JoJo (Vongerichten)

[Kent]

I walked in tonight wo reservation.  Place was packed for Sunday night.  Overall I thought food was very good if not remarkable.  I live to eat not drink, but still thought it a bit odd that the restaurant did not have different glasses for white and red wine (strange given its pedigree).  Wine selection also rather limited.

Ordered butternut squash soup with fresh chives and black trumpet mushrooms. Pretty mediocre and bland, needed more salt and/or yoghurt or something to impart greater textual complexity.  Second was fois gras with eggy waffle in drag & shredded/sauced apple with some sort of minor berry accent.  This was superb. Sort of fois gras for breakfast, but very balanced, and FG was delicate and seared superbly.  Jojos had the best FG I have had in NYC prior to renovation, and the legend in my mind continues.  Finished with venison with small potatoes cooked with black pepper, hints of clover, pomegranate seeds and some other starchy offset composed of forgotten ingredients (should have scribbled this down, I suffer from poor ingredient memory).   This was very good, in fact it was probably excellent, but I was so blown away by the venison at Café Boulud last month that all subsequent venison dishes inevitably fail for the short-dated future. My problem, I guess.  But the dish had some flaws.  The venison was cooked just right, but by itself too peppery.  Similarly, the starchy offset was overcooked.   Bizarrely, and this was true of the FG dish as well, the whole thing worked best when all ingredients, which had been somewhat consciously semi-isolated by the kitchen, were combined in the mouth.  The kitchen's talent is definitely in the combos not in the things-in-themselves.

Service was gracious, but often slightly late, and not deeply.  I guess fawning but not informative would be the best way to put it.  GT it is not.  Worth going back to I guess, but I feel slightly spoiled.  Café Boulud remains my causal French upper East side reference, and its not that much farther away.

[Fat Guy]

Thanks for reminding me about JoJo. I really need to get over there to see the latest incarnation. I remember when it was an astounding restaurant. I'm not sure I've ever had a meal at Jean Georges as good as the first couple of meals I had at JoJo, before the place kind of settled into a routine.

[Bux]

I've had excellent food and wildly mixed service at the old JoJo.

the whole thing worked best when all ingredients, which had been somewhat consciously semi-isolated by the kitchen, were combined in the mouth.  The kitchen's talent is definitely in the combos not in the things-in-themselves.

I've described my meal at Ducasse/Paris in exceptional terms, but I could mention that my wife found the sauce served with her lamb had the overpowering taste of raw garlic. Taken in small dabs on the meat, it was terrific, but by itself it was unpleasant. It took a taste or two to learn how to use it. I'm still not sure if that's a fault or not. I tasted the sauce by itself and agreed with her.

[Wilfrid]

I found the old JoJo's to be solid in both food and service.  I wonder if anyone can give a view as to whether the menu has changed much?

[Wilfrid]

I got to the re-furbished Jo Jo on Saturday night.  I've seen a lot of comments on the decor, but not much about the menu.  To my eyes, the decor now looks sort of mock-baronial.  Dark greens and blacks downstairs, studded chairs replacing banquettes.  Less modern than the old look.  Upstairs, rich reds and pinks.  Still incredibly cramped ( I thought they might have expanded the space).  Arrival is a nightmare.  In the tiny space between the bar and restaurant, you have customers waiting for tables, customers who are leaving and struggling with their coats, two or three greeters, and waitstaff trying to manoeuvre with full trays of drinks.  Totally nerve-wracking.  

The food.  No significant changes to the menu (somewhere I saw a comment that both the decor and the menu had been overhauled, but that must have been ill-informed).  In addition to the famous 27 vegetables, the duck with larded pear is still there.  The dishes are still listed with the main ingredient in bold capitals and a small description underneath.  Everything looked pretty familar.

I ate at the old Jo Jo maybe six or eight times, and always found it very reliable - sometimes great but always at least solid and professional.  My luck was out this time.  Appetizer: salad of pig's cheeks with lentils.  The cheeks were served as small medallions with a light crust (fine breadcrumbs? flour?).  Steaming hot, but quite dry, and it's not easy to dry out pig's cheeks.  The lentil salad was (intentionally) cold.  The temperature contrast was odd.

Entree: duck with mediaeval spices and root vegetables.  Having puzzled over the appetizer, I actually asked the captain if the duck dish was supposed to be cold.  "No," he said "it's suppose to be hot" and whisked it away.  It came back a while later (with appropriate apologies).  It was not a new dish, as I recognised my tooth marks.  The duck had upgraded from cool to lukewarm.  The vegetables remained cold.  I considered sending it back again, but the night was wearing on, and I thought two chances to serve the dish properly was plenty.  The duck was nicely cooked, and very mildly spiced.  Three root vegetables had been carved into uniform shapes,  and two more had been turned into intense purees.  All these items were spaced around a big square plate.  Root vegetables are not at their best eaten cold.  The dish became sort of annoying, because what I really wanted by that stage was plain roast duck, any one vegetable you like in its natural shape, served on a  round plate and served HOT.

