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The best is made of this sliver of a dining room. Lanterns with quirky geometrical patterns hang from the painted tin ceiling, and a wall of exposed brick wears a horizontal stripe of mesh fabric, which mutes the light of the candles behind. Bangkok-born chef and owner David Bank sticks mainly to familiar Thai dishes, and produces pleasing if not authentic renditions. As with most Thai restaurants geared toward American tastes, his dishes tend to the overly sweet. But green papaya salad and pad Thai are closer to savory and the green curry also demonstrates a balance of sweet, spicy, and salty. Aside from noodle dishes, curries, and stir-fries, Bank offers dishes that reflect his time spent as sous chef at Jean Georges’s Mercer Kitchen. Tender meat in grilled beef salad gets the traditional, fiery treatment of dried chilies, fish sauce, and lime juice; peppery watercress and julienne green apple provide welcome novelty. Sure, seared duck breast set above yu choy and roasted slivers of sweet potato, and sauced with a sweet demi glace with a hint of kaffir lime, is hardly Thai. But who cares when it's this good. — JJ Goode

Spicy beef salad, $7.50; green papaya salad, $5.50; pan-seared duck breast, $17