Category: Thai

AsianLaoNew MexicoRating: OutstandingRio RanchoSushiThai

Vong Sushi Thai and Laos Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Grammatically any of the following is correct:  Laotian cuisine, Lao cuisine or the cuisine of Laos.  Just don’t ever call it “Laosy cuisine.”  That would not only be a malapropism, it would be wholly inaccurate.  The cuisine of Laos is among the most dynamic and delicious in Southeast Asia, if not the world.  One of the reasons Laotian cuisine doesn’t receive the accolades it deserves is because of its neighbors.  The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia bordered by Myanmar (formerly Burma), China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.  To some extent, these neighbors (at least China, Vietnam and Thailand) have surpassed Laos on the world’s culinary stage–not necessarily because their cuisine is superior, but because it’s got a much larger platform. It’s no surprise that Lao cusine has been greatly influenced by neighboring nations, but a French influence is also in evidence. From 1893 to 1954 when it gained full independence, Laos was part of the Protectorate of French Indonesia.  So what’s the Cuisine of Lao like? It might help to understand that its closest “relative” is the cuisine of the Issan region of northern Thailand. New Mexicans who love their food a bit on the…

AlbuquerqueNew MexicoRating: ExcellentThai

Thai Boran – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno11:34 AM

Many of us with a puerile sense of humor can probably recall giggling like silly school kids the first time we visited a Thai restaurant and perused a menu. We went straight into the gutter the first time we came across such foods as phat prik and fuktong curry. Even after learning that “phat prik” is actually a stir-fried chili dish and “fuktong curry” is a pumpkin curry, the sophomoric among us couldn’t order these dishes with a straight face. It gets even worse when we actually learned how to pronounce the names of Thai dishes. Not even Bob Newhart could order “cow pod guy” (chicken fried rice) or “cow pod moo” (pork fried rice) with his usual deadpan delivery. That’s probably why so many of us will place our order by number instead of endeavoring to pronounce words we find a bit salacious or humorous. Let’s face it, denizens of the fruited plain tend to find the names of some Thai dishes humorous because the way they’re spelled or pronounced is similar to English sexual references or swear words. Perhaps that’s why Thai restaurateurs tend to use clever word play, typically puns, to name their eateries. Instead of christening…

AlbuquerqueAsianNew MexicoRating: ExcellentThai

Hot Pink Thai Cuisine – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:36 PM

Black socks and sandals, mixing plaids and polka dots, middle-aged men wearing trousers up to their nipples, T-shirts that accentuate the “spare tire” look, fat guys wearing culottes… If there’s a fashion faux-pas out there, you can bet some of us XY-chromosome-enabled fashion Luddites have committed it and then some. When it comes to fashion, many of us are as clueless as a pirate wearing two eye patches. There is, however, one fashion statement we won’t make. Among the six to seven shirts hanging (wrinkles and all) in our closets, none will be the color pink. Nor will they be salmon, carnation, rose, Amaranth or any other shade of pink fashionistas invented in an effort to get us to wear pink. For men, the only pink thing that’s really cool (despite what we tell our wives and girlfriends about their pink “unmentionables”) is the Pink Panther. You know, the Pink Panther…the “one and only, truly original, Panther-pink (panther) from head to toe.” Men have a very special affinity for the “rinky-dink” Pink Panther. “He really is a groovy cat and what a gentleman, a scholar, what an acrobat!” He’s everything we want to be, but aren’t cool enough to pull…

2010 James Beard Foundation - "Best Chef" - SouthwestNevadaRating: ExceptionalThaiUnited States

LOTUS OF SIAM – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno1:36 AM

In the August, 2000 issue of Gourmet Magazine, Jonathan Gold,  the only food critic to ever earn a Pulitzer Prize, called the Lotus of Siam restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada “the single best Thai restaurant in North America.”  Not a disparaging word was heard or a dissenting opinion offered among the cognoscenti save for those who argued that the word “Thai” should be removed from from Gold’s audacious proclamation.  Lotus of Siam is THAT good! In the decade plus since Gold’s assertion, every reputable critic from every credible publication has jumped on the bandwagon, essentially echoing or adding to to the validation of the greatness that is the Lotus of Siam.  The superlatives are similar on every review you’ll read of this vaunted restaurant; only the names of the scribes change.  In a media culture which delights in the “time to tear down” portion of Ecclesiastes 3:3, the absence of true criticism for Lotus of Siam speaks volumes.   Lotus of Siam is THAT good! First-time visitors approach Lotus of Siam with high expectations, return visitors with the type of reverence usually accorded only to shrines or holy places.  A visit to the original site of this anointed shrine to Thai…

