Bringing the heat: Thai Tip stands out in Albuquerque's diverse culinary scene

A friend and frequent dining companion recently made the

bold claim that Thai cuisine has overtaken Vietnamese in the hierarchy of Albuquerque’s ethnic dining scene. No evidence was offered. Just a feeling, he said.

Feelings do not constitute data, so I’m not prepared to support this proposition. Still, there’s no question that Thai restaurants have become a fixture in the city. It turns out that a cuisine known for the heat and variety of its chili peppers makes an ideal fit for a state that has chile peppers on its license plates.

While opinions are divided on who has the best Thai food in town, few if any spots have been embraced for as long and as enthusiastically as Thai Tip near Wyoming and Indian School boulevards in the Northeast Heights.

Thai Tip is named for chef Tippawan “Tip” Sherrod, who co-owns the place with her husband John. The Sherrods opened Thai Tip in 2004 in the former home of another Thai restaurant, Thai Pepper.

The restaurant occupies a small space in an L-shaped strip mall that has become quite an international food hub. Along with Thai Tip, the mall is home to Eloy’s Mexican, South China, Café Istanbul and Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Thai Tip is on the northern side of the mall, between a gaming center and a bead shop.

Decorative objects from Thailand and photos of some of the restaurant’s popular dishes decorate the walls of the dining room. The space fills up quickly on weekend nights.

The entire menu fits on one big page laminated in plastic. Diners can choose their preferred level of heat for many of the dishes, starting with Mild and then working up through Medium to New Mexico Hot before arriving at the highest level, Thai Hot.

The 11 appetizers range in price from $3.50 for a single egg roll to $13.25 for an assortment plate. Thai Tip’s version of Chicken Satay ($8.95), the popular street food of Southeast Asia that is ubiquitous in U.S. Thai restaurants, arrived as three skewers holding long, flattened pieces of white meat chicken. The chicken, gilded from the marinade and marked by the grill, was juicy and subtly flavored with hints of lime, garlic and coconut. The server told us they were out of peanut sauce, so we made do with a couple of alternatives: a watery, housemade sweet and sour sauce and a thick chili sauce that was more vinegary than spicy. The latter in particular was a good match for the chicken. All in all, it was an excellent starter, even if we missed the peanut sauce.

One of seven fried rice dishes on the menu, Pineapple Fried Rice ($15.75) was served in a straight-sided bowl with a few cucumber slices rising up from one side. We had the gluten-free version with chicken. The pairing of juicy pineapple chunks and nutty, umami-rich jasmine rice elevated the dish. Cashews and tomatoes added crunch and acid.

Each of the seven curries on the menu cost $12 and change. Pa Nang Curry ($12.75) came in bowl crowded with big spongy cubes of tofu. At the Medium heat level, the red curry-based broth chili stung the edge of the tongue and roof of the mouth before receding to a mild burn. The heat of the curry matched with the sweet coconut milk and sour lime leaves was transportive. Take a sip, close your eyes, and you can easily imagine yourself sitting in the shade of a coconut palm on some tropical beach.

An exemplary version of Pad Thai ($12.75) leads off the roster of eight noodle dishes. We ordered ours with chicken and took it to go. It came in a Styrofoam container with lime quarters and small cups of crushed peanuts and chili flakes. Despite their colorless appearance, the chewy flat rice noodles carried loads of flavor. I especially appreciated the noticeable sour notes from the tamarind sauce.

Bringing the heat: Thai Tip stands out in Albuquerque's diverse culinary scene

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A standout among the nine stir-fry dishes, Pad Khing ($12.75) nicely balanced sweet and spicy flavors in a sauce made with ginger and soy. Colorful with carrots, peppers, broccoli and mushrooms, the dish was dazzling to the eye and the matchsticks of ginger brought of bracing spiciness.

Like many of the entrees, Thai Tip’s desserts take you away to the tropics. Served in a shallow glass bowl, Tapioca ($6.50) was comprised of little tapioca pearls, green with pandan leaf extract, with a nutty vanilla flavor that complemented the coconut milk broth. We also got an order of Mango Sweet Rice ($6.95) to go. A sliced half of a ripe mango sat atop a pile of sweet rice in a Styrofoam container accompanied by a cup of coconut sauce. The tart and juicy mango and the coconut sauce cut the sweet, gummy rice, making for an exceptional bite.

Our server was friendly and prompt and well-versed on gluten-free options. The food came out quickly, at least for the dine-in order. Takeout was a different story. I put my order in through the Toast online system before 5 p.m. and was given a hefty 50-minute wait time. And that’s almost exactly how long it took. Give yourself some time when ordering takeout, especially during the weekend dinner hours.

Tippawan and John Sherrod have made Thai Tip a standout in Albuquerque’s thriving Thai food scene. Its long run in the Northeast Heights is a testament to their high standards.