"Prince range: $$ On a recent spring night, Kin Khao remains packed and noisy more than a decade into its run in Union Square. Dishes arrive fast. Mushroom pate on rice crackers is simple and fine enough to attract customers on just its own merit. Then come oily pork cracklings, yaowaraj noodles with spicy tofu. Chef-owner Pim Techamuanvivit maintains the quality and prestige of Kin Khao’s flavors and dishes even while jet-setting around the world and running restaurants in both San Francisco and Bangkok. Order the green rabbit curry with meatballs, with a tin of fluffy brown rice, that hints at deeper levels of spice expanding through the meal while keeping the palette on cruise control. Best for: Peeking into the origins of modern Thai American cuisine by way of one of the best to ever do it." - Paolo Bicchieri