When jaunting into Palo Alto, the average Stanford student rarely ventures off University Avenue. And really, what can’t one find on University? Available for our perusal are the studied ambience of the Cheesecake Factory, the brisk corporate allure of Starbucks, the whimsical jollity of ‘Pasta?’ — need the student gourmet venture further?

Yes.

The simple truth is that Palo Alto’s best restaurants — for both the bargain-hunter and the food-lover — are on the side streets off University Avenue. One need simply step off University in order to uncover the small but decidedly rewarding world of Palo Alto suburban dining, in which Thaiphoon Restaurant is a standout. Located on Emerson Street, just a few short steps from Pizza My Heart (this is your legacy, Janis), Thaiphoon is a lunch and dinner joint that serves mediocre lunches and stunning dinners.

To be fair to Thaiphoon, it is, in our educated opinion, the finest casual Asian restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. We are being harsh when we call its lunches mediocre. They’re not really, at least in terms of the food quality, which is consistent through lunch and dinner. But the food assembly at lunch leaves something to be desired: the curries and other entrees are served in shallow rectangular bowls that Thaiphoon probably bought wholesale from the airlines of yore that used to serve hot meals and let you smoke in the aisles. These charming vessels are, in turn, placed on a rectangular ceramic tray that is completed by a round pat of rice and a small mountain of wilting Iceberg and peanut dressing. Not the end of the world, but not entirely appetizing, either.

Thaiphoon’s dinner ambiance is generally better in all regards. The food is served in round plates (we don’t know what our peeve with rectangular bowls is, except that it’s so...airplane) and all orders of rice are heaped together in a large bowl. The setting of the table is more suited to family-style dining, which is really the only way to dine in a Thai restaurant. Don’t hog your entrée like an ignorant white oppressor — go to Thaiphoon with the aim of sharing food. We suggest visiting this establishment in a group or à deux.

The heart of the menu is divided between the noodles and the curries, so forget the salads, the soups and most of the beef — these dishes aren’t bad, they’re just less impressive than the menu’s real starlets. The pot stickers and the fried shrimp are the rockstars of the appetizer menu, which also includes perfectly respectable egg rolls, as well as some foods of mysterious origins (egg roll samosas?). The divas of the entrée selection include (among others) the chicken pad thai, the green curry, the red curry and the Panang curry.

For the less adventurous, the chicken yellow curry, which swims in a rich coconut sauce, will probably suffice. Chicken is essential to the Thaiphoon experience, so let’s hope that you aren’t a vegetarian. Thaiphoon’s kitchen must be occupied by a deviously unfair kitchen god who omits the tastiest vegetables from the vegetable curries, so vegetarians will probably be peeved, and vegans will likely starve. Dieters can survive — the menu includes a number of Thai salads and simple soups — but they’ll doubtless be jealous of their companions’ poultry dishes.

Although Thaiphoon is mainly an eating establishment, it also has a quaint bar and an extensive cocktail menu, which includes such exotic items as a lemongrass mojito, so you lucky possessors-of-fake-IDs can work up a pleasant Thai buzz. For teetotalers, we recommend the honey mint lemonade. And if you have room for dessert, the fried banana is a uniquely Thai treat that will please nearly any palate; the frying process brings out everything good about a banana, and the accompanying coconut ice cream is the banana’s ideal life partner.

In addition to its consistently stellar food, Thaiphoon has a speedy wait staff, and service is reliably quick, even when the restaurant is literally packed. And the pricing is reasonable, especially in comparison with the overrated, overpriced Italian wine-and pasta joints that litter University like so many cigarette butts. Thaiphoon’s entrees range between about $7 and $9, which means that a full meal for two (including drinks, appetizers, entrees and desserts) rings in at about $40. We think it’s worth it.

For more info on this raging Thaiphoon, visit thaiphoonrestaurant.com.