{"id":8838,"date":"2015-10-23T07:14:03","date_gmt":"2015-10-23T13:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/?p=8838"},"modified":"2015-10-25T07:04:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-25T13:04:00","slug":"new-chinese-bistro-aims-at-elegant-dishes-simply-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2015\/10\/new-chinese-bistro-aims-at-elegant-dishes-simply-made\/","title":{"rendered":"New Chinese bistro aims at elegant dishes, simply made"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"slides-8838\" class=\"navis-slideshow\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"slide-nav\">\n\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"prev\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"next\"><\/a>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slides_container\"><div id=\"8838-slide1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-Exterior-1-of-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-Exterior-1-of-1-771x482.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>JP Kitchen Asian Bistro is on 24th Street West, just north of Broadwater Avenue. Click on the arrow at top right to see more photos.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"8838-slide2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-interior.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-interior-771x514.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Jeremiah Young <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>The interior was designed to match the food, simple and elegant.\n<\/p><\/div><div id=\"8838-slide3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/food-771x514.jpg*771*514\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/food.jpg\" \/><h6>Jeremiah Young <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>An assortment of dishes, with the smoked trout fried rice on the left.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"8838-slide4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tables.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tables-771x514.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Jeremiah Young <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Chairs are interspersed with red-seated stools at the community tables.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><script>jQuery( document ).ready( function() { loadSlideshow( 8838, 'https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2015\/10\/new-chinese-bistro-aims-at-elegant-dishes-simply-made\/', 4 ) } );<\/script>\n<p>The West End of Billings has another non-chain, locally owned restaurant whose owner is committed to making good food in an informal environment.<\/p>\n<p>Last month we wrote about the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/2015\/09\/new-west-end-restaurant-is-all-about-local-and-anti-chain\/\">Local Kitchen &amp; Bar<\/a>, located near Shiloh Road and Grand Avenue. The new addition to the West End dining scene is JP Kitchen Asian Bistro, located on what used to be the West End\u2019s main drag, 24th Street West.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>JP Kitchen is at 805 24th St. W., just north of Broadwater on the east side of the street. The owner-chef is Kalvin Tang, who grew up working in his parents&#8217; Chinese restaurant, the Jade Palace, which closed last March. The JP in the new bistro is a nod to Jade Palace, but Tang is trying for something a bit different from what his parents offered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to really break away from American-Chinese restaurants,\u201d he said, which have long been known for relatively heavy food, large portions and monosodium glutamate, or MSG. He is offering lighter fare, reasonable portions and no MSG.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd also,\u201d he said, \u201ckind of a modern environment. And of course Jeremiah pushed the envelope there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That would be Jeremiah Young, the owner of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kiblerandkirch.com\/\">Kibler &amp; Kirch<\/a>, which has an interior design studio in downtown Billings and a home furnishings and accessories shop in Red Lodge. He worked with Tang to give JP Kitchen a unique, unified feel, right down to the color of the chopsticks and the shape of the pine cylinders that hold them.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"well\"><div class=\"dfad dfad_pos_1 dfad_first\" id=\"_ad_652\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/mjhWkW\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/201703_capeair_variable.jpg\" alt=\"CapreAir_Variable\" width=\"510\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18069\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>Young started with what Tang wanted to do, and that was to serve food made from the best ingredients and simply prepared. They carried that intent\u00a0all the way through the design process, Young said, aiming at simplicity, elegance and fine craftsmanship.<\/p>\n<p>Young tapped the long oak table we were sitting at with both hands. It was made by Montana Pines, he said, and it was built to last.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope this table has a life of several hundred years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll never fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The chairs are French-made, and they are interspersed with black stools with deeply inset, form-fitting red plastic seats, designed to be perfectly comfortable even for long periods of time, with no backs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8843\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"addboard wp-image-8843 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chopsticks.jpg\" alt=\"Sticks\" width=\"336\" height=\"504\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Jeremiah Young<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">One striking design element is a huge photo of JP Kitchen&#8217;s signature red chopsticks, photographed by Jeremiah Young and printed by Clark Marten Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The lack of backs was intentional, since there are five community-style tables, four of them 10 feet long and one, up near the front windows, 16 feet long. The backless stools create an illusion of personal space when sharing a table with strangers. For those who want the real thing, there are individual tables and chairs on one side of the restaurant.