Thai Restaurants in Columbine

A "tuk tuk" (pronounced "took took") is a type of three-wheeled taxi service commonly found in Thailand. It's used by tourists as well as locals, who appreciate the speed and convenience. Westminster's Tuk Tuk Thai Bistro tries to capture the above qualities in a restaurant, and it largely succeeds. But there's a certain elegance to Tuk Tuk that you might not expect to find on the streets of Bangkok. The kitchen takes typical street foods and classes them up, resulting in a menu that seems both familiar and adventurous.

Wild Bangkok's team of chefs employs award-winning expertise gleaned from multiple continents to fashion a menu that offers authentic Thai fare made with healthy, organic, and locally derived ingredients. A full bar shines behind the marigold- and purple-hued dining space, with barkeeps standing by to uncap beers or pour, shake, and stir a variety of classic cocktails. The dining area's shoulder-stimulating booths accommodate both romantic dinners and group outings.

The Thai family that runs Thai Pepper II use fresh vegetables and sauces to prepare flavorful curries and soups. Six curries, including massaman, panang, and pineapple, pair with a choice of one of seven proteins, such as tofu or pork. Gluten-free pad thai leads the pack of noodle dishes, which combine wide rice noodles with vegetables and seasonings.

The chefs at Tommy's Thai customize the heat quotient of each menu item by preparing authentic entrees to mild, medium, hot, or Thai hot specifications. Tommy's Tidbits, an appetizer alliance composed of spring rolls, fried shrimp, shu mai, and crab cheese wontons ($7.95), eradicate stomach rumblings and premeal taste-bud boredom. The siracha entree bathes fresh ginger, a choice of protein, and crispy veggies in the eponymous sauce ($6.75 for lunch, $7.75 for dinner), and the pad thai tosses together an appetite-appeasing combination of rice noodles, ground peanuts, and green onions ($6.75 for lunch, $7.75 for dinner). Hailing from a clutch of red, yellow, and green curries, the red pineapple curry blends sweet fruit and rebellious spices ($7.25 for lunch, $8.25 for dinner) to make tongues swoon like a group of 1950s teenagers at an unsupervised sock hop.

Celebrating seven years of service and flaunting freshly painted walls, Saigon Landing Restaurant reopened last year in Greenwood Village with its menu of fresh, heart-healthy Vietnamese cuisine intact. At the Greenwood Village location, an eclectic range of Eastern flavors abound, with lemongrass and curry anchoring plates piled with pork, chicken, seafood, or veggies. Outside, an American flag billows over a grassy border lined with vibrant foliage, fir trees, and a friendly giant tasked with blowing away approaching storm clouds. The Greenwood Village location is close to the United Artists/Regal movie theater off of East Arapahoe Road and I-25.

Set within a warm, romantic atmosphere that melds modern accouterments with ancient mystique, Thai Basil regales foreign fare finders with a menu of Asian fusion cuisine. Commence exotic eating excursions with a cream-cheese-stuffed crab cheese wonton ($4.95) or lemongrass mussels ($7.95), or dive into a squall of stir-fried shrimp swimming in a spicy sea of tamarind sauce ($11.50 at dinner). The red-curry chicken slathered in peanut sauce ($9.95 at dinner) tantalizes taste buds, and the stir-fried dynamite noodles delight pasta-prone diners and consternates cartoon coyotes with an explosive sauce, diffused with chicken, beef, or tofu ($8.95, $9.95 for shrimp). Veggie-philes can sink their herbivorous teeth into the thai eggplant ($8.50) as they partake in a sudsy potable from the full bar.