LA PINE – It’s a long way from Los Angeles, and an even farther distance from Thailand. But La Pine, with its woodsy subdivisions and highway sprawl, is home to what locals call one of the best Thai restaurants in the region.

Angel’s Thai, opened 18 months ago by two sisters who escaped the hectic life of L.A., is located in a former Mexican restaurant on La Pine’s main strip. And, to judge by the comments written in a guest book left on the restaurant’s counter, it’s as welcome in this south Deschutes County burg as sunshine in December.

”I haven’t eaten anywhere else since you opened!” gushes one woman in the book of comments.

Sisters Nicole Srijunyanont and Bee Wongsri (their real first names are Napawan and Waewrawee, but they spare us the hardship of pronouncing them) are originally from Thailand, but emigrated to the United States about 20 years ago. They lived in Los Angeles until they tired of the fast pace and city feel, then sought a small town in which to settle down.

Even though they didn’t know so much as how to shovel snow, the siblings chose La Pine for its beauty, nature and people, Srijunyanont said.

”It’s the mountains, the forest, the people,” said Srijunyanont, 34. Taking a short break from the bustle of running the restaurant, she sits in the small eatery while her sister, 40, prepares meals in the kitchen. The restaurant is tiny, with just six tables, but is cheerily festooned with greenery, bright flowers and Thai art.

Srijunyanont says it’s hard for two women on their own to survive in the restaurant business, but that her customers have made it easier, going so far as to help the pair paint the inside of their business.

That, Srijunyanont said, is why they named it Angel’s Thai – because all the customers are angels.

”There’s only two of us,” she says. ”I don’t think (the restaurant) would have happened without the customers – that’s why they’re angels.”

But the customers clearly patronize the restaurant for a reason, namely, the food. Angel’s serves fresh, flavorful and authentic Thai cuisine, including all the classic dishes (such as tom kha chicken soup, $5 for a small bowl, and masaman beef curry, $9.95) as well as some Chinese-inspired dishes (spicy fried rice, $6.95) and Japanese dishes (yakisoba noodles with tofu, $7.95).

Customers choose how spicy or mild they want their food, and Wongsri is happy to comply.

Srijunyanont says Thai food is naturally healthy, tasty and comes in a wide variety of flavors. She said Angel’s doesn’t Americanize the flavor of its food, as many Thai restaurants do by making the food too sweet or salty. Instead, the sisters rely on subtle combinations of flavors within each dish, she said.

Customers can expect a long list of options, but ordering is simplified by a photo menu, where color pictures of each dish show exactly what it looks like.

Srijunyanont says Thai people tend to be creative with food and that food is a central part of their culture. Instead of ”how are you?,” Thais often greet each other with ”have you eaten?” she said.

”Then we make sure they leave with their stomachs full,” she said with a laugh.