{"id":64022,"date":"2025-04-08T00:01:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T06:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=64022"},"modified":"2026-04-05T18:50:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T00:50:44","slug":"thai-cuisine-rio-rancho-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=64022","title":{"rendered":"Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After Decades As a Bastion of Barbecue, This Site Now Houses Thai Cuisine in Rio Rancho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New Mexican men can be so haughty. \u00a0(I don’t include New Mexican women in this categorization because they’re generally smarter.) \u00a0We laugh at what Californians, Arizonans and especially Texans call “chili.” \u00a0We pride ourselves on machismo, some of which is on display even when we eat out. \u00a0We never ask if the chile is hot. \u00a0We assume (and hope) it is so we can prove how tough we are. \u00a0We question the manhood of any New Mexican who prefers his chile “mild.” \u00a0Mild chile is for children and law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas. \u00a0Give us chile with the piquancy of napalm or volcanic lava. \u00a0Give us chile even Satan can’t eat.<\/p>\n

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Place Your Order at the Counter and Meet the Fabulous Jenn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yeah, right! \u00a0I’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. \u00a0Thai peppers provide another level of heat, one that makes New Mexican chile seem like bell peppers in comparison. \u00a0Consider that sacrilege if you will, but Thai peppers have kicked even my tail and I’m pretty heat tolerant. \u00a0I still order the “Thai heat” level at most restaurants. \u00a0Over the years, I’ve observed that Thai spice levels have been somewhat dumbed down for the wimpy American palate. \u00a0Either that or I’m truly a volcano eater.<\/p>\n

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The Dining Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thai spice heat is categorized in levels–usually one to four or one to five–for consumer awareness (not that some consumers heed the implied warning). \u00a0One wonderful (and very necessary) trait among Thai spice levels is that they’re easily customizable for preference or requirement. \u00a0Order a lower number level for a mild experience. \u00a0Order “hot” if you can handle the most piquant New Mexican foods. \u00a0Order “Thai hot” if you have a death wish or your mouth and esophagus are \u00a0coated in asbestos. \u00a0I’m absolutely serious and speak from experience–“Thai hot” can make you beg for mercy.<\/p>\n

Because of their wide variety, Thai peppers typically range from 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville Heat Units. Compare this to a typical jalape\u00f1o pepper, which ranges from 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units. \u00a0That makes the average Thai pepper about 15 times hotter than the average jalape\u00f1o.. \u00a0New Mexico’s sacrosanct chiles are considered a “mild” (wimpy, wuss, pansy) heat chile, measuring 800-1,400 Scoville Heat Units. \u00a0By any measure Thai peppers kick sand in the face of New Mexican chile. \u00a0Next time some braggadocio you don’t especially like boasts about his heat tolerance, invite them to a Thai restaurant and order their dish at the “Thai hot” level.<\/p>\n

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Fish Cakes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you do like that braggart, take him to Thai Spice in Rio Rancho and order something at a “medium” heat level. \u00a0You will, after all, hope to hook him on the absolute deliciousness of one of the world’s most popular cuisines. \u00a0Thai cuisine isn’t solely beloved because of its \u00a0mouth-numbing piquancy. \u00a0It truly is one of the world’s very best cuisines<\/strong><\/a>. \u00a0Thai Cuisine may be brand new to Rio Rancho, opening its doors in late May, but it’s got a significant pedigree and it lives in a very familiar location, one which is auto-programmed on every vehicle of every denizen of the City of Vision.<\/p>\n

For those of you not intimate with Rio Rancho, Thai Cuisine is housed in the complex which once served as home to the legendary Smokehouse<\/strong><\/a>, a bastion of bodacious barbecue for a quarter century. \u00a0The Smokehouse has been closed for a decade now (22 June 2013) and two other barbecue restaurants–Stack House BBQ<\/strong><\/a> and Rub-N-Wood<\/strong><\/a>–gave it the old college try but neither could duplicate the Smokehouse magic. \u00a0When visionaries (residents of the City of Vision) found out Thai Cuisine was to launch at the former home of the Smokehouse, we waited patiently for city bureaucrats to approve the far-too-many permits to allow the restaurant to open. \u00a0Seriously, it took months for the slow wheels of meddlesome government to move fast enough for those of us wanting to try the mettle of Thai Cuisine’s Thai heat.<\/p>\n

