The first time I tried Thai food was at Thai Palace, 838 N. Old World 3rd St., nearly 15 years ago -- and it was love at first bite.

Fresh sweet basil coupled with seafood and perfectly sticky rice -- sometimes paired with the latent heat of Sriracha (Thai chili sauce) -- and Thai iced tea with a tang of star anise and milk still make up some of my favorite food flavors.

Over the years, Thai Palace has remained one of the city's most treasured places to sample the joys of Thai cuisine. While the interior, and certainly the exterior, at Thai Palace are not nearly as glamorous as what one may find at neighboring Thai restaurants, the food here is sublime and the atmosphere is comfortable.

This restaurant is a true "hole-in-the-wall," one of the great, non-descript restaurants in Milwaukee that serve up fantastic food with absolutely no airs.

Several recent visits to Thai Palace revealed the lively, fresh ingredients and prompt service that continue to make this a wonderful destination for a quick lunch or dinner. And, because Thai food features such a wide variety of dining options, this is a sure win for both vegetarian and meat-eating diners alike.

In addition to an extensive menu of more than 75 authentic and self-created Thai favorites, Thai Palace offers a weekday lunch buffet for $7.95 that rotates entrée items on a regular basis. The restaurant also offers carryout with generous portions of jasmine rice accompanying the orders.

There are no pre-prepared appetizers at Thai Palace; everything is obviously made from scratch with a dedication to only the freshest ingredients. Crab rangoons ($7.95) are richly creamy and fried to a delicate brown. An order could easily be snatched up by one person if you aren't careful since they are light, airy and addictive.

Steamed Thai spring rolls ($6.95) feature perfectly roasted sliced pork with Thai sausage, fried eggs, bean sprouts and cucumbers rolled in fragile steamed rice paper. The rolls are drizzled in a lovely sweet brown sauce which pulls the flavors into divinity, and makes a diner want every last drop.

Staples like Pudt Thai ($11.95) and Volcano chicken ($14.95) are delivered with tantalizing freshness and seasoned with herbs; the Pudt Thai comes with a welcome mixture of ground pork and pleasantly pink shrimp and just a hint of heat (all dishes are available mild, medium, very hot or Thai style), and Volcano chicken features a light breading and sprigs of cilantro.

Drunken man noodles ($10.95) showcase wide rice noodles with eggs and chicken in a to-die-for sauce comprised of hot chili peppers and sweet Thai basil -- the dish has become a new favorite among my dining companions, as has Thai Palace fried rice, which marries shrimp, chicken and cashew nuts with pineapple, tomatoes, onions and scallions.

The sweet bites of pineapple add a pleasant contrast to the slight spice of the other vegetables within the rice, and the shrimp are fork tender and delicious. Both make it hard to stop eating, even though portions here are generous and make phenomenal leftovers.

As belies the concept of hole-in-the-wall dining, the exterior of Thai Palace gives the appearance of being somewhat rundown, and the location is sandwiched between two other restaurants. But, this is one place where looks are certainly deceiving, as the kitchen puts out some amazing dishes that will have you craving Thai food week after week.

I'll choose that over a flashy atmosphere every time.