This Month’s Featured Article

As soon as you drive through the gates of Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic, NY, you know you’re somewhere special. Then, when you walk into the converted barn that is now home to Thai Baan restaurant in addition to Tenmile’s distillery and a fabulous bar, you realize you’re actually somewhere very, very special.

We had early reservations on a Friday evening, and we drove through a torrential downpour on our way to Wassaic as a summer thunderstorm rolled through. But inside Thai Baan, we felt welcomed and at ease. The atmosphere and decor is truly fabulous, giving a sense of Zen. Jason Jeffords, one of Thai Baan’s owners, seated us with an amazing, unobstructed view of the outside grounds and mountain range off in the distance to my left, while to my right I had a direct view of the Friday night chickens as they rotated on the rotisserie.

Jason was so welcoming, and after giving us a moment to peruse the menu, he returned and talked with us about their menu items, and about his head chef (and wife) Runie’s approach and Thai background. He suggested I try the April O’Neil which is a jalapeño vodka with cilantro, mint, pineapple, and lime. Admittedly, I often tend to play it safe and go sweet with my drinks, but after one sip I understood why Jason made this recommendation: this is one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. The initial sip was perfectly spicy, but the flavor quickly changed to a mixture of cilantro and mint, ending with the pineapple’s sweetness. This was my first of many flavor experiences of the evening; every single sip and bite that I took was a true culinary experience. 

Jason then suggested that he bring us a sampler of their favorite dishes, which we excitedly agreed to. A few moments later, Runie came out from the kitchen to meet us, and she was just as wonderful as Jason. It was very evident that they love what they do and that they put that love into every dish and drink their restaurant has to offer. 

I was able to talk a little bit with Jason about their backgrounds, how they ended up at Tenmile, and what a culinary journey it has been. 

How did Thai Baan come into existence?

Thai Baan started, if I think about it, when Runie and I first started dating. I had a new apartment and zero food in my fridge, so Runie would bring things over every time she stopped by. Pretty soon my fridge and cabinets were filled with food I didn’t know how to cook. We would just cook at the apartment instead of going out to dinner, which was a welcome dating experience in New York City. This is where Runie first started making her food for me.

What are your and Runie’s 

backgrounds?

I have been working in hospitality for 27 years, 26 of those in New York City. I started out working in fine dining as a bartender for chefs like David Bouley, Gray Kunz, and John Fraser. I moved into the wine department at Gotham Bar and Grill then moved on to operate the groundbreaking cocktail bar, Pegu Club. 

After that I got into nightlife, operating the very large 230fifth rooftop nightclub and then becoming the beverage director at the celebrity-driven Catch in the Meatpacking District. At that point I started opening restaurants for the likes of Blue Ribbon, 2nd Ave Deli, and Jean-George, and I worked as a corporate beverage director for the LA nightlife brand sbe. 

Runie spent most of her career in hotels and cruise lines. She has worked in every position in a restaurant at this point. Her longest contracts were with a Hyatt Regency in Dubai and the Crown Plaza in Oman.

From NYC and Dubai to … Wassaic? How did this collaboration with Tenmile come about?

I was actually doing the sales for Tenmile Distillery in New York City when their current vendor had to leave for a weekend to do a private event. The owners, Joel and Eliza, asked us if we could do a Thai food pop-up. Everything went so well that we got invited back for a second pop-up in the fall. Following the second pop-up Joel and Eliza realized Thai food could work in an area like this that lacks ethnic food options in beautiful spaces. We decided to make the move up to the Hudson Valley.

What are your impressions of the local community and landscape? 

We very much enjoy being in the Hudson Valley after a long life in New York City. Runie grew up in the countryside of northern Thailand, surrounded by rice fields and sugarcane fields. I grew up on Lake Ontario in Western New York in a very rural community. So being in the countryside was not completely foreign to us, and we’ve adapted quite well. Runie has been growing a garden now that we’re here in the country. 

Let’s talk about the food: why Thai? How do you create the dishes? Do you offer seasonal menus? Do you have any challenges getting ingredients?

Runie is from Thailand and this is the food she’s always made. She’s been working on her recipes for years, preparing dishes for colleagues who work away from home in far off cities like Dubai. We think of it as elevated Thai comfort food. Runie tries to make food that Thai people would be proud to eat and that reminds them of home. 

The menu changes as seasonal products are available, but we strive for consistency. We do have a challenge getting certain items, so we drive down to Queens every few weeks to source anything we can’t get otherwise. There are still some items we can’t get here that if we were living in Thailand, we would just go pick in the backyard.

How would you explain Thai food to someone who’s not familiar with it? 

