My problem with eating at Thai restaurants is that I’ve habitually succumbed to a tight roster of dishes that I truly love – crying tiger, the colored curries, drunken noodles and so forth. And all along I’ve dined with company who have similar tastes, which prompted me to finally make some much-needed alterations to my palate at the downtown location of Lotus Thai.

I have long been a fan of Lotus Thai in Hillcrest and its above-mentioned entrees, but the sister restaurant on Market Street offers a more stylish, contemporary atmosphere in dark earth tones and (hallelujah!) signature dishes capable of enlivening jaded palates.

“No fried rice or noodle dishes,” I demanded of my dining companion as we combed the menu for entrees unique to this location. I made allowances, however, for Tom Yum and Tom Kha soups, since neither of us can go cold turkey on those. Both were satisfying – filled with warm, zingy broth flavored with lemongrass and kaffir leaves. The Tom Yum proved a tasty battle in the hot-and-sour feud, and the Kha’s judicious use of coconut milk counteracted the insidious chilies with finesse.

Instead of the usual Chicken Satay or Heaven Rolls stuffed with tofu and shrimp, we chose Lady Fingers. The slender, wonton-encased shrimp were served vertically on sticks. Inside, the lightly marinated crustaceans were stretched out in an attempt to fill their slender hollows. Unfortunately, for those that didn’t achieve full occupancy, the thrill was gone by the last bite of shrimp and the excess dough casings seemed useless.

Only at this location will you find Pan-Seared Veggie Salad, which was marvelous. Room-temperature baby spinach forms a bed that’s topped with broccoli, eggplant and other veggies that are wok-seared in an alluring citrus dressing. Pixie tangerines and finely-ground, roasted rice add substantial texture. The salad is served warm, although ours cooled down by the time we dug in because it arrived concurrently with our soups and appetizer. But it was pleasing nonetheless.

Sticking to items exclusive to Lotus’ downtown digs, my companion vouc-hed for Daisy Duck, a minty meal of tortilla rolls packed tightly with chilled roasted duck flavored subtly with five-spice, cool, diced cucumber and bunches of fresh mint to keep your breath sparkling. A likeable dish we agreed, although the “fish of the day” in pesto-lime sauce kept winning our attention.

On this particular night, the catch was halibut, a large filet cut into thirds and piggybacking each other. In traditional Thai style, the fish was grilled to the perfect point of milky translucence, then smothered in a hearty, herb-heavy pesto boasting fresh lime. The thickness of the pesto keeps the filets moist and hot. It was wonderfully atypical of what I usually consume in Thai restaurants.

Another signature dish on the menu is Lemon Grass Chicken, which we’re saving for our next visit. The dish involves breast meat wrapped in lemon grass stems for an essence that is reliably more robust than what you get from the leaves. Also, all of the sauces – plum, peanut and soy vinaigrette – are homemade.

We even diverged from our usual choice of dessert, skipping over the omnipresent fried banana for a block of warm, compressed rice served with juicy ripe mango slices. “It’s as soothing as oatmeal,” my companion blurted as we polished off this delectably sweet and salty treat.

Chef Ton Sangkapong also runs Lotus’ original location in Hillcrest, though he teamed up with business partner Brice Hung-Pin Lin three years ago to help spread the word that a second operation exists in the abyss between the Gaslamp District and East Village. The downtown location is as equally gay-friendly, and, of course, offers those traditional Thai meals that I’ll never fully break away from. But I’ve learned there are some mighty fine choices to be made outside of green curry.