Two of the desserts were finished by the time I got there, but the fruit "risotto" (rice pudding) was very pleasant.  Cold.  Intentionally, I think.

Positive note: I counted almost thirty bottles priced at โ or less (down to about ษ), which struck me as a very honest attempt at affordability for a restaurant of Jo Jo's standing.  By the glass was still pricy; the Taittinger was delicious, but I am not sure even a champagne bar would charge ฤ a flute.  I drank a flabby 1995 Mercurey 1er Cru, which had lost its legs.

Lunch at D'Artagnan on Friday.  Perfectly good frisee salad which someone had tipped half a pound of sea salt over.  Truffle butter missing from the charcuterie plate.  Then they brought me someone else's check.  Oh well, onward and upward.

[mogsob]

I was very excited about dining at the new Jo Jo (I had not been since renovation). The experience however did more than merely fail to live up to expectation -- Jo Jo is simply a poor restaurant. Here is a rundown.

Setting. The old room was much better and much more elegant. Our table was very cramped -- I actually had to get up when a diner at the next table went to the men's. I also don't like the no tablecloths thing.

Service. Horrific is the only proper way to describe our server. I was the only one drinking at our table, but as Jo Jo thoughtfully failed to include a single half bottle of red wine on their list, I did not order wine (I find wine by the glass to be generally dull and overpriced). Instead we had mineral water. Our server stopped by every 5 minutes or so to ask if we wanted another bottle. Interrupted conversation, no respect whatsoever. He actually asked us about ordering more water 14 times during dinner. It would have been funny if it weren't so annoying.

Food. I started with the tuna spring rolls. I had eaten a very similar dish at PlumpJack in SF earlier in the week. Needless to say, the Jo Jo version was dull and bland by comparison. For my main, I ordered venison, which came overcooked and was also very bland. Where the tuna was boring, it was at least correct. The venision was simply a poor dish, especially when compared with the superlative venision dish of Roussillon's lingering in my mind from last week. A passion fruit pavlova that was only a slight step up from an Italian Icea and a burnt espresso rounded out what was simply the worst fine dining experience for me of 2002.

Jo Jo has always been a personal favorite, although I had not been in some time, and an exception to the JG rule (avoid restaurants where the chef is never in the kitchen -- applies equally, in my mind, to AD, MPW et al.). No longer.

Jo Jo -- RIP

[Simon Majumdar]

Mogsob

This reflects almost exactly my views on Jo Jo

I was a fan of it in its old incarnation. it was the one JG place that was any good.

I was there in April and I hated HATED the room. The tables were close together in a way that made the spacing at Blue Hill look positively generous and the wine prices and mark ups were pernicious.

The food was ordinary to say the least

I will certainly not be returning anytime soon

S

[mogsob]

Simon,

Thanks for confirming that it is not just me. If you are ever in SF, do go to PlumpJack in the Marina/Cow's Hollow district. They own a very good wine store up the block and have most of their offerings on the list (at a very fair mark up to boot).

[Wilfrid]

I wrote about a similar experience almost a year ago.

I've been waiting to hear of someone having a good experience since the refurb. A great pity, as it does J-G no credit, and it was such a good restaurant a few years ago.

[wingding]

Yeah,I posted about it too,after eating there last winter,the $20.02 prix fixe.The food wasn't that bad,but the service was lousy,and the new decor was upper east side fusty decorator gone mad....what were they thinking?Jojo was a ground breaking restaurant when it opened....what a shame.

[Lreda]

Having lunch here today. Anyone been here recently?

[oakapple]

Having lunch here today. Anyone been here recently?

←

A friend and I had dinner there earlier this month. For a three-star restaurant, it was remarkably uninteresting. Probably the best thing was my friend's appetizer: the foie gras terrine. I ordered the orange shrimp appetizer, praised in so many reviews. I found it deadly dull. My main course was an utterly unmemorable sea bass. Again, my friend probably did better with the salmon.

[oakapple]

JoJo underwhelmed me earlier this year. Last night, I decided to give it another try.

We were seated upstairs, which is a considerably more romantic and intimate space than the downstairs, where I was last time. When we arrived at 6:30, there was just one other couple in the back room. My friend whispered, "Wouldn't it be great if we could ditch the other couple? We could imagine that this was the private dining salon of our elegant New York townhouse, and all of these servers were here to wait on us alone." We wondered why the fireplace wasn't lit on such a cold evening (perhaps it is not a practical fireplace).

