Joe’s

It’s one thing to open a fancy restaurant, staff it with a new Chef of the Year, alert the presses, and be a success. I am not taking anything away from those who do so, and I am always in line to dine. However, I have to hand it to a restaurant that can stay on top of the game, quietly doing their thing and doing it well. Joe’s is a 1 star Michelin restaurant located in Venice, CA. It’s one of Karen’s favorites and on her last weekend in LA, she wanted to eat there. I’ve always wondered about it, myself, since it didn’t seem to have the glitz and glamor as some other restaurants, yet it was consistently highly rated.

Steph, Karen, and I spent all day shopping and eating (more on that in future posts, maybe). Then we met up with Ronald, Ted, David Wu, and Ronald’s girlfriend, Eileen. Of course they were late but we didn’t mind since we were seated immediately and got a chance to look at the menu. The first thing I noticed at Joe’s was it was really refined, but not stuffy. There were certainly older diners, as you’d expect, but the younger patrons did not seem out of place. The staff certainly didn’t make any of us feel awkward.

I was surprised at how easy they were in regards to ordering. They allowed Karen to substitute a dish in her tasting menu. And they let each person order whatever they wanted. This is unusual since most restaurants require the whole table to participate in the tasting. Steph, Karen, and D.J. Wu ordered the Citrus menu. Ronald, Ted, and I ordered the full tasting menu. Eileen didn’t order a tasting, instead opting to order an entree. You can see the difficulty here with serving a table with mixed numbers of courses ranging from two to seven. How did they handle it? They simply gave other diners free food. Essentially, everyone who didn’t order the full tasting got bonus amuse bouches and appetizers, at no extra charge. That’s really the right thing to do, I think, and it makes a great impression.

Before I get to the meal, I should mention that I ordered a Riesling, as did DJ Wu. Ted had a “Mo Vito” which was a mojito with vanilla. It was really refreshing. I want to try to make it. I think Karen had Campari and soda or a sparkling wine. With that out of the way, let’s get to the food!

Brioche

I normally don’t mention bread but when it’s this butter goodness, how can not? They actually had other breads available too but once we ate through the brioche, we asked if the subsequent refills remained exclusive to it. They were happy to oblige.

Razor clams with bacon

I’ve never had razor clams before and these were great. They were firm and sort of tasted like abalone. The little bits of bacon were not too smoky which I am happy about because it would have been overwhelming. On the other hand, clam bake anyone?

Geoduck sashimi

Just like eels, these things look nasty but when you cut them up, they are much nicer. This was gone in a quick bite and to be honest, I don’t really remember much about it.

*I really wished I remember what this was called

This was probably my favorite dish of the night. I really liked the puree on the right. Great texture and flavor, nicely plated, with minimal fuss.

Butter poached trout, chestnut, hand pressed tofu, and shitake (?) mushroom

I think I liked the accompaniments more than the fish. I sort of feel weird eating fish that looks like salmon (ie Arctic char), but isn’t. I sort of feel like salmon is the chicken of the sea. It’s so boring and it’s unfortunate when chefs use more expensive, better tasting fish, that look like salmon. Imagine duck looked like chicken. This was not a bad dish by any means. Just not the best.

John Dory with spaghetti and fried (shiso?) leaves.

I liked this dish. The John Dory was delicious. The spaghetti wasn’t forgettable. In fact, I cannot write anymore because I don’t remember much else about the spaghetti.

Dessert amuse: Strawberry sorbet

My roommates and I are big fans of sorbets because it intensifies the flavors so much. This is no exception and the only thing that can beat a strawberry sorbet is probably raspberry. I know, crazy, and I even like strawberries more, generally.

Chocolate chip banana bread topped with vanilla (?)ice cream and a crisp (tuille?)

Though seemingly simple, this dish was well thought out. The based was this dense banana bread and it was well balanced with the not too sweet ice cream and the chip.

Though not very high on my list, I am glad that Karen wanted to eat here. She’s been here a million times but it’s a first for the rest of us. I think it’s reasonable enough to go back for a special occasion, unlike many other restaurants which are truly a once in a lifetime experience. Service was on point, the food was delicious, and everything was just right. I wouldn’t go as far as saying any particular aspect was mindblowing or stellar but I also have no complaints and nowadays, that’s a rarity.

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Total for seven: $655