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Lotus of Siam – An off-strip dive that’s very difficult to find if you don’t know exactly where it is (many taxis are themselves bewildered), but one that is frequently gifted with the title of Best Thai Restaurant in the United States. Is it? I haven’t been to any of the other contenders, so I can’t possibly say. I can confirm, however, that when the joint is “on,” it’s difficult to imagine the food getting much better.

The menu is extremely long and confusing, and to add to the complexity there’s a separate list of Northern Thai specialties (you may have to ask for it; they occasionally forget to give it to every entering diner). Matters can be simplified, however, by keeping one simple rule in mind: the diner who orders adventurously will be rewarded. The least interesting dishes are almost always the familiar old standards…the sort found on every mediocre Thai restaurant menu around the U.S….while the most interesting are those that seem bizarre, or unlikely, or are specifically designated as being a specialty of the northern Thai cuisines.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a restaurant that’s serious about spicing. Some waiters will offer three options (mild, medium, spicy), others a scale from one to ten, but the overriding issue is that their conception of chile-derived sizzle is far beyond that of most domestic competitors. And yet, I’m sure some are restrained from native levels of heat; if you’re really interested in experiencing the full burn, ask and they’re likely to accommodate. Note that spice levels seem most obvious in the soups, which are almost uniformly excellent but can, at higher-levels of heat, require a good supply of tissues.

The most famous dish is probably the nam kao tod, a small plate of crispy rice with sour sausage that is absolutely irresistible; some have claimed to make a full meal from multiple orders of this delicacy. Other dishes I’ve found to be particularly enticing include tom yum plar dook (hot/sour catfish soup with lemongrass, lime and straw mushrooms), Northern larb (ground pork “salad” with spices), nua sao renu (sliced beef on cabbage in a spicy tamarind sauce), and plar laad prik (whole pompano, fried and sort of caramelized with chiles and garlic). And don’t miss the desserts; they’ll usually offer a sampler plate, but if the mango with sticky rice is available, do not pass it by.

If all this weren’t enough, the owner is a true wine fanatic. The list of German rieslings, which have (correctly) been identified as the best foil for this food, is outstanding…perhaps one of the best in the country…but lovers of other wines, from cult California pinot to high-end Bordeaux, will find bottles to their taste. The wine service and stemware are extraordinary for a restaurant of this type and price, and if they sense your enthusiasm, small tastes of other wines will frequently appear at the table. As for service in general, it can get slightly sketchy at busy times, but it’s quite helpful…and (for those who worry about such things) very clear and precise English is spoken by most of the staff. Even the difficult names of German rieslings are handled with aplomb.

Most visitors come for dinner, while locals tend to congregate for the weekday lunch buffet. What’s not widely known, however, is that the full menu and wine list are also available at lunch.

This is a frequently extraordinary restaurant, with much to offer even aficionados of Thai cuisine, and the wine list sends it over the top into occasional brilliance. I could happily eschew Strip restaurants and eat here twice per day. (Though the chile afterburn might be a bit much after a while.) There are regular reports of qualitative slippage, and I do think that the initial shock of the food leads to some disappointment on subsequent visits, but I cannot verify signs of an actual decline; the restaurant, at its peaks, seems to be as good as ever. In some ways – most of them off the plate – even better.

(This is a composite review based on many visits over several years.)