"This place is way better than Sripraphai," my Thai American friend proclaimed. She'd grown up in Los Angeles, where world-class Thai cafés are a dime a dozen. And her preference for Chao Thai over the sainted Sripraphai was an impressive accolade. We were feverishly digging into yum nam sod ($6.50), a heap of glistening ground pork deliciously seasoned with purple onions, lime juice, pungent basil, salty fish sauce, and split red chiles that spit seeds into the salad, causing us to drain our beers and grab for the BYOB six-pack we'd stashed under the table. As an added bonus, we found crescents of crunchy pig ear in the... More >>>