Siam Paragon Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar

A face-lift and menu revamp turned this former ho-hum Thai restaurant into a bright spot in the neighborhood. We’ll be back for the delicate wasabi vegetable rolls and creative-but-not-kooky maki (try the Lagarto roll made with spicy scallop, avocado, white tuna and tobiko). Thai options include curry fried rice dotted with bits of pineapple and a perfectly snappy stir-fried asparagus with shrimp. If you forget to BYO, the housemade ginger ale should cheer you up. (Maybe offer some to the snide servers, too—they could use something to cheer them up.)