Thai food is interesting in that it offers all types of flavors, but most Americans are unfamiliar with those flavors because we just never eat them. There’s a balance and a sharpness to Thai food. Most dishes try to use all five flavor profiles. Many people associate Thai food with spiciness, but the balance between acidity, sweetness, creaminess, and umami is the key to Thai food. We get some folks we can tell are nervous about Thai food, so we steer them towards a dish like a massaman curry, which is just meat and potatoes with different spices.

What are each of your personal favorite dishes and why?

Runie’s favorite dish is papaya salad, but for Thai people that’s something you eat with every meal. When she makes it at home, it is spicy (with 30 chilis) that her face turns red ,and stuff comes out of her nose. That’s how Thai people love it. 

I have a number of favorite dishes. The pork belly noodle soup and any curries we serve; a basic, well-made  fried rice is amazing. Runie’s been making me a bowl of noodles at home every night, and that’s something I really love.

For someone coming to Thai Baan for the first time, what’s a dish they must try?

We do a chicken dinner on a rotisserie in the dining room on Friday nights, it’s a must. Runie brines it in coconut milk, Thai herbs, and lemongrass, and we cook it on the hearth for two hours. The skin gets nice and crispy, and the inside stays incredibly moist. We serve it with rice, fresh vegetables, a few dipping sauces, and a papaya salad. All the desserts are amazing too, especially the pandan crème brûlée.

Are there specific food and drink pairings that someone dining at Thai Baan should try?

We make a lot of amazing cocktails at Tenmile Distillery using spirits made at the distillery. Everything from vodka piña coladas to American single malt Manhattans. One drink that works really well is the April O’Neill. It’s a spicy vodka drink with pineapple juice, mint, and cilantro. The flavors blend well with the flavors of Thai food. But we also have a fun wine list and local beer.

What’s next? What does the 

future hold?

No one knows, TBD.

I can attest that the food is indeed impeccable, and did I already tell you that the April O’Neill was everything (and more) than what Jason promised it would be? Yum!

Before I go into our dishes from our evening at Thai Baan, I have to confess that my Thai cuisine experience was extremely limited until our evening with Jason and Runie. Sure, I knew that some dishes might be spicy, other dishes would have noodles or rice, and the flavors would definitely be something totally new to me. I was very excited! And let me tell you that every bite was genuinely a flavor explosion. 

Jason and his staff first brought out the Thai salad (mixed greens, little gem lettuce, carrot, onion, and tomato with peanut sauce), veggie spring rolls, and pork dumplings. Everything looked amazing and smelled incredible. My first bite was of the dumplings and wow! Hands-down best dumplings I’ve ever had. The salad with that peanut sauce, yum! It was all delicious. 

Next out came our entrées. Now, remember, Jason said he’d take care of us and bring us their favorite and best dishes. So when the braised pork belly with five-spice, lobster spaghetti pad kee mao, and the massaman curry were brought out, my husband and I didn’t know where to start. Everything looked and smelled amazing. Jason walked us through the flavor palates, explaining that massaman curry (braised short ribs, massaman curry, potato, sweet onion, carrot, and coconut milk) is like an elevated “meat and potatoes” with a Thai twist. Every bite, regardless of the dish, was complex and had a complimentary explosion of flavors and textures, but was perfectly paired. Sure, a few bites were spicy, but I welcomed it. It was definitely the good kind of spice.

Choosing a favorite dish was really hard. After much deliberation and many bites, my husband shared that he loved the broth in the braised pork belly with five-spices, while we both really liked the lobster and noodle pairing. For me, the more I ate of the massaman curry dish, mixing the rice in with the sauce, forking a tender piece of short rib with potato … it was indeed a comfort food, but at a whole new level. It may have been my favorite.

Next Jason brought out Runie’s homemade coconut ice cream and the pandan crème brûlée. Like every dish before them, they were beautifully presented. And the flavors and textures? Again, it was an experience like no other. 

We walked out of Tenmile Distillery and Thai Baan to a clear blue sky. We felt comfortably full, still relishing the complete experience that every part of our evening had brought us. 

Jason and Runie’s staff were all amazing and just as welcoming as Runie and Jason were. The atmosphere of the restaurant is really something special, there’s no other way to describe it. The food and drinks? Oh my goodness! Have I told you that it was an experience? And I know that I keep saying that, but I have never had such a culinary experience. Sure, I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy some really amazing food in my life, but few of those were experiences. And Thai Baan certainly has the whole package when it comes to a complete culinary experience. 

To Jason, Runie and their entire staff, thank you for your hospitality and for giving us such a wonderful evening filled with new flavors.  •

Thai Baan is located at Tenmile Distillery at 78 Sinpatch Rd, Wassaic, NY. Call (845) 877-6399 or visit their websites, thaibaannyc.com and tenmiledistillery.com/food-and-drink/.