Smiling in San Rafael. Dad and I tried a new Thai place hidden away in a sleepy corner of San Rafael called Thai Smile. It's has a lived-in feel, but everyone from the chef to the greeter pay attention to making your meal great. It was our first time here, and we were favorably impressed.

Often to cut costs, or for lack of attention, ceiling treatments and lighting can be ignored in restaurants. I was impressed that although they didn't build out a beautiful ceiling, they added touches to make it more pleasant, like making 'sky' lights out of the fluorescents.

And the general ambiance of the place was good.

Our waiter, noticing that our table was bereft of flowers, brought over some pink carnations. Although there was the start of some browning around the edges of a few, it made the smell of them all the sweeter.

And the Thai Iced Tea was so richly brown in color!

I usually order lamb with trepidation, but my risk was rewarded. The BBQ Lamb was tender, cooked deftly, and seasoned to perfection.

We enjoyed our beta-carotene shot with the Pumpkin Curry which was not overly spicy hot. It's not easy guessing people's spice tolerance!

Now this was a dish worth coming back just for it! It was the first time I'd ever tried Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp, and there was a beautiful melding of the taste of basil with the other ingredients. Since this is in a quieter area of San Rafael, not far from Whole Foods, there was ample free street parking, and it is definitely recommendable for a casual lunch or dinner.