Dining Out:

Like a lot of people in Glendale, I had noticed the Sedthee Thai Eatery sign lit since October, yet I had never seen any signs of life. I had all but given up on the restaurant opening. So it was with a fair amount of surprise when last week, I saw people inside and thought I’d give it a shot.

I’m not a bona fide culinary critic, but I am a lover of Thai food. So I’d like to think I can competently discern between good, better and best. I am overjoyed to say that what is happening at this new spot on Brand goes above and beyond anything I’ve experienced in the genre.

The two people responsible for Sedthee Thai Eatery are siblings Jimmy Vanavi and Christie Vanavi-Lin. While this is their first restaurant venture, it’s clear that they learned well from the two generations of their family that have owned Thai restaurants in Glendale and Thailand.

“Our parents have owned Indra Thai restaurant in Glendale for 35 years,” Jimmy Vanavi said. “Before that, our family history in the restaurant business goes back to Bangkok.”

Both siblings had decided they wanted their menu to be more modern and healthy. The reinvention of traditional favorites is so good that before I could write this review, I returned a second time to sample a few more dishes just to make sure the first meal wasn’t a fluke.

On my first trip, I was knocked out by the Larb ($7.95), the lemongrass mussels ($8.95) and the Pad Thai ($7.95). Each dish seemed more satisfying than the one before, particularly the Pad Thai noodles, which deftly avoided the typical gummy quality so many Thai restaurants serve. But the highlight had to be the spicy string beans in red curry ($7.95). The curry is a family recipe and was so rich in flavor that it took everything we had not to lick the bowl clean.

Our second trip proved even more spectacular. The Sedthee golden papaya appetizer ($9.95) is a completely original take on the traditional green papaya salad. A nest of papaya is prepared like a fritter, then topped with a soft-shell crab, and accompanied by a spicy lime dressing with string beans and cherry tomatoes.