Thai Food and Cooking

Which NYC Nabe Has The Most Gay Bars?

That's easy! Hell's Kitchen! According to the invaluable map in Next magazine, HK and environs has no fewer than 13 LGBT bars! (There's Vlada, Posh, Barrage, Therapy, Industry, Hardware, Escuelita, Fairytail Lounge, The Ritz, Flaming Saddles, Bar-Tini, xl, and Ninth Avenue Saloon). And there's a ... More >>

Pad Thai Redeemed

Finally, a pad thai that kicks your ass Pad Thai is one of those dishes to be instinctively avoided. Even at great Thai restaurants, the cooks switch into gringo mode and turn out an indifferent heap of pale rice noodles that's invariably bland and way too sweet. But then last Friday evening a gro ... More >>

Year of the Takeout Day 70: Red Bowl

Lotus Root in Garlic Sauce from Red Bowl (208 Bedford Avenue, 718-388-8898)

Make Ngam Chef Hong Thaimee's Thai Fruit Salad

Photo courtesy Hong ThaimeeWho says you can't have a tasty fruit salad in winter?​Hong Thaimee, the chef and owner of Ngam (99 Third Avenue, 212-777-8424), is looking to extend the reach of Thai cuisine into the homes of New Yorkers by offering a series of monthly cooking classes at her East V ... More >>

Year of the Takeout Day 34: Kam Sing

​ Thai Curry Bean Curd from Kam Sing (172 Grand Street, 718-782-7596)

Qi Bangkok Eatery: The Thais That Bind

Pichet Ong looks homeward with his latest restaurant

Chelsea's Banana Leaf Sails to the Island of Strange Starches

A new Sri Lankan restaurant slings hoppers, woodapples, and pittu

Our 10 Best Places to Eat in NYC on Gay Pride Weekend

​Stucco-covered Julius' may be the city's very first gaystropub. Why is the weather always hot as hell during Pride Weekend? Your best refuge -- before, during, or after the march -- is in a well-air-conditioned restaurant for a meal or snack (with a frozen cocktail or two, if you prefer). ... More >>

Del Posto Cook and Travel Writer Claire Handleman On The Joys of Eating In Thailand (Part 2)

​ Yesterday we talked to Claire Handleman, who cooks at Del Posto and blogs about her constant travels at Passport to Eat, about how she fell in love with Thai cuisine and the best papaya salad she's ever eaten. Today, she talks about fine dining in Bangkok, Del Posto's Italian cuisine and whe ... More >>

Cuozzo Deems Trader Joe's Vegan Pad Thai Unworthy Cause of Assault

The Trader Joe's incident did not involve a tennis racket. Or a man.​"I love Thai food. I even have a weakness for the sloppy, starchy article dispensed at cheap Thai eateries ruled by the takeout trade, where sauces are thickened to withstand the trip home. But I've never tasted anything as d ... More >>

Marcella Caprario Let Off the Hook in Trader Joe's Thai Food Slapping Trial

​A new precedent was set today in Manhattan court: if someone gets between you and your frozen food at Trader Joe's, you can slap them so hard that their ears ring, legally. Today, the 37-year-old amateur opera singer and part-time teacher Marcella Caprario was found not guilty on charges of t ... More >>

Summer Guide: Eat the Phreak -- Make This Summer Your Salad Days

At Gazala Place, Nice Matin, Gottino, and a host of other NYC restaurants

Coppelia's Pichet Ong Reveals Plans for a New Thai Restaurant and Explains Why He Has Awesome Aprons

Photo courtesy Pichet OngPichet Ong, Master of International Desserts​Pichet Ong is a busy man, lending his culinary cred to restaurants all over town. His most recent venture is creating the pastry options at Coppelia (207 West 14th Street, 212-858-5001), Julian Medina's new Cuban restaurant ... More >>

Where Was I Eating? Kin Shop

Lauren Shockey​Fork in the Road readers, you're all so smart. Or at least omnivorous and possessing photographic memories. For this week's Where Am I Eating? I was, indeed, dining at Kin Shop, Harold Dieterle's excellent modern Thai restaurant in the West Village.

