"A destination for superb Thai food and lesser-known dishes: pad Thai is served in a banana leaf with bits of banana blossom, and the fried watercress—deep-fried in rice flour and doused in tangy tamarind sauce—converts skeptics. Don’t let the unprepossessing façade fool you (look for the elephant statue on the roof, a symbol of Thailand); the interior is filled with beautiful carved teak, mahogany walls, and gilded lotus petal lighting fixtures." - Sharon McDonnell