Photo by Dustin Chambers
A little luck, a lot of lemongrass: That’s the recipe behind Some Luck, the forthcoming Thai street food bar from the Talat Market team. Opening in October beneath Otto’s in the former Highland Inn, the basement spot will serve small plates, batched cocktails, and Thai beer, with the easygoing energy Poncey-Highland is known for.
Founded by chef Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter, the duo who created Michelin-recommended Talat Market in Summerhill, Some Luck is more casual than its sibling. Where Talat built its reputation on a tightly edited, frequently changing menu of Thai dishes rooted in seasonal Southern ingredients, Some Luck is meant to feel like the kind of place anyone can drop in on a whim.
“It’s a neighborhood place where people can come and get their favorite items every time,” general manager Ashley Botzis says. That means no reservations, a relatively static menu, and shareable small plates that can stand alone as a snack or add up to a full dinner. She believes the walkable area and surrounding eateries like Madeira Park and Big Softie make it easy for locals to spend a whole evening popping into multiple establishments on the same block.
Photo by Dustin Chambers
The bar’s name comes from Lassiter, who was born on 7/7/77 and has long considered himself lucky. “We’ve had some luck in getting this place open,” Botzis says.
Former Talat chef Josh Rhinehart will lead the kitchen with Savang designing the menu, while Lassiter oversees operations. The opening menu will resemble that previewed during a recent pop-up at Madeira Park, including offerings like papaya salad (both regular and vegan), boat noodles with beef, seafood pancake, shrimp toast, and a Thai-style riff on lemon pepper wings made with white pepper and lemongrass. There will also be fries dusted with Some Luck fry dust—a mix of lemongrass powder and chile powder—served with aioli, plus a nahm prik ong (pork dip) served with potato chips. Many of these items debuted at Talat Market at some point as well.
The menu will include one large-format dish: khao mun gai, the Thai chicken-and-rice staple, that feeds two. Botzis estimates two people might order three to six small plates, while a group of four to six could make its way through nearly the entire menu, doubling up on favorites.
Photo by Dustin Chambers
On the drinks side, beverage director Carter Culwell, who oversees the program at Talat, is keeping the focus on cocktails. The bar will offer about 10, many batched in advance to keep service efficient, including a tamarind highball made with Madeira, mezcal, and bubbles, and a banana espresso martini finished with coconut foam. Cocktail names will highlight key flavors and appear alongside their Thai names. The wine list will be intentionally concise: three approachable, European, by-the-glass options, plus a very small by-the-bottle list with a few $100 to $150 selections for a swankier night out. Beer will play a larger role, with Thai labels such as Singha on draft and Leo and Chang by the bottle, plus local, easy-drinking, and nonalcoholic options.
The Some Luck space is meant to feel like a choose-your-own-adventure basement bar. Guests enter through a stairwell off North Highland Avenue, descend to glass-paned doors, and arrive in a small lobby before deciding where to settle. To the right, a darker lounge with booths, tables, and a six-seat bar will serve as the main dining room. Straight ahead, the main bar will feature an L-shaped counter with 16 stools, as well as drink rails and a few high-tops. The design boasts restored black-and-white checkerboard tile in the lobby and main bar, dark green walls, walnut accents, and stadium seats from the former Olympic stadium arranged around small lobby tables. The result, Botzis says, is intended to feel both nostalgic and relaxed—a place with Thai street food flair, neighborhood-bar ease, and, true to its name, a little luck on its side.
Photo by Dustin Chambers