<br \/>\nYoung\u2019s attention to detail in the design is matched by Tang\u2019s attention to detail in the kitchen. He has come up with some dishes people accustomed to other Chinese restaurants might find surprising. There\u2019s the bacon fried rice, for starters, and another fried rice made with smoked trout.<\/p>\n<p>He also has fried Brussels sprouts with bacon and honey sriracha, and pork belly buns with pickled cucumber and hoisin sauce. And in addition to more familiar entrees like sweet-and-sour chicken, Mongolian beef and stewed curry and shrimp, Tang has a vegetarian dish featuring grilled romaine hearts with five-spice fried tofu, orange-sesame dressing, pine nuts and rice vermicelli.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily fusion,\u201d he said, referring to the hip mix of traditional Chinese with ingredients from a variety of other cultures, \u201cbut it\u2019s pushing towards that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s trying to do something nobody&#8217;s done,&#8221; Young said.<\/p>\n<p>For dessert, JP Kitchen is offering ice cream from the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/2015\/04\/after-private-unveiling-big-dipper-to-open-within-days\/\">Big Dipper<\/a>, a Missoula-based business that opened a store in Billings earlier this year at North Broadway and First Avenue North, in the storefront below Young\u2019s design shop. Young also designed Big Dipper\u2019s distinctive space.<\/p>\n<p>JP Kitchen has a beer-and-wine license and serves a variety of bottled beers and Montana microbrews on tap. In addition to red and white wines, three varieties of sake are available.<\/p>\n<p>There is one more special item on the menu: \u201cMom\u2019s Pot Stickers.\u201d They are made by Tang\u2019s mother, Salina Tang, who has come out of retirement to help in the kitchen on a limited basis.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8844\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8844 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-Kalvin-1-of-1.jpg\" alt=\"Kalvin Tang prepares a meal in the restaurant's open kitchen. Behind him is his mother, Salina Tang.\" width=\"771\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-Kalvin-1-of-1.jpg 771w, https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bistro-Kalvin-1-of-1-336x242.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Ed Kemmick\/Last Best News<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kalvin Tang prepares a meal in the restaurant&#8217;s open kitchen. Behind him is his mother, Salina Tang.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cShe was pretty nervous about putting \u2018Mom\u2019s Pot Stickers\u2019 on the menu,\u201d Tang said, \u201cbut it\u2019s worked out really well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tang\u2019s father, Stephen Tang, has also been making appearances in the kitchen. The elder Tangs ran Jade Palace, at 2021 Overland Drive, from 1989 until last March. Kalvin, 29, was born three years before the Jade Palace opened, so he grew up there and started working in the restaurant\u00a0at 15, busing tables, washing dishes and later working in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>His brother, Ken, followed the same path but is now working in San Francisco as a financial adviser. He is a silent partner in his brother\u2019s restaurant, helping out with things like marketing and coaching.<\/p>\n<p>For a long time, Kalvin Tang didn\u2019t think he wanted to go into the restaurant business. But a few years ago, as he was finishing up work on a master\u2019s in business administration degree at the University of Montana in Missoula, and thinking of going to law school, he came to a realization: \u201cIt just wasn\u2019t my cup of tea, being in an office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So he started toying with the idea of having his own restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat really made me want to do it was, being in the driver\u2019s seat,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was the lure for me.\u201d He explained that he loves being around food, but he needed the extra incentive of using his business skills.<\/p>\n<p>Tang saved some money during the remodeling of the strip mall space by painting the interior himself, with the help of his girlfriend, Kirsten Loop, who is also the restaurant manager.<\/p>\n<p>A month and a half into his new venture. Tang said he is pleased with both the number of customers coming in and with the type of people who\u2019ve discovered JP Kitchen. They welcome people of all ages, of course, but Tang also wanted to bring in a younger crowd than the one that frequented the Jade Palace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe feel that we\u2019re getting there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We\u2019re seeing the demographics we were after, and we feel like our customers are kind of taking to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5>Details<\/h5>\n<p><em>JP Kitchen Asian Bistro is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. On Sundays it is open for dinner only and closed on Mondays. For details, and a look at a full menu, go to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpkitchenbillings.com\/#welcome\">the restaurant&#8217;s website<\/a>. For a good review of the restaurant on Billings365, click <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billings365.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/09\/jp-kitchen-asian-bistro-a-new-chapter-in-a-family-tradition\/\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The West End of Billings has another non-chain, locally owned restaurant whose owner is committed to making good food in an informal environment. Last month we wrote about the Local Kitchen &amp; Bar, located near Shiloh Road and Grand Avenue. The new addition to the West End dining scene is JP Kitchen Asian Bistro, located [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,18],"tags":[3278,1433,3276,3277,1435,3098],"class_list":["post-8838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-diversions","tag-jade-palace","tag-jeremiah-young","tag-jp-kitchen-asian-bistro","tag-kalvin-tang","tag-kibler-kirch","tag-local-kitchen-bar","prominence-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}