The Early Word: Zabb Elee in Manhattan

Rebecca MarxA little Isan in the East Village​When we heard that Zabb Elee had replaced the very mediocre Le Da Nang, we were very excited, primarily because we live within walking distance of the restaurant and the East Village is in need of some Isan (the region of Northern Thailand near Lao ... More >>

Dee Daa Now Open In Midtown

Zip-a-Dee-Daa​Dee Daa, a "fast-casual" Thai restaurant concept, has debuted in midtown. The menu includes noodles, infused rice dishes, stir-frys, and curries, which come à la carte or in "bundles" with a recommended side.

Lotus of Siam Founders Pull Out

Robert SietsemaNorthern Larb at Lotus of Siam​After a flurry of mixed reviews, husband-and-wife team Bill and Saipin Chutima have decided to leave the New York branch of their acclaimed Las Vegas Thai restaurant, Lotus of Siam. Diner's Journal spoke to their daughter, Pennapa Chutima, who said ... More >>

Ask the Critics: Where Should I Eat Pre-Theater?

commons.wikimedia.orgBright lights, big city. But where to eat?​Christal M. asks: My husband and I are coming to the city from out of state this Saturday to see a show. We were hoping you might recommend a restaurant in the Theater District. When we have done this excursion in the past, we ... More >>

Lotus of Siam Rolls the Dice

The noted Las Vegas Thai joint chances New York City

Northern Larb vs. Isaan Larb at Lotus of Siam, NYC

​The Isaan Larb salad at Lotus of Siam (click to enlarge) Larb (also transliterated "Laab" and "Laap") is doubtlessly one of the best-known dishes from the Isaan region in northeast Thailand, which lies adjacent to Laos and Cambodia. On home ground, the salad is made with duck, pork, or river ... More >>

Kittichai's Ty Bellingham Talks Thai Food, Feeding the Kids & The Guy He Hired Just to Make Curry Paste

Ty Bellingham​Sydney, Australia transplant Ty Bellingham has taken over the kitchen at Kittichai, one of the city's best reviewed Thai upscale restaurants. His pedigree is as strong as it gets this side of Bangkok -- of course, with a name like Ty, what else would you expect? What changes hav ... More >>

Posts of the Week

Finally, Friday afternoon. Early evening, in fact. So without further ado, here's a look back at the week that was. Kittichai's Ty Bellingham talked Thai food, feeding kids, and his curry paste guy. A Fat Pants Friday blow-out at Cannelle Patisserie. Our 10 Best Halloween Trick-or-Treat Candies. ... More >>

Open & Closed: Say Hello to Eton Vanderbilt; Goodbye to The Corner

Restaurants and bars, they come and they go. Here are a few making their debuts and bowing out this week. Tribeca mainstay, Columbine, is closing after 13 years of operation. Owner Barbara Stratton is planning to relocate nearby. [Tribeca Trib via Grub Street]​ The Corner on the Upper West S ... More >>

Nine Cuisines Missing from NYC

positiveictafrica.wordpress.comA typical Kenyan meal featuring the staple starch called ugali and fried fish​Morgan S. asks: I've been told you can get every cuisine in the world in New York City. Is that true? Dear Morgan: Well, almost. We've got at least 80 distinct cuisines by my estimate, ... More >>

Veggie Tales: How the Pret-a-Manger Options Stack Up

The onion knows its place in Arora Creations' Vegetable Korma. Photo by Victoria Bekiempis​Like their meaty relatives, vegetarian-friendly TV dinners and pre-made meals can be as tasteless as they are convenient. Often overloaded with salt and sameness, many are too mushy (and mysterious) to e ... More >>

