Bangkok chef brings a special menu to Jackson on March 17 and 18.
Come for the beer, stay for the food… At Thai Me Up that will be more true than ever when internationally acclaimed restaurant owner and cookbook author Jarrett Wrisely rolls into town for a pop up menu at the local watering hole.
Wrisely is coming to stir things up in the Thai Me Up kitchen March 17 and 18, with a side menu inspired by some of his signature dishes from his Bangkok restaurant, Soul Food Mahanakorn. Wrisley is American-born but has lived in Asia for the past two decades, traveling all over China and Southeast Asia as a freelance writer and food critic. He eventually moved away from freelance journalism and decided to open his first restaurant in Bangkok in 2010. Throughout the next decade, Wrisley opened up three more restaurants in Bangkok and one in Hong Kong, serving up unique and traditional Thai food that prioritizes quality ingredients and creativity.
Wrisely met Thai Me Up/Melvin Brewing owner Jeremy Tofte in Bangkok a few years back, along with a few of the brewers. The two stayed in touch, and when the pandemic hit and upended the restaurant industry in Southeast Asia, Wrisely moved his family to Bozeman.
When I got back to the mountain west, I drove to Jackson to see some friends. I met up with Jeremy and asked if I could come cook some Thai food at his restaurant.
Chef and RESTAURANTEUR jarrett wrisely
Wrisely treasures the traditional spices and herbs that make Thai food authentic, but he’s also of the belief that food should tie into the place that it’s being cooked. In some of the private dinners he’s prepared in his time in Montana, he’s integrated local meat and produce into his menu, with the Thai approach to cooking he honed during his time in Bangkok. “I’ve been working with local products but with a Thai approach to cooking,” he says. “My food has always been pretty wood-fired and barbeque based so it’s actually pretty easy to do.”
Many of the traditional Thai spices and herbs—like lemongrass or galangal, which is used to make most curries—are challenging to get in the American mountain west, as is freshly pressed coconut cream, something Wrisely says can’t be compared to the canned kind. Because of that, he’ll source some spices and herbs from contacts back home, but will also turn to what’s available to serve up a creative menu that merges the flavors of central and northern Thailand with a taste of the mountain west.
Menu Sneak Peak
Larb of local bison, Northern Thai spices, herbs
Smoked chicken with Southeast Asian salsa verde
Hung Lay curry of pork, pickled pears and ginger, jasmine rice
The Khao Soi Cowboy: Smoked pulled pork sandwich in a spicy khao soi curry, with crispy noodles, shallots, and pickled mustard greens
Thai Me Up will still run their full menu on March 17 and 18, but it’s a great opportunity to stop by and experience some of Wrisley’s unique offerings.
