Kruba Thai and Sushi The Teak Wood Thais head Southeast

There aren't a ton of reasons to head to Southeast in the offseason, when the crack is, alas, no longer of the bat. But should you find yourself down there, Kruba Thai's actually pretty sweet.

The huge, L-shaped bar at the Navy Yard's new temple of Thai is pine, but outside of that, it's straight teak, b*tch, with that most tropical of hardwoods shaped into dozens of glossy tables and carved Buddhist deities. The menu runs through the usual panangs and pads and curries and what-have-yous, but what you ought to have are specialties like deep-fried duck in sweet basil & a chili garlic sauce, and lime & a chili "steamed rockfish", who's probably just mad because he's been caught and killed and now you're about to eat him in a Thai restaurant. Wash him down with Eastern suds like Sapporo, Orion & Chang, or sake it to yourself with nine options, including the first Daiginjo ever produced (Kamotsuru Tokusei Gold), and the "very dry and clean" Drunken Whale, who sends melodic vocalizations to his ex-girlfriend at 3am.

As the mark of any good Asian spot is having multiple cuisines (the more the better!), there's also sushi like the Crazy Roll with mango & eel, and the scallop/ crab/ black tobiko/ shrimp Surfing Roll -- hurry back to your car after dinner, and it'll be the only barrel you encounter all night!