Every foodie with a Yelp account swears by Stanton's Thai Nakorn as the best Thai restaurant in the county, if not Southern California. While its meals never disappoint, a better, less-crowded option is Bangkok Taste. Spartan in design save for elaborate place mats detailing various Thai fruits, vegetables and dishes, the dive sells such American obsessions as pad Thai and curries, but also regional specialties from across the long country—khao soy, an egg-noodle soup that offers a meal for three at $7 a bowl; a daily selection of fish; yolky mussel omelets; even a couple of offal dishes for those of you who enjoy the rich meats. And you won't want to miss out on the sticky rice, which is emblematic of all that's sweet and good at the most authentic Thai eateries. The precious mound of rice is served in a conical straw basket inside a steaming-hot little bag that you flip over and dump onto your plate. The buoyant mound sticks together without clumping or becoming mushy—a feat harder to achieve than it seems. Bangkok Taste also has the county's best ethnic dessert: roti, the fried Indian flatbread, here covered with melted frosting.
