Restaurant Gems: Soi 4 puts modern spin on Thai fare

With the Valley exploding with Thai restaurants, what makes Soi 4 stand out?

Certainly, this handsome place doesn't look like your neighborhood Thai hangout. No tourist-board posters or Formica-topped tables here. With its smart, banquette-lined downstairs room and snazzy balcony, it doesn't say "Thailand" as much as "modern urban ethnic restaurant."

What really sets it apart, however, is the modern Thai fare. The Sirimongkolvit family has been running Bay Area Thai restaurants since the 1960s, and this kitchen pretty much proves that practice makes perfect.

Under no circumstances should you leave here without ordering miang kum, mustard-leaf wraps filled with prawns, carrot and pomelo, drizzled with caramelly palm-sugar sauce and freshened with herbs. Then add your own drop of super-hot Thai chile and get ready for a taste explosion. I seriously considered canceling the rest of my order and asking the server to keep the miang kum coming.

But that strategy would have meant forgoing treats like dtom yum goong, a riotously spicy/sour lemongrass-scented soup swimming with prawns and oyster mushrooms; grilled eggplant salad ornamented with minced chicken and prawns, bathed in a striking lime-coconut dressing; honey-roasted duck with lychee and pineapple in Thai basil curry; and a seafood assortment — clams, squid, shrimp and scallops — stir-fried with coconut and Thai ginger.

Soi 4 does what few ethnic restaurants do in this town, putting a 21st-century spin on home-country fare while staying true to home-country traditions. It's a very appealing formula.

Details: The Shops Gainey Village, 8787 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-778-1999, soifour.com.