Naree opened at 1202 N. Franklin St., sharing an address with Ebbe and operating under the same Michelin-starred group. The concept runs as a 10-seat chef's counter where each course is prepared in front of diners — a format that places the kitchen's decisions in plain view from first pour to final plate.
Chef Naree Boonyakiat leads the counter herself. Her credentials are precise: Le Cordon Bleu Sydney training, certification as a sake sommelier, study under royal Thai culinary masters, and competition appearances on regional Iron Chef and Hell's Kitchen. The counter format is suited to that range — it compresses the distance between chef and table to nearly nothing, making the technique visible at every course.
The menu draws from Thailand, Japan, and Florida in sequence. Service opens with yuzu umeshu and Key West shrimp with basil, then advances through sashimi and grilled courses before reaching wagyu. Seabass in yellow curry and massaman lamb follow, and the savory sequence ends with a rice course finished with black garlic. Wines from Germany, France, and Italy pour alongside throughout.
The menu's range is deliberate. A sake-certified chef running a European wine list signals that Naree isn't positioning itself as a single-cuisine room — it works Thai and Japanese technique simultaneously, with Florida sourcing anchored through specific products like Key West shrimp. The course progression gives each tradition its own space: the Japanese register appears in the sashimi and wagyu courses; the Thai lineage carries the yellow curry and massaman; the rice course with black garlic closes on a note that reads across both.
