Prainam Thai closes in Port Washington
The grilled whole squid was a highlight at Prainam Thai in Port Washington. Credit: Newsday/And Berlin
Prainam Thai was a promising new restaurant in Port Washington from the owners of a Newsday Top 50 restaurant. But the ambitious concept closed at the end of March after just over one year following a money dispute between co-owners, the business partners said.
Married couple Vorragun "Brian" Vongdarunee and Kasamaporn "Masi" Chansaksri are the duo behind Tonnam Thai in Bohemia, a hidden gem spot not much larger than a takeout place that serves highly executed renditions of Bangkok street foods. Shortly after Tonnam got on Newsday's radar, the couple partnered with real estate broker Oakar Reinstein to open Prainam, a flashy date night spot on Main Street in Port Washington in late 2024.
Reinstein is originally from Myanmar and also owns a KC's Pizza and Wings in Islip Terrace and Holtsville. For Prainam, he brought in Thai servers from Queens and Manhattan to help customers navigate a large menu with crowd-pleasers and harder-to-find Thai dishes. The crispy duck curry, with an ample portion of tender duck breast in a red curry, was a highlight on the menu.
But a financial dispute led both parties to part ways and close, the co-owners said. Chansaksri confirmed that she'd sold off the concept to new owners, who plan to open a Thai-Mexican fusion spot. She and her husband are still running the original Tonnam, and also plan to look for a new location with more ample seating that they can run without another partner.
Reinstein on the other hand, said he wants to take some time off from the restaurant business, and focus more on his housing properties on Long Island and upstate.
"I might do another Thai place, but it’s not something that I’m thinking about right now," Reinstein said.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
