You're asking yourself right now ... ""What can be so great about a hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant that no one's heard of?"" The answer is simple: the food, the food, and the food. Sure, the staff works in unorthodox ways -- the owner insists on taking orders and running the register, so sometimes simple transactions take a little longer than they should. And sure, he's not out to charm you right off the bat, either -- until he recognizes you from repeat business, he may be a little stingy with his delightful grin. But this man knows how to run a kitchen. \r
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Start with an order of eggrolls -- always cooked to order, they'll arrive steaming hot in about 8-10 minutes. Make sure you take advantage of the sweet dipping sauce to cool off the bites that will have you torn between waiting till they're not searing, and chomping right away to savor the crisp shell and tender veggie stuffing. Then get down to business with an order of S3 -- the tom ka gai soup. This spicy, tart stew of coconut milk, tender white-meat chicken, lime juice and galanga root will have you dreaming about it later. The H6, cashew chicken, is another favorite -- fruity and nutty, it's best with fragrant jasmine rice, which is plentiful. We usually round out our meal with an order of pad thai (N1) and at dinner, some chicken curry with potato -- both are perfectly seasoned and spare on the fussy stuff -- just chock full of authentic Thai flavor. \r
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As you approach the cash register to pay, make sure you cool off your sizzling but delighted palate with a stick of gum from the small display on the counter -- we've found that Juicy Fruit is the perfect ending. And wave goodbye to the owner's grandson, who may ring up your meal himself, his tiny fingers flying over the adding machine keys with amazing speed. Talk about keeping it in the family.
Pros: Food, getting to know the owner on repeat visits
Cons: Service can be slow
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