CNN
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When Anajak Thai opened in 1981, most people who walked into the Los Angeles restaurant weren’t familiar with Thai cuisine. They just thought it was spicy Chinese food, said Justin Pichetrungsi, the restaurant’s current head chef and owner.
The Sherman Oaks eatery, started by Pichetrungsi’s father Rick Pichetrungsi, was one of the first Thai restaurants in L.A., according to Pichetrungsi. The restaurant’s original, multi-page menu in the ‘80s listed around 60 dishes — among them pad thai, pad see-ew and panang curry — that introduced American diners to the flavors of Thailand while remaining approachable.
Forty years later, Anajak — and Thai food in the US —…
