Sovereign

Brother and sister team—Uthan Dejcomrunkul and Jumi Pitiwartarlai—have made it their mission to bring the authentic flavors of the Isaan region of Northeastern Thailand to San Diego, and this East Village outpost clearly succeeds. You'll be hard-pressed to make a wrong choice on the  menu, whose small assortment of dishes are each made with unmistakable pride.
Diners might start with spicy fermented pork sausage (nicely paired with a side of purple sticky rice and an ice-cold Singha); then move on to a spin on khao soi, or coconut curry noodles, given extra heft thanks to a crispy leg of duck confit subbing in for the typical chicken. Finish on a sweet note with house-made taro ice cream, served over coconut sticky rice sprinkled with toasted flakes.