The spot: Blink while cruising down Western Avenue, and you might miss Thai Eatery, a cozy spot on the edge Logan Square. Owners Panida and Trak Silapaduriyang run this little 3-year-old spot—and “little” is no exaggeration, with just seven tables seating 22 people total. Trak recommends his wife’s fresh crab rangoon ($4.95), made on site daily. One of Thai eatery’s newer appetizers is Shrimp in a Blanket ($4.95), a crispy spring roll wrapper stuffed with shrimp, crab meat and cream cheese. You’ll find the usual Thai entrees here, but we recommend the house specialties: red or green curry ($6.99 each). The bottle: Danny’s Liquors is just two doors down and, for a corner liquor shop, the wine selection is surprisingly broad. Find bottles from Australia, California, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa and Spain in sections labeled by country. The 2006 Burgans Albarino ($12.99) from Spain is a crisp white that pairs well with spicy curry dishes. Or drop a little more cash (and it is cash-only here, with an ATM on the premises) for the sweet 2005 Balthasar Ress riesling ($18.99) from Germany. Thai Eatery does not charge a corkage fee. –Emily Hiser Lobdell is a Metromix special contributor.

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