McLean’s newest restaurant leaves little doubt about its inspiration, with a sign above its front entrance that identifies her in bold black letters.
Owner Supisa “Boom” Teawbut developed Sorn Thai to honor her grandmother, who passed away two years ago but left behind a trove of recipes that will serve as the centerpiece of the restaurant’s menu.
“She was very good at cooking,” Teawbut said of her grandmother, whose recipes have been labeled “Sorn’s Obsessions” in the menu. She points to the kanom jeen namya (rice noodles with fish curry), moo hong (a pork belly stew) and khao yum (rice salad) as her personal top recommendations.
After a soft launch on March 7, Sorn Thai will celebrate its grand opening at 6224E Old Dominion Drive in the Chesterbrook Shopping Center tomorrow (Friday). All patrons on that day will get a complimentary dessert for their table.
Sorn Thai is Teawbut’s second contribution to the region’s culinary scene, following the November 2022 opening of Donsak in D.C.’s Woodley Park neighborhood.
According to Teawbut, she had planned to serve southern Thai food at Donsak, which takes its name from her birthplace of Don Sak. But, while there’s an emphasis on seafood as an homage to the coastal district, the menu ultimately skewed more toward northeastern cuisine, since that’s the specialty of co-owner and head chef Boontom Ratana.
For her second restaurant then, Teawbut decided to change things up by centering her grandmother’s southern dishes. She hopes to see customers venture beyond staples of Thai American restaurants like pad Thai, fried rice and ka prow, though those are all available too.
The menu also includes a variety of appetizers like gyoza and duck rolls that aren’t strictly Thai but “will pair well with our wine, cocktails and beer,” according to Teawbut.
“The whole menu is different than Donsak,” she told FFXnow. “So, you’ve got to choose if you want papaya salad over there or you want a Thai southern curry here.”
At 3,055 square feet, Sorn Thai is also noticeably larger than its predecessor. Teawbut says she was excited to open in a suburban, residential area with more parking and potentially more consistent foot traffic.
“Sometime in the big city, it’s crowded only at lunch time and then quiet at dinner time,” she said. “… I want Sorn to be for families and everybody of all ages to come in all the time, and they feel like they’ve come to eat at their grandma’s house. I want the atmosphere to be homey, welcome, clean.”
Initially expected to open by the end of 2024, Sorn Thai faced some construction delays, but it managed to open its doors shortly after obtaining its final health permits, Teawbut says. The plan was to offer a limited menu during the soft opening, but the positive response so far led the team to accelerate the rollout.
Nearly all dishes are now being served, though a brunch menu is still in the works.
“For now, I want to focus on the main dishes, and I want to make sure the kitchen can handle when we’re busy,” Teawbut said.
The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a 3-5 p.m. break on weekdays. Carryout service is available all day, and customers who order at least $25 and are located within a 2.5-mile radius can get free delivery during dinner hours.
With Sorn Thai’s opening, Chesterbrook is continuing to fill up again after clearing out many tenants and undergoing a renovation. Other recent additions to the shopping center include Framebridge, Apricot Lane and the medical spa SkinSpirit.
A Small Door Veterinary clinic has yet to open, and the fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen might be considering a location, based on a letter to Fairfax County zoning staff. Property owner Federal Realty hasn’t confirmed the lease, but it’s now listed on a marketing site plan in the former Truist bank, along with an All Purpose Pizza Shop.
Hat tip to Mike Whatley
