Thai House II

More than 2,500 miles of land and sea — plus a cultural gulf that's just as wide — separate Thailand and Japan, so diners have to wonder why the two nations' cuisines share menu space at Thai House II. An appetizer of "crispy noodles" — slightly crunchy strands loaded with shrimp and scallions and stuck together with honey — is a pleasantly sweet starter. As for sushi: Crab, cucumber, lettuce, and mayonnaise crunch well together in a sizable handmade kewpie roll, and a kimchee roll with fresh conch, spinach, scallions, cucumber, and masago is tasty. Best of all, though, is a Thai desert called banana delight: crunchy dough pockets wrapped around nuggets of nearly molten banana and brushed with mildly sweet honey. Bananas and honey? Now there's a twofer that works every time.