New Upscale Thai Joins Williamsburg Dining Scene

The new Thai restaurant in the McCarren Hotel & Pool in Williamsburg is now open: Thaimee at McCarren, which offers an eight- and a ten-course tasting menu, as well as dishes la carte, start serving dinner on Thursday.

Here, chef Hong Thaimee and her business partner Matt Bruck, a consultant turned restaurateur, are labeling the cuisine “true Thai” — an effort to emphasize authenticity. Thaimee grew up Chiang Mai and worked at Jean-Georges’ Perry Street before opening East Village restaurant Ngam. This is her third solo restaurant, located at 160 North 12th Street.

The opening dinner menu includes dishes such as khao krieb pak mor (Thai dumplings), yum som o (citrus salad), ook gai (Chiang Mai-style braised chicken for 2), and khao soy (a curry with vegetable noodles). More ubiquitous dishes like pad thai are also available.

Brunch, which runs Saturday and Sunday, leans into American brunch fare with Asian accents, such as a creme brulee French toast with jasmine and a ricotta toast with fig and lychee honey.

The dish that will likely pop up on Instagram is the “magic noodle salad,” with noodles that turn from blue to purple with a spritz of lime. See the full menus below.

Noah Fecks for Thaimee

Cocktails, which will debut later, come from Tonia Guffey (Dram) and Karen Fu (The NoMad) and use Thai flavors, including a daiquiri with lemongrass and a punch with condensed milk and Thai coffee.

McCarren Hotel’s subterranean restaurant space hasn’t been able to hold onto a tenant for long, with star chef Paul Liebrandt leaving the space first and then a restaurant called Oleanders originally designed by Joe Carroll and Francesco Panella closing next. Last fall, investment group Empire Capital bought the hotel for $20 million, and now, they’re hoping this will be the one that sticks.

Expect breakfast and lunch to come, but for now, Thaimee is open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for brunch.