• Oliver Parini
• Tiny Thai Restaurant

Tiny Thai Restaurant — According to Paul Ciosek, he “first fell in love with a Thai girl, then fell in love with Thai food.” After working more than three years in Thailand as a computer programmer and marrying a Bangkok local, Ciosek returned to Vermont, his home state, with a hunger for true Thai cooking. Urged by his wife, Ciosek opened Tiny Thai Restaurant in 2004 to satisfy his hankering for dishes such as moo palo, a sweet and savory stew of pork, tofu and hard-cooked egg in a fragrant five-spice broth. Specializing in the cuisine one might find in food stalls, street carts and family dinner tables in the Southeast Asian country, Tiny Thai pleases local palates with an array of vibrant dishes. Particularly sterling plates include sweet-and-crunchy pad Thai, moo ping, chu chee curry and, when available, a green papaya salad served with salt-preserved crab and fresh Thai chiles. Ask for the Genuine Thai Menu — and remember, it’s BYOB.

Other Finalists

• East West Café
• Royal Orchid Thai Restaurant
• Sukho Thai
• Thai House Restaurant