BR wrote:When Big Jones opened, I was looking forward to a restaurant similar to one I've eaten at several times in Winston Salem, NC, Sweet Potatoes, where I have enjoyed several outstanding meals . I'm willing to stop back at some point because I'm hoping to find that experience much closer to home. Paul, I'm curious if there are a couple or few dishes you specifically recommend above everything else on the menu.

Thanks for the link, BR. I appreciate it. Without having been there myself, I can't really gauge the experience, but I can tell a lot about the cooking just be reading the menu and visualizing the pantry. My guess is their food is great.

We're not really trying to duplicate any restaurant though, so it's good the see an example of where you're coming from, but this also illustrates the preconception problem we have faced. So many people with the greatest of intentions (and highest hopes) come here looking for us to duplicate an experience(s) they had somewhere in the South, and we just can't do that for everyone.

Thanks again for the link, I am enjoying checking out the menu! Is there anything there you particularly liked?

Chitown B wrote:

rochambeau wrote:

Chitown B wrote:I don't know what to tell you Paul. I live right around the corner from Big Jones, was super excited to have a NOLA restaurant so close to us, have been to NOLA and know the food down there - and every time I give BJ's another chance, it just always seems really overpriced for a very average meal that really doesn't seem NOLA to me much at all. The only thing I look forward to every time have been the sides, the beignets which are passable and free, and the cheese grits which are quite good. Everything else has been unmemorable or has left me with sticker shock.

Take the Country Breakfast breakfast on your menu for instance. Pan-fried Amish eggs, Niman Ranch applewood smoked ham, cheese grits, greens, lowcountry cornbread, redeye gravy - $14

In essence, this is ham and eggs, with some grits and a biscuit w/some gravy - for $14. I sounds appealing in the description, and I'm sure that those ingredients cost more than everyday eggs and ham, but I'd never order it because to me $14 is too much for a breakfast entree, unless after I eat it I think to myself "that was the best ham and eggs I've ever had." Odds are, that probably won't happen - and I'm a little gun-shy anyway. If the portion ended up being large enough that I was satisfied and/or was even able to take some home, that might be a different story, but again I'd think that probably is not the case. I'm not sure what your cost is of course, but I can't take that into account just being a patron. I have to choose with my wallet in mind, and there are so many other brunch places within just the few block radius, that I'd probably never try something so expensive for what I'd call "normal" breakfast faire.

This past week we were in San Francisco for our honeymoon and dropped into Brenda's French Soul Food, which is this tiny little hole in the wall with a big fanbase - and for good reason. I would recommend dropping by there if you ever get a chance someday. It may not be exactly your style, but it's definitely in the vein of what you're trying to do, I feel. Here's what we had:

Thanks for the French Soul Food link. I think if you took a look at our prices again, you'd find we're not much higher than that on most of our items, and our beignets are complimentary. The meat-intensive dishes do go higher though. Example with the Country Breakfast:

Commercial formed ham: $2.25/lb Niman Ranch applewood: $5.50 (and it tastes that much better)
Commercial eggs: $.79/dozen. Amish Farm eggs: $2.50/dozen
Store-bought grits: $1/lb Anson Mills Carolina Gourdseed White: $3.95/lb
commercial cornmeal: .20/lb. Three Sisters Garden: $3/lb
Milk (grits and cornbread) commercial: $2.70/gal kilgus: $6/gallon
Collard or mustard greens commercial: .60/lb Green Acres locally grown: $3/Lb

So it costs us twice as much (more, really) than it might cost another restaurant. If I was using Sysco for everything, I could make a mint selling that dish at $8. So, in that respect, it's the same choice people make of shopping at Whole Foods vs. Jewel.

I'm not going to talk turkey about M. Henry, because I think it's a great restaurant and they are very good at their style of cooking. I can assure you though, based on their prices, they do not go anywhere near the lengths we do in purchasing organics/locally grown. If they buy locally, they probably do what budget realities forced me to do at Schubas: by locally a little and use it mostly for features and specials. At Big Jones everything is local or organic if we can get our hands on it and not totally kill our budget. During the growing season, we have been 80% and at times more local and/or organic.

I do think now I see where you are coming from, and believe me I can appreciate that. If I lived in the neighborhood and wasn't in the business, Big Jones would not be the restaurant I visit most often unless I was loaded, simply because of the price. I'd still eat here regularly, because I'm sure I would like the food.

