Michele Laudig calls Thai Elephant and Thai Hut welcome additions to the central Phoenix dining scene

If you like your Thai food spicy, be prepared to make a special request. Over the course of my visits to Thai Hut, I was never once asked about my preferences, and most of the dishes I tried were in the mild to medium range. A notable exception was the pad prik khing, a green bean dish slathered in dark, super-potent curry sauce with plenty of red chile. (I ordered it with tofu, but like most other dishes, you can get it with a choice of meat.) The chicken larb, with red chile, roasted ground rice, lime juice, red onion, and cilantro, also had a nice touch of spice, although it was pretty salty.

The tom kha kai was a flat-out disappointment. Done right, this soup can be a creamy, tangy, spicy ambrosia, but here, it tasted — and looked — like coconut milk straight out of the can, with a few sliced mushrooms and chunks of overcooked chicken bobbing around in it. Dry chicken came in a few other dishes as well, while the heavy spring rolls and oily chicken wings reminded me of the greasy spoon that used to be here.

I had much better luck with shrimp and tofu dishes such as the "fresh rolls," with plump shrimp, tofu, cucumber, scallions, and rice noodles wrapped in rice paper, as well as golden shrimp tempura. The sautéed cashew nut dish, with onions, peppers, and chicken in aromatic brown sauce, was also tasty. And I'd be happy to go back for the fine pad Thai with slightly al dente noodles and plenty of tangy-sweet sauce.

Curries were also good bets, especially the vibrant, coconut-y green curry, with fresh basil, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, and green beans, as well as the heady, slightly sweet masaman curry, with potatoes, onions, and peanuts.

One night, I even managed to snag some sticky rice for dessert. Served with tender, ripe slices of mango, it was the perfect way to soothe my taste buds after eating those spicy green beans.

See? Sometimes wishes do come true.