Arun’s version of Thai food is as similar to neighborhood take-out as caviar is to peanut butter. Regarded as the best Thai interpreter in the city, if not the country, Arun’s takes a fine-dining turn with the complex cooking of Thailand, but without the attendant snobbery of many serious restaurants. A phalanx of eager, well-informed servers cheerfully work the alcove-lodged tables in the tranquil, Asian-art-filled rooms. An original prix fixe menu with 12 courses is offered nightly, half of them small appetizers, served family-style. You won’t know what’s on until you arrive, but the kitchen easily adapts to food and spice sensitivities.

Arun's Information:

• Thai menu. Dinner. Closed Mon; holidays; also the first two weeks in Jan. Bar. Business casual attire. Reservations recommended. Valet parking.