We're aware of cost concerns, especially considering the economic climate. At lunch, negotiating with some suppliers and looking closer at our costs (also the lower labor cost of not offering free beignets M-F) we've been able to get a lot of items priced under $10 without sacrificing quality. We are still looking at items we might be able to offer for less on the brunch menu. A big thing for us will be when we go whole hog this fall/winter. It will bring our costs down a lot on pork products, and you might see that Country breakfast and Eggs Romero come down in price, with Gunthorp or Swan Creek pork instead of Niman.

I'm enjoying this, it's what I was hoping to get from engaging the forum here. Soon I'll have to let you guys get back to doing most of the talking, but I will be around!

rochambeau wrote:I'm enjoying this, it's what I was hoping to get from engaging the forum here. Soon I'll have to let you guys get back to doing most of the talking, but I will be around!

I'm enjoying this too and I hope you won't let us get back to doing most of the talking. I find this back and forth really interesting.

Darren72 wrote:

rochambeau wrote:I'm enjoying this, it's what I was hoping to get from engaging the forum here. Soon I'll have to let you guys get back to doing most of the talking, but I will be around!

I'm enjoying this too and I hope you won't let us get back to doing most of the talking. I find this back and forth really interesting.

Ditto. As someone who does live in the 'hood and walking distance, we have been more than a few times now and, to my dismay, I see that I only posted on one very early visit. That solitary post is not at all indicative of how the Lovely Dining Companion and I view Big Jones. As Chef noted, it's not a place we visit every week. Given the cornucopia of choices in town--hell, given the options just in this 'hood alone--there's too many places on the list that need to be tried. But we do find ourselves returning on a semi-regular, if not frequent, basis. We like the food. Not everything, to be sure. There have been some clunkers. But on a regular basis, the food is very good, of consistently high quality, and a bit off the beaten path in terms of options. We like all that and we're willing to pay more for it. We do wish them well and hope that they continue to do well in the 'hood; we'd all be poorer for their disappearance or for too much of a change in style. Not everyone will like it and not everyone will approve of everything. So what? That's what this board is about and we happily look forward to returning.

I had an oppportunity to make the call today on the venue for a business lunch and decided that it was high time to hit Big Jones. Our meal, comprised entirely of appetizers, was excellent in most every respect . . .


Big Jones - 5347 N. Clark Street



Corn bread and honeyed butter
In a pleasant reversal from what one might normally encounter: not-too-sweet cornbread served with butter that had a nice touch of sweetness.



Crawfish Boudin Fritters - breaded crawfish and rice sausage with frisee and cayenne mayonnaise
Delicate texture but bold in flavor. Really great stuff.



Crawfish Boudin Fritters - interior shot



Fried Frog Legs - Cajun-style breading, Creole meuniere and mushrooms
Tender and delicious. The cornmeal-based 'dredge' was fanastic.



Lump Crab Cakes - lump blue crab, sweet corn relish, remoulade
Tasty crab and excellent corn relish, which had quite a zip.



Oyster Roast - Worcestershire, shallots and Parmesan with petite green salad
I loved the oysters but there were a few shell chips that made their way through. The salad was comprised of fresh, bouncy greens but it was a bit underdressed for my taste (I swished them through the remoulade on the crab cake plate, so it worked out fine). Also, the oyster shells resting atop the salt mixture made it hard to sip the liquor because the salt stuck to the bottoms of the shells and then got into my mouth.



Sugarcane-Cured Pork Belly - Johnny Cakes, plum ketchup and chow-chow
Loved the sticky-fatty, flavorful pork, the aromatic cakes and the chow-chow. The plum ketchup was just a bit too sweet for my palate. Still, a great dish.



Wine-Poached Pear Soup - Spiced Molasses Cake, Ginger Ice Cream, Sesame Praline
Very nicely, the kitchen sent out this dessert for us. I loved the assertive ginger ice cream, the molasses cake and the soup. The praline tasted somewhat bitter. It sure didn't look scorched but it may have been.

All in all it was a great lunch with a couple of minor hiccups. The food was, for the most part, excellent. Since there were only 2 of us, we choose only appetizers to maximize the amount of items we could try but several of the bruch and lunch entrees looked very tempting. The cost, before tip, was $59, which seemed very reasonable to me.

The bar, of which I did not partake today , looks excellent, too. Many of the main spirits are premium and the accompanying side spirits and liqueurs are thoughtfully chosen. I look forward to returing soon for dinner (and some cocktails).

