Saap, Randolpjh, Vermont

There are a lot of opportunities in Vermont to have excellent food, but often we have to venture further afield from our central Vermont house in order to find them. Not so with Saap, which is located in a Victorian house on a hill a few blocks from Main St. They have gotten a bit of recognition this year. The chef/co-owner Nisachon "Rung" Morgan of Saap restaurant in Randolph has been named Best Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2022.

The menu is extensive, with many northern Thailand dishes that I do not know or recognize and then some that I do. We opted for four small plates and we surprised ourselves and finished them all off. The flavors were complicated and interesting like the very best of Thai food, and while we opted for a 2-3 spice level, we certainly could have gone hotter and not been slurping a dairy product to cool down our tongues. You never know what the scale is geared to, and so we played it overly safe. This will definitely be on our returned to dining experiences. Only word to the wise is if the on line reservation says they are booked, try calling the restaurant or stop in, because it is not alwys correct.