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PrintThe Flavors of Asia
From Nepalese momos to Japanese sushi, you can find it in Jackson Hole
Vegetarian sushi roll at Nikai Asian Grill.
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Adventurous dining experiences involving international cuisine, including Asian flavors, are so readily available in Jackson Hole these days that it can be difficult to recall the past. When I asked several longtime residents about the Oriental dining possibilities in earlier times, the answers were variations on a theme.
“We’d have Chinese at a little café in Rock Springs whenever going through.”
“My family would join me when I had to go to Pocatello on business because we could have Chinese food there.”
In the sixties, the Wort Hotel served a special Chinese menu on Sunday nights during the winter. That tradition disappeared. A few places in Idaho Falls, including the Paris Cafe, Ada’s, and the Bonneville Hotel, served the basics in Chinese food. But that was still more than a hundred miles away.
The Lame Duck, a more contemporary take, was a huge success, opening in Jackson in February 1981. Not only was it good food, it was the only show in town and it stayed for many years.
A few years later, Chinatown opened along West Broadway where it still serves lunches and dinners of Mandarin, Cantonese, Hunan, and Sichuan styles. Hong Kong Buffet and Ocean City Bistro broadened the options, each offering more than a hundred choices.
Sushi first appeared in the valley at Masa Sushi at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Mata Kitami, who arrived in San Francisco from Tokyo in 1982, was discovered by one of our local hoteliers. The family-run establishment, opened in 1997, thrives with a hospitable environment and traditional offerings.
These days sushi is almost ubiquitous. It may vary in quality and variety of seafood, yet the flavors of gari and wasabi, pickled ginger and Japanese horseradish, and smoky essence of seaweeds pervade. Three of our local grocery stores (Albertsons, Smith’s, and the Jackson Whole Grocer) regularly offer nori rolls and sashimi as takeout deli items. In addition, the lobby lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel features a sushi bar with beautiful and inventive rolls.
Downtown Jackson offers three choices of Thai restaurants, each with a different feel and all quite enjoyable. Thai cuisine features an exquisite blending of fragrant flavors. Galangal, an aromatic ginger, matches the basils, mints, chiles, and cilantro that meld so beautifully with coconut milk in savory curries and noodle dishes.
Teton Thai serves from a tiny hole-in-the-wall, where most of the seating is outside under a canvas tarp. Patrons gather, even in cold weather, to enjoy the hearty fare. The enterprise has no liquor license, so it’s a BYO affair.
Thai Me Up, which recently added a microbrewery, features an open dining room and a full bar with a glowing green Buddha watching over. The extensive menu includes some Japanese tastes.
Bon Appe Thai, serving both lunch and dinner, boasts an espresso bar and full cocktail menu. Many salads and pastries augment the authentic offerings, which are light and nicely prepared. A recent sidewalk seating addition expands their small capacity.
