The last thing I wanted to eat for lunch yesterday was Thai food for this series.

The ‘rents are in town for the weekend, and guess where they wanted to eat family style Friday night? Yup. Thai BBQ in Valencia. Now while I like Thai food as much as the next person, having it two days in a row is a bit much, right?

But I found the perfect solution to my quandary: (1) have a bowl of cereal for breakfast and don’t have “lunch” until 4:30; (2) check out Rodded (or Rod-Ded) on Hollywood Blvd., which serves up good Thai food at even better prices. (But here’s a caveat: the place doesn’t take credit, debit or checks, which unfortunately we didn’t know until we sat down.)

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not the most adventuresome eater of Thai food. Don't get me wrong, there are dishes that I love but the sad truth is that I return to those dishes over and over again. Partly this is because with all the varied ethnic foods in Los Angeles, I usually only eat Thai once or twice a month so I really don't feel like I'm always getting the same thing. Though, of course, I am. In fact, rarely do I order anything other than the safest, most obvious dish on a Thai menu--the ubiquitous (and flavorful!) pad thai.

I've managed to rationalize this dull tendency away to a degree by sampling pad thai at different restaurants. You see, I'm not really eating the same thing every time because each preparation is slightly different, each restaurant a new experience. Sometimes, I even have them hold the shrimp. Occasionally, I will even order the dish 'spicy' or 'with light oil'. And so, with that pathetic fact in mind, I ventured far into the hinterlands of Thai Town to sample the house dish at Thaitown Noodles.

Whether you love or hate LAist’s coverage of Thai Town, with 18 restaurant reviews in 21 days, you have to at least admit one thing – there are a hell of a lot of Thai restaurants on that small stretch of Hollywood, just east of the 101.

Torung holds a special place in my heart, as I spent many a late night there; sneaking in a six-pack of Mickey’s Big Mouth, and scarfing down Pad Thai on the way home from a gig. Over the years, my allegiance has shifted further down the street, but I was pleased to find that Torung is as tasty as ever.

Many call Sanamluang Cafe the most authentic Thai in Thai Town. Others know it as the preferred late-night post-drinking noodle stop (the restaurant is open until 4 a.m.). Sanamluang calls itself "The Best Noodles in Town."

At 3 a.m., just about any noodle might seem like, no metaphor intended, the best noodle in town. So I decided to try Sanamluang in the cold light of day.

When I received my Thai One On assignment I was pretty pumped. Online Yelp reviews had unanimously agreed that Thailand Plaza has some of the best food and service around. Maybe that's why my experience at Thailand Plaza was such a disappointing one--my expectations going in were way too high.

Not so say that everything about my Thailand Plaza dining experience was bad; parking was free with validation. Bonus!

However aside from free parking, dining at Thailand Plaza in a word, sucked.

Everything seemed fine when we walked in. The restaurant is large, spacious and relatively clean (aside from the dirty looking upholstered chairs, which one of my dining partners thought she was going to catch a disease from). The hostess was friendly and sat us at a table beside the window where we could enjoy the view of Hollywood Boulevard at night. Our server promptly took our drink and appetizer orders, both of which were brought out without delay.

We started off with Silver & Gold Baskets, deep fried ground pork and chopped shrimp, wrapped in a wonton wrap and served with sweet chili sauce. These proved to be a decent start to the meal and although they were a little bit greasier than I like, they filled the gap as we waited for our main courses.

Little did we know, those fried pork sacks would be the best part of the night.

The main draw of this Thai restaurant is the humongous hot dog perched next to the oddly-paired moniker Thai Town Express. The hot dog is a relic of its past as Red’s Hot Dog, and the waitress said that the lease stipulations forbid its removal. Late on a recent Sunday evening, my dinner companion and I were the only diners, but plenty of curious tourists stopped by the fast-food Thai restaurant to snap pictures of the unusual culinary pairing.

The restaurant is on the northwest corner of Hollywood and Western, accessible by the Red Line and on the border of both Little Armenia and Thai Town. Although it appeared to mostly be a take-out operation, it has a lovely outdoor eating area. The service was very friendly and patient with the indecision that always plagues me when I want to try it all, with a willingness to offer suggestions.

Read more about Thai Town Express after the jump...

Straddled along Hollywood Boulevard, right before Los Feliz, Vim is one of those places I should have been going to a long time ago - dirt cheap and fucking delicious. It's tucked away in a little strip mall that has some weird bakery (not sure if it was Armenian or not) and another little eatery to the left of it.

I hear the place is most often frequented by Latino/Hispanic families but it was pretty bare when I got there on a Tuesday evening. Maybe two families and a couple. The menu is partially in Spanish and it's cash only. I had to go on the hunt for an ATM down the street which took a while, but it was worth it.

