Somehow the stylish folks at Swaddee have managed to dress up a run-of-the-mill strip mall space and make it feel like a treasure, with Thai artwork in gleaming jeweltones, and pretty patterned slipcovers to disguise the chairs and booths. The food is all about splendor, too, with fragrant flavors like basil, coconut, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. We're so crazy about the roasted duck curry — a rich stew of moist duck meat, pineapple chunks, and tomatoes swimming in savory red curry — that we'd slurp it straight from the dish if we weren't afraid of being caught behaving badly. There's a lot in the way of seafood (try pla lard prik, crispy catfish zinged up with red curry and basil), as well as noodles, half a dozen kinds of soup filled with fresh herbs, sautéed dishes packed with vegetables, and tangy salads like larb, a spicy mix of ground beef, chili, red onions, mint leaves, and lime juice. And no matter how much we stuff ourselves with spicy goodness, it's always nice to finish with something sweet. When it's in season, mango with sweet sticky rice is our favorite. Oh, if only every neighborhood ethnic place were half this tasty, or half this cute.