Whenever I have friends or family in town, a lot of the same questions and conversations come up. One that comes up a lot is, "Hey, where's the place to eat around here?"

Now, there are plenty of great establishments native to Stillwater that I've come to love over the last few years of living here, some of which have sadly moved or are defunct altogether: Kim's Vietnamese Cuisine, Nilima's Snack Meal Service (RIP), Tokyo Pot, Granny's Kitchen, Main Street Noodle (RIP), Da Vinci's, and many more, too numerous to name in one article.

However, the place I always have to take anyone who comes to town is, without a doubt, Thai Loco.

Thai Loco is a little establishment on the southwest corner of Stillwater at the intersection of West 6th Avenue and South Western. As the odd name would imply, the restaurant serves Thai food and more but with a little twist: Pan-Asian food delivered in a Tex-Mex package (and vice versa).

For the unadventurous, this may sound like a nightmare, but there's a little something for everyone at this fusion-food pitstop. The restaurant is probably best known for their tacos, which are stuffed with every meat from fish and shrimp to tempura chicken and are embellished with such toppings and fillings as mango salsa and sweet peanut sauce.

In spite of being somewhat exotic flavorings, all of the ingredients of each menu item compliment each other very well, making for a mostly unchallenging dining experience.

Thai Loco also has a real love for chicken curry, packing it into some of its tacos, burritos, and even quesadillas (my personal favorite curry-delivery system). The curry is a little spicy, but I find that it strikes a perfect balance between taste and punishment (those of you less spice-inclined people who read my article on my newfound love for spicy food might think that that means it's actually liable to kill a normal person, but relax. It's really a pretty accessible level of heat. On a 1-10 heat scale, it's a 2, maybe).

And for those that just can't do spicy or don't feel like having a taco, more recently available is the pinnacle of all human creation—the sushi burrito, a sushi roll of nori and rice (maki style, so the seaweed is the external layer) and fillings of similar variety to the tacos (my personal favorite, possibly of anything on the menu, is the Mango Tango.)

There's also a salad option and more mild options for the kids (and the very unadventurous), like chicken strips and cheese quesadillas. As far as drinks go, there's everything from iced tea to Jarritos soda to cold beer. If you're a health-conscious-cheap-ass like me, there's a self-serve water station by the counter, so you don't have to endure the shame of asking for the water cup.

The location itself is very low-key. Of the dozen times I've been there, I've never seen more than a few tables filled, so if you're the type who prefers things a little quieter, it's definitely for you. Moreover, the staff is always really nice and friendly, which is something that every business could do with a little more of.

I've taken everyone from dates to family to friends from high school, and no one has left seeming anything but satisfied, so if you've got visitors and you want to show them that Stillwater's got something like nothing else in Oklahoma, show 'em Thai Loco.

More importantly, if you've never been to Thai Loco and you're a native Stillwaterite, get down there now!