Pam Real Thai Food (CLOSED)

Instead of potted palms and shrines to Buddha when you walk into Pam’s Real Thai Food, you’re more likely to see waiters trimming holy basil as they bop their heads to ’70s pop music in this lunchroom-esque Thai joint. That’s because rather than woo you with some overwrought design scheme, Pam is all about the food—authentic, restrained, fiery, flavorful food. Try outstanding lime-dressed green papaya salad studded with peanuts and salty dried prawns, chicken-stuffed curry puffs, or for the perfect balance of heat to subtlety, crispy fried duck topped with chili. Everything about Pam, from the casual but efficient service to the wallet-friendly price tag shows an ease that only the truly enlightened can pull off, distinguishing Pam’s real Thai food from the watered-down versions that dominate this part of town.