Longtime restaurateur Paul Fleming, who has created such national concepts as P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse among others, is with his wife, Jody Goodenough-Fleming, about to open PJK Neighborhood Chinese in Naples, Fla., a representative said Wednesday.
Fleming, who also was instrumental in developing Pei Wei Asian Diner, Z’Tejas Grills and Paul Martin’s American Grill, leads Paul Fleming Restaurants, which plans to open the 152-seat PJK restaurant on March 14.
PJK is already in the “soft opening” phase for dinner only at 835 Fourth Ave. S in downtown Naples, the representative said. The restaurant plans to offer lunch.
PJK Neighborhood Chinese specializes in coastal Chinese cuisine, with specialty dishes mixing traditional and modern Asian flavors.
“Our chef-partner, Kayla Pfeiffer, is passionate about the culinary arts,” said Jody Fleming, CEO of Paul Fleming Restaurants, in a statement. “Her cooking showcases the bold flavors of authentic Chinese cuisine that we all know and love as well as her own modern interpretations and fresh seasonal features,”
Specialty dishes including:
- Scallion pancakes dusted with a Sichuan salt and served with crème fraiche and American sturgeon caviar.
- Six traditional Chinese small plates, called Dim Sum, and include like Shrimp Pot Sticker, Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai, Lobster Rangoon, Soup Dumplings, Chili Pork Wontons and Truffle-Mushroom Crystal Dumplings.
- Cod marinated for 72 hours in white miso, sake, mirin and sugar.
- Short ribs braised in soy sauce, mirin, sriracha, shitakes, onions, celery and carrots and then seared and served deconstructed.
- Mapo Tofu that features soft tofu marinated in white pepper and chili oil with an option of adding ground pork.
- Half Peking duck, dried and blanched over a three-day process and then slowly roasted until crispy. The whole duck is sliced and served with the house-made scallion pancakes and dirty rice.
PJK Neighborhood Chinese also offers wines and cocktails. The restaurant has outdoor dining in addition to the dining room, with a separate entrance and dedicated parking for take-out business.
“We are extremely excited to introduce PJK to the Naples community and view this as an opportunity to launch a brand-new concept that provides a twist on the traditional neighborhood Chinese restaurant,” said co-owner Paul Fleming. “Our goal is to eventually roll out this new restaurant concept into other parts of Florida.”
In addition to PJK, the Flemings are developing Lake Park Diner by Smith Organics with new locations planned for the Florida communities of Bonita Springs and North Naples.
Paul and Jody Fleming live in Southwest Florida.
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