PAI

Named for the Thai village where Nuit Regular and her husband opened their first restaurant, PAI is perpetually busy. A former nurse, Nuit now soothes by cooking her family recipes and street food favorites for hungry patrons. The mod bohemian look is appealing, but it's the extensive menu that you'll spend all of your time admiring. It's full of fresh, tasty dishes and vibrant curries. While they traipse across Thailand for inspiration, zero in on the North Thai plates and chef favorites, including khao soi, a noodle and coconut milk dish, or kanom jin nham ngeaw, a pork rib and tomato soup with rice vermicelli. Kung tawt, a plate of fried shrimp sided by a piquant tamarind sauce, is delicious but gaeng panang, a sweet-and-sour red curry, hits all the right notes.