Hottest dining spot this summer? It's a Thai

Everyone seems to be talking Thai (food). Must be the weather. There's no doubt about it, though: fresh, light and aromatic Thai foods — adrift with the scent of ginger, lemongrass, galangal and fresh herbs — make a perfect summer meal. And I'm obviously not the only one who thinks so. Readers, friends and co-workers have been bombarding me with info about new (or newish) Thai restaurants, urging me to try them.

"Hidden Treasure!" and "Excellent Thai Restaurant" were among the subject lines of e-mails sent by Tom Donnelly, Janey Elliott and Michael Carmel, each singing the praises of Wallingford's Treasure Thai (1401 N. 45th St., Seattle; 206-547-2009).

Among the treasures here, they say, are "healthy" "lightly sauced" dishes, exceptionally fresh seafood and fat-free phad Thai devoid of "the usual overload of oils you get at other Thai places." Owner/chef Pik Juthatip and her husband, Pom Panapitakgul, are happy to oblige customers with special requests. Though open six months, they've only recently begun serving beer and wine. Treasure Thai is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

"The Blue Canal on Broadway is the best restaurant to open up on the Hill in several years," wrote Mark Wolf, introducing this critic to Blue Canal Pan Asian Grill & Bar (235 Broadway E., Seattle; 206-328-0515). The Thai-owned restaurant, open two months, recently replaced long-lived Angel's Thai Cuisine.

"I work at a mid-sized design firm full of people who travel a lot and know good food," says Wolf, "and this place has quickly become the top choice for grabbing lunch."

He's not alone in his admiration: A friend and her vegetarian husband — denizens of Capitol Hill — already consider themselves regulars at Blue Canal. So what's a critic to do? I invited my friends to dinner and can now say with authority: The place offers great food and great service.

Prices may be slightly more than you'd pay elsewhere on the Hill for inexpensive ethnic eats, but you're worth it, right? Check it out from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, noon to 11 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 10 p.m. Sundays.

Neighbors in Crown Hill are abuzz over Wild Orchid (8010 24th Ave. N.W., Seattle; 206-706-6866). So much so that my managing editor, David Boardman, who lives in the 'hood, felt obligated to bring me a take-out menu. (Forget the menu, pal! How about some Mussamum curry and a spicy squid salad?) Thai chef Carrie Bowen opened her new restaurant in June after completely remodeling the former home of The Bistro on 24th.

According to Jerry Brahm, whose Bistro on 24th spent five years at that out-of-the-way locale, Bowen's done a bang-up job with the space. (Pssst: It's north of Larsen Brother's Danish Bakery, just off the corner of 24th Avenue and Northwest 80th Street.).

"She added booths, moved the kitchen to the back and really put some bucks into it," Brahm says. Speaking of out-of-the-way locales, this is Bowen's second Thai restaurant venture; her last one was in Fairbanks, Alaska. Wild Orchid is open 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and from 4 to 10 p.m. daily.

FYI: Brahm's new restaurant, Carnegie's (2026 N.W. Market St., Seattle; 206-789-6643), in Ballard's Carnegie Free Public Library building, opened for dinner in June. After early snafus (including stove-ventilation problems causing Brahm to temporarily restrict his menu), things are now up and running smoothly.

Favorites from the old Bistro menu (Asian-inspired calamari, coq au vin, Wiener schnitzel) have found a place at Carnegie's, where entrees range from $16.95 to $23.95. Plans are afoot to open for Sunday brunch — hopefully by the end of August. Meanwhile, dinner is served from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and the bar stays open till "last call" (around 11:30 p.m.).

Lai-Thai (120 Park Lane; 425-739-9747) is a welcome addition to downtown Kirkland — say several readers who called to rave about the food and friendly service. Lai-Thai, open since May, is owned and operated by a trio of women friends who've pooled their talents to create this 75-seat restaurant.

The high-energy team of chef Bhuangmalai Charncherngkha (formerly at Tasty Thai in Factoria), Noppawan Lertjulusjun (late of Kent's Chao Praya) and Parinda Boonpawattana (from Thai Kitchen in Bellevue) are already making their mark on the Kirkland dining scene. Patio seating is available, and Lai Tai is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and noon to 10 p.m. Sundays.

You don't need an excuse to catch a movie at the Edmonds Theater (cheap seats! great popcorn!) but its year-old neighbor, Thai Cottage (417 Main St., Edmonds; 425-774-2222) provides one — and a great place to dine before or after the show. Reader Jim Wright and his wife are world-traveled septuagenarians and "every day eat out at lunch-timers" who find Thai Cottage's menu "pretty extensive and uniformly delicious."

They highly recommend the chef's version of drunken noodles, served by "very personable waitresses," and urged me to give it a try. I have, and wholeheartedly agree that this spicy wide-rice-noodle dish is absolutely delish. Try it (and many other house specialties) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Lest we forget our Thai-food-loving friends down south, 2-month-old Mali Thai Cuisine (17310 Southcenter Parkway; 206-575-2408) is bringing Thai flavors to Tukwila.

With its bamboo-accented interior design, daily lunch specials and an extensive menu of Thai classics, owner Joe Saelee is hoping to attract a crowd. Mali Thai Cuisine is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

Nancy Leson can be reached at 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.