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Chicken Satay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What used to be a separate dining room for overflow crowds has been converted to the<\/em> dining room. \u00a0The original dining room now houses the counter where you place your order. \u00a0All the trappings which once screamed “this is a barbecue joint<\/em>” are gone (sadly including the irresistible aromas of meats smoked low and slow). \u00a0Decorative accoutrements are thoroughly Thai including the de rigueur photograph of the Thai Royal family. \u00a0Though you may place your order at the counter, it will be delivered to your table. \u00a0Fortune smiled upon us during our inagural visit when our server was the fabulous Jenn, a Washington state transfer with a beautiful smile and effervescent personality.<\/p>\n

Jenn told us Thai Cuisine is the sister restaurant of the original Thai Cuisine<\/strong><\/a> on Monta\u00f1o and Coors. \u00a0For years, the owners of Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho owned and operated a restaurant also named Thai Cuisine in Santa Fe. \u00a0They had to get up at unholy hours to drive to The City Different so they could prepare for the rigors of the day. \u00a0 Rio Rancho made a lot more sense. \u00a0It makes sense for us, too. \u00a0Thai Cuisine is only about eight miles away, not even as far as my former daily commute to Intel.<\/p>\n

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Shrimp Spring Rolls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because of our familiarity with the menu<\/strong><\/a> at the original Thai Cuisine, it didn’t take us very long to decide what to order. \u00a0Frankly, the menu at Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho is very similar to the menu at almost every Thai restaurant you’ll ever visit. \u00a0As with Vietnamese restaurants, you probably won’t ever find a bad Thai restaurant. \u00a0Thai Cuisine (all locations) is consistently excellent. \u00a0Heat levels are : no chili, mild, medium, hot, or Thai hot. \u00a0Lunch specials–which include an egg roll, daily soup and Thai dessert–are served Monday through Friday from 11AM to 3PM. \u00a0There are thirteen entrees on the lunch special.<\/p>\n

Appetizers<\/strong><\/h1>\n

24 June 2023<\/strong>: The dinner menu is much more expansive in terms of entrees. \u00a0Both lunch and dinner menus list eight appetizers, again very familiar to aficionados of Thai cuisine. \u00a0Perhaps indicative of Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho’s heat levels, the fish cakes<\/strong><\/em> (deep-fried fish cake served with homemade cucumber sauce), a spicy (flame) icon is depicted after the description. \u00a0When my Kim can tolerate any heat, you know it’s not especially hot at all. \u00a0Ingredients used to make fish cakes include curry paste and fish sauce, two heat-generating components that barely showed themselves. \u00a0Despite not having much discernible heat, the fish cakes are quite good and the cucumber salad is fantastic!<\/p>\n

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Pot Stickers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17 December 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0As with several Asian culinary cultures, “street food” is very popular in Thailand. \u00a0Hotels.com explains: “Street food in Bangkok provides convenient, delicious and cheap meals and it\u2019s one of the purest ways to get in touch with the local culture. Street food is a quintessential part of the Bangkok experience. Wherever you go in the city, food stalls are plentiful and you will find a high concentration of them in busy areas. Some street vendors operate in groups, especially in local markets, which means you can go to the same place every night and have a different choice of meal. Some even open around the clock.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

17 December 2023<\/strong>: Among the ubiquitous street food in Thailand is satay, a term which translates to “kebab; grilled meat skewers<\/em>.” \u00a0 Though more commonly made with pork, chicken satay<\/strong><\/em> is also popular. \u00a0That’s how Thai Cuisine serves it. Marinated with herbs and spices and grilled, the satay is served with homemade peanut sauce and cucumber sauce, both on the cloying side. \u00a0Because satay is street food after all, the “skewers” are made of wood. \u00a0It’s best to extricate the satay from its wooden skewer lest you risk inadvertantly chewing on the stick. \u00a0Thai Cuisine’s version is slathered with coconut milk and isn’t quite as curry-centric as other satay we’ve had.<\/p>\n

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Thai Iced Coffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8 April 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 My dear friend Bill Resnik is a man prone to cravings…and when those cravings hit, he succumbs to them.\u00a0 Lately he’s been on a Thai Cuisine kick.\u00a0 It’s become a weekly habit for him so when he recommends a dish, I’m inclined to listen.\u00a0 One of the appetizers ensnaring his affections of late is spring rolls<\/strong><\/em> (fresh lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrots, cilantro, and soft rice noodle, tightly wrapped white rice paper, served with sweet and sour sauce) with shrimp.<\/p>\n