We've been serious about our Thai project here at LAist: in fact, we've posted 14 entries in 20 days on the many, many restaurants located in the few blocks that comprise Thai Town in Hollywood. We've learned many things: for instance, pork is always an excellent option at a Thai restaurant, especially when infused into a broth or preserved in a rich, fatty sausage or cooked down until it crumbles into a soup.

Second, crab is also always a great choice. I had heard many good things about the crab at Hollywood Thai, a comfortably situated restaurant-bar just a few blocks up from the famed Jitlada in Thai Town. As Sloane pointed out, the Thai district in Hollywood is a great option for those looking for a quick, satisfying dinner after work when you're on the way to an awesome event at the Bowl or the Boulevard theater row. Hollywood Thai can be one of those places, and despite the leisurely dinner-hour service, two people can get in and out in about an hour.

It's difficult to choose just a few dishes when you're going Thai, because you've always got a great soup (tom kai) or curry (panang!) or fried rice specialty that is guaranteed to fill your tummy no matter where you are. Furthermore, the variety of regional dishes and the subtleties of spice and flavor are so great within the Thai cuisine (much like Italian), that it gets VERY DIFFICULT to narrow things down to essentials.

Thank your many respective gods we are here to help you navigate the coconut-scented waters of this magnificent culinary tradition. Hollywood Thai is a good place to start. It's a party kind of place -- there's a karaoke/band-stand set-up in the corner, and the walls are mirrored into infinity. The rough wooden tables can be pushed aside to the corner at a moment's notice, and the waitresses are spunky, adorable, and laid-back enough not to mind your impatient demands. Oh, and there's a full bar. They know exactly what you mean when you ask for "Thai beer" -- you mean Singha, and it quenches that Bangkok burn.

Tucked away in Thai Town, Thai Original BBQ is in the former home of a Taco Hell, back when they were little buildings instead of the other side of a KFC. The BBQ moved in and swanked up the joint with marble tables and a large tropical fish tank. It’s clean and small and nearly empty at about 3pm on a Saturday afternoon (cross town traffic was a killer!)

Our waitress had colored contacts, with the irises painted on around the edges. It makes her look like one of the cheapy demons on Supernatural. Other than being a low-rent demon, she was very nice and attentive.

Had your fill of Thai Elvis? Live entertainment lives at Kruang Tedd, of a somewhat different sort.

This is a modest but elegantly designed little spot, located in a strip mall next to an establishment known as Jumbo’s Clown Room. I’ve never been inside Jumbo's, though I believe their traditional British pub food is popular with the ladies, as I’m often told, “All the girls have pasties there.” Dancing is advertised as well, but in case you don’t like the music selection, there is an alternative one door to the right.

I have a list of things I want to do in Los Angeles pages long. It changes by the season, by the year and most certainly by recommendations given to me by friends. One thing remains constant, exploring Los Angeles and all of its nooks and crannies makes me appreciate this town so much more than I ever could have imagined. For all of the hoopla and stigmas attached with being in LA, it's thrilling to know that at any moment you could dive into a new neighborhood, explore a new section of town - or in this case get to do both while eating your way through.

The night I went to Red Corner Asia, I was on the way to the Greek Theater with a friend and fellow LAister. One of the tears I always have with the Greek is that their 11pm curfew means shows seem to start earlier and earlier (it doesn't help that l feel like I work later and later), but I always want to grab food before I go. A girls gotta eat dinner after all and yet of all the ups and downs, lefts and rights of trying to squeeze in a meal with a friend in under an hour and still make the show on time, it never seems to work. My thai town experience changed all that and I can't recommend enough next time you're rushing somewhere but looking for something good and quick to eat to refer to our handy-dandy guide of Thai Town restaurants and go for one.

Red Corner Asia is located in, you guessed it, a strip mall. The sign outside is so bright though that compared to some other spots, you definitely can't miss this one. Walking in, I was the first to arrive and about a third of the place was full with couples on dates, a few families and a few other groups sitting around. Red Corner Asia has affectionately nicknamed itself RCA and RCA is all over the menu as in, "RCA specialties" and "RCA Recommends," to the point where we were laughing over how much they love their acronym, but regardless it's a bright and well lit space and very modern furniture and menus. It's no wonder that Jonathan Gold called RCA one of the best places to eat in Thai Town and it's definitely more dressed up in style and presentation than some others in the neighborhood but it keeps authenticity with the food.

Join us after the jump to see what we ate!

