Photo by Sandy Reitman
Thai Barbq
Like most restaurants in America, Thai Barbq is short-staffed but it’s not stopping people from socially distanced dining and nonstop delivery drivers from coming through the door. The waiter was very friendly despite seeming a little overwhelmed. Fear not, we ordered a feast and got a lovely round table in the window so we can see National Avenue at sunset and all the golden Thai decorations outfitting the interior. The corner of National Avenue and 35th Street is Milwaukee’s version of little Asia.
Joining my parents for dinner, they let me do the ordering and wanted to try something different than the usual pad Thai and spring rolls they’re used to. We opted for tom yum soup, fresh rolls with shrimp, spicy papaya salad, pork larb, and veggie jungle curry with tofu.
The spice scale is 1-5 and 2-3 is fine unless you really enjoy intense heat in your food. Even at the 2 level, we had some sweat at the table. While we might have over-ordered, Thai food makes some of the greatest leftovers in my personal opinion.
I don’t normally applaud photos on menus, I do think it helps you choose a better mix of textures, colors, meats, and flavors. My mother once said to me, “a good meal has a lot of colors” and this mantra rings true at Thai Barbq.
And, if you’re adventurous enough to want to try Thai cooking at home—visit the Asian International Market a couple doors down to get every authentic ingredient you could need and then some.