=R=

rochambeau wrote:

BR wrote:When Big Jones opened, I was looking forward to a restaurant similar to one I've eaten at several times in Winston Salem, NC, Sweet Potatoes, where I have enjoyed several outstanding meals . I'm willing to stop back at some point because I'm hoping to find that experience much closer to home. Paul, I'm curious if there are a couple or few dishes you specifically recommend above everything else on the menu.

Thanks for the link, BR. I appreciate it. Without having been there myself, I can't really gauge the experience, but I can tell a lot about the cooking just be reading the menu and visualizing the pantry. My guess is their food is great.

We're not really trying to duplicate any restaurant though, so it's good the see an example of where you're coming from, but this also illustrates the preconception problem we have faced. So many people with the greatest of intentions (and highest hopes) come here looking for us to duplicate an experience(s) they had somewhere in the South, and we just can't do that for everyone.

Thanks again for the link, I am enjoying checking out the menu! Is there anything there you particularly liked?

And to be fair, I would hope that any chef and restaurant would stand on their own merits and display their own skills, flavors and interpretations rather than trying to imitate what someone else has done. Thanks for the description of the dishes you most recommend at Big Jones - I hope to try some of them. That being said, dishes I have really enjoyed at Sweet Potatoes included a wonderful shrimp and grits (head and tail on), the pimento cheese, the stuffed trout and the barbecued duck. If you ever make it to Winston Salem, I'd highly recommend a visit.

rochambeau wrote:I do think now I see where you are coming from, and believe me I can appreciate that. If I lived in the neighborhood and wasn't in the business, Big Jones would not be the restaurant I visit most often unless I was loaded, simply because of the price. I'd still eat here regularly, because I'm sure I would like the food.

Thanks for the reply Paul. I didn't know you were the chef at Schubas also. I still haven't had the chance to eat there but I see shows there all the time.

I guess maybe some of it is my own fault - I was hoping for something southern with average prices but just more down-home cooking, and the restaurant is, IMO, definitely upscale fine dining (for southern style). There are no other southern style places in the area, so fine dining is my only choice and sometimes I just can't afford it.

Just a datapoint ... seeing the owner/chef become involved here makes me much more interested in trying the restaurant.

I have been to and enjoyed Big Jones a few times. We always enjoy and take advantage of the free kids meals. They are generously portioned and made just as well as anything else in their kitchen.

The service can be very slow.

Bread service can be slower. Please - I have two hungry little kids. Bring bread. It's better for everyone around us.

The food has all been very good to excellent. I've had the Chicken Fried Steak, fish, salads, and most of the appetizers.

The BEST thing on the menu - the Red Velvet Cake. Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

kafein wrote:

The BEST thing on the menu - the Red Velvet Cake. Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

I've been a few times and the red velvet cake is the best and most memorable thing i've tried. Thats is a big complement, because I am a huge dessert person, and a bit of a snob about it, too.

kafein wrote:The BEST thing on the menu - the Red Velvet Cake. Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

. . . and made to order, from what our server told us. We didn't order it but the person next to us did and it looked very delicious. I almost snapped a pic but didn't think the person who ordered the cake would have appreciated me doing so.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

kafein wrote:The BEST thing on the menu - the Red Velvet Cake. Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

. . . and made to order, from what our server told us.

Well, I might buy that it was "iced" to order . . . but the only way I can see it being made to order would be if you ordered it when you sat down (and assuming very, very slow service ) Unless of course there's some new Grant Achatz or Homaru Cantu device that bakes cakes faster than expected. In any event, I love red velvet cake and I've never tasted the version colored with beets, so that looks like something I'd like to try.

bnowell724 wrote:

kafein wrote:

The BEST thing on the menu - the Red Velvet Cake. Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

I've been a few times and the red velvet cake is the best and most memorable thing i've tried. Thats is a big complement, because I am a huge dessert person, and a bit of a snob about it, too.

I sure hope so. On our first couple of visits, we would have agreed. On the last couple, not so much. We assume recipes changed. Let's hope that they changed back. It happens to be one of LDC's favorite desserts and the last couple outings have made us leery.

BR wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

kafein wrote:The BEST thing on the menu - the Red Velvet Cake. Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

. . . and made to order, from what our server told us.

Well, I might buy that it was "iced" to order . . . but the only way I can see it being made to order would be if you ordered it when you sat down (and assuming very, very slow service ) Unless of course there's some new Grant Achatz or Homaru Cantu device that bakes cakes faster than expected. In any event, I love red velvet cake and I've never tasted the version colored with beets, so that looks like something I'd like to try.

We were told it takes 20 minutes. Given the individually-sized portion -- and the fact that I've had baked-to-order cakes of this size in other restaurants -- I think "made to order" is entirely feasible. Of course, I could have simply misheard or misunderstood. In either case, it looked great.