Talent Thai's Kitsch Kitchen

No pig's blood, but plenty of flavors on 34th Street

Revisit: Pam Real Thai Food in Hell's Kitchen

​Kaeng zom sour curry, featuring shrimp or freshwater fish, is one dish that Pam Real Thai does particularly well. Yes there really is a Pam, and nine years ago she started a restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called Pam Real Thai Food that quickly rose to be one of the best Thais in Manhattan, whi ... More >>

Vegetarian (and Vegan) Delights of NYC: Mock Duck at Sumran Thai in Astoria, Queens

​Sumran Thai makes extensive use of mock duck, as in the above "sweet chili paste" preparation. I was bummed to hear recently that my favorite Astorian Thai, Poodam, had closed down. I didn't totally give up hope, though, since Poodam had closed before -- once for several months -- only to re ... More >>

Tendon Soup Thickened with Pig Blood at Sripraphai

​The pig blood renders the broth rich and salty. The Organ Meat Society convened last night at Sripraphai, a Thai restaurant in Woodside, Queens, that began life more than a decade ago as a bakery, also selling homemade snacks and a simple roster of meals. That one room has ballooned into thr ... More >>

Humorist Mo Rocca on Pale-Faced Vegans, Gay Thai Food, and Eating Eyeballs

Mo Rocca: Gentleman farmer, duck-lover, possessor of newly acquired abs-of-steel ​ Mo Rocca is a writer and humorist, a regular correspondent on the CBS Sunday Morning show, a panelist on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and an Iron Chef America judge. He has appeared on Ugly Betty, The Tonight ... More >>

News from Kensington's Am-Thai Chili Basil Kitchen: Menu Additions, Stall at Holiday Market

Pad Chaa-Chaa: You can see some fresh peppercorns at bottom left​ It sounds like a Latin dance, but pad chaa-chaa is actually a Thai dish named after the sound that vegetables make when they hit very hot oil: "chaa-chaa." It's one of the many new dishes added to the menu at Am-Thai Chili Basil ... More >>

Our 10 Best: Thai Restaurants

​ ​No doubt it has a beguiling name, but did Thai Pot make our top 10? It wasn't too long ago that New Yorkers had to hang their heads in shame when we compared our collection of Southeast Asian restaurants with those in Los Angeles. And our experience of the cooking of Thailand's nort ... More >>

Tomorrow: Our 10 Best Thai Restaurants

​ ​One test of a great northern Thai restaurant is perfect pork larb, laced with herbs and doused with a pungent dressing. Tomorrow, Fork in the Road puts its figurative ass on the line, Southeast Asian style, laying out our favorite 10 Thai restaurants. The rankings may surprise you, b ... More >>

A New Crop of Thais Pops Up in Woodside and Astoria

The Early Word -- Fatty Crab [Uptown]

Saturday evening, just thinking about dinner before heading out to a rock club, I got a text from Zak Pelaccio: "Come up for some eats tonight," and later, by way of further incentive: "I have some baby lamb and some other fun." The carrion call of roast flesh was irresistible. I knew I couldn't r ... More >>

Keep Your Eyes on MaiThai

The next threat to the Queens hegemony

Thai Me Up, Thai Me Down

Bangkok-Style Goods at Rhong-Tiam, Plus the Curious Case of Kurve

A tale of two restaurants

Going Coco-Nuts at Am-Thai Chili Basil Kitchen

Brilliant Brooklyn Thai is awash in the thick white stuff

New Isaan Café Charges into Southeastern Astoria Spewing Chilies

Poodam's thai cuisine: fire in the hole

Single White Wonton

Choice Chao might well be the best Thai in town

Yuzu Juice for the Rest of Us

Shopping like a chef

Snacker's Paradise

Microscopic Elmhurst spot offers an inexpensive Thai overview

The Price of Convenience

Shopping ethnic: Chinatown vs. Whole Foods

Isaan Food Explodes Like a Mortar Round in Jackson Heights

Noodle Envy

Hold the Bile in Woodside

Listings

Orbiting Yum

Sail Away

Cancel That Flight to Los Angeles

The Royal We