Have it delivered

Pizza and Chinese food are familiar comforts, if sometimes a little unexciting. Sometimes the palate demands a different cuisine.

Thai Curry is stepping up and getting into the driver's seat. Finally there is a Thai restaurant willing to deliver. When asked which areas they would be willing to service, the Sithiphong family was delightfully cavalier. They asked me where I lived (Eastside) and said, "Sure we'll deliver there." Midtown? "Yeah, OK."

First I had to find out if this was the kind of restaurant that deserved its own speed-dial number. The menu looked promising enough; spicy mint noodles ($9.95) with broccoli, eggs, jalapenos, bean sprouts and sweet basil leaves, shrimp in spicy coconut soup ($11.95), masamun curry with beef, onion, coconut milk and potatoes ($9.95) and a smattering of chef's specials. The curry salmon ($15.95) caught my eye, but takes 30-45 minutes to make.

I opted for the Thai spring rolls ($7.95 for five) and sidewalk noodles ($9.95) with barbecued roast pork. While I waited for my order, I checked out the renovation that replaced Club Soraya with a restaurant. Simple taupe walls, 10 black tables and gauzy green and white curtains at the windows made for a soothing environment.

There wasn't much time for observation; my food came out very quickly and blistering hot. I had to break a fried spring roll in half to speed up the cooling process, eager to take a bite. They were larger than normal and contained a mixture of cellophane noodles, chicken, mushrooms and carrots.

Dipped in the accompanying chili sauce, they were satisfyingly crunchy, sweet and salty. My sidewalk noodles were almost austere in contrast. The textures were all there - chewy rice noodles, crispy bean sprouts, ground-up peanuts and bites of pork, but the sauce was too subtle to lend a distinctive flavor. Plenty of limes squeezed over the dish helped, but next time I'll request more spice.

Round two was the litmus test of Thai food delivery. I called and placed an order, and even though they had already told me they would deliver to my neighborhood, I still breathed a sigh of relief when the employee chirped, "30 to 45 minutes!"

Thirty-five minutes later, I unwrapped the two entrees and a salad I had, in my excitement, ordered for a solitary dinner. The boxes emanated tantalizing and pungent aromas. The pungency came from the papaya salad ($8.95) which was liberally dressed with fish sauce. Slivers of green (unripe) papaya, a few torn leaves of lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes and bright lime make up this traditional dish.

In Thailand people often order this dish to taste, and I would have preferred less fish sauce and more of the sweet lime dressing. It was savory and fresh, though, definitely a departure from the more prosaic side salad I'm used to getting in my deliveries.

The garlic shrimp ($11.95) boasted tender broccoli florets and fat pink shrimp dressed in a garlic-spiked sauce. Be sure to ask for spicy; the heat levels in my medium spicy dishes were barely detectable.

My favorite dish was the yellow curry chicken ($9.95), recommended by Mai, whose brother Phonvilay Sithiphong is the owner. It was silky and perfect over rice, with big chunks of potato and bite-size morsels of chicken. A different kind of comfort food that conjures up images of saffron fields in warmer climates.

Pi Nui from Bangkok is the chef and orchestrator of these recipes, learning them from generations of family members. The Sithiphongs also had some familial assistance. Their cousins in Fairbanks own two Thai restaurants and helped them get their start in Anchorage.

"We already have some regulars," Mai told me. "If they don't like something, we ask them to tell us so that we can fix it."

Thai Curry has already fixed something for me. Now I can sit on my couch, watch the snow fall and speed-dial for some panang curry and chicken sate.

• Got a restaurant tip, a new menu, a favorite dish or a chef change? Send an e-mail to play@adn.com.

Thai Curry Restaurant

*** $$

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday

Options: Dine-in, takeout and delivery (minimum order $25, $2 delivery fee)

Phone: 279-7999 Address: 333 W. 4th Ave. Suite 228