Chez TJ Restaurant
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
49 reviews
Palo Alto, CA
"I love this place, I really do. Douce France has great panini's, croissants, chai tea, cafe au lait, baguettes, and all the desserts one…" read more »
86 Reviews for Chez TJ Restaurant
Expectations are everything and when you receive 2 Michelin stars you need to earn them every night. The wait staff was great, the timing of the courses was also very good, but I felt that the food was not up to par.
There were of course some great flavors, the foie gras was so buttery and flavorful and the striped bass was flakey, moist, and delicious. However the lamb was a bit cold and not juicy enough. There was a small amount of ragout with the potatoes that saved the dish but it was just ok. Desert was fantastic, chocolate zen or something close to that with a stick of chocolate to die for.
My wife and I left feeling slightly underwhelmed by the whole experience and difficult to understand how the restaurant has earned the 2 star rating.
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Chez TJ and Manresa (Los Gatos) are the two Michelin-rated South Bay restaurants, both getting 2 out of 3 stars if you care about such things. I think Manresa is a little better mostly because it is more overtly inventive than Chez TJ I also like Manresa's more modern decor and the option of outdoor garden dining. I'd recommend Manresa to people who are more adventurous and Chez TJ to those who want a more traditional French dining experience. Manresa is a bit more bold, Chez TJ's qualities are a little more subtle. However, the overall dining experience is extremely high at either place.
While Manresa has been pretty much the same quality each time I've gone, Chez TJ somehow keeps getting better. If the trend continues perhaps Chez TJ will become the other Michelin 3-star restaurant in the Bay Area. I hope not, however. So far I haven't had much trouble getting reservations at Chez TJ which is certainly not true for the French Laundry.
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Similar to Mark L.'s review, expectations are everything. Knowing that Chez TJ had a 2 star rating, I had very high expectations. Manresa satisfied me, so Chez TJ must as well, since they both have the same rating! Alas, this was not the case.
The service was great, but the food - the food underwhelmed. My dinner companions and I all had the chef's tasting menu. I must give props to the chefs, because each entree was plated beautifully, and were all very creative. However, actual taste of the food was just ok.
The foie gras duo was the most anticipated one for me, and while the seared piece was delicious ( no veins! ) the terrine portion was slightly odd, since there was unagi in it. The addition of unagi made the terrine fishy tasting. The sea scallop mousse, as another reviewer mentioned, had an overwhelming taste of fishiness. Sea scallops are tender enough, why bother making it into a mousse then shaping it back to a scallop? The sea urchin sandwiched in between was a cool idea, but also added to the overall fishiness of the dish. The steak looked juicy and perfect, but was actually quite dry and had a strong taste of butter. The pigeon pot pie was interesting, but the pigeon tasted like duck. (maybe it was duck...)
For a south bay restaurant, this place was good. I'd come here again if the price was cheaper. $150/person for just an "ok" tasting menu.
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I'm not afraid to admit that I had high expectations. After having gone there, though, I feel as though *any* expectation would have been too much.
We were a foursome, and we got seated for our reservation late, though there were open tables in the restaurant. We did the menu gastronomique, for some in our party didn't want the chef's tasting menu. I chose different dishes than the rest of the table, and I mostly ended up having people "try" my dish so that I didn't have to eat it.
The platings for the dishes were very nice to look at, and there were lots of amusebouches in between courses, which I didn't expect.
My selections were:
Mango and lobster salad. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good, either. Mostly given away; no one else thought it was particularly good either.
Salmon. This was ok, I ate most of this by myself. I've had home-cooked salmon that tasted better, though (my friend's mom makes a great dressing for the salmon).
Lamb 3 ways with artichokes. The most interesting part of this dish were the artichoke chips that were served with it; the lamb itself wasn't very good. To be clear here, I absolutely *love* lamb and I think it's some of the worst lamb I've ever had. It was served 3 different ways, and not one of the ways was particularly inspired, nor did it bring out the delicious flavor of lamb.
