638475 Tue Jul 21 21:46:40 -0700 2009 6 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 4879513 Got reviews? Tue Jul 21 21:46:40 -0700 2009 116545 foie grasias 1 5161368 Bumping this up as I am thinking about trying out J & G with some out-of-town visitors. Anyone been? Fri Nov 06 11:19:13 -0800 2009 4879513 48044 WashDC33 2 5161841 My boy friend took me for my birthday dinner last week, and it was a very good meal. That said, neither of us had steak so I can't comment if that's your reason for going. We arrived early and were led to their basement bar while our table freed up. Tiny space, and very loud - it was a weekday around 7 and the tail end of the happy hour crowd was still there. I'm not really a cocktail connoisseur but my Pimm's Cup was good and the boyfriend enjoyed his Manhattan. The dining room itself is pretty - high ceilings and huge windows that evidently have a great view. It was raining and dark that night so no view for us. We started with the fois gras brulee and steak tartar. The tartar was excellent; the accompanying fries were just ok. I've had a hard time finding fries in an upscale DC restaurant I truly adore. The fois was also amazing; if I had to find fault it would be that the spiced fig jam accompanying it could very easily overpower the liver if you added too much. Entrees were also excellent. I had the short ribs with caramelized onions, spinach and "crunchy potatoes" and my boyfriend got the BBQ lamb chops. The short rib was good, but the lamb chops were out of this world. The BBQ sauce was perfectly complimentary to the flavor of the lamb, they were cooked perfectly and they had these mashed potatoes with onions and peas on the plate that I would've happily eaten a Thanksgiving sized portion of. I'm a sucker for short ribs and flavor wise these were nice but couldn't been cooked slightly longer. They weren't tough, but they weren't falling apart either. I like my shortribs falling apart. The accompanyments on the plate were a little boring - the spinach wasn't much more than spinach and the "crispy potato" just wasn't crispy. That said, the portions were so big that I almost didn't get to those anyways. Dessert was a little hazy - boyfriend had a poached pear with carmel and some sort of ice cream and I had a pavlova with thai basil something.....I was feeling the birthday wine by that point. Service was in general very good, except that our server was obviously uncomfortable with wine pairings and busy enough that he tried to weasel out of getting someone who had a better idea. Things improved after that though - he did bring us a plate of birthday cookies with "happy birthday" piped on the plate. I thought prices for a steakhouse with such prime real estate would be much higher, but with three courses each, a bottle of wine and an extra glass of wine the bill came out to around $300. Fri Nov 06 13:47:32 -0800 2009 5161368 132385 reiflame 3 5162907 "I thought prices for a steakhouse with such prime real estate would be much higher, but with three courses each, a bottle of wine and an extra glass of wine the bill came out to around $300." I must clearly be out of touch. $300 for dinner for two at a downtown steak house was less than you expected? Really? Even though the food wasn't totally fabulous? That must have been one expensive bottle or glass of wine. Good to have the data point, though, I guess. Sounds like a good place to go on an expense account. Sat Nov 07 05:14:25 -0800 2009 5161841 10624 MikeR 4 5162992 $300 included a $70 bottle of wine. So no, $230 inclusive isn't that much at a DC steakhouse since steakhouses have entrees topping $40 now. Sat Nov 07 06:25:16 -0800 2009 5162907 132385 reiflame 5 5163046 Well, I'm the guy who balks at a $10 lunch, so a $300 dinner is something I've never knowingly experienced. That still seems like a lot for what you got, though, even for great short ribs. Maybe some day my girl friend will take me out for one. Sat Nov 07 07:07:50 -0800 2009 5162992 10624 MikeR 3 5162951 Well written review, thank you for the info. Sat Nov 07 05:55:33 -0800 2009 5161841 223899 vega4933