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John Golden approaches his first visit to Saeng Thai House in Portland for The Golden Dish blog worried that he's headed for a "sketchy part of town." But once through the door, "I felt as though I had entered a privileged sphere where only locals knew to go." He is thrilled to find "authentic Thai cooking that doesn't resort to fussy fusion concepts or other worldly-wise culinary tomfoolery." Now there's a phrase too seldom used in reviews. [TGD]