The bar is good in the evening, but give the restaurant a miss-- pricing and not necessarily a good value, especially after the hotel has stationed it's goons out at the exit of the restaurant to prevent you from taking a post-meal stroll on the beautiful ocean-front hotel grounds after dumping BD30 on the table for a nice lunch for 2.
Generally, if you can avoid Bahrain on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Friday nights you win. Less crazy traffic, and devoid of other GCC national visitors looking for a night of debauchery. | 
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