What begins in chaos usually ends in chaos.. I'm pretty sure that quote was referring to spicy food but I digress.
I personally enjoy any opportunity to find my way downtown and more importantly to try new eateries. Le Thai has been on my list for a while.
Enthusiastic and hungry we approached the hostess stand only to be told there was a 60-minute wait *insert pouty face here*. No problem, we killed time next door until our seats were ready.
I must have looked unusually disappointed or totally starving because not even 15 minutes later we were being paged that our seats were ready! SCORE!
Ambiance can be best described as a hole-in-the-wall reminiscent of most restaurants in NYC (or Chicago). It's cool without being smug about it.
Most importantly the food: excellent portion sizes, bold flavors, spice level was right on point. Their spice chart is 1-4 and we went with 2's all across the board. My friend was sweating, my nose was running but man oh man was it worth it.
I can recall Le Thai not taking reservations in the past, but since they do currently, I highly recommend taking that extra step in securing your seating. The hostess took pity on us THIS time, but to ensure you are seated in a reasonable fashion, make a res.
Le Thai is something that should be on your list of "to try".