Thai Topaz, San Antonio

Thai Topaz has been in business for nearly a decade, but the path it took to get there was much, much longer. Somchai and Jiraporn Namarsa, the husband-and-wife team behind the restaurant, have picked up and moved numerous times, first from Thailand to Tennessee, then Wisconsin, then Texas. This was all in service of one desire: to support their daughter Somjira in her journey to becoming a doctor. Once Somjira was officially Dr. Namarsa, the family finally settled in San Antonio to open Thai Topaz.

Though the owners often call on generations-old recipes for their sauces and entrees, the key to the menu at Thai Topaz is change. As new dishes are discovered, less popular ones are retired. This leads to a dynamic menu that, like letting a crayon-wielding toddler loose on an art museum, strikes a pleasing balance between traditional favorites and original creations. Stand-bys such as pad thai and panang curry share space with unique dishes such as emerald salmon swimming in green curry and fresh avocado. The dessert menu is also respectably large, with treats ranging from sweet sticky rice with mango to homemade coconut ice cream.