Although Kung Fu Plaza is known for its remarkably reasonable prices (entrees starting at less than $10), Thai food is anything but cheap. It has been one of the long-standing myths about Thai food since it first took off as an alternative to Chinese.

"We have a real advantage in offering authentic Thai food at a reasonable price because of volume," says Alan Wong, general manager of Kung Fu Plaza. "While our dining room isn't modest, our guests populate every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and many hotel employees order and recommend our food for discriminating guests."

Still, Wong says that the notion of cooking affordable meals has always been a driver among Thai restaurants, cheap for others. And, depending on where you go, some chefs substitute or heavily season entrees to make up for it. How a restaurant might handle this perception can make a dramatic difference.

"We took a simpler approach. We do not include anything on the menu that we cannot prepare at a family-friendly price because we want Thai food to be seen as an everyday food," says Wong. "But you will not see all of Thailand's amazing dishes that could be made with lobster, large Monterey squid, and filet mignon. What you will see is the highest quality among all the entrees we do serve."

For example, Kung Fu Plaza only uses Maple Leaf duck for its duck recipes. Maple Leaf Farms is considered a premium brand of duck, established more than 50 years ago with a mission to practice better animal well-being and natural resource conservation. Other restaurants do not always have the same values. It's something Wong is concerned about, especially lately.

He watches Asian exports rise in price.

While Wong is confident nothing will change at his family's restaurant, rice prices have been influenced by recent inflation in Asia. Rice, especially jasime rice, isn't alone. All of Thailand's exports have been affected.

"For some Thai restaurant owners, they will have to make choices," said Wong. "Some will hide changes to their cuisine with more hotness or odd substitutions that do not work for Thai food. Our patrons, however, won't experience any difference because of our commitment to authentic Thai food in Las Vegas, which has made us a favorite since 1973."

Wong said that some restaurants will change prices, some will increase the heat, and some will make poor substitution decisions. The reason this concerns him, even among competing establishments, is that Thai food has been embraced as an American favorite. He wants to help it continue on that trend.

"You have to understand that when people eat American food, you tend to blame the restaurant," said Wong. "But when people eat Thai food, many are just inclined to say that they don't care for Thai food. We want to avoid this because not all Thai food is created equal. Come in any time and you can taste the difference."

While Kung Fu Plaza has done well because of Wong's father's experience purchasing from his original homeland, he hopes one day that Americans will appreciate the true value of Thai cuisine. The cuisine is complicated, requires dozens of ingredients, and relies on a significant amount of labor to produce. He doesn't expect the perception to change in the short term, but perhaps it will in the long term if the next generation of Thai people begin to produce world-class chefs.

Kung Fu Plaza, which is the oldest and most authentic Thai restaurant in Las Vegas, was originally opened in 1973. It is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., 365 days a year and serves the most expansive Chinese and Thai menus in Las Vegas. There are over 800 dishes to choose from.