The transparency of the rice paper is like having X-ray vision in that you’re able to see the ingredients.\u00a0 \u00a0Freshness is a hallmark of those ingredients.\u00a0 The spring rolls are served with a sweet and sour sauce (honey and vinegar based) though you can request peanut sauce, too.\u00a0 Better still, ask for prik nam pla<\/strong><\/em>, the most beloved condiment in Thailand. Prik<\/em>\u00a0means chilies, and\u00a0nam pla\u00a0<\/em>means fish sauce, and those are the two key elements.\u00a0 It’s a fiery condiment resplendent with incendiary Thai peppers.\u00a0 That means\u00a0 heat powerful enough to bring you to your knees.\u00a0 As with habaneros, Thai peppers have a nuanced sweetness that tempers the heat.<\/p>\n

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Massaman Curry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8 April 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Perhaps my very favorite Wikipedia entry is the one listing dumplings<\/strong><\/a>, a surprisingly versatile and universal food.\u00a0 Of course, Wikipedia lumps virtually everything into the “dumpling” category.\u00a0 That includes gnocchi, ravioli, kreplach, calzones and even empanadas.\u00a0 \u00a0Wikipedia’s default definition of dumplings is “a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources) wrapped around a filling, or of dough with no filling<\/em>.”\u00a0 Pot stickers are defined as “Chinese dumplings<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

Pot stickers are very popular in Thai restaurants, too.\u00a0 Thai Cuisine’s pot stickers<\/strong><\/em> are available stuffed with chicken or veggies.\u00a0 They’re served with the restaurant’s sweet and sour (emphasis on “sweet”) sauce.\u00a0 The pot stickers are pan-fried to a golden sheen and are served eight per order.\u00a0 Despite being fried, they retain the characteristic moistness of a great pot sticker.\u00a0 Don’t desecrate these pot stickers with the sweet and sour sauce when prik nam pla is available.\u00a0 It enlivens and improves everything it touches.<\/p>\n

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Pad Thai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Entrees<\/strong><\/h1>\n

24 June 2023<\/strong>: My bride has never tried to compete with me when it comes to eating spicy foods though she’d certainly kick my butt in terms of sweet foods, especially chocolate. \u00a0Her favorite Thai dish has long been Pad Thai<\/strong><\/em>, a dessert-sweet entree that’s not a traditional Thai dish. \u00a0In fact, Pad Thai was introduced to the United States by Chinese immigrants as a nod to the American palate and penchant for sweets. \u00a0 Ideally, Pad Thai should hit all the flavor notes \u2013 sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami. \u00a0I can’t get past the sweet, but my Kim loves it so maybe someday she can write my review of the dish.<\/p>\n

24 June 2023<\/strong>: Not nearly as sweet as Pad Thai (or my Kim) is massaman curry<\/strong><\/em>, a dish made with plenty of coconut milk which accounts greatly for its sweetness. \u00a0Massaman curry is a bit different than other varieties of Thai curry because it features such spices as cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and is topped off with peanuts and potatoes. \u00a0It’s rich and creamy though relatively mild in flavor–even at the “Thai hot” level. \u00a0Be forewarned–when Gil says something’s “mild,” your taste buds may interpret it differently. \u00a0Massaman curry remains one of my very favorite curries with Thai Cuisine’s version being among the most memorable.<\/p>\n

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Drunken Noodles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17 December 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0There are two things this pedantic restaurant essayist loves about perusing through Thai restaurant menus. \u00a0One is the spelling of menu items. There is no commonly accepted method of transliteration from Thai to English, so a dish you saw spelled one way on a menu last week, could very well be spelled differently in the next Thai restaurant you visit. \u00a0Pad Thai, for example, might be spelled “Put Thai” at one restaurant and “Pud Thai” at another. \u00a0The other thing I love is the etymology of those names. \u00a0For example, where did the name “drunken noodles” come from? Are the noodles drunk with alcohol a primary ingredient ? Is the name a hint about the best way to enjoy them?<\/p>\n

According to Giant of Siam<\/strong><\/a>, a Thai cooking website, “As with many traditional dishes, there are several stories about where the name \u201cdrunken noodles\u201d came from. More than one of them is related to how spicy these noodles are. One explanation is that because the dish is so spicy, you would have to drink a lot to handle the spice. Another is that the extreme spice of the noodles is the only thing strong enough for inebriated people to taste<\/em>.” \u00a0You’ll find drunken noodles<\/strong><\/em> (wide rice noodle stir-fried with egg, garlic, yellow onion, jalapeno, red bell peppers, basil, lime leaves, tomatoes, and Chinese broccoli) on the “Noodles” section of the menu. \u00a0My Kim loves this dish, provided (of course) none of the traditionally piquant Thai ingredients are used. \u00a0Instead, she asks for extra basil, a vibrant and delicious herb that enhances the flavors of the dish.<\/p>\n

