Esan Classic

After opening three Lers Ros restaurants throughout the city, owner Tom Silagorn introduced this sleekly decorated Tenderloin spin-off as an homage to Northeastern Thai cuisine. The difference? The food—spicy, sour, and deliciously funky—is not for the faint of heart. Silagorn traveled throughout Thailand’s Esan region with co-chef Chanon Hutasingh to develop the wide-ranging menu, which spans more than 100 dishes and borrows liberally from nearby Cambodia and Laos. The selection spans curries, pan-fried noodles, stir-fries, vegetables, seafoods, and meal-sized soups. The latter is a house specialty: broths and stocks are flavored with fresh chiles, galangal, and a heaping array of spices.