MISSOULA — Pangea has been serving Missoulians on Higgins Avenue downtown for three and a half years, but next week it’s going in a whole new direction.
On Nov. 5, Pangea will close it’s doors as it prepares to implement a brand new menu and concept under the guise of new executive chef, Justin Ferguson. The restaurant’s grand re-opening will be Nov. 9 starting at 4 p.m.
Ferguson is a Louisiana-based chef, whose experience ranges from barbeque seafood, to Italian. He’s run his own restaurant in New Orleans for the past six years, but moved to Montana with his wife and three kids for Pangea.
The new menu will be much larger than Pangea’s previous format, and will not include any of the old dishes aside from the curry. Some spotlights include a Bison steak, tuna tartare and even an eight pound slice of carrot cake.
“I’m really just bringing in some experience from everywhere I’ve been, and I’ve really had the opportunity to work for some of the best restaurant tours and chefs in the country for the past twenty years,” Ferguson says.
Pangea will focus on locally-sourced ingredients, including Montana and Idaho prime beef. Ferguson is passionate about providing quality, local food with top-notch service.
“I’m just really big on fresh, local and finding the best product that we have and being able to present it, and that’s been my motto everywhere– wherever I’ve cooked,” he says. “And that’s really important but the second half of it is the hospitality portion and really focusing on great service.”
Pangea’s new hours will open at 4 p.m. everyday, with Sunday brunch returning Nov. 19 at 10 a.m.
Diners at the grand re-opening event will enjoy free champagne as the try the new menu. It is recommended to make a reservation online, but is not required.
Pangea Restaurant Group also owns Liquid Planet. Ferguson will be the executive chef on the group’s future concepts, including Liquid Planet Grille on Brooks Street, which will open in the next month, a new restaurant in the Florence building come February and a Mexican-inspired restaurant at the mall in the old Red Robin building.