=R=

I'm hoping to come with friends from home, S.C., within the next few weeks.

ronnie_suburban wrote:We were told it takes 20 minutes. Given the individually-sized portion -- and the fact that I've had baked-to-order cakes of this size in other restaurants -- I think "made to order" is entirely feasible. Of course, I could have simply misheard or misunderstood. In either case, it looked great.

=R=

I didn't realize that each single serving was individually baked, as opposed to being a slice of a whole cake - I suppose it just has to be ordered when ordering the rest of your food. I'm game.

Maybe it has changed. Both times I have had it it was a slice of a larger, single layer cake. One of those it had just come out of the oven. It had to be frosted warm...which was just fine.

Not too sweet, made red with beets instead of dye, moist and tender crumb, and slathered in gorgeous cream cheese frosting.

This information alone makes a trip to Big Jones far more likely. As someone with a spouse who is allergic to red dye (narrowed down to Red 40 and Red 45), naturally that means that Red Velvet cake is completely out of the question - until now.

This also means that things like Twizzlers and "red pop" are also out of the running, but that's not the end of the world. But being teased with cake and knowing that it'll probably kill you if you eat it - that's just cruel. But now we have options.

Thanks for posting this! You never know what kind of information is going to motivate/affect people.

ronnie_suburban wrote:We were told it takes 20 minutes. Given the individually-sized portion -- and the fact that I've had baked-to-order cakes of this size in other restaurants -- I think "made to order" is entirely feasible. Of course, I could have simply misheard or misunderstood. In either case, it looked great.

=R=

Then the recipe must have changed since I last tried it. Mine was room temp and a slice of a whole regular sized cake, with traditional iciing. It makes sense that they turned it into something more, i dunno, modern? with the new chef from Alinea. I can't speak for this new version, though.

Kennyz wrote:
I can understand why a passionate business owner might be overly sensitive to negative comments, but I think you are doing yourself a disservice by filtering away the positive, and overreacting while drawing even more attention to the negativity. This thread is chock full of praise for Big Jones to balance out the negative comments. Quite a few respected, long time LTHForum members have written some very nice things about your restaurant here. There is no need for you to go through your emails and post a dozen more positive quotes, because we can all find those kinds of quotes right here. This is a discussion forum where people sometimes disagree about things. A few people don't care for Big Jones, and quite a few really do. This is not the "Praise" section of the Big Jones website.

Kennyz

I definitely see your point, and complaints and negative feedback are something I value. I look at it like, the person who takes the time to complain to me is doing me a favor. That is how I learn. Compliments are wonderful things, and help reinforce what we do, but compliments will never ever tell you what you need to do to improve. That said, and I am not sure why I felt this way, but I felt like this thread has been unbalanced on the negative side. It might be because there is no way to quantify it, i.e. there are no stars or thumbs up here (and please never start having those) so it's hard to gauge the mood of LTHers by reading the thread. I care what everyone thinks about Big Jones, and LTHForum especially.

I think I had that reaction (posting a bunch of gushing emails) because I hadn't checked the forum for a few months, and there were a couple of entries where people said generally positive things and then used the dreaded "I don't think I'll go back" line. To me, like I said, I value the complaints and there is a place for them, I need them. However, when you say something to the effect of "I won't be going back" you are signaling to others that maybe they shouldn't try this restaurant, even if you just said you had several tasty things!

Why not let your comments about the food and the service speak for themselves? Maybe someone might take your advice to skip the Shrimp & Grits (or take someone else's advice to have it) and have a great time here. I have a hard time accepting a posting where someone says they always want a restaurant to succeed, but then end their post with something along the effects of "don't go there." If you had a horrible time, wouldn't your comments about the food and service convey that sufficiently, without warning everyone to stay away?

I have been very impressed with the level of discourse on the forum, and the courtesy everyone shows their fellow posters. As far as what I'm saying here goes, I'm not terribly afraid to draw at least a little attention to the negative. But, I hope anyone who hasn't been to Big Jones will try it for themselves, without having someone else tell them not to bother, even if it's through innuendo. I can't tell you how many times I've had a mixed experience in a restaurant, told the good and the bad to a friend, and told them that it's worth checking out.

rochambeau wrote: I have a hard time accepting a posting where someone says they always want a restaurant to succeed, but then end their post with something along the effects of "don't go there." If you had a horrible time, wouldn't your comments about the food and service convey that sufficiently, without warning everyone to stay away?

