In the interest of fairness to all the cities that comprise our coastline, I make an effort when dining out to visit a different restaurant in a different city each week. My usual route may take me to Cannon Beach one week, Seaside the next, then Warrenton, Astoria, and the Long Beach Peninsula. I sometimes venture further toward Knappa and perhaps even Clatskanie in the future, and sometimes past Cannon Beach down to Manzanita and Nehalem. I even keep an Excel spreadsheet documenting the restaurants Ive visited, to make sure that no restaurant receives a return visit before one is necessary.

What I have noticed during all of this is that Warrenton, for all the expanding it has done in recent years, still has a relative dearth of restaurants; I can maybe think of seven or eight. Whereas in Seaside or Astoria there seems to be no shortage of dining-out options. I am pleased, then, that a new restaurant has hung its shingle on the former home of Kims Kitchen: Nisas Thai Kitchen, which, from the looks of it, is quickly and for good reason becoming a popular spot in Warrenton.

On a recent lunchtime visit, I ordered an appetizer platter of chicken satay, spring rolls and fried tofu with a variety of dipping sauces. The chicken satay was incredibly tender, and I enjoyed in particular a plum dipping sauce. Spring rolls are always a delightfully fresh option, and I could have made a meal of them. I did not particularly care for the fried tofu, but that is more a matter of my personal taste; I dont understand the appeal of tofu, but the other diners at my table seemed to like it.

By far, my favorite meal of the day was yellow curry with shrimp, onions, potatoes and carrots with a side of white rice. The yellow curry broth was light and delicate but somehow also rich and creamy at the same time. Although it was a rather small bowl, the taste was so rich it was almost difficult to finish. I have since thought of making a return trip just for the yellow curry.

Thai fried rice with beef, chicken, shrimp, egg and bits of veggies cooked until just tender also tasted fresh and interesting, although the portion was a bit on the small side. The version served at Nisas has a bit of a smoky flavor from being fried, which I liked.

Though Im afraid I might dampen my culinary credibility by saying I would eat just about anything with peanut sauce on it, the Pra Rham chicken with peanut sauce, broccoli and rice was also particularly tasty. I was curious about how the chicken itself was prepared it had a very soft texture and mellow flavor, almost as if it had been poached, but dont quote me on that.

A final dish of Thai sweet and sour, with chicken, onions, peppers and carrots was exponentially better than any similar counterpart Ive tasted in local Chinese restaurants. The sauce was tangier and more sour than sweet, which I appreciate, as I often find sweet and sour to be too cloyingly sweet. The vegetables retained a crisp crunch, and each bite was bursting with flavor.

Although the restaurant was empty when we arrived, by the time we left it was packed, and there was even a line at the door.

I would make a light suggestion that if the restaurant continues at its current location, which I certainly hope it does, then more staffing is necessary. Our server seemed to be the only one serving the entire restaurant, and I dont believe she checked back in on us after our meals had been served not that we particularly needed anything, but I still abide by the principal that a server should check in once or twice after the meal has been served to make sure everything is up to par.

I am pleased that Warrenton has a successful restaurant to add to the community, and I plan to return often.