Kitchen 79

Just north of Roosevelt Avenue, under string lights and with a full bar, Kitchen 79 has spent more than a decade as Jackson Heights' Thai room for an easy night out. Its kitchen leans south: chili-forward, coconut-rich, the cooking of Thailand's peninsula, alongside the curries and noodles everyone expects.

Order the Had Yai fried chicken, named for the southern city famous for it, and the crying tiger beef with its smoky dipping sauce. Roti with massaman, duck red curry and fried fish with honey and chili round out the table; stewed beef noodle soup is the bowl for a cold night.