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When Chanita Chayaluk decided to open her restaurant and wine bar Taan , she hoped “to showcase Thai food in Chicago in a different light,” she says. “The first [wave of] immigration of Thai people in Chicago was in the 1970s, and a lot of [Thai] food here still feels like it’s from that time.” In September, she opened with a menu including miang, a Northern Thai dish made with fermented tea leaves, and a whole, deep-fried fish in a fish-sauce caramel.

Another quirk of operating in Chicago? “We’re still pretty ‘Midwest nice,’” says Chayaluk. “We try to overaccommodate and appease the masses.” In the early days of service, guests made frequent requests for substitutions or accommodations due to preferences and dietary restrictions.…