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Dan Thai is named after its owner, Dan Doby. He is a Burlington native who lived in Thailand and became enamored of Thai cuisine while working in cultural affairs at the American Embassy. The restaurant is in one of the myriad strip centers that line Church Street in Burlington.

The outside is nondescript, the sign small. Inside, however, the décor is warm and inviting, the ambience peaceful in a way that is unique to some Thai restaurants. Splashing waters cascade from a fountain created with elevated urns, emitting a soothing sound. One wall is gold, another chocolate, a third burgundy. Carved panels add to the Thai ambience. (Tables are spaced a little close, though.)

Members of my party found first courses immensely enjoyable. Tum Kha Chicken ($4.95) placed sliced breast meat in coconut milk with mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions and cilantro, with a hint of lime.

Shrimp in Blanket ($6.95/six pieces) wrapped large shrimp in rice paper, then deep-fried them very crisp, yet still tender inside. A sweet dipping sauce rounded out flavors, while threads of shredded carrot added color.

Tod Mun ($6.95) consisted of seven small fish cakes, fried dark brown. From taste, I would say they included salmon . A red, pungent, spicy-hot sauce complemented the fish flavor, augmented by a small cucumber salad.

Dan Thai Dumplings ($6.95/five) filled steamed wontons with ground pork, shrimp and chicken, accompanied by a homemade, slightly sweet soy dipping sauce.

Curry Puffs ($6.95/six) were deep-fried, crisp pastry shells that enclosed seasoned chicken, potatoes, shredded carrot, sweet peas and corn in yellow curry.

Entrée prices include a small salad of iceberg lettuce, carrot and tomato, with peanut dressing. One list of entrées describes the vegetables and mode of preparation, at a fixed price for your choice of chicken, beef or pork with the option of seafood or duck for $2 extra.

We selected Mixed Vegetables ($10.95) with thin-sliced chicken breast. Vegetables included stir-fried broccoli, zucchini, snow peas, carrots, ginger, bean sprouts, cabbage, pineapple, water chestnuts and bell peppers in a mild brown sauce.

The brown sauce is a staple that appears in several other dishes. I inquired by phone about its preparation, as I have in other Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. At Dan Thai, the sauce included oyster sauce, sugar and butter, in addition to other ingredients that have consistently been identified elsewhere and go under the generic category "secret."

Spicy Ground Chicken and Star Egg ($10.95) placed stir-fried ground chicken among hot chili peppers, fresh basil and bell peppers, topped with a fried egg - cooked just right, with a loose yolk.

Pepper Steak ($10.95) used firm, lean beef, emitting good, moderate depth of flavor, stir-fried with mushrooms, bell peppers, snow peas, white onions, and tomatoes in a mild version of the brown sauce - mild enough for my mother-in-law, in fact.

So for most, this would be pretty tame and easy for anyone to enjoy.

Panang Curry ($10.95) is based on coconut milk, plus peanut sauce, bell peppers, carrots, onions, zucchini, green peas and fresh basil leaves. I ordered this with scallops (add $2) and found them small but tender. The wonderfully rich flavor of the curry overpowered them, however. On a return visit, I think I'll try duck.

Salmon Ginger ($14.95) stir-fried a filet, along with bell peppers, onions, ginger and celery in a light brown sauce (which tasted the same as the sauce in the pepper steak).

In Crispy Red Snapper (market price - mine was $23.95), the whole fish joined baby corn, carrots, zucchini, red and green bell pepper, bits of hot red peppers, cabbage, green beans, snow peas, celery and white onions in a fairly spicy-hot chili sauce flavored with lots of fresh basil.

If you do not like hot food, Dan Thai presents no problems. Just tell your server what you want. But at the "moderate" level, this is one of the few area Asian restaurants that gets the heat right, for me, at least. Everyone else makes their dishes too mild.

And these are classic Asian/Thai peppers - you get mild sweetness at first, followed by heat. Don't eat too fast. You could get burned. And if you are truly adventurous, ask for "Thai hot."

The chef, Sathian Khampu, was once a personal chef to the sultan and prince of Brunei. He has extensive formal training and apprenticeships with master chefs in Thailand and Beijing, where he had a TV cooking show.

Burlington and other Alamance County restaurants have been overshadowed by establishments in Greensboro and Chapel Hill, an easy and almost equidistant drive. But within the past few years, several properties have emerged that stand on their own in comparison with those in larger cities.

Dan Thai is certainly one of them. It is highly recommended if you are an Alamance County reader and worth a drive if you are located in parts west.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420 or send e-mail to jbatchelor@excite.com.