- andychalk
JIA - MODERN CHINESE OPENS THIS WEEKEND IN PRESTON CENTER
by Andrew Chalk
Jia - Modern Chinese opens this weekend in Preston Center. It is described as “upscale food, upscale service, and authentic flavorful Chinese”, which is elaborated to mean offering modern versions of traditional Chinese dishes. Owner Jia Huang grew up in the restaurant business in her native China working with her father and older sister in the family restaurant near Shanghai. “For me, the business is not just about food--it’s about the connections,” she says. “I feel the connection between me and my guests, and I want my guests to feel like they are at home eating homemade meals.”
In the U.S. she worked for many years at Lombardi Family Concepts. For this restaurant she hired a chef from the Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, to produce homemade style traditional Chinese dishes alongside healthier gluten-free and MSG-free choices. He will also feature daily chef specials to introduce diners to lesser known Chinese dishes.
One cloud looming is the fate of previous occupants of this space in the Berkshire Court building. Mi Piaci, Crudo Taverna, and Cucina Neighborhood Italian all met an early death there, but maybe it is just Italians that it treats badly. An even earlier occupant was a Chinese restaurant that lasted 17 years.
More on Jia - Modern Chinese, and particularly the food, in the near future.