On the side streets of new york

Pinto Garden — 110 West 10th StreetChef and owner Teerawong “Yo” Nanthavatsiri’s goal with Pinto Garden is not to create a typical Thai restaurant, but rather to design an environment that looks and feels more like one’s own home. Subversion of presumptions plays into Yo’s menu. “I want to take out any expectation for a specific type of cuisine — there’s more to ethnic food in New York than that.” He notes that while many will anticipate typical spicy pad dishes with plenty of fish sauce, he prefers to develop his menu based on what is available at the farmer’s market in Union Square, all the while imagining the smells and flavors of his mother’s cooking while he grew up in Thailand. “What I enjoy best is recreating these tastes of traditional Thai cuisine while adding my own flair.”