During my cooking career in various local restaurants, I learned a few lasting truths. One is that a dull knife is much more dangerous than a sharp one. Trust me, I've been cut by both.

I think the same may be true of taste buds. A palate dulled by lots of stupid, bland food can become an undependable judge. Sometimes even my award-winning tasting, sniffing and viewing faculties need to be honed and sharpened.

My new favorite taste spa and gastronomic boot camp is Thai Basil, the Denver Asian bistro that recently opened a sister outpost with an identical menu in suburban Aurora.

Nothing illustrates the so-called ''Thai Basil effect'' better than the eatery's signature preparation. At lunch one day at the Alameda outlet I was impressed by Thai Basil chicken ($5.75 lunch, $7.95 dinner) before I even got a forkful in my mouth. A truly heavenly spicy herbal aroma wafts from the dish. The thin chicken slices are coddled under a blanket of wokked basil leaves and baby bok choy greens. It's got your basic symphony of oral special effects: heat, sweet, salt, herb and crunch.

The colorful, modernistic decorating style at Thai Basil is highly reminiscent of that at two other small, notable Asian eateries: Tuk Tuk Thai Wraps and Moongate Asian Grill. The similarity can also be found in the eclectic dishware, the pyramid- shaped rice mounds, the emphasis on fresh crisp vegetables, and the mix of cuisines. These are not your fathers' lowest-common-denominator, one-sauce-fits-all Chinese- American restaurants.

We started our taste test at the original location with Thai spiced soup ($2.75), or tom yum goong. Delivered in a large covered crock, the tomato-accented broth was dotted with red chili oil and jammed with fresh tomato, mushroom and onion. The coconut chicken soup was more fiery but also smooth and creamy.

The Vietnamese slaw ($7.50) of crunchy cabbage, cukes and daikon with sliced chicken gets spiked with a light chile-lime dressing.

Thai Basil presents a memorable version of the now ubiquitous noodle dish, pad Thai ($6.95). A wealth of sauteed chicken breast, shrimp and green onions is tossed with rice noodles and -mung bean sprouts in a memorable lime-scented, tart-funky dressing. There's just a touch of eggs and chopped peanuts, not the usual wretched excess, and it's dressed, not swimming, in sauce.

Folks in Kansas City might not recognize it as a kindred entree, but Thai barbecue chicken ($8.95) is an honorable variation on that theme. The roasted meat falling off the bone-in chicken was draped with diced bell pepper in a jazzy sweet-and-sour sauce.

The Alameda Thai Basil has a better-than-average wine list for an Asian eatery. I've decided that a rich red zinfandel is actually a better foil for Thai foods' over-the-top seasonings than Gewurztraminer or Riesling.

The most striking dish turned out to be the Panang curry with shrimp ($8.50) served in a clay pot over Sterno to keep it bubbly hot. The coconut milk-thickened sauce infused with kaffir lime leaves and aromatic basil transformed rice into bliss.

On a recent Thursday night we trekked out to the new Thai Basil restaurant in Aurora. It's nine tables tucked into a tight strip mall space. The service was fast and professional if not especially informative, because of the language barrier. One of our waiters seemed completely mystified, but a manager rescued him and gave us the details of the dishes.

We started with a sizzling rice soup ($6.50) that, as my friend Andria pointed out, didn't exactly snap, crackle and pop. The soup itself was light and clean and packed with a veritable cornucopia of vegetables plus beef, shrimp and chicken. Clear glass bowls displayed the transparency and the rainbow of vegetable colors. This soup easily serves three people. That's true of most of the dishes.

The golden tofu ($4.50) appetizer offered hot cubes of crunchy- outside and silky-inside bean curd with nary a smidgen of grease. They were tofu-bland until drenched in perky soy-rice vinegar sauce.

''Almost jerky-like'' best describes the strips of marinated, grilled flank steak in the grilled beef salad ($5.50). Served with field greens and vinaigrette, the crave-worthy slices had a lacquer-like shiny sweet soy glaze.

We applauded each of our four entrees, including Thai Basil shrimp ($7.95 lunch, $9.95 dinner), in part because they were all so differently sauced and seasoned.

The addictive Thai eggplant ($7.50) boasted chunks of browned, skin-on Asian eggplant that were melt-in-the-mouth soft inside. We couldn't stop spooning up the flavor-layered sesame oil sauce or chewing the wide al dente rice noodles in the drunken noodles ($7.95 with chicken). The green curry ($8.50 with tofu)was simply ''Wow!'' with lots of thin jalapeno slices and jade-green sauce that didn't back down a bit.

There are no desserts on the menu except an obligatory cheesecake that the waiter was unwilling to recommend. We opted for terra-cotta-hued, mysteriously spiced Thai iced tea ($2.50), a cream-intensive sweet concoction poured over ice in a tall stainless steel cup. It's the perfect heat neutralizer.

Since the portions are so generous at Thai Basil, there were plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. The green curry was just as sneak-up- on-you electrifying as it had been the night before. There's no use letting those taste buds get dull.