Big Jones

I went here for Valentine's Day and I was kinda disappointed.  They offered a prix fixe tasting menu for the holiday as the only option.  I understand that it would make things a lot easier on the staff and allow things to run smoother all across the board.  However, if you're going to offer a prix fix tasting menu for your customers, at least have it consist of some of the things your restaurant is known for.  A hint of something at least.  I went to the restaurant expecting good southern food with somewhat of a modern twist, what I got was just the modern twist.  

Let me start off with the best parts of the meal:
The popovers were delicious.  They were light and crispy.  They were so good on their own, they didn't even need the honey and butter that came with them (those were good too though).  The seared striped sea bass was good.  The dessert was amazing.  It was Chocolate Chess Pie with candied walnuts and banana ice cream.  It was really rich and chocolatey.  

The other parts of the meal ranged from just ok to inedible.  I can appreciate the creativity and inventiveness of the culinary arts, like that of the crawfish and lobster chowder.  It had truffle froth on the top.  Creative and inventive.  The soup was just ok.  The creative twist didn't enhance the flavor or the eating experience.  

The warm brussels sprouts salad was also ok.  The sirloin was a disaster.  It was not edible.  I had a difficult time cutting it.  What was more annoying was that it VERY chewy and hard to eat, so I was done with that.  The sirloin came with something called a salsify.  I've never had it before but it sort of looks like a carrot but completely tasteless.  In my opinion, something that doesn't enhance flavors or adds to a dining experience shouldn't be added to the meal.        

I do have to say that everything was presented beautifully and the service was great.  Our server was really pleasant and everything flowed in a timely manner.  I just wish my experience had more of that southern cooking that Big Jones was known for.

Big Jones is simply amazing from the service, to the meal, to the bill.

Service: Our server, Matt, was amazing, sweet, and had wonderful recommendations.  He didn't gawk at the fact that I have celiac's, he quickly pointed out the several menu items they have that are gluten-free.  He even ran back to double-check that the appetizer we ordered was gluten-free just in case.  When the complimentary cornbread muffins arrived at the table, he ran over to inform us they were, in fact, gluten-free.  He was perceptive, proactive, and perfectly attentive.  Having been a server at Nellcote, I was very impressed with his service.  

Food: You are greeted with complimentary cornbread muffins that my boyfriend claims are the best he's ever had.  Matt's recommendations were stellar - fried clams, and the etoufee were something to write home about!  My boyfriend loved his po' boy (massive serving with what he claimed to be AMAZING fries for only $12), but he was definitely jealous of my etoufee.   Really amazing food, servings, presentation, and combinations.  The dipping sauce with the clams, for example, was awesome.  The broth of the etoufee was stellar - I couldn't wait to finish it at lunch the next day.  You can tell the chef takes pride in his food - the menu isn't huge and doesn't have to be.

Environment: Awesome music, great ambience, cool wallpaper in the back, and our server was attentive, always there when we needed him, and super friendly.

Being gluten-free, it is very difficult to eat at restaurants.  Big Jones was a big hit for me, and my boyfriend, who lived in NOLA for a bit, raved about it all night.

Great job, Matt and Big Jones!

De-freaking-licious. Finally went to Big Jones for dinner, after having it on my to-visit list for a year or so.

We started with the pickle platter, and everything on it was so good... a nice variety of different veggies that are pickled, along with good ol' regular pickled cucumbers, all in seemingly different brines.

For my entree, I had the Chicken & Dumplings... I come from a long line of chicken & dumpling eating, something my grandpa never let me forget, and I still love them. So obviously I had to try what Big Jones had to offer. SO. GOOD. Butter beans, carrots, chicken, yummy dumplings... I loved it and it brought back great childhood memories. The boy had the Crawfish Etouffee, which I took a taste of, and that was really, really good as well. I thought it would be a lot spicier, but it was perfect.

Our waiter was great, very knowledgeable & attentive... it was a really good experience overall, and I can't wait to go back & try other things on the menu... Fried Chicken dinner, I'm lookin' at you...