Spoon - View this location on map 'It s not like there s been a revolution against boring Thai food in Chicago, but there s certainly a healthy resistance, and it was born in Chai and Vanna Gumtrontip s little Lincoln Square restaurant. It began in the summer of  03 with the discovery of the Thai-language  secret menu by a handful of obsessive chowhounds, who had it translated and began plumbing the depths of its aggressive, brilliantly seasoned dishes. Word spread, and though waitstaff sometimes had a hard time believing that non-Thais had the stomach for the real stuff (some servers still do), eventually they stopped blinking and began relinquishing funky Issan sausage, rich boat noodles, banana blossom salad, one-bite salad, incendiary papaya salad sprinkled with dried shrimp or pickled crab, and the miraculous Thai-style fried chicken (kai thawt), deeply penetrated with lemongrassy, peppery flavors and served with a tamarind dipping sauce. These dishes are now practically mainstream compared to the treasures on Spoon s greatly expanded Th' Chicago Reader 4608 N. Western, Chicago, IL Budget, Restauran

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