Khong River House: Miami, Florida
Named for the culturally binding Mekong River, James Beard Foundation semifinalistKhong River House pays homage to several Southeast Asian countries. But we’re partial to its northern Thai plates like peppery green papaya salad and crispy duck with green peppercorn and jalapeño garlic chives—served, naturally, with sticky rice. Credit goes to chef Piyarat Potha Arreeratn, a native of Chiang Rai. Meals unfold in an inspired setting of reclaimed wood, Thai motorcycle license plates, birdcages, fish traps, and chairs made from fishing boats. Even the bar, which stocks 70 varieties of gin, embraces fiery chiles, steeping them in cocktails.