2006 Fall Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006

Carved wooden fish and miniature silver Buddhas line the shelves of the dining room, which also has pillows decorating the banquettes and bright red chopsticks on the tables. The area's prettiest Thai restaurant is also its most mouth-watering. Flaky pastries hide fillings of lightly curried potatoes, their sweetness set off with a clear and stinging dip of onion and green chilies. Tender pork meets up with Chinese broccoli in a fine stew accented with cinnamon, anise and soy sauce. Like it hot? Try soft-shell crabs fired up with garlic and chilies or the aptly titled "spicy roasted duck." Tamer are pearly shrimp, woodsy mushrooms and bok choy in a tangle of glassy and gingery noodles. The staff looks after your needs with sisterly sweetness, and the cheery open kitchen displays smiling cooks chopping and stir-frying their way to your stomach's delight. Around here, Bangkok 54 is as good as Thai gets.