The Panda’s Barn is redefining kosher Asian cuisine. One might think such redefinition would be taking place in kosher eating “meccas” like the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Cedarhurst or even Teaneck. However, it is occurring in the relatively small Orthodox Jewish community of Highland Park, NJ.
Israeli restaurateur Shai David loves challenges and this particular location on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park presented just that. For the past many years this location had been Chinese restaurants under various names and ownership. However, they were all met with very limited success and eventually closed down. David had been looking at several locations to introduce his unique concept of Asian cuisine to the kosher market. What better location than the most challenging to test his concept?
With the location secured, David hired Eric Nealy to be his executive chef. Nealy worked under the celebrity Chef Bee of the highly acclaimed Naiyara restaurant in Miami Beach, as well as the renowned P.F. Chang restaurant chain where he served as the assistant to the executive chef at one of their busiest locations in the country. located in Miami, Florida. In addition, Chef Nealy worked at the China Bistro in Aventura, Florida, where he became intimately familiar with kosher Chinese cuisine.
Needless to say, David found the perfect “ingredients” in Chef Nealy and brought him up north to run his kitchen at The Panda’s Barn. Aside from the majority of the customers simply loving the cuisine, reactions such as, “this doesn’t taste kosher” or “this isn’t like any other Chinese food I’ve tasted before” are commonplace.
The unique menu is only half the concept for David. The Panda’s Barn looks nothing like what one would expect upon entering a typical Chinese restaurant. Utilizing the design talents of Aviva Rappaport of AvivaDecor, David’s vision quickly came to life. With the hardwood floors, rustic table and chairs, brick accents throughout the restaurant, light pendants with Edison bulbs and the vintage wagon wheel adorning the wall, one quickly realizes something very cool is going on. Add to that the playing of eclectic music where at one moment you can be treated to the great jazz sounds of Miles Davis or Dave Brubeck and the very next the folk-music sounds of the Milk Carton Kids, only to be followed by the Chassidic hipster band Zusha and Israeli pop-star Eyal Golan, the Panda’s Barn is simply the place to dine.
When asked what the impetus was behind the new concept in kosher Asian cuisine, David explained that both in Israel—where he resides most of the year—and in the United States, the kosher Chinese food experience is, in his words, “predictable.”
David not only hired an amazingly talented chef, his head waiter was himself a waitstaff trainer at the Walt Disney World Yacht & Beach Club Resort. According to David, “hospitality cannot be underestimated and the overall dining experience is every bit as important as the quality of the food.” He understands that by having such talent his labor costs might be on the high side but believes the end results are well worth the extra expense and attention to detail.
The Panda’s Barn is located at 229 Raritan Avenue in Highland Park, New Jersey. You can check their website at www.thepandasbarn.com for hours and information. While reservations are not required, they are highly suggested for Thursday and Sunday evenings.
Follow The Panda’s Barn at facebook.com/thepandasbarn, instagram.com/thepandasbarn, twitter.com/thepandasbarn or Snapchat at @thepandasbarn.
