No, the local thai mini-empire owned by Bangkok-born chef Tom Silargorn and his wife Oah Budsabagorn won't be opening a fourth Lers Ros location. After all, they've got the Mission, Hayes Valley, and the Tenderloin fully saturated with red curry duck and other delicacies.

Instead, according to some registration sleuthing by Hoodline, the duo will be opening a spinoff called 'The Esan Classic' just doors down from the original Larkin spot at 730 Larkin. The new location, at 739-743 between Olive Alley and O'Farrell Street, has just applied for its beer and wine license.

The new space was formerly home to pizza and Martini joint Olive, which opened in 2004 and shuttered last year when rent became prohibitive. Lers Ros itself opened in that neighborhood in 2008, garnering praise and gaining a faithful following.

Chronicle critic Michael Bauer once remarked that the restaurant "crafts dishes that aren't scaled back heatwise or oversweetened for the American palate." He also quipped that "Silargorn's version of pad Thai... makes others taste like Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal," a confusing comparison as Cap'n Crunch is delicious (although it will destroy your mouth and teeth.)

It's just hungry speculation at this point, but Esan (or Isaan) is a northwestern region of Thailand whose cuisine, Zagat writes, "bears strong resemblance to what's eaten in the bordering countries of Cambodia and Laos." So perhaps at the spinoff we have dishes like sticky rice, larb (minced-meat-and-herb salads) and Som Tum (salad made with shredded green papaya, tomatoes, long beans, garlic, and other veggies), to look forward to.