By Jill Nagy
Siam Thai Sushi restaurant is moving to a new location and will be at 14 Maple St. in Glens Falls later this summer, with a new menu, new decor and lighting and a 10-seat liquor bar serving fresh fruit juices “squeezed in front of you,” according to general manager Darrell “D.J.” Spraragen.
Though a little smaller than the previous location on Glen Street, the new restaurant offers “a comfortable romantic atmosphere” with booth seating and views of the Glens Falls city park across the street as well as outdoor seating, said Spraragen.
Spraragen noted that as much as possible, the restaurant will use Glens Falls area produce in its kitchen.
“We like to give back to the city because the city has been so good to us,” Spraragen said. Every Thursday, a refrigerated van will deliver fresh fish for sushi from New York City, he said. Imported Thai ingredients will come from Asian food distributors in Albany. In all cases, Spraragen said, they will use “only the highest quality ingredients.”
As it was before, take-out food is expected to be a large part of the business.
Spraragen will be in the front of the house “taking care of the guests.” His father, Darrell R. Spraragen Sr., who owns the business, takes care of the paperwork and his stepmother, Jiraporu Spraragen, will run the kitchen.
Spraragen Sr., also owns a wholesale electrical company in Schenectady, the source of much of the “amazing lighting system” going into the new facility, his son said.
The new location is in a building owned Glen Street Associates. Peter Hoffman, of Glen Street Associates, is working with the Spraragens on the build-out.
The manager described the decor as “contemporary,” with generous use of hard woods. A point-of-sale computer system will be used to place orders, prepare bills, and keep track of inventory.
There will be more servers, bartenders and cooks than in the previous location, Spraragen said. In early July, five new employees had been hired, bringing the total to 20, and he may hire more just before the new restaurant opens.
Generally, three people work in the kitchen at any given time, four or five on a busy Friday or Saturday nights. Two sushi chefs will man the sushi bar, he said.
Siam Thai Sushi was founded in 2004 and it has a loyal following, including, according to Spraragen, “many regulars at the sushi bar.”
The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Menus and other information are posted on its website, siamthaisushi.com.
The phone number is 792-6111.