Lotus of Siam
Lotus of Siam was taken over by Saipin and Bill Chutima in November 1999 at its original Commercial Center strip mall location in Las Vegas, where Chef Saipin built it into what Gourmet magazine called the best Thai restaurant in the United States. Specializing in the herb-forward, coconut-free curries and recipes of Northern Thailand passed down through generations of Saipin's family, the restaurant is renowned for dishes made with hand-pounded curry paste and house-pressed coconut milk. Saipin won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2011 — credited as the first Asian-born chef to win a Beard award for cooking the cuisine of her homeland — and the restaurant's wine program has held a Wine Spectator Award for nearly two decades.
1st in Las Vegas