(FORTUNE Small Business) – --Drive down the Vegas Strip, and you'll see replicas of the world's most famous restaurants: Charlie Palmer's Aureole, Sirio Maccionio's Le Cirque 2000, Wolfgang Puck's Spago. But if you want to eat somewhere more exotic (and authentic), hail a cab and head for the outskirts of town. Lotus of Siam, a tiny 20-table place named by Gourmet as having the best Thai food in America, is located in a ratty strip mall in a place most tourists never get to.

The key to happiness at Lotus is to forgo the menus and let the waiters order for you. After asking a few general questions ("How spicy?" "Meat eater?"), they'll present you with starters ($3 to $6) like crispy fried rice with sour sausage in lime juice. The entrees ($8 to $20) include chili-pod-infused roasted-duck curry, and they're big enough for two. "We cut corners on real estate so we wouldn't have to with our food," says owner Bill Chutima.

That food is true to its Thai roots because Saipin Chutima, the head chef at Lotus (and Bill's wife), grew up in Chiang Mai, where she apprenticed under his grandmother, a cook who worked for the country's royal family. The couple eventually opened a restaurant in Los Angeles, but after seven years of local raves they headed to Vegas for the cheap commercial rent.

After cleansing your palate with apple wine and coconut sorbet, make sure to have Chutima call you a cab. You won't find any outside, and it's a long walk back to Bally's. Lunch 11:30-2:30, dinner 5-9:30; 953 East Sahara Avenue; 702-735-3033 --Maggie Overfelt