I had one of the worst meals of my life on a date at Yai #1. Back then they were simply known as "Yai." They were also known for their "boat noodles." For the uninitiated, boat noodles include things like liver and tripe. Our young, inexperienced palates just were not ready for that kind of adventure. Not that I've ever been a fan of liver. My date said: "This tastes like Lake Erie!" I asked him what Lake Erie tasted like. He replied, "Exactly like this," and pushed the bowl towards me. So when I was listing Thai restaurants, I made a note of Yai. I wanted to make sure I did not end up there again.

I invited my seafood-loving friend out for my most recent Thai adventure, so I chose a place called Thai Seafood. She misheard me and--wouldn't you know it--somehow we ended up at Yai. There is a Yai #2 in the shopping center at Hollywood and Vermont. The second outpost is a world apart from its flagship. Large, bright, clean and modern, the space is inviting in an IKEA kind of way.

I was up for anything. It had been 10 years since I last visited Yai, and this place looked like another world. It turned out to be the most 50/50 multiple personality dining experience of my life. We either loved the dishes or hated the dishes. Some of the service was apathetic at best, and other employees went waaaaaay above and beyond the call of duty. Yai #2 had a split personality.

Of all the restaurants in Thai Town, Thai Patio had to fill the biggest shoes. After Palms Thai took their Elvis and moved west down Hollywood Blvd. last year, Thai Patio redecorated and moved in. You can still hear music every night as you eat, and there's still an ever-changing policy with the parking, currently you have to pay a few bucks.

The food is good, the menu is large, and the mood is mellow. They were smart to keep the basic set up of the old Palms Thai and the wide selection. Likewise they were were wise to slow the pace down and not subtlety act like you're just one of a ton of people who are going to walk through the doors.

After the jump, Tom Kha soup, short ribs, and frog legs...

Although I usually write about art, here on LAist, I jumped at the chance to join in on a group project of reviewing restaurants in Thai Town.

All these cool, different types of people writing about L.A. because they love it, gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

And speaking of warm fuzzy feelings, I sure lucked out with the restaurant I was assigned. Ord Noodle, is a very homey, neighborhood kinda place. Decked out in soothing canary yellow walls complete with cool Eames chairs, this is my new Thai restaurant of choice.

Taking my boyfriend with me, we were greeted at the door immediately by a friendly smiling young man, who sat us right near the window.

Although they are known for their noodle soups, I wasn’t in a soup mood that day so I ordered the rice with ground pork and sweet basil (spicy, of course). My boy played it safe with the veggie Pad Thai with no egg, and we both ordered some yummy Thai iced tea.

Join us after the jump for a peek at some of the delicious food...

Tucked into one of the ubiquitous strip mall enclave of business on Hollywood Boulevard in Thai Town, Sapp's Coffee Shop is barely noticeable (and not to mention not terribly attractive as a lead photo--my apologies). I first got a peek at the tiny no-frills joint earlier this year, when one of my favorite (and adventuresome) foodies, Anthony Bourdain, stopped by with a local food blogger to try their authentic Thai Boat Noodles. This dish is a specialty of Sapp's and also works as its unique calling card, since not many restaurants in town serve a soup that uses blood as a thickener.

Yes, I said blood. And before you get too grossed out and/or excited about me trying out the Sapp's specialty, I have to say no, I didn't order it. Not because the idea of the soup is too revolting, but actually because when I headed out to do my eating as part of our Thai One On series it was in the heart of our recent blistering heat wave, (and, I'll confess, it was the meal I had after I took the informative but exhausting tour of Angelino Heights) and the thought of voluntarily putting something hot in my body while sitting in an poorly air conditioned room made me want to pass out in my wooden chair. My co-taster and I scoured the soup and soup-noodle listings and shook our heads; we just couldn't do it.

But there was a whole meal to have at Sapp's for us, so we culled our dishes from four corners of the menu, and had an absolutely delicious time.

On the furthest edge of Thai Town, in the very back of a sparsely occupied shopping center, just down the sidewalk from the fish market, sits A&P Pastries. The tiny bakery is like a jewel in the rough. I love the decor, especially the Christmas-y decorations. Maybe they are leftovers from the holidays, but more likely it is pure coincidence. In addition to the festive touches, the mood in the small bakery is comfortable and welcoming. The counter girl is so cute and friendly; it is really a joy to shop there.

If you like spicy food, Jitlada is the place to go. Not only does LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold call the Southern Thai specialty restaurant "the most exciting new Thai restaurant of the year," he claims one of the dishes, the kua kling Phat Tha Lung (thick brown curry with shredded beef) "may be the spiciest food you can eat in Los Angeles."

Jitlada recently gained popularity a few months ago when a Chicago blogger came to town and helped translate the Southern Thai portion of the mostly bilingual menu. After word spread through the foodie community, scores of people began showing up to the restaurant that used to be recommended as the best back in the 70's (the current owners are new owners, so it's like a new restaurant in a sense).