You see, chef, here is the problem. And it is the problem when someone receives a critique about something that matters to them deeply - both for personal reasons and for professional reasons. What is written is read through a filter. And having that filter is understandable.

Chef Rochambeau cites my writing [at least I assume that he is writing about me; if he is referring to someone else, nevermind], but here is what I actually said:

"I, for one, would like every restaurant to succeed, but I would also like for each restaurant to be at the top of its game. If Big Jones has found its niche, bravo, and I hope that the praise keeps coming. If Big Jones, would like me to return, given the wealth of astonishing restaurants in this town, it needs to improve. (It is not a "bad" restaurant, just not a remarkable one - yet)."

Do I say "Don't go there"? No. Do I say, I had a "horrible time." No? There are thousands of restaurants in Chicago; I would like each of them to succeed. But even for a dedicated LTHer, I won't eat thousands of meals. I will patronize only a few. Might I go back to Big Jones? Possibly. But I might go to the restaurant across the street, down the block, or across the way.

The totality of comments on the board - about all restaurants - helps me make that choice.

rochambeau wrote:I think I had that reaction (posting a bunch of gushing emails) because I hadn't checked the forum for a few months, and there were a couple of entries where people said generally positive things and then used the dreaded "I don't think I'll go back" line.

Not the exact same thing, but this to me is akin to a Yelp! review gushing about a restaurant and then giving it 4/5 stars. If you had nothing bad to say and loved it, why are you holding out the last star?

So, I understand your issue here.

rochambeau and Chitown B: could you point me to these positive reviews that then conclude that they aren't going back?

I'm hoping to make my maiden voyage to Big Jones on Wednesday night.

In good company last night, we visited Big Jones. Since it’s walking distance for the Lovely Dining Companion and me, we’ve been a number of times; it was new to the others. What follows is my quick take on our evening.

We opened with three house cocktails: Ma Louisiane (Kopper Kettle Virginia Whiskey, Benedictine, Sweet Vermouth, Peychaud Bitters), an Agave Julep (Zapopan Reposado Tequila, Agave Nectar, Mint, Club Soda, Crushed Ice), and The Death of St. Germaine (Death's Door Gin, St.-Germain, Curacao, Lemon). I found the first to be assertive (as was observed at the table, a little Benedictine goes a long way), the second to be a bit too sweet but amazingly smooth, and the third to be quite attractive...flowery even. A very nice round of openers.

To give us something to start, the kitchen sent a tray of good-sized cornbread cakes. The LDC was not a fan but I was: I found them moist, flavorful, and a nicely considered appetite-whetter (or would that be vorspeis?) This seemed to be in the nature of an amuse (though we’ve received an amuse before, it seems to change regularly—which won’t engender any complaints from this quarter).

We ordered five appetizers:

Crab cakes: LDC agreed with me that, although quite crab-by and delicious, the cakes seemed to be a new recipe. These are made from lump blue crab and were served with a sweet corn relish. The old ones were unequivocally excellent; these were “merely” very, very good. Hard to say that very, very good is a step down but I wish they had kept the old recipe. Whatever the change, it’s not major but we both, independently, had the same impression. The remoulade was excellent; quite spicy and a very nice accompaniment and that we really enjoyed.

Frogs’ legs with creole meuniere and mushrooms: I’ve never had frogs’ legs before and so have nothing to compare them to. I found, that to me at least, they taste like everyone always jokes—chicken. Nicely breaded and presented. Didn’t blow me away but I didn’t find anything about them to incline me to try them again.

Vegetable terrine: a revelation. This is something I would never object to but would not likely choose on my own. Every component of this dish (sweet potato chips, I think, a bean puree, and a chunky pepper relish?) added to the experience. If there was a surprise hit at the table, this was it. Perfectly conceived, executed, and presented. Highly recommended and we’ll get it again.

Cheddar-herb croquettes. Served with green goddess sauce/dressing, fried sage, and frisee. Not especially to my taste. Nothing objectionable but nothing exciting either. I may well be in the minority in my reaction to these; I know LDC and some of the others quite enjoyed them. They just seemed like hush puppies with a Ph.D. to me.

House-made head cheese: as our server noted, this was more like a (Gunthorp Farms) pork terrine than an authentic head cheese but who cares? It was very good, though I found it just a trifle less...flavorful...than I expected. A generous serving with toasts, Creole mustard, and piccalilli. Highly enjoyable. (And this is a place that, for once, serves enough toasts. Why do some places offer a reasonable serving of pate and then give you two or three tiny toast points?)

