Jo’s
246 Elizabeth St., Nolita, NY
Maybe it’s all the high end boutiques and really cool people, but this neighborhood seems to be home to a lot of really nice things that, when you get down to it, actually suck. There are really nice little shops that only sell $400 button down shirts, beautiful streets that often smell like you’re taking a ride in a pee filled subway elevator, and a few pleasant looking restaurants that happen to be a big bummer. In that category, go ahead and file Brinkley’s, Travertine, and now Jo’s.
Jo’s is an aesthetically pleasing little establishment. It’s got the exposed brick, antique mirrors, chalkboards for specials – everything on the build-a-bistro checklist. The service is usually pretty good, in the sense that everyone is congenial, but it’s lacking that professional touch. The food is, at best, inconsistent, and we’ve had a few particularly bad experiences. A recent Sunday evening visit was a special kind of disaster. We dined at a normal dinner hour (7:00pm), but we must have caught the kitchen staff in the middle of a Boggle tournament or something. No food made it our way for nearly thirty minutes, (not even bread), and the table sat idle for inordinately long periods of time between courses. Once the entrees finally arrived, the two of us that ordered the special, a gumbo that tasted like burnt flour mixed with glue, sent it back, and were then served some kind of butternut squash soup that also sucked. Yikes. At the end of the day, a few decent dinner menu options and a serviceable brunch save Jo’s from a “Wasting Your Time and Money” tag, but really, this place is best saved for a cocktail or two.
Food Rundown:
Endive Salad
One of the decent options on the menu, but honestly, it’s tough to screw up a simple salad of endive and sliced pears. The balsamic reduction and soft bleu cheese is nice.
Beet Salad
Another example of an oversimplified salad, this was really just some beets thrown together with a handful of nuts. Where’s the love?
Mussels
A pile of mussels in a white wine and herb base. This isn’t winning any awards, but it’s also not going back to the kitchen, so we’ll call it a win.
Scallops
A nice appetizer sized scallop with a good sear and simple presentation. We’ll take it.
Farro Risotto
This was the best thing I had at Jo’s, hands down. I think it came as a side, but it’s a decent sized portion, and a great option for vegetarians.
Sunday Special Gumbo
This “crawfish” gumbo was part of the Sunday Dinner special, a sort of prix fixe situation that also offers a decent bottle of wine for twenty bucks. Not a bad deal, and an intriguing option, but this was one hurting gumbo. The waiter rolled up with a cauldron of what tasted like burnt flour and three or four tiny pieces of what were either crawfish or pencil erasers. No thanks, and someone needs to apologize to Louisiana.
