So we drag you out to a strip mall in the east end of nowhere and you wonder why? Because here is what critic Jonathan Gold of Gourmet magazine called no less than the best Thai restaurant in North America.

What makes this place so darn special? First of all, in addition to all the usual beloved Thai favorites, they have a separate menu featuring lesser-known dishes from northern Thailand -- they don't routinely hand this one out (since most of the customers are there for the more pedestrian, if still excellent, $5.99 lunch buffet). Second, the owner drives at least twice a week back to Los Angeles (where his original venue, Renu Na Korn, is still operating under another family member) to pick up the freshest herbs and other ingredients needed for his dishes' authenticity. That's dedication that should be rewarded with superlatives.

You might be best off letting them know you are interested in northern food (with dried chiles and more pork, it's not un-Cajun-like, says the owner) and letting them guide you through, though you must assure them that you aren't of faint heart or palate (some customers complain the heat isn't enough, even with "well spiced" dishes, though others find even medium spice sufficient). Standouts include the Issan sausage (a grilled sour pork number), the nam kao tod (that same sausage, ground up with lime, green onion, fresh chile, and ginger, served with crispy rice), nam sod (ground pork mixed with ginger, green onion, and lime juice, served with sticky rice), jackfruit larb (spicy ground meat), and sua rong hai ("weeping tiger"), a dish of soft, sliced, grilled, marinated beef. If you insist on more conventional Thai, that's okay, in that it's unlikely you are going to have better mee krob noodles or tom kah kai (that beloved soup can also be served northern style, if asked, which is without the coconut milk). If in season, finish with mango with sticky rice, or if not, coconut ice cream with sticky rice, something you would find at many a street stall in Thailand.