The house generously sent out an order of fried green tomatoes as well. I’ve never been particularly impressed with these in the past and, sorry to say, last night was no exception. The recipe seems to have changed a bit: the breading is different (or seemed so) but the dish came through as too bland. I don’t know if it’s the tomatoes themselves or the rest of the plating, but it was uninteresting; a disappointment to me as a fan of the dish.

This is probably the moment to say that we had a very early reservation: 5:30. There was a table of six that arrived about the same time. Only a few diners came in during the first 30-60 minutes we were there. And so we were unable to understand why everything took so long. The apps were quite a while in coming and the entrees seemed to take forever. In fairness, when Chef visited, he explained that they were experimenting with turducken for the holiday and it was about to come out of the oven. Fine. But given the almost empty house, what took so long? A couple people commented; an explanation would have been welcome. It was nothing terrible but it was noticeable.

Perhaps as a recognition of this (perhaps not), during our wait for our entrees to arrive we received a gift from the kitchen and boy, do I mean gift: perfectly cooked venison with a blueberry reduction. There were other elements but, I’m very sorry to say, I didn’t take notes and should have. I hope Chef will chime in and tell us more about the dish. It was really exceptional. The blueberries complemented the venison perfectly and even LDC, who is not even remotely a fan of venison, cleaned her plate. For those who prefer their venison gamy, this is not the dish. It was pretty much devoid of gaminess. But that meat was luscious and the dish just beautifully conceived.

Entrees: we only had one overlap and shared so that everyone got a taste of everything.

Shrimp and grits: finely ground grits cooked to a very smooth and creamy texture. Shrimp that seemed unevenly cooked: some perfect, some not quite cooked, some overcooked and mushy. A shame because the shrimp were quite tasty (Laughing Bird Caribbean white shrimp the menu tells me). A tasso sauce with chunks of sausage in it: unqualifiedly top-notch. Curiously, although it made for an eye-catching presentation, I didn’t understand the cherry tomatoes. They were beautiful, sweet, and delicious. But they didn’t add anything to the dish and I was confused by their presence.

Fried chicken: wow! Crispy, juicy, meaty, and excellent. And a large portion to boot. Served with excellent mashed potatoes (I’d love to know what was in them.) It’s a Tuesday special and was good enough to make me seriously consider eating out on Tuesday nights more often.

Reezy peezy: a dish with heritage red peas and Carolina gold rice. The red peas were revelation. These little buggers looked like a cross between peas and red beans. They had an astonishing smoky flavor (a characteristic of the peas, not added) and they went quite well with the rice. I’ve never heard of the dish but it’s very easy to see this as the old classic it apparently is (the menu notes that the recipe is circa 1730!). Served with house-pickled veggies (this is a good place to note that their pickles—which appear in a variety of dishes—are excellent), greens, and a rice cake. The greens were vinegary and one bite was all I could manage. Way off. The rice cake, on the other hand, was a wonderfully unexpected pleasure and complement.

Quail: sarsaparilla-lacquered with stuffing, sage-baked apples, and squash. I had a small taste but found it very enjoyable. I suspect the sarsaparilla gloss may have been too sweet for some, but I enjoyed it and would happily order this myself.

This is probably a good place to single out our server, David. He did a great job: timely, observant, warm, and best of all, knowledgeable. He never pushed, simply offered his recommendations, and fielded every question with a helpful, well-informed answer.

Lest you think we had enough by this point, I hasten to correct you: the house offered slices of the turducken. We were all quite curious and eager to taste it but our stomachs were in no condition to appreciate the generous servings offered, complete with stuffing. I will say only that the three meats were cooked pretty much as well as one could expect given their different requirements. Chef explained his procedure when he visited the table earlier in the evening and the presentation was really impressive.

Needless to say, no desserts.

As we walked home, LDC and I agreed that (besides the fact that we ate way, way, way too much food) there were both hits and misses. We found several of the dishes unqualifiedly excellent (such as the vegetable terrine and the fried chicken) and some unexpectedly uninteresting (such as the croquettes and the fried green tomatoes). That said, we have always enjoyed our visits—the staff is always welcoming and we’ve always had very good servers. Having been enough times, we know pretty well what to choose and what to avoid and are happy to have it as a part of our rotation.

We consider ourselves exceptionally fortunate to live in walking distance of multiple GNRs and a number of other excellent places and, I think, in the end, the level of competition in this area ensures that any place that takes its food as seriously as Big Jones will always be on their toes. Best of all, Chef visited the table a couple times and stayed for a long enough visit to see first-hand his passion for what he does and his genuine interest in having us enjoy his food. It was a pleasure to see that.

