With a name like “tiger cry,” you might assume Baan Thai’s beef appetizer is spicy. And you would be right.

So christened — our waiter guessed — because the heat from the sauce (a mixture of unnamed peppers, we’re told) could make even a tiger shed tears, the flavorful appetizer consists of grilled, marinated beef and the aforementioned “spicy tiger cry sauce.”

Be careful with this one. Refrain from dumping an overflowing spoonful of sauce onto a single piece of beef (because you’re hungry, OK?) and devouring the mixture with reckless abandon, or your tender, burning gums will pay for it.

Most of us (let me repeat, most) are probably smart enough to figure that out on our own, but a little “tiger cry” goes a long way here.

Where to get it: Baan Thai, 741 Massachusetts St.

What you’ll pay: $7.95

Try it with: A nice, cool glass of Thai iced tea for $2.50

Also on the menu: An extensive offering of appetizers, soups, salads, noodle dishes, curries and other Thai entrees

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.