Technically, Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos is closed on Tuesdays—except for the two to three hours when a Thai food pop-up takes over the venue.
For the past two months, husband and wife Nik and Ashley Ramirez have been hosting their weekly pop-up business, Na Na Thai, at the restaurant every Tuesday starting at 4 p.m., until there’s no more food left to sell.
“We typically sell out of everything by 6 p.m.,” Ashley said.
Both Ashley and Nik work full time for Companion Hospitality Central Coast, which owns Bar Le Côte and Bell’s in Los Alamos.
The duo started hosting their Thai food pop-up events at Bar Le Côte in June. Ashley described the new venture as “an incredible opportunity for us, and one we haven’t taken lightly.”
The backstory behind Na Na Thai starts nearly a decade ago, when Ashley and Nik first met. About nine months after they began dating, the couple moved to Thailand, where they lived for four years.
“Nik got offered a CDC [chef de cuisine] position for the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok and asked me to move with him,” said Ashley, who met Nik while they both worked for Wine Cask in Santa Barbara, about nine years ago.
Three weeks after moving to Bangkok, Ashley landed a job as wine director for Eat Me Restaurant. She said both she and her husband quickly became close friends with neighboring chefs and other professionals in the industry.
“You become extremely close with people when you have no family close by or other friends to lean on,” Ashley said. “The food and beverage industry in Bangkok is one of the closest groups of individuals we were part of, and not competitive at all. Everyone wants to help you succeed.”
Both of the couple’s two children were born in Bangkok, shortly before Ashley and Nik decided to move back to California.
“We moved back to the states after both our boys were born. The pollution in Bangkok is really terrible, and we didn’t want developing lungs exposed to that,” Ashley said. “Sad, because we miss it every day.”
One of the things Ashley and Nik miss the most about Bangkok is the city’s street food scene, which they became big fans and frequent patrons of.
“No name, no websites, no hours, and definitely no rules,” Ashley recalled. “We had some of our best memories eating on plastic stools, sharing food with friends, and becoming really close with some of the street vendors.”
Ashley’s favorite street food she discovered in Bangkok was pla tort gratiam (whole fried fish), which is one of the dishes Nik prepares during the couple’s pop-up events, using fresh fish from Sea Stephanie Fish in Santa Barbara.
The fried fish is “topped with fried garlic and served with Nam Jim Seafood Sauce—which I could drink alone by the gallon,” Ashley said.
Another menu item featured at the Na Na Thai pop-up events is moo dad deaw (sun dried pork).
“It’s marinated and fermented, then hung in the sun for hours, then fried to order, served with a sweet chili sauce,” Ashley said of the dish.
Other offerings at the pop-ups include oysters, spring rolls, wok-fried noodles, boat noodles, sticky rice, chicken wings, salads, and more. There are plenty of beverage options to choose from as well.
“Bar Le Côte offers a great selection of beer and wine alongside our food,” Ashley said.
One of Ashley’s favorite parts of working at the pop-up events is simply watching Nik cook, especially when he’s experimenting with new recipes.
“Nik’s favorite thing to make is all the curries. He likes to keep learning, reading, and challenging himself with new flavors and ingredients. It’s very fun to watch,” Ashley said. “The [Santa Ynez] Valley has such a need for more ethnic food—people thank us every week for bringing new flavors to them.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood could use a Thai iced tea right about now. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2022.