(My pictures unexpectedly bombed; I am hoping for illustration from a companion....)

Many thanks to Gypsy Boy for referring to me as "good company," and I was glad to be part of last night's enjoyable dinner. This thread is already full of opinions that seem to contrast one another, and my take is likely to add to that.

One thing that I absolutely agree with is that our server last night was terrific. I don't expect relatively humble neighborhood spots like Big Jones (a characterization with which others will surely disagree) to have such knowledgeable staff. Our server showed real interest in and passion about food, and was able to answer obscure questions about ingredient provenance, etc. with intelligence and sincerity.

Also on the service front, I did not perceive any issues at all with the pacing of our meal. I thought it was just about right.

As the Chef has rightly pointed out, for many people this kind of cuisine conjures up memories, and it can be tough to please the crowds comparing Big Jones to Grandma's coastal southern cooking, or some other branded ideal of what it should taste like. But I have very little experience with the cuisine, so I don’t think nostalgia is an issue with me. I evaluated the food based on how I thought it tasted, and some of it was quite good. The corn cakes, for example, were light and flavorful, with barely a touch of sweetness to accentuate the natural corn flavor. The cheddar-herb croquettes were perfectly fried, and even with their decadence, the light airiness and bright flavor shined through. The fried chicken had a beautifully crisp coating and was very moist, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more seasoning, and the greens served with it were way too acidic for me. The venison Gypsy Boy mentioned was cooked beautifully, and was very tender. But count me as one of the people who prefers gamier venison. This stuff tasted like little more than the excellent seasoning the kitchen gave it.

Other dishes didn't work as well for me. The frogs legs with meuniere sauce seemed like a strange combination, not because the 2 components can't go well together, but because they didn't go well together in the way they were prepared and served. The frogs legs had thick, crispy breading, and I just don't understand the logic of serving something like that in a bowl full of very thin liquid. The meat doesn't really pick up the sauce, and the sauce turns the breading into mush. To me, this kind of sauce belongs with something that is lightly floured and pan seared, not something that's fried with a thick and crispy coating. I didn't particularly care for the shrimp and grits either. Having had a nearly identical preparation at Chaise Lounge recently, I have to say that Chaise's version was substantially better. The shrimp on my plate at Big Jones were mostly overcooked and mealy, and I thought the whole dish could use quite a bit more seasoning, despite the flavorful tasso gravy.

I like Big Jones. It's an imperfect place with some good food.

Kennyz wrote:Many thanks to Gypsy Boy for referring to me as "good company," and I was glad to be part of last night's enjoyable dinner. This thread is already full of opinions that seem to contrast one another, and my take is likely to add to that.

I knew it couldn't be me to which he was referring.

I too enjoyed many aspects of the dinner. I thought that the appetizers were a real highlight of the meal. The sharp, intense and crispy cheddar-herb croquettes, deceptively rich vegetable terrine with highly addictive black bean sauce, crispy crab cakes and fried green tomatoes with pickled shrimp (the last of which was sent out to us by the kitchen) were all tasty and well-prepared. And I especially liked the meaty and perfectly-textured headcheese, which was served with Creole mustard and piccalilli. The frog legs themselves were tender and flavorful, and I loved the heat in the sauce but it was completely different from the sauce I was served the first time I had the frog legs, even though it was still called Creole Meuniere. Last time it was brown, thick, rich and somewhat shiny. This time it was more orange, broth-like and pleasantly fiery. But as Kenny mentioned, because of its texture, it didn't adhere to the frog legs very well and the dish wasn't as enjoyable as the previous time I had it.

I thought the venison was excellent. Nicely seasoned and perfectly cooked. Again, it was very nice of the kitchen to send this one out of us.

I liked the entrees quite a bit, too. Fried Chicken was excellent -- really flavorful, great crust and moist. The sightly chunky mashed potatoes (with skins) served with it were very enjoyable. I did not care for the greens, which were way too acidic/astringent for my taste. They also had a strong smokey note that I thought was a bit harsh and very distracting. Reezy Peezy, described above by GB, was a tasty take on rice and beans. I enjoyed the shrimp and grits because the grits were so smooth and the flavors -- especially the tasso gravy -- were great. I only had a couple bites and the 1 shrimp I had was delicious. The sarsaparilla-laquered quail was not my thing. Well-prepared but I just couldn't get past the highly aromatic sarsaparilla, which I did not care for. Others at the table really enjoyed this, though.

