"Somtum Der is an East Village spot that specializes in Isan Thai food, and it’s one of our favorite places for a fun, casual dinner with a big group. The dining room is big and airy, with lots of long tables that will easily fit five to seven of your friends, and they have a good list of cocktails and Thai beer. Multiple types of papaya salad should be on your table: our go-tos are the tum thai kai kem, which gets an extra punch from salted duck egg, and the tum poo pla-ra with tiny field crabs. Next, get the H’orderves Der so you can try all the sausages, and finish with grilled meats, larb, and some spicy prawn sashimi." - bryan kim, hannah albertine, nikko duren, arden shore, will hartman