Juke Description

Juke, a neighborhood eatery headed by popup master and chef Michael Janczewski (previously of Canton Disco plus Ho Lee Fook and Michelin-star Belon in Hong Kong) and Sebastien Dallee (previously of Heritage by Madison, Italo/Funka Group), opened in early December in the old Pirata digs on Dongping Lu. The 18-seater serves a tight menu of neo bistro fare that focuses on Mediterranean flavors with an Asian twist.

At Juke, the restaurant’s namesake – coming from the old English word meaning ‘to trick’ or to ‘fake out’ – rings true in the playful nature of the menu. In other words, expect the unexpected: a lashing of smoky olive oil, pickled celtuce ribbons, clarified tomato and butter water, mapo tofu gravy, hand-ground polenta, miso paste hidden beneath layers of caramel and dots of activated charcoal spiked with kumquat, to name a few. Bites aim to deceive the senses and change the notion of what you may assume.