Water House Blue Spice, Albany

Part of the Blue Spice Restaurant's network of luxurious Thai eateries, Water House Blue Spice surrounds visitors with the scents of curry, fresh mango and pineapple, and thai basil. Inside, right next to the windows and a few big pots of broad-leafed tropical plants, there's an elevated dining area with floor cushions for relaxing at the low-slung tables. Traditional table-and-chair seating is available too. Regardless of where you sit, the food's the same—green-papaya salad, salmon in panang curry, jasmine rice, and pork and shrimp dumplings, all of it shredded, grilled, fried, steamed, or karate-chopped to perfection.