The name on the door of the new cocktail bar at Pearl sparks a question. 

Who or what is Jue Let?

The answer begins with a story about the owner of the Asian-inspired bar, Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, and a quest to satisfy her curiosity. 

An unexpected James Beard Award nomination for Emerging Chef in 2023 led Dobbertin to research Beard. Who was he? And why is an award that bears his name considered a food industry Oscar?

Dobbertin’s research led to a startling discovery about Beard, who was born in 1903 in Portland, Oregon. Beard’s earliest culinary influence came from his family’s chef, a Chinese-born business partner of his mother. The cook gave Beard ivory chopsticks at a young age. His name was Jue-Let.

Jue-Let and Beard bonded over Chinese food and culture. 

“They became fond of each other,” said Dobbertin, chef and owner of the New Asian-American concept Best Quality Daughter, also located at Pearl. “James Beard grew up with Jue-Let for the first 11 years of his life. James Beard’s father was out of the picture for most of his life and he considered Jue-Let a father figure.”

Dobbertin’s new bar, then, is named after a Chinese immigrant, a chef known for his vol-au-vent with oysters, welsh rabbit and braised lamb curry. Jue-Let inspired the boy who became the “Dean of American cookery.” 

In that spirit, Jue Let — a hyphen-less bar name — pays homage to the unseen immigrant influences that shape American food culture.

“In James Beard’s diaries and biography he talks highly of Jue-Let,” said Dobbertin, a second generation Chinese American, “and how his love for food came from him because he was such an accomplished chef.”

Jue Let marks its grand opening at 4 p.m. Saturday with an open patio, dining room and two private karaoke lounges in a two-story space formerly held by Blue Box Bar. 

A soft opening on Tuesday revealed a terrazzo top bar with rich textiles, vintage fixtures, custom art and Murano-inspired lighting designed by Grace Boudewyns of Lake Flato Architects.

Jue Let will feature two private karaoke rooms. The new cocktail lounge will be opening soon at 321 Pearl Parkway. Credit: Miranda Rodriguez for the San Antonio Report

Guests sampled jasmine-infused spirits from an inventive cocktail menu created by local mixologist legend Liz Forsythe. The drink that drew raves was God Loves Figs, fig leaf infused rum with falernum, allspice, orgeat, lime and coconut water. The signature cocktail, Mint Jue Let, also scored. It’s a blend of bourbon, mizu green tea shochu, giffard noix de coco, mint, coconut-green-tea syrup and jasmine essence.

“I think Liz is the best in the city,” Dobbertin said. “Her style of drinks and my style of food and our aesthetics align.”

Dobbertin borrowed Forsythe and chef de cuisine Alan Nelson from Best Quality Daughter to launch Jue Let.

Nelson and Dobbertin collaborated on bar fare that includes crab Louie onigri, caviar service with Chinese tea eggs, a pizza bao and a khao soi curry wrap. The big hit, though, may be the French onion dip, a decadent blend of silken tofu, cream cheese, Chinese chives, crispy shallots and kettle chips.

“I loved the French onion dip, creamy with a nice crunch on top,” said local realtor Sarah Komet. “I liked their drink menu. It was very creative. I was happy with the food, the drinks, the service. My experience was a 10 out of 10.”

Set to open on Saturday, Jue Let is a new cocktail bar near Hotel Emma at the Pearl. Credit: Miranda Rodriguez for the San Antonio Report

Jue Let offers a one-of-a-kind experience at Pearl: a two-story bar with mirrored walls and amber-tinted glass block that remains open until 2 a.m. seven days a week.

The concept, Dobbertin says, was to create a space that feels like a well-designed living room in someone’s home. The intent was also to fill that space with art and detail that draws from Dobbertin’s Chinese heritage and experience living in Thailand and Texas. 

Above all, the bar is a celebration of a little-known chef behind an American culinary icon.

In his final interview, Beard offered a memorable tribute to Jue-Let that appears in the James Beard Celebration Cookbook. “I wish,” Beard told author and friend Barbara Kafka, “I had been born Chinese.”