Eating at Café de Siam is like hanging out at a drug dealer´s house; the door keeps opening, and people enter to pick up plain, brown paper bags, pass cash and leave. On any given night, the tables are practically empty, but traffic consistently flows through. Fresh, explode-in-your-mouth fare keeps us lining up as well. They offer standard Thai cuisine, but it´s so damn good visit after visit, it sets itself apart from all other Thai joints in the Bay area. Tangy thom yum, spicy nam sod, light spring rolls, peanutty pad Thai, piquant panang, and soothing basil sauce — you can´t go wrong with anything on this menu.
Café de Siam, 11242 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-855-1108.
