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SPOON, A NEW Thai restaurant on Atlanta's burgeoning West side, occupies the Roxy Lofts space that not long ago was home to Thelma's, an Atlanta soul food institution. But, save for the vintage wood floors, you'd never know it. The hip, contemporary makeover is a perfect complement to the fresh, Bangkok-style cooking here.

ART LOOK: The boutique look is as much loft art gallery as restaurant, with floor-to-ceiling windows, floaty iridescent curtains, dramatic pin-spot lighting and flowers smartly arranged in a series of glass vases. Blond wood furniture and accents and a sleek, backlit cocktail bar add to the stylish ambiance. And the young, attentive servers, dressed in black, could easily be working in a nightclub.

Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
Spoon's tight, bright Thai menu includes soft-shell crab panang.
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THAI TASTES: Spoon chef Aim Suteeluxnaporn (who owns the restaurant with her sister, Sujaree) has created a tight, bright menu that marries the archetypal tastes of Thai cuisine with good ingredients and delicate preparations. The best example is the lightly fried filet of golden red snapper, which dramatically arrives on a sizzling, fajita-like platter; it's topped with a ginger sauce, with slivers of peppers and onions, that exudes layers of hot, sweet and spicy flavors. Other seafood dishes worth checking out include: red snapper prepared with three-flavor chili sauce; seared salmon with curry sauce; and spicy mixed seafood grill, with scallops, shrimp and squid. There are also a good number of classic Thai noodle and curry dishes, from Pad Thai to Massaman curry. All can be ordered with chicken, shrimp, beef or mixed seafood, and at heat levels ranging from Medium Spicy to Hot to Thai Hot. Daily lunch specials ($7-$10) come with a fried spring roll.

DRINKS AND SNACKS: Though Spoon is a fine place for a not-too-expensive, but casually elegant date dinner, the full cocktail bar, decent wine list and compliment of Thai appetizers also make it great for drinks and snacks. We really like the unusual tofu corn cakes, crispy outside and fluffy inside, they're a bit like a corn fritter but richer and creamier. There are also tempura battered calamari and veggies and an array of Thai soups and salads.