Tasty food, laid-back vibe at Nakron Thai in Everett

Julie Phetsavanh honed her Thai cuisine skills in restaurants in Seattle, Bellevue and Renton before opening Nakron Thai Restaurant five years ago in Everett. The city's downtown renaissance is beginning to reach down Hewitt Avenue to its blue-collar roots near the waterfront, where the small eatery has built a loyal customer base.

The menu: Unusual and delicately flavored dishes are intermixed with the more typical pad Thai, curries and stir-fries. Vegetarian entrees include hot and spicy tofu and the peanut-sauce-topped vegetable rama, while the "salads" all contain meat or seafood. Native beverages include Thai beer, coffee and iced tea.

What to write home about: While you can't go wrong with the staples, take a chance and give your taste buds an adventure. The lime and cilantro pop out of a warm chicken salad called larb gai ($7.25); the panang curry ($9.25 with prawns) offers a rich, smooth and complex broth with just enough heat; and the tom kah gai ($7.95 with chicken) is a rich and tangy coconut-based soup.

The setting: Diners feel like casual guests in Phetsavanh's home as her extended family invariably is seated nearby at a large table, chatting in Lao and Thai. Huge fish swim in a tank near the door, and the Thai décor — tapestries, wood carvings, artwork — is cheerful. If you lose your bearings, glance out the former tavern's windows and admire the gargantuan fiberglass workman — a remnant from the '60s — standing atop a roof across the street.

Summing up: It's a reasonably priced thrill in a laid-back neighborhood setting. The bill for two entrees and two appetizers came to $37.96 with tax. The portions — especially the soup — are generous, and we took home plenty of leftovers.

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com