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Tiny Thai, Cotati: Tiny Thai is barely a blip between the bars, restaurants and more bars on Cotati’s main street. Fortunately, it's also a great spot to cure your hangover with some Drunken Noodles. Serves up excellent Pad Thai (one of my favorites) plus hard-to-find items like fish cakes and fried taro root rolls. Pumpkin curry with creamy coconut milk sauce studded with bits of pumpkin won’t disappoint. 8238 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, 707-794-9404. (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat)
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Fresh Rolls with peanut dipping sauce at Tiny Thai restaurant in Cotati. (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat)
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Spring Thai, Cotati and Petaluma: A straw wrapper twisted into a rosebud is the first hint that visual presentation is a priority here. Dishes are elaborately plated with flowers and edible greenery. Entertaining menu items include batter-dipped spinach and a starter parade of appetizers worthy of tooting about. The fried spinach salad — healthy! crispy! — is a revelation. Their clever version of Pad Thai, with a lattice of egg holding it together, is a compact football of noodles with plenty of flavor. 538 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati, 707-665-5180; 1410 S. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 707-774-6246, springthai.net (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Pad Thai at Spring Thai restaurant in Cotati. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Red curry at Spring Thai restaurant in Cotati. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Fried spinach salad with cashews, avocado, red onion and creamy vinaigrette at Spring Thai in Cotati. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Lynn’s Thai, Cotati: We first fell in love with Lynn’s cooking in 2008 and it's stood the test of time. A simple green papaya salad sings rather than clobbers you on the head with its sour crunch. And Panang curry is heavenly. Don’t miss the Tom Kha, a coconut milk soup with galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass and mushrooms, and save room for black sticky rice with condensed milk and fresh mango. Though it may seem like a small detail, to-go orders are packaged with care so they stay tasty all the way home rather than spilling all over your seats. 8492 Gravenstein Highway, Suite M, Cotati, 707-793-9300. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Pork Pad Thai from Lynn's Thai in Cotati. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Black sticky rice with mango from Lynn's Thai in Cotati. (Heather Irwin / Sonoma Magazine)
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Shrimp spring rolls from Lynn's Thai in Cotati. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Thai BBQ House Petaluma: Following a recent ownership change, the menu remains the same with Laotian barbecue, a popular street food in Thailand. Go for the Special BBQ Combo of chicken, pork and beef with peanut-and-tomato-laced papaya salad and rice (add in two pork ribs for an additional $10). Sticky rice is the classic starch for this meal. Also worth trying are the samosas, the tom yum soup, the pumpkin curry and Thai basil red curry. 1390 N. McDowell, Suite A, Petaluma 707-665-5748, thaibbqhouse.com. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
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Pad Thai with Shrimp from Thai BBQ House Petaluma. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
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Thai BBQ House Petaluma: Recent ownership change, but the menu remains the same, specializing
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Baan Thai, Santa Rosa: Hidden in Larkfield’s Molsberry’s shopping center, this pint-sized eatery gets high marks thanks to their peanut sauce, which enhances the food rather than launching an all-out peanut assault. Solid Pad Thai as well, but Peanut Curry (Kang-Mus Mun) wins the day with a combo of sweet and savory spices that have us craving gallons of the stuff. 424 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa, 707-576-8621.
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Sea Thai Bistro, Santa Rosa: Refined, Thai-fusion dishes that marry Thai flavors with California influences. We’re bonkers for dishes like Street Fair Noodles — a sort of smokey BBQ version of Pad Thai, and red pumpkin curry that’s rich, delicious and fragrant. Don’t miss the spicy green papaya salad and super noshy Little Basket with crispy egg noodles and veggies wrapped in lettuce. 2350 Midway Drive in Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa, 707-528-8333. (Scott Manchester / The Press Democrat)
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Khom Loi, Sebastopol: A spectacular spin on Thai cuisine from the owners of Ramen Gaijin. Rather than soupy, ketchup-y Americanized dishes, you’ll get plenty of heat, fragrance and ka-pow flavor from every dish. Diners are encouraged to have fun and play a little — using your fingers is encouraged! Lemongrass fried chicken with fried lime leaves will leave you perfumed. Here, unripe papaya is a crunchy carrier for the tart-sweet lime fish sauce we could literally drink with a straw. You can’t go wrong with anything. 7385 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol, 707-329-6917, khomloisonoma.com. (Dawn Heumann)
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Khom Loi restaurant in Sebastopol. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
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Tom Yum Goog Nam Khon, a spicy, creamy sour shrimp soup with gulf prawn, tomato, mushrooms, coconut milk, galangal and Thai herbs, at Khom Loi in Sebastopol. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Gai Tod: Lemongrass fried chicken with makrut leaf at Khom Loi in Sebastopol. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
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Jam’s Joy Bungalow, Sebastopol and Cotati: Not strictly Thai, but the ever-changing menu of this teensy walkup in Sebastopol (now also in Cotati) has some of the best Southeast Asian street food (with some NorCal sass) ever. If Jok (Thai rice porridge) is on the menu you’re in for a treat. Just throw the dice on whatever Chef Jamilah is cooking and you’ll end up a winner. Her bright pink and yellow food truck makes the rounds throughout the county, so be on the lookout. 150 Weeks Way, Sebastopol, 707-843-9001; 101 E. Cotati Ave., jamsjoybungalow.com (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat)
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Black rice pudding with caramelized bananas and salted coconut milk, prepared by Jamilah Nixon, chef and founder of Jam's Joy Bungalow food truck, in Sebastopol on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
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Seafood salad prepared by Jamilah Nixon, chef and founder of Jam's Joy Bungalow food truck, in Sebastopol on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
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Tomi Thai, Windsor: A favorite among Windsor residents, this tiny Town Green spot has a menu packed with flavor. Mild yellow curry with potatoes and chicken and fresh rolls studded with mint both satisfy. Fusion dishes with a California spin, like the Crying Tiger — marinated rib eye with cilantro garlic sauce — are crowdpleasers. 426 Emily Rose Circle, Windsor, 707-836-1422, tomithai.com. (Yelp / Jose L)
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Thai Orchid, Healdsburg: Thai worthy of Healdsburg’s picky gourmands. Start with fish cakes and Mieng Kuem, lettuce wraps with tamarind sauce, peanuts, dried shrimp and coconut, to get your tastebuds rolling. Kang Phed Ped, a spicy red curry with roast duck, pineapple, and vegetables, is noteworthy. 1005 Vine St., Healdsburg, 707-433-0515, thaiorchidhealdsburg.weebly.com. (Yelp)
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101 Thai Way, Cloverdale: Straightforward Thai next to a gas station. But don't be fooled, locals say it’s terrific. 1198 S. Cloverdale Blvd., Suite C, Cloverdale, 707-894-9999, 101thaiway.com. (Stephanie A. / Yelp)
