Moo Dang

Midtown Reno · Thai · $$ 1565 S. Virginia St., Reno · (775) 420-4267 · thaimoodang.com

Close your eyes and you could be anywhere in Southeast Asia — the char of grilled pork, the tang of fish sauce, the brightness of fresh lime cutting through the heat. Open them and you're in a Midtown strip mall with old Thai movie posters on the walls. Moo Dang transports — and in the best way.

Start with the Moo Ping — three skewers of marinated grilled pork with a jaow sauce that is tangy, funky and the kind of thing you want to drink straight. Follow with the Moo Dang soup: Ba-mee egg noodles, red roasted pork, minced pork, bok choy and bean sprouts in a broth that shows patience and care. Those springy Ba-mee noodles are what make it — chewy, substantial, the kind you'd order in pho if they'd let you. The drunken noodles — Sen Yai stir-fried with chili, garlic, basil, bell pepper and green beans — are dynamite in exactly the right way. Or go straight for the lemongrass salad: grilled shrimp, fresh lemongrass, mint, cashews, peanuts, red onion and cilantro tossed with fresh chili lime sauce. All acid in the very best way — Addictive. Drink the Thai iced tea. Or a cold Singha. Both are exactly right for this room.

This is Bangkok street food served with love and without shortcuts. Vipawan "Opal" Rahm had no culinary training, no restaurant background — just an obsession with the food of her Bangkok childhood that she couldn't shake. She imports tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce directly from Thailand because that's the only way she knows how to do it. The food is authentically spicy, never too sweet, built around fresh ingredients. You can taste the difference. Moo Dang is now celebrating its tenth year and recently earned a feature on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Guy Fieri knows what he's talking about.