As was mentioned above, the taste of the tester Turducken the kitchen was working on was terrific. I really loved the flavor of the forcemeat stuffing between the layers of bird. I was way too full to eat much of this but it was very enjoyable.

I have to agree that service was impeccable. It was textbook and could not have been better. As Kenny described above, our server was enthusiastic, friendly, knowledgeable and deft. He made an enjoyable experience all the better. The meal was a bit lengthy but when you consider that 2 entire courses that we didn't order were sent out for us, that's understandable.

I like Big Jones because the soulful food is very distinctive the chef Fehribach is definitely taking some chances. The choices he makes, even the ones that didn't work for me personally, are grounded in a solid philosophy, which is completely refreshing to see. His asethetic is clearly visible. His use of local (whenever available) and sustainable products adds up to terrific quality on the plate. The offerings are extremely diverse which, I believe, is one of the reasons why I just didn't care for certain dishes. This may not be a place where you're going to love everything on the menu but it's definitely a place where there's a lot to love . . . and those things may differ from diner to diner, as was the case with this meal.

=R=

p.s. hoping to post some pictures of the meal soon but I wanted to post my thoughts asap.

My wife and I had a real enjoyable dinner at Big Jones last night. We started with the Crawfish Boudin Fritters and the pork belly. The fritters were incredibly good - perfect texture, lots of flavor, just the right amount of heat. The pork belly, on the other hand, didn't hit for us. Pork Belly has a lot of fat, but our portion really didn't have very much meat. One of the pieces on the plate actually had no meat; it was just a slice of pure fat. (The fact actually tasted nice and melted in my mouth.)

For entrees we had the Reezy Peezy and the quail. The Reezy Peezy was incredibly good (and only $10!). Each component of this dish had a distinct and interesting flavor. Others commented that they didn't like the level of vinegar in the greens; ours were perfect. On the other hand, we were a bit disappointed with the quail. First, it was not very warm when it came out and the sauce was actually pretty cool. Second, our served had specifically advertised that the skin was really crispy, but ours wasn't at all. The meat itself tasted good, but we had slightly higher hopes for the dish.

We really enjoyed our four cocktails. We started with the Elk's Own and the Sidecar. I had never had an Elk's Own (or any drink that combined whiskey and port), and this was a nice introduction. The sidecar was a slight twist on the traditional recipe and we both really enjoyed it. For our next round we had the Death of St. Germain and the Dark and Stormy. Both were really great. I generally don't prefer high balls and probably wouldn't have picked the Death of St. Germain if I knew it was one, but I was really pleasantly surprised at the depth of flavor in this drink. The Dark and Stormy was the real highlight of our cocktails, though. This one blew the D&S we've had at the Violet Hour and Bar DeVille out of the water. Maybe it was the house-made ginger ale. This one had a really nice sweet and spicy thing going.

I'm not sure what the story is with the corn bread. Based on reports here, we really wanted to try it. It wasn't on the menu (as best we could see) and we weren't offered any. The table next to us was brought a basket, so we asked our server if we could have some. The corn bread was really good - very light and not overly sweet.

We were a bit confused by the fixed price menu. Our server told us about two specials and said we could order them a la carte or as part of the fixed price menu. The way she explained it led me to think that you could order anything (or at least some things) on the regular menu as part of a fixed price menu, but the menu didn't say anything about this option. So the server explained that the fixed price menu was only available with the specials. We were really excited about so many of the first course options on the regular menu, though, so we didn't opt for the fixed price menu.

I am really surprised by the earlier discussion in this thread about the prices. I thought the prices were actually quite low, especially given the quality of the ingredients. Our quail was $22, but most of the entrees were $10-$18 or so.

Overall a very enjoyable meal and we'll definitely go back, probably for brunch next. (Especially because we realized that we left our A La Card coupon at home!).

ronnie_suburban wrote:...crispy crab cakes and fried green tomatoes with pickled shrimp (the last of which was sent out to us by the kitchen)...

Did they know "who you were"?

haha I was thinking the same thing. The chef does lurk......

If I saw someone with a DSLR at a table, I'd make sure they got the best service they've ever had. Not that that's a bad thing...

Chitown B wrote:haha I was thinking the same thing. The chef does lurk......

If I saw someone with a DSLR at a table, I'd make sure they got the best service they've ever had. Not that that's a bad thing...

I do think it is a bad thing. Should I start bringing my camera to every meal so that I can get better service, free dishes, etc?