When a restaurant’s empty during what should be the busy dinner hours, you can draw one of two conclusions: a) People know well enough to stay away, or b) The restaurant has yet to be discovered.

Let’s place Tangerine Thai firmly in category “B”.

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I say that Westchester is, er, somewhat lacking in the Thai department. Maybe that’s too broad a statement to make when there are restaurants I still need to try — Red Lotus, Thai Garden, Bangkok Spice — but I’m sorry, the putrid Thai experiences soured me. I’ve been soured.

But hold on, there’s hope yet.  I’m not proclaiming Tangerine Thai the world’s best or anything, but it was far better than other area Thai restaurants I’ve eaten at. Plus, the staff were friendly, generous and accomodating to the restaurant meetup and me, and good service goes a long way in my book.

The meal started with the manager coming over to tell us she was serving two bottles of wine (one red, one white) on the house.  Unexpected, and much appreciated.  We moved right into our appetizers — in my case, four gorgeously golden prawn rolls.

I could have made these my meal.   I have never, ever, EVER, had a bad spring or prawn roll; the crunch of the thin, lightly fried wrapper automatically activates the pleasure centers in the brain. There’s no way to go wrong.

Krysia’s roasted duck looked appetizing.

For my entree, I ordered my Thai restaurant barometer, chicken kaprow, a mix of chicken, basil, hot chilies and veggies (the restaurant lists it as “krapow”, which sounds about ten times less appealing).

Three points about this dish: one, I ordered it “extra spicy” because I like a side of ulcer with my kaprow; two, I was slightly disappointed it was made with sliced chicken instead of minced (minced soaks up the sauce like a sponge); and three, because I order this dish everywhere, it’s the benchmark by which I judge Thai restaurants, and I still think Brown Sugar Cafe in Boston does it the best.

But still, this was a very good kaprow chicken — nice layers of flavor (could taste that fish sauce) and sneaky spicy.  The onions and peppers were perfectly cooked too.  I was happy.

Like usual, Karen and I were pretty much the only ones to order dessert.  Green tea ice cream makes a great end to any Asian meal.

I’m not sure why Tangerine Thai was empty, but I do know it’s not a reflection of the food (maybe they do big lunch business?). The parking situation’s not great and the restaurant’s sort of tucked away on Yonkers Ave., so I can only assume most people just haven’t found it yet.

So come on Westchesterians, let’s mobilize.  If we’re going to continue to patronize the bad Thai restaurants, then let’s also reward the ones that are doing things well.  Tangerine Thai will serve you a solid meal with nice service and reasonable prices. Let’s give them our support.

GRADE: B+

Tangerine Thai
90 Yonkers Ave.
Tuckahoe, NY
914-771-8200