Pulled Pork 2.0: Regional US Restaurant in the Works

This very moment, there’s a good chance you’re fantasising about the pulled pork sandwich you plan on having for lunch. Or the amber-hued craft beers you’ll suck back this evening. Who knows, maybe somewhere in that echoing subconscious of yours, a tinny rendition of The Star Spangled Banner is playing relentlessly, and you can’t figure out why. It’s no simple twist of fate. Homespun Americana is Beijing’s culinary trend au courant - and a good deal of credit should go to this man: Jeff Powell.

A restaurateur and chef, Jeff’s Beijing CV says it all: Element Fresh, The Orchard, Flamme International Grill, Gung-Ho! Pizza, Kro’s Nest – ‘Chef Jeff’, originally from Idaho, has collaborated on all of them. Chances are you’ve tasted his recipes on umpteen occasions and didn’t know it. And now, for the first time, Jeff is opening a restaurant of his own. We dropped a line to Chef Jeff to find out more.

“I’m sitting here with the menu in front of me,” Jeff says as he reads out parts of the mission statement. “On these pages you’ll find great regional favourites from all over America – not all deep fried and huge portions, although admittedly there is some of that.” Two phrases stand out - “dishes unique to our young country’s heritage”, and “down home American food with a heart.” But what does this spiel really mean?

“It’s a casual, regional American food restaurant, and it’s my baby this time," Jeff says. "On all my jobs in the past, I’ve always kept a few aces behind, so I’ll be busting out recipes no one has ever seen. The whole of this restaurant is simplicity. I’m not trying to wow anyone with molecular gastronomy or something like that. It’s about choosing ingredients at the peak of freshness. It’s really going to blow people’s minds what we’re planning, I just know it.”

Sweet, so can we hear about some of the dishes?

“I’d love to just tell you everything right now, I really would, but…” (After a bit more badgering): “To many folks, including the Chinese, their idea of American food is hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs and KFC. Regional American food is something we’re focusing on – yes, we have a burger on the menu, but we’re doing a lot of things from scratch - making our own hams, sausages, pastramis, almost everything. And every day we’ll have an American style sweet pie, freshly made. During the summer when peach is in season it might be a peach pie, the next day a blackberry pie. It’ll change all the time."

And the drinks?

“We have a really exciting bar concept. Essentially, I want to be the bar in Beijing with the most beers on tap – around 14 go 15, including local craft beers, and signature brews made just for us. We might even make a few in-house eventually. And drinks-wise we will have something really, really special, but I just can’t tell you yet. From our two signature cocktails, one has a special ingredient that no other drink in Beijing will have. I can guarantee this.”

Hmm, tantalizing. Unicorn blood? Jeff’s own tears? We can only wonder. Until the place opens, at least. And it gets more mysterious. He won’t even tell us the name or location. “You know what Beijing’s like. If people find out what you’re doing they’ll take your idea in a flash.”

So, watch this space … and in the meantime, here’s something to chew on while you wait:

Photos: www.beijingboyce.com, www.seriouseats.com