Asparagus spice cake. There were a lot of asparagus infused things on the menu, and I selected this because the rest of my table had gotten the other desserts. So in the name of experimentation, I got this. Wrong move. I love asparagus, but there are some things that shouldn't have asparagus essence in them, and apparently spice cake is one of them. This might have been rescued if the cake had had more than a thin veneer of frosting on it to overcome the slightly bitter asparagus taste; as it was, it was just gross.
The one highlight of the meal was the pre-dessert, which consisted of tapioca and berry sauce. That was delicious, and I could have eaten a lot more of that than the tablespoon of it that I received.
None of this would be that bad, except for the price tag of the evening. My girlfriend got the wine pairings with her dinner (which she said was the best part of her meal), plus the cheese plate, so it was about $260 for the two of us. I don't mind spending that kind of money on food, but if the price tag is high, the food should be phenomenal, and this wasn't.
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It's like having a mini French Laundry in Mountain View. The house that was converted into the restaurant is pretty charming and transports you into a different world, especially knowing it's so close to the bustle of downtown. The front room is set for smaller parties and as we approached the back room we were actually sat near a fairly large celebration which seemed unusual for a place like this, but it was good to see that it didn't have to feel stuffy.
You can do a small 4 course menu or a 12 course large menu. Since I was meeting a friend for dinner before he left for his homeland of Greece, we just did the former for times sake. Since my friend has this interesting criteria where he'll eat only land mammals (and that's not necessarily all of them) he substituted one of the seafood courses out and the staff were glad to accommodate. So for my portion, I had:
- Artichoke Veloute
- Seared Day Boat Scallop
- Angus Prime Sirloin
- Apple Melange w/ Cinnamon Beinet, Caramel Panna Cotta
I wish I could describe all of the flavors that were both very complex and intriguing. The sirloin however was very simple and extremely tasty. I wish we had time to enjoy the restaurant more and perhaps sit down and try the full menu. The staff were very professional, refined and laid back. Will definitely be returning and give myself several hours to get the full experience. Don't rush a Michelin rated restaurant! 4.5 stars.
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This was my first visit to Chez TJ. There are two options for ordering - either the Chef's tasting menu (preselected items) or the Menu Gastronomique (you can select one dish from each course). You have the choice of ordering with wine pairings or without. There was also a cheese course, which is optional.
My husband and I both ordered the Menu Gastronomique. The Menu Gastronomique + wine pairings was $125, and the cheese course with wine pairing was $25.
The cheese was AMAZING. That's all you need to know. It's optional, yes, but not to be missed.
I read comments about some people leaving hungry. This wasn't the case for my husband and I. We really enjoyed eating slowly and lingering over the meal. Yes, the portions were small, but neither of us left hungry - just immensely satisfied. This was a very expensive meal - it came to $314 with tax and tip for two of us (thankfully, we had a gift certificate). But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I will definitely go back again for a special occasion.
Went here for my birthday dinner on a Saturday night. Parked nearby at the Downtown garage which was only a close walk away. Was surprised that it really looked like a house on the outside.
It was a very unique and memorable dinner, but compared to other Michelin starred restaurants I thought Chez TJ could've been better. The waiter seemed a bit nervous while describing the dishes, the amuse bouches weren't very good, and the portions were slightly small even for fine dining. I also had to ask for more bread (most other fine restaurants kept it coming) and they oddly gave me cream with my espresso instead of with my date's regular coffee.
However, there were lots to be positive about. The paper-thin flatbread with hints of soy sauce and strips of nori baked in were addictive, I think I ate like 8 pieces. Other memorable items include the seared foie gras, scallop mousse, "pigeon pie" with the crispy top and flavorful broth, and the strawberry consomme that had pop rocks in it! Even got a little chocolate birthday cake on an upside-down glass with gold leaf on top.
I might go back someday for the menu gastronomique, but not for the current tasting menu.
There are several reasons I rate this place w/two stars. I'd give it only one, but the wine was worth four stars and the wait staff ws great. So break even at two - the food should be phenominal for the price of $470 per couple. Oh yea, my husband left hungry - itsy bitsy portions.
1) to do the full tasting menu - the whole table has to agree. We were a party of six. We all went for it. But that's BS that it's an "all or nothing" deal on the full tasting menu.
2) the food was over complicated