There's no joking about the spice either. Just ordering Freshy Rolls, basically non-fried spring rolls, was a hot affair. Dipping the crisp vegetables into the sauce, which most restaurants serve something as a sort of sweet and sour sauce, was an explosion of flavor and hotness -- definitely a harbinger of good things to come.

The Southern Curry Tofu had to be tried because the menu said "you won't find this anywhere else!" And that was the truth. The thick yellow curry's spice felt full and well-rounded rather than a sharp attack on the senses. The lemongrass gave it a pungent scent and bitter taste, but addicting nonetheless. The tofu could have been firmer, but that didn't stop us from finishing off the dish.

Smooshed between two auto insurance storefronts just a tad west of the official Thai Town boundaries hides Jao^ka, sheepishly, shyly, and easily overlooked.

Indeed, inside the quaint restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. one could confuse this little place with any of the others in and around LA. Which is why we put their food up to a standard that no restaurant would ever wish for: the Take Out and Early Morning Re-Heat Test.

We ordered the #4 appetizer, Shrimp Tempura, the #17 soup, Tom Kha, and the #30, Thai Chicken Fried Rice (they proudly use white meat only in all of their chicken dishes).

And then we took it home!

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Welcome to the frosty world of Thai snow cones! Also known as nam kang sai, they are not exactly what you imagine when you hear "snow cone". I was not sure what I was ordering the first time I wandered into Bhan Kanom Thai. Luckily, I'm not all that picky about what I eat anyways. I like a little adventure. It's a dessert, after all, so it's not as if it's going to be full of eyeballs or something.

Bhan Kanom Thai is a very well-stocked import candy and snack shop. They have a fresh bakery and make their own desserts. There are two cases running along the side of the spacious shop. One side holds trays of desserts like pumpkin in milk, and sweet black beans in sweetened condensed milk. The other half of the case is given over to the wonder of the snow cone. This is not your mother's snow cone (Unless, of course, your mother is Thai. Then it probably is your mother's snow cone).

The server holds a large styrofoam cup at the ready. You are given several options, from which you select three or four. Some of them are familiar to most Angelenos by now - sliced jackfruit, green-tinted boba, and coconut jelly. There were also little basil seeds that were flavorless but had the fun crunch of poppy seeds. I went with the larger "palm seeds" which are actually attap, the immature fruit of the Mangrove palm. They looked like big clear lima beans. A lot of Thai sweets seem to be clear and gelatinous. I also chose boba, coconut jelly, and jackfruit.

I found out that there's good reason why I don't go to Thai town often, because to get there in Friday evening traffic means a good 40 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic through Korea Town, with the scent of a billion Korean Barbecue joints wafting through the air. I swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on the bumper in front of me. It was tough, but I eventually made it to Ruen Pair Thai Cuisine. So let's get to our review.

If Hollywood's Thai Town has a center, it is the bustling block of Thailand Plaza. The two-story Plaza houses not only a restaurant, but is home to a Thai bookstore and a giant, well-stocked grocery. Thailand Plaza is easily identifiable by its elaborately decorated shrine to the Thai Buddha of four faces. Off to the side stands a spirit house, meant to entice spirits to take up residence. The idea is they will be so distracted they will not be tempted to move into your house. Just adjacent to Thailand Plaza is a square called "Thai Town Plaza". This plaza has a truly happening restaurant row. It is anchored by Ruen Thai, the ritzy Red Corner Asia, and dessert shop Bhan Kanom. In the corner stands Thai Patio, the location that once housed Palms Thai (which has relocated to 5900 Hollywood, taking Thai Elvis with them). Hiding inauspiciously in the corner is the easily overlooked Ganda.

Right now the foodies may be singing the praises of North Hollywood as the Thai mecca du jour, but LAist is all about loyalty, and we still love Thai Town, forever and always.

The "official" boundaries of Thai Town stretch between Western and Normandie on Hollywood Blvd. That's not much room to stretch, really, so the Thai restaurants have spread out towards the 101 Hollywood freeway and Vermont, spilling over to Sunset as they continue their outward diaspora.

In addition to their geographical boundaries, Thai restaurants in Hollywood are stretching their culinary boundaries as well. From Thai Express, the most basic corner stand sporting a hot dog on the roof, to the upscale Red Corner Asia, these neighborhood restaurants are serving a diverse clientele. Chefs are exploring Chinese fusion at Chuan Chim, Shabu Shabu at Hollywood Thai Cuisine, and even giving Thai food a latino spin over at Vim (pronounced Wim). One can still find comfort in the safety of pad thai, or head over to Palms for some serious boar curry. From noodle houses to grills, from little bakeries to Thai snow cone shops, the choices are endless. So let's go thai one on!