To start, she ordered the Peekytoe Crab Salad ($13), and I the Pumpkin Ravioli ($12), which was superb, especially at such a low price point. For the mains, she had the salmon ($24) and I the duck ($26). I had a taste of the salmon and found it bland, although my companion was satisfied. The duck was excellent: four thick breast medallions with a crisp crust and tender flesh; and a pastry filled with shredded leg meat confit. Several fingerling potatoes added to the lovely geometry of the presentation, but nothing to the taste. For dessert, she concluded with the molten chocolate cake ($10), and I had the cheesecake (also $10), which was again wonderful.

Service throughout the evening was attentive and efficient, although I felt that both the appetizers and the entrées came a tad too quickly. However, the restaurant was not full, and at no point did I get the impression that we were being rushed out of the restaurant. We lingered for a long time over our desserts, and in total we were there for around 2 1/2 hours.

On the strength of this second visit, I retract my "remarkably uninteresting" verdict from upthread. JoJo is highly competent, and the upstairs seating areas are most charming. With plenty of appetizers in the low-teens and entrées in the mid-twenties, JoJo is one of the better restaurants at its price point. Still, there is a certain lack of sustained inspiration that one expects to find in three-star dining.

Of course, we are in the Frank Bruni era, and when The Red Cat attracts two stars, it's difficult to argue that JoJo isn't worth three. In a less grade-inflated era, I would probably have awarded two and a half.

Edited December 13, 2005 by oakapple (log)

[gaf]

JJ-20 New York City Entry #49

The closest restaurant to my high-rise aerie happens to be Jean-Georges Vongerichten's bistro moderne Jo Jo. I have hesitated to dine with him, wondering how good could it be if it was so close. But someone must live down the block from paradise.

Jo Jo is not paradise, but a $20.00 prix fixe lunch makes for a rather stellar luncheonette. Jo Jo opened in 1991, with the young chef fresh from Lafayette. The bistro with its light vegetable stocks created quite a stir with its friendly prices, informality, and a cuisine described as "vibrant and spare." Jean-Georges produces a rollicking minimalism. In 2001 Jo Jo received a facelift, a fantasia in purple and green (plum and kiwi if one prefers) that is something of a cross between a narrow Roman piazza and creepy Jersey brothel: I found the space simultaneously cramped and unduly lush.

What makes Jo Jo an admirable culinary outpost is its $20.00 midday prix fixe: two small courses and a trio of sorbetti. A taste of Jean-Georges at an Applebee's price. Comparing the prix fixe lunch at Jean-Georges' Nougatine, the quality of the food is better on the East Side, although the portions are smaller. The dessert is worth walking to Columbus Circle.

I started with Shrimp with Orange Powder, Artichoke Hearts, and Arugula Salad. I was pleased by the buttery lettuce, and felt that the slightly citrus taste of the shrimp nicely cut the richness of the artichoke. The dish was not a pyrotechnic marvel, but it was a satisfying starter.

My second course was Black Bass with Cucumber and Basil Vinaigrette with Mashed Potatoes, crowned with a sprig of basil. This too was a pleasant, though spare, dish. I was surprised, first with discomfort and then with greater pleasure, at the inclusion of a slice of jalapeno: it added jazz. Too gaunt for a memorable dish, I appreciated the intent.

The trio of closing sorbets included an unfortunately icy Apple Cider sorbet, and scoops of smooth and soothing Coconut and Raspberry.

Jo Jo offers pleasurable and creative dishes reflecting the Vongerichten style and at the price the lunch is among the city's better values. At close to two hours, the meal dragged a bit; more attention to timing is needed.

Jean-Georges's website makes no mention of his worthy Chef de Cuisine*, the name of his publicist is, in contrast, available.

Jo Jo

160 East 64th Street (at Lexington Avenue)

Manhattan (Upper East Side)

212-223-5656

*The Chef de Cuisine is Ron Gallo.

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

Edited December 31, 2005 by gaf (log)

[markk]

It's 2007 (slight bump) and in my quest for restaurants open on Christmas Day, I found that JoJo is - so, if anybody has any experiences dining here recently, would you be kind enough to post them?

Thanks !!

[Nathan]

I've noticed that some Perry Street dishes are appearing at Jo-Jo.

that's a good thing.

[ulterior epicure]

Has anyone been to JoJo recently and would be kind enough to report? Specifically, I'm curious about their lunch, which, as I see from gaf's post in 2005, has increased to $24.07 from $20. I can't believe how much of a steal lunch prices are in this city!

[pups224]

I was there two months ago for dinner. Not really memorable enough to post about. Had a nice asparagus salad. That was about it. Not nearly as good as it used to be when it opened.

Has anyone been to JoJo recently and would be kind enough to report?  Specifically, I'm curious about their lunch, which, as I see from gaf's post in 2005, has increased to $24.07 from $20.  I can't believe how much of a steal lunch prices are in this city!

←

[tupac17616]

Been almost a year since then, but my (very well-priced) lunch at JoJo was, in a word, soporific.