Best Thai Restaurant

As new property owners and the city continue to spruce up Wilton Drive, this little free-standing gem remains a delicious constant, its neon sign beckoning locals to partake of its peerless Southeast Asian fare. For two decades the brother-sister team of Sam and Patty Suwanpiboon has warmed the hearts and burned the tongues of Thai-food lovers with such fine starters as nam sod (ground chicken in lime juice with peanuts) and kai tom kha (chicken-and-coconut milk soup with straw mushrooms); a searing selection of curries (regular and panang); and a pad Thai that harmoniously blends noodles, ground pork, and shrimp. When you tell them you like it hot, they take your word for it -- so choose your words carefully. The four-star level of spiciness is about as much as any mortal can bear.