This untraditional 'pub' is one of our favorite NJ restaurants. Here's why it is unique

Chalkboards on tin walls and IPAs on rustic, wooden tables. At first glance, The Front Porch looked more like a Texas roadside barbecue joint than a Northeastern pub.

Metal trays begged to be covered with smoked brisket, and mountains of napkins waited to wipe the sticky pork glaze from the rims of our lips.

But, they never would — because The Front Porch was not a barbecue joint.

And, as I would soon learn, it was also not a pub.

Well, at least not in the traditional sense.

Discovering an untraditional pub

It was a picture of a Nashville chicken sandwich that originally drew me to The Front Porch. Loaded with two crispy thigh meat patties, house-made slaw and a dousing of vibrantly-colored hot sauce, the massive meal looked like an ideal contender for my @northjerseyeats Instagram page.

Seeking to send the creation viral, I booked a reservation for a Wednesday — hoping a slower service night would allow me to take pictures unquestioned — and planned to show up with a friend.

When the evening arrived, said friend flaked (they always do), so I went alone.

Upon arrival, I was met by executive chef and owner Melissa Mak.

Mak wasn't a talker. Or, probably more accurately, didn't want to be a talker.

I don't remember the specifics of our first interaction, but I know the sentences exchanged were short; probably even curt at points. Eager to be done with the conversation, I think I just ended up ordering "whatever was the best," plus the chicken sandwich.

A parade of decadence

Approximately 15 minutes later, the food began to arrive; one plate after another like the banquet scene in Beauty and the Beast. The Nashville hot not even in sight yet, sriracha meatball sliders appeared on Chinese steamed buns, and double-fried wings came between orders of various egg rolls.

The passion exuded by the chef (visible both in the plating of the dishes and the amount of items she considered her "signatures") surprised me, given she barely wanted to speak about them.

When the Nashville Chicken Sandwich was served, though, I quickly lost myself in the sloppy, sauce-filled crevices of its breading; forgetting I was ever seeking answers.

The Front Porch, I decided, was a top-notch restaurant.

With Mak hidden in the kitchen, however, I still didn't know — beyond that conclusion — exactly what The Front Porch was.

Its sign said "pub," but I was eating Thai-flavored wings, a burger inspired by Korea and truffle-topped appetizers.

Pressed for time, and ultimately sure Mak wasn't in the mood for any questions, though, I vowed I'd simply have to come back — whether for resolution, or just more fried chicken.

Two months later, I did.

My second visit to The Front Porch

I was nose-deep in a panko-crusted goat cheese fritter when Mak became visible on my second Front Porch visit. Approaching my table smiling, she led in for a hug; a move I found somewhat surprising, given I wasn't totally certain she liked me after our prior interaction.

The video I posted on Instagram calling her Nashville hot "possibly the best fried chicken sandwich I've ever had," however, might've had something to do with her sudden shift in demeanor.

Turns out, it did (I later figured out) — but not because of the thousands of views it garnered, or the hundreds of followers it gained the restaurant.

"When I graduated the Culinary Institute of America," Mak told me, "My parents told me they wanted to buy this 35 year-old pub in they found Hawthorne and turn it into a Chinese restaurant. They assumed, since I had all this food experience, that I'd just be... you know... in on it."

She glanced around the interior of the space. I dipped the fritter, which lie over a salad, into a condiment cup of sesame dressing.

"But I told them absolutely not. I wasn't doing that. I wasn't about to open a Chinese restaurant in Hawthorne. And they didn't even want to change the name! People were going to be so confused when they walked into this pub they'd known forever and all of a sudden we were serving authentic Chinese food."

The dressing was ripe with the flavor profile of the cuisine she was describing; irresistibly salty and deliciously umami, just the way East Asian dishes often can be.

"So I said I would help — just so they would leave me alone — and I decided to launch an Asian-inspired new American restaurant. My vision was to be a fusion spot, serving upscale American dishes with an Asian twist."

The sriracha-coated meatballs on lotus buns suddenly made sense to me, as did the pairing of the crunchy breaded cheese and rich sesame I was eating.

"But this area isn't like Fort Lee, where I was raised, which is filled with Asians. The residents of Hawthorne hadn't been exposed to certain flavors or dishes before, especially ten years ago. I was nervous about how they would react — though I knew, regardless, it would be better than if the Porch were a full-blown Chinese restaurant."

She chuckled to herself, recalling her parents adamance.

"And, to this day, even though Asian-fusion is now pretty mainstream, I still get nervous about what people are going to think, because I'd really like to connect the different demographics through my food."

Immersed in Mak's moment of vulnerability, I made a connection: my Instagram post — I realized — was the stamp of approval she was seeking during my first visit; a non-verbal confirmation that I had accepted her cross-cultural initiative.

"So, I get anxious," she said. "And I just kind of walk away."

Resolution, with a side of pasta

I visited The Front Porch for a third time recently. Having been thoroughly pleased with every dish Mak had presented me with in the past, as most customers are, I left the ball in the chef's court instead of ordering.

The latest variety of the chicken sandwich arrived (hot honey, with its Asian hint being subtly delivered through a layer of shredded cabbage), as well as a double smash-burger with a miso-marinated tomato on a deep-fried ramen bun.

A cleverly-named side of "Mak 'n Cheese" accompanied those mains, and was thick, creamy and covered in a crispy, baked crust. Infused with truffle oil, the simple crock was a showstopper; refusing — despite the nature of its genre — to be an accessory.

Guard down, Mak came to my table for my review of the courses. At this point, she knew we were friends; allies in her mission to unite different groups of people through a shared love of food.

"Your elevated, Asian-inspired pub serving upscale twists on American tavern classics," I said with confidence, "Is amazing."

Mak smiled and nodded, acknowledging I had nailed her multiethnic (and notably multi-socioeconomic) vision.

"But don't call your parents — "

We both began to laugh.

"— Because your authentic Chinese restaurant? Is terrible."

The Front Porch Pub is located at 217 Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne. To learn more about the restaurant, visit njthefrontporchpub.com.

Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: The Front Porch pub in NJ giving classic American dishes new look