When Jupiter Crab Co. closed its doors in Jupiter, Florida, hungry diners waited with bated breath to see what would take over the coveted space near the Loxahatchee River.
Enter Blackbird Modern Asian, a Pan-Asian restaurant that took over the space in October 2022, featuring influences from southeast Asia. But the food isn’t the only thing that has customers buzzing.
The glamorous main dining room features an eye-popping 12-foot bronze Buddha sculpture surrounded by bamboo stalks, art installations by local artists, and illuminated life-size trees that change colors.
Named after the Paul McCartney song, Blackbird (also revered as a symbol of good fortune in Japanese culture) entices patrons with his famous lyrics saying, “You have all been waiting for this moment to arise.”
There is also seating on the second floor overlooking the entire restaurant as well as an upstairs mezzanine bar designed for alfresco dining or sipping while soaking in views of nearby Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
Servers greet guests and get them started with one of their made-from-scratch craft cocktails like Momoa “The Kiss;” classics, including a Mai Tai; a glass of wine (think Ava Grace pinot grigio) from their impressive available collection by the glass; or a sampling of Japanese sake.
Everything here is served hot, so diners may receive dishes at different intervals, servers advise. Start off with a sampling of dim sum like the melt-in-your-mouth short rib and bone marrow dumplings, crispy Cantonese egg rolls, or lobster wonton cones.
A spicy order of Mongolian brisket bao buns arrives beautifully presented in a bamboo basket topped with green apple, pickled fresno chiles and Chinatown hoisin sauce.
Moving right along to the small plates section of the menu, you'll see traditional finds with a twist like wok-charred edamame, Thai beef jerky, and Kung Pao calamari. The real highlight here is the Chinese BBQ sticky beef short ribs. Three boneless pieces are made with a sweet honey soy glaze topped with crispy shallots.
For main events, there is a meat/poultry/pork section that features heartier dishes like smoked burnt ends fried rice, Bangkok street noodles “pad see ew” with smoked brisket, and Chiang Mai pad Thai with char-grilled chicken and peanuts.
The popular staple, beef and broccoli, featured a mouthwatering 10-ounce New York strip steak cooked to medium rare perfection accompanied by Chinese broccoli in a sweet soy sauce.
Dan Dan noodles are kicked up with the addition of chili oil and boast both pork and beef combined with mustard greens and radish. The BBQ duck fried rice is the next best thing to an order of Peking duck sauteed with fresh vegetables and egg.
Desserts here are designed for sharing and include everything from a chocolate bomb with salted peanut brittle ice cream; and Yuzu Key lime with cinnamon graham cracker crumble to Chinese bread pudding bites and Thai tea crème brulee.
Blackbird Modern Asian is located at 1511 N. Old Dixie Highway, Jupiter, Florida.