AlbuquerqueAsianNew MexicoRating: ExcellentThai

Eat My Thai – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In his inimitable style Anthony Bourdain described the first time he tasted Thai food: “It was like discovering a color I never knew existed before. A whole new crayon box full of colors.”  His words resonate true for those of us who don’t live in a monochromatic world of homogeneous meals lacking diversity, personality and flavor.  Similarly resonant is his characterization of Thailand’s spicy food: “That perfect balance of pain, and pleasure, and more pain. Brain flooding with endorphins and all is well with the world. Until tomorrow morning.”  Would that my words would flow with the profundity, veracity and ease with which Bourdain laced his every utterance. When my Kim and I find a Thai restaurant with a menu so diverse and complete that it practically begs for a poetic waxing is when I curse the lack of fluency, grace, and rhetorical eloquence in my speech.  Such was the case when we visited the almost sardonically named Eat My Thai restaurant on Gibson.  Perusing the menu filled me with joy and with hope.  Far too many Thai restaurants across the Duke City have a boring “sameness” as if they subscribe to a templated format.  Eat My Thai’s menu offers…

AsianNew MexicoRating: ExcellentRio RanchoThai

Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

New Mexican men can be so haughty.  (I don’t include New Mexican women in this categorization because they’re generally smarter.)  We laugh at what Californians, Arizonans and especially Texans call “chili.”  We pride ourselves on machismo, some of which is on display even when we eat out.  We never ask if the chile is hot.  We assume (and hope) it is so we can prove how tough we are.  We question the manhood of any New Mexican who prefers his chile “mild.”  Mild chile is for children and law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas.  Give us chile with the piquancy of napalm or volcanic lava.  Give us chile even Satan can’t eat. Yeah, right!  I’ve seen New Mexican men wheeze and sputter, their eyes watering with tears as they beg for sweet, merciful death as they try to eat Thai food…and that’s not even at the “Thai hot” level of heat.  Thai peppers provide another level of heat, one that makes New Mexican chile seem like bell peppers in comparison.  Consider that sacrilege if you will, but Thai peppers have kicked even my tail and I’m pretty heat tolerant.  I still order the “Thai heat” level at most restaurants.  Over…

AlbuquerqueAsianNew MexicoRating: ExcellentThai

Sa! Thai Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 2023, TasteAtlas, an “encyclopedia of flavors, a world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants” compiled a ranking of the 100 best cuisines in the world.  The highest rated cuisine in the world (to no surprise) was Italian followed by Japanese then Greek.  Thai cuisine was ranked 17th in the pantheon of great cuisines, just one slot ahead of American cuisine (whatever that is).  TasteAtlas also named Phat Kaphrao (also known as Pad Grapao or “holy basil stir-fry”), a dish made from meat, chili and basil, as the “best stir-fried dish in the world.”  Among the highest rated dishes, Phat Kaphrao ranked third overall.  Considering 395,205 dishes were rated, Phat Kaphrao’s place in the standings signifies it as one of the best dishes you can possibly order. Before even looking at a menu, linguaphiles (those of us who love languages and words) need to know what “Sa!” translates to.  Seeing “Sa! Thai”  on the marquee, you might think in its entirety “Sa! Thai” might be pronounced “satay,” the popular Thai appetizer of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce.  Instead, “Sa!” is a shortened version of “sawatdee,” a phrase that means “Hello.”  This phrase is…

