By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, October 19, 2003

Don't everybody rush this place for a wicked plate of seafood stir-fried with chilies, garlic and basil. I've seen closets that are bigger than this fledgling Thai eatery, which probably accounts for its healthy carryout business. Stick around to eat your food, though, and you'll experience sweet service in a pretty shoebox of a room with peach-colored walls and pale blue trim. Ease in with bulbous chicken wings plumped with a mousselike filling of shrimp, crab and mushrooms, or a slightly caramelized beef satay, juicy beneath its subtle curry seasoning. Then move on to pork and tender bamboo shoots draped in creamy green curry or whatever special your waitress encourages you to try. "The soft-shell crabs are fresh, not frozen," one of them announced one night in midsummer. Not every dish makes my hit parade. The shrimp in a bowl of tangy hot and sour soup could be fresher, and the steamed vegetable dumplings suffer from a cloying soy sauce (note to kitchen: turn down the sugar dial). Natta Thai is good to know about if you find yourself nearby, hungry, and in search of a bit of pampering with your garden roll or duck salad.