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Larb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17 December 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0Larb Gai (sometimes spelled lop, lamb, lob and laab) is my favorite Thai dish when my objective is to set my taste buds on fire. \u00a0At Thai Cuisine, the larb<\/strong><\/em> gai<\/strong><\/em> (ground chicken mixed in Thai lime dressing with red onions, green onions, cilantro, mint, and roasted rice powder) is wonderfully angry, both assaulting and tantalizing your taste buds with flavors so pronounced and profound that you’ll smile even as your taste buds are crying. \u00a0Honestly, if pain is a flavor it would taste a lot like larb gai.<\/p>\n

8 April 2025:<\/strong>\u00a0 If there’s one soup that truly earns its name, it’s Tom Yum<\/strong><\/em> (emphasis on “Yum”).\u00a0 Tom Yum isn’t named for some Thai dude named “Tom” and “yum” doesn’t refer to Rachel Ray’s favorite descriptor for foods she likes.\u00a0 “Tom” actually refers to the boiling process, while “yum” means mixed.\u00a0 Thai Cuisine’s Tom Yum (clear broth made with exotic herbs of lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, yellow onions, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms) is outstanding.\u00a0 It’s available with pork, chicken, beef, shrimp or seafood (shrimp, squid, mussels).\u00a0 It’s also available at your exacting level of heat.\u00a0 If you order it with seafood (my preference), don’t go any hotter than “hot” or you might not be able to taste the seafood.<\/p>\n

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Tom Yum Soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Denver’s Westword<\/strong><\/a> describes the process of deciding what level of heat to request at a Thai restaurant as “a tricky cultural dance<\/em>.” \u00a0 It’s a dance diners new to Thai heat should allow Thai chefs to lead. Don’t assume that because you can tolerate New Mexico’s chile you can tolerate Thai peppers. \u00a0It could be a painful lesson and the point of any restaurant visit is to enjoy the food, not suffer while eating it. Regardless of your heat tolerance, Thai Cuisine can deliver it deliciously.<\/p>\n

Thai Cuisine<\/strong>
\n4000 Barbara Loop, S.E.
\nRio Rancho, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 892-1813
\nWebsite<\/strong><\/a> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: \u00a08 April 2025
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: \u00a024 June 2023
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Massaman Curry, Pad Thai, Fish Cakes, Chicken Satay, Drunken Noodles, Larb, Tom Yum Soup, Chicken Potstickers,, Shrimp Spring Rolls, Thai Iced Coffee,
\nREVIEW #1345<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Mexican men can be so haughty. \u00a0(I don’t include New Mexican women in this categorization because they’re generally smarter.) \u00a0We laugh at what Californians, Arizonans and especially Texans call “chili.” \u00a0We pride ourselves on machismo, some of which is on display even when we eat out. \u00a0We never ask if the chile is hot. \u00a0We assume (and hope) it is so we can prove how tough we are. \u00a0We question the manhood of any New Mexican who prefers his chile “mild.” \u00a0Mild chile is for children and law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas. \u00a0Give us chile with the piquancy of napalm or volcanic lava. \u00a0Give us chile even Satan can’t eat. Yeah, right! \u00a0I’ve seen New Mexican men wheeze…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[277,141,563,265,91],"tags":[4856,1648,2088,2086,1584,963,964,3203,3199,4855,3201,3198,3202,3197,4858,3200,4857],"class_list":["post-64022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asian","category-new-mexico","category-rating-excellent","category-rio-rancho","category-thai","tag-chicken-potstickers","tag-chicken-satay","tag-drunken-noodles","tag-fish-cakes","tag-lamb","tag-massaman-curry","tag-pad-thai","tag-rub-n-wood","tag-scoville-heat-units","tag-shrimp-spring-rolls","tag-smokehouse","tag-spice-level","tag-stack-house-bbq","tag-thai-hot","tag-thai-iced-coffee","tag-thai-royal-family","tag-tom-yum-soup"],"yoast_head":"\nThai Cuisine - Rio Rancho, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=64022\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Thai Cuisine - Rio Rancho, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New Mexican men can be so haughty. \u00a0(I don’t include New Mexican women in this categorization because they’re generally smarter.) \u00a0We laugh at what Californians, Arizonans and especially Texans call “chili.” \u00a0We pride ourselves on machismo, some of which is on display even when we eat out. \u00a0We never ask if the chile is hot. \u00a0We assume (and hope) it is so we can prove how tough we are. \u00a0We question the manhood of any New Mexican who prefers his chile “mild.” \u00a0Mild chile is for children and law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas. \u00a0Give us chile with the piquancy of napalm or volcanic lava. \u00a0Give us chile even Satan can’t eat. 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