ArizonaAsianRating: N/R (Not Rated)ThaiUnited States

Glai Baan – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“We are a “Very Thai” kitchen, focusing on street food and snacks that you would commonly find while visiting Thailand. Most of our dishes are best shared and many dishes are from the Isan region (northeastern), where they like their food spicy. We source our produce and meat locally when possible, and we do not use MSG.”  When I read that introductory statement on Glai Bann’s website and menu, I nearly danced with joy.  Over the years I’ve become increasingly frustrated with Thai restaurants in that the balance of flavors–sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy–has skewed overwhelmingly toward sweet.  The culinary journey at many Thai restaurants is incomplete for those of us who don’t particularly like entrees as sweet as desserts. Much of the credit (or blame) for my intolerance of “perfectly fine, acceptable to most” Thai restaurants is because I’ve experienced THE best.  That would be Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, Nevada.  No less than Pulitzer Prize award-winning writer Jonathan Gold called Lotus of Siam “the single best Thai restaurant in North America.”  In 2010, Chef-owner Saipin Chutima was accorded with “Best Chef: Southwest” honors by the James Beard Foundation.   Her specialty is Issan-style Thai food, its genesis being…

AlbuquerqueNew MexicoRating: GoodThai

Thai Spice – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno6:31 PM

“Thai food ain’t about simplicity. It’s about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it’s got to have a smooth surface but it doesn’t matter what’s happening underneath. Simplicity isn’t the dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it’s a jumble of flavors, but to a Thai what’s important, it’s the complexity they delight in.” ~Chef David Thompson Complexity of flavors, disparate elements, a jumble of flavors…these are the expectations diners have come to expect from Thai restaurants. The underlying foundation of Thai cuisine, going back to Chinese influences as early as the 10th century, is to achieve a satisfying and exciting taste experience through the relationship between five fundamental tastes: sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter. Properly balancing these flavors is the true essence of Thai cooking. Overemphasizing any of these fundamental tastes, particularly “sweet” and a Thai restaurant risks its cuisine being labeled “Americanized.” For a cuisine to be considered “Americanized” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Generations of Americans have grown up enjoying American Chinese foods developed by Americans of Chinese descent. Such familiar offerings as chop suey, crab Rangoon, pepper steak, fried wontons, sesame chicken and even the ubiquitous…

2023 James Beard Foundation - "Best Chef - Texas" Semifinalist2024 James Beard Foundation "Best Chef - Texas" SemifinalistBarbecueRating: N/R (Not Rated)TexasThaiUnited States

Curry Boys BBQ – San Antonio, Texas

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The 1970s were characterized by writer Tom Wolfe as the “Me Decade” and derided by cynics as the “Disco Era.” It was an era of contrasts: the national crisis of confidence described by President Jimmy Carter as a “malaise” and the ubiquitous yellow smiley face; the melodic, velvety stylings of the Carpenters and the edgy, funky beat of disco; an explosion of copycat fast food chain restaurants and the introduction of innovative fusion cuisine in many contemporary restaurants. Fusion cuisine is the inventive combination of diverse, sometimes disparate culinary traditions, elements and ingredients to form an entirely new genre. In large metropolitan areas, particularly in California, the fusion of different cuisines became commonplace. Restaurants featuring the melding of French and Chinese cuisine were especially popular.  Still other restaurants had their own ideas as to what constituted fusion cuisine. The now defunct Maverick Cafe in San Antonio, Texas, became famous for their “East Meets West” dining concept. It wasn’t so much a fusion of cuisines as it was the plating of different cuisines (Mexican and Chinese) on the same salver.  The Maverick Cafe was my very favorite fusion restaurant. The very best lemon chicken I’ve ever had, in fact, was at…

AlbuquerqueAsianNew MexicoRating: Very GoodThai

Thai Heritage & Vegan – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Who among us hasn’t learned at least one thing about Thai culinary heritage from The Big Bang Theory? In a 2011 episode, for example, we learned that according to Thai tradition the last morsel of food, the greng jie, goes to the most important person in the room. At least that’s what Sheldon tells Penny when she reaches for the last remaining dumpling. Thanking everyone for the honor, she devours the dumpling. Sheldon’s retort: “I’ve seen pictures of your mother. Keep eating.” Some of us learned that Thai food is meant to be eaten with forks not chop sticks though in Thailand, they don’t put the fork in their mouth. It’s simply a tool to put the food on a spoon which then goes into the mouth. We also learned that Sheldon, the quirky wunderkind with an obsessive compulsive tendencies orders mee krob and chicken satay with extra peanut sauce on Mondays. Every Monday! As an adventurous diner with polygamous culinary tendencies, the concept of ordering the same meal repeatedly is galling. When expressing my intolerance towards monogamous (monotonous?) diners to my Kim, she quickly knocked me off my high-horse, reminding me that whenever we dine at a Thai restaurant…