[Angelhair]

Quote

Pok Pok owner Andy Ricker is teaming with John C. Jay, Weiden+Kennedy's branding guru, and his fashion-designer wife Janet Jay to open Ping, a restaurant in Chinatown slated for winter 2008-2009.

...

Ping will be a casual hub for Asian snacking and drinking in the (now vacant) bottom floor of the Hung Far Low Building at 102-106 N.W. Fourth Ave. Unlike Pok Pok, Ricker says Ping will be a cross between a izakaya (Japanese pub) and a Southeast Asian cafe and coffeehouse.

http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf...den_kenned.html

[Amanda]

I'm all over this when it opens! It's exciting to hear. It would be even more exciting if it was a second location of Pok Pok, though. Right in my work nabe. YIPPEE!!!

Best regards,

Amanda

[LadyConcierge]

Nice.

[SauceSupreme]

A pub cafe coffeehouse. If he keeps late hours, he'll satisfy all my usual late night food/drink cravings: sometimes I want booze, sometimes I want food, sometimes I want caffeine.

[truth]

Another OregonLive piece about Ping: http://www.oregonliv...09/01/ping.html

Sounds like my kind of place. Is that parking lot across the street the one that is rumored for an Uwajimaya? Anyone know if there has been any news on that in the last 6 months? I couldn't find much on the google.

[ExtraMSG]

I doubt it's what Brooks intended, but the article makes it sound corporate and concepty, like you'd expect it to be opened in Vegas or something with comments like this:

Quote

"We're not foodies, per say," says John Jay. "We love putting together experiences. On the surface, Chinatown is quiet. But it's stirring.

What happens when you take a star chef, two corporate money-men and a marketing whiz? Ping! I'm sure it won't be that and it will probably be successful regardless, but I foresee backlash if the marketing blitz is too heavy-handed.

[LionRock]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this place is going to be kind of huge. I just hope it's good as well.

[Dan]

ExtraMSG, on Jan 26 2009, 09:08 PM, said:

I doubt it's what Brooks intended, but the article makes it sound corporate and concepty, like you'd expect it to be opened in Vegas or something with comments like this:

Quote

"We're not foodies, per say," says John Jay. "We love putting together experiences. On the surface, Chinatown is quiet. But it's stirring.

"Per say"?

Ms. Brooks earns herself a tsk-tsk.

[Amanda]

I'm eager for Ping to open! When I went by there last week they had new paper up on the windows and you can't see in at all anymore, so I can't give a progress report to this point. All I can say is once it is unveiled I'm all over it with friends in tow, I'm sure.

I do believe the parking lot across from Ping is supposed to be a Uwajimaya eventually, but I've seen no action to that end so far.

Best regards,

Amanda

[whippy]

So there's a food mind and an experience and it's spooky?

Sounds like a seance, not a restaurant.

I'm interested and hungry, but yeah I'm feeling a little backlashy about it, too. Mr. Jay's nonsense about the "undefinable" makes me want to yack. Is it a humble neighborhood restaurant (we're assured) or Studio P? Hopefully Ping will only adopt the best elements of both.

[ExtraMSG]

Has anyone seen an estimate on number of seats or square footage? I guess OLCC would probably have that info.

[Jason Wax]

From what I could find out, Ping already has a full on-premises license, and at least 4 active LLCs. It looks like one is for management, one for IP, maybe one for construction and the like, and another called Pawkhrua, which I can't even guess at. Anyone speak Thai? Anyway, this is looking to be a pretty sophisticated operation.

[ExtraMSG]

"khrua" is kitchen. There's even a cooking magazine with that name that I've picked up in Thailand. The other one is generic and without seeing the Thai script could be a few things, the only one I know immediately is one of the Thai letters. Will search....

[ExtraMSG]

Okay, from this site:

http://www.thai-language.com

You can do reverse phonetics, and the item that makes the most sense is:

Quote

เพาะ phawH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. [verb, intransitive] to culture (germs); to cultivate; to plant; to build (body)

I assume it's "to build". I imagine each of the individuals started LLCs to be part of an LLC. It may be reasonable to assume that paw khrua is an LLC with one member: Andy Ricker.

[Amanda]

Managed to get a slight peak at Ping from the Couch side where you could see through a bit of the paper. The signage is on the windows (Cool lettering sort of looks like this: P:ng) and the tables are in place. They have vibrant tablecloths. I can't imagine the opening being too far out. It's getting close. I hope it is as great as Pok Pok is.

Best regards,

Amanda

[truth]

I thought Ping was supposed to open today, but it is still papered up and the front door has a sign that says "Invitation Only". Maybe I am off by a week or two? Not sure where I read Feb 13th.

[ariel88]

I'd love to know when it's supposed to open (since the paper is up, then one answer is 'not yet'). I'm really excited to see how it turns out!

[boy_asunder]

They are doing an invite-only soft opening right now. It started Thursday and runs at least through Sunday. The bf and I and two friends were lucky enough to get invited because I was one of the first 20 people to sign up on the email list. Our server last night said they will probably open at the earliest next Wednesday and at the latest a week from Monday, if I'm remembering correctly.

I'll try to post some details about our experience later today. Until then, I'll just leave you with: AWESOME.

[Amanda]

Do you know if they'll be open for lunch?

Best regards,

Amanda

[ExtraMSG]

I would have signed up on the email list except that back when I tried the feature wasn't working.