Lers Ros - 307 Hayes at Franklin St., SFCA

   People have been waiting anxiously for this new location of SF's fave Thai resto - at least that's what all the foodie sites and emags kept saying. It's a bit more upscale, with a small bar area, fancier furniture and decor. But it's basically the same menu as the Larkin St. locale, which means there are some dishes you don't see elsewhere.
   At the top we have the Fish Cakes (8.95), ground fish and red chili paste, deep fried and served with chunks of cucumber, chopped peanuts and a little sweet sauce. I would have liked to have had some of that day-glo thick sweet chili sauce that's commonplace, but I let it slide so I could enjoy the flavor of the cakes on their own. We all agreed that these were pretty good as fish cakes go.
   Curry is a must, so we chose the Kaeng Keaw Wan Talay (11.95), a medley of shrimp, scallops, calamari, Thai eggplant and carrot in a green coconut curry sauce. This was the standout of the meal, and I didn't hesitate to go into attack mode. If I'd been in a sticky rice frame of mind, I would have sopped up the leftover sauce in a heartbeat.

   Next is Justin's choice, the Kra Duk Moo Tod (8.95) tender marinated and fried spare ribs in a nice red chili sauce. The small green balls are young peppercorns, which Lers Ros adds to a number of their dishes. You have to try at least one. The ribs are bone-in and while they were fairly tasty, I could have used a little more heat. You can always ask them to ratchet it up.
   To help Rachel eat healthy, we ordered the Pra Ram Pak (8.95), a mix of vegetables and bean curd in a mild peanut sauce. This is a good dish to have if you've ordered a lot of spicy food; it'll take some of the edge off.
   Everybody has shredded papaya salad, but Lers Ros gives you some options. We chose the Som Tum Poo (9.95) which has raw blue crab added. I can't say that I enjoyed this as much as the salad I've had elsewhere, the dressing wasn't quite as piquant as I normally like it. Still, it twern't bad, and there was one small crab per person.
   I think I like eating at the original location, just because it has a little more down home feel to it. This new site may want to appeal to the Symphony/Opera crowd. There is a wine list...
  We give it a 4.5 on the new Food-O-Meter (1 to 5)
   To see the menu, go to:www.lersros.com