PLAY with FOOD: Wolfgang Puck opens Asian restaurant Jai at La Jolla Playhouse

By: PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer | Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:38 AM PDT ∞

LA JOLLA --- In Thai, the word jai means "heart," and in China, it refers to a good-luck dish.

But there's another reason superstar chef Wolfgang Puck chose Jai (pronounced "Jay") as the name for his new restaurant on the La Jolla Playhouse campus at UC San Diego. It's a play on the monogram for Joan and Irwin Jacobs, the La Jolla philanthropists whose multimillion-dollar donation to the Playhouse helped make the restaurant possible.

"Why not name it after them? They deserve it," Puck said during his visit to the 2-month-old, 135-seat restaurant last week. "They're wonderful, down-to-earth people and we wouldn't be here without their generosity."

Jai is an upscale dinnerhouse that offers the most popular Asian fusion dishes from Puck's restaurants around the country (like the 25-year-old Chinois in Santa Monica and the year-old Red Seven at West Hollywood's Pacific Design Center). The menu also features new sushi, sashimi and seafood dishes created by Jai executive chef Yoshinori Kojima (formerly of Red Seven).

Puck won't name any personal favorite dishes on the menu ("I love them all and I love variety"), but he said diners' favorites include Crispy Soft Shell Crab In Korean Miso Sauce ($13), Mongolian Lamb Chop With Stir-Fried Eggplant And Cilantro Mint Vinaigrette ($30), Szechuan Seared Beef Carpaccio With Ginger Vinaigrette ($13) and Crispy Cantonese Duck With Boa Bun, Sum Choy, Ginger and Kumquat Sauce ($28).

And as for the Jacobses (who dine at Jai nearly every week), Puck reports that Irwin's favorite dish is the Shanghai Lobster With Crispy Spinach And Jasmine Rice ($28), and Joan never orders anything but the Miso Sake Broiled Butterfish With Orange Noodle And Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette ($23).

The restaurant, which quietly opened in June, is open only for dinner because Puck said he aims to focus on serving the theater crowd: "We don't want to do lunch. We want to do one thing and do it well."

Jai is part of Puck's catering division, which specializes in serving cultural arts clientele ranging from feeding hungry movie stars at the Governor's Ball on Oscar night to serving art-lovers at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.

Designed with a huge, industrial kitchen capable of preparing meals for up to 1,000 people, Jai will serve as the main caterer for the Playhouse, local parties, weddings and special events and possibly UCSD.

"Catering will be a big part of what we do at Jai," Puck said. "If we get 40 or 50 people a night dining at the restaurant, we'll be happy."

Jai is the last piece of the La Jolla Playhouse's $16.5 million Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse. Opened in 2005, the theater complex has a new 450-seat theater, an administration building, rehearsal halls, a sound studio, set design shops, warehouses and the restaurant space, which sat vacant for two years while the Playhouse searched for just the right tenant ---- a high-end, destination restaurant that would complement the theater's programming, according to Playhouse managing director Steven B. Libman.

"Like La Jolla Playhouse, Wolfgang Puck is devoted to innovation and creativity," Libman said. "We thought it was the perfect marriage of two highly successful entrepreneurial businesses. We were very involved in seeing early designs for the restaurant and had the opportunity to sample early versions of the menu."

Libman said he foresees a close working relationship with Jai's staff.

"Our goal is to drive business to each other," Libman said. "We want Jai to be a destination point for those who come to see performances here at LaJolla Playhouse. We want people to know that Jai is a part of La Jolla Playhouse family."

One of the planned future collaborations at Jai will be a cabaret performance space. Playhouse staff and the department of theater and dance at UCSD will provide a program of live late-night entertainment at Jai beginning in 2009.

Puck said he also hopes to add after-theater suppers or dessert specials. Although San Diegans are more inclined to be tucked into bed by 11 p.m. than having a late-night dinner, Puck said he nonetheless hopes to lure some exiting theater patrons across the walkway.

"Maybe we'll offer a chocolate souffle. Those only take 15 minutes to cook. People can come in after the show, have a little dessert and then be on their way," he said.

Designed by New York architect Martin Vahtra (who also designed Puck's Red Seven), Jai carries out the industrial-chic theme of the other Playhouse spaces ---- exposed ducting, colored concrete, modern furniture, glass tables, muted colors. Dominating the dining room is a large framed photograph of an ornate 18th-century library from a castle in Austria (Puck's native country), and the restaurant's centerpiece is a comfortable blonde-wood bar. Jai's walls are sliding glass panels that open on warm evenings, and a large patio offers outdoor seating. The restaurant also includes a private 18-seat dining room for special functions.

For diners who just want a snack, there's also a deli-style takeout counter: The La Jolla Playhouse Grab'n Go offers salads, soups, sandwiches, panini and desserts also drawn from Puck's other restaurant menus, including Chinois and Express.

Puck said he hopes Jai will not only be an addition to La Jolla's dining scene, but an integral part of La Jolla's cultural fabric.

"I've wanted to bring my culinary vision to San Diego for quite a while," Puck said, "and Jai has allowed me to fuse my love for Asian food with the culturally rich La Jolla Playhouse."

---

Jai by Wolfgang Puck

Hours: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays

Price range: Appetizers, $7-$14; sides, $4-$12; main dishes, $13-$45

Address: La Jolla Playhouse campus, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, UC San Diego, La Jolla

Phone: (858) 638-7778

Web: wolfgangpuck.com