Located in an unassuming storefront just a few doors down from Stop & Shop, the elegant restaurant interior features high-backed booths lining the side walls, but the frame of them is open, reflective of bamboo. Large Thai parasols are inverted over the tables in the center of the room, which can accommodate larger parties. Posters of Thailand decorate the soothing rose-colored walls, including an original piece of artwork painted by an Asian elephant. As  Asian music plays softly in the background, diners are served by a waitstaff attired in traditional Thai dress.

It is the food, however, that is the primary attraction. Chef Taew Robinson was born and trained in Thailand and many of the dishes served are based on family recipes. Unlike many newer Thai restaurants, Bangkok does not serve other Asian cuisines, nor have its recipes been adapted for the American palate. “If you go to Thailand,” says Mr Horsa, “you will eat the same food as you do here.”

The recipes cover all of the regions of Thailand, said Mr Horsa. Bangkok Thai tries to retain the variations in each region’s cuisines with its offerings, as much as is possible.

The menu features some 60 Thai entrees, with their ingredients listed along side. Thai cuisine is spicy, and the “hot & spicy” dishes are marked with an asterisk. Food will be made extra spicy upon request.

Bangkok offers luncheon specials Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 to 2:30 for $7.50–$7.95. Each comes with soup, a spring roll, and rice; the soup is excluded in to-go orders. There are four soup choices — including tom gah kai, chicken in coconut milk, and the spicy tom yum goong, traditional Thai shrimp soup — and 13 entrée selections, featuring chicken, pork, or beef served in different ways. Lunch is not served on the weekend.

Dinner is served from 5 to 10 Tuesday through Friday, and 4 to 10 on Saturday and Sunday. Diners can choose from six appetizers, three soups, and seven salads before even considering an entrée.

Appetizers range from pak sot (vegetarian rolls with dipping sauce) to the Bangkok sampler, which includes selections from four of the appetizers — thin slices of marinated pork or chicken, Thai beef jerky, pak sot, and bite-sized spring rolls stuffed with ground pork, bamboo shoots, crystal noodles, bean sprouts, and Thai spices.

The Thai salads include the peanut salad, which is a tossed salad with Taew’s peanut dressing; uym pla mouk for squid lovers; and yum goon chiang, which features imported Thai sausage with tomato, onion, cucumber, lettuce, and pepper with a Thai sauce.

Among the entrées, there are four noodle dishes and four that are fried rice based.

Bangkok also offers a variety of seafood dishes, many featuring shrimp, and three whole fish specialties. Ho mook talay is a combination of lobster, shrimp, scallops, and squid spiced and steamed in a clay pot. Goong ob-mo-din is crystal noodles, shrimp, ginger, and tomatoes.

Pork, chicken, and beef are offered in a number of dishes, with various vegetable and sauce combinations. Some examples are moo pad prik king, pork tenderloin with green beans, Thai hot curry, and exotic spices; kai ka pao, chicken with fresh basil and Thai spices; and panang nhua, slices of round steak simmered in coconut milk, Thai curry, and spices.

Entrees are priced between $9.95 and $13.95, with a few exceptions.

To end the meal, dessert selections are homemade coconut ice cream  or rambutan, a Thai fruit. The Thai specialty of mango and sticky rice is offered on a seasonal basis.

Beverage selections include soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee, and tea.

Devotees of Bangkok Thai who live on the far side of Danbury will be pleased to hear that the Bangkok Thai owners are in the process of opening a primarily takeout location, the Bangkok Express, at 32 Padanaram Road. Mr Horsa stressed that Bangkok Express will not be “fast food,” but rather a convenient extension of Bangkok Thai, featuring the same careful preparation of meals using the same recipes as the Route 6 location. Limited seating will be available at the Padanaram Road location. Bangkok Express will serve lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, Monday through Friday, and dinner from 5 to 9 pm. The Express will be open on Saturday from 11:30 am to 9 pm, and closed on Sunday. As at Bangkok Thai, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express will be accepted, with a $15 minimum charge. For the exact opening date or to order from Bangkok Express, call 744-8424.

Bangkok Thai Restaurant, 72 Newtown Road, Danbury, is open Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 to 2:30 and 5 to 10 pm; Saturday and Sunday, dinner only, 4 to 10. Closed Monday. MasterCard, Visa, and American Express accepted. Takeout available. For more information, 791-0640 or www.bangkokrestaurant.com.