Cheap Eats: Southeast Asian, June 2012

The Valley cubbyhole does a brisk takeout business, but we recommend dining in at this family-run restaurant. Multiple portraits of Thailand's king radiate a sense of tradition. Mint leaves tossed with seared onions give backbone to a lunch special. There's undeniable comfort in a dessert of neatly sliced papaya laid over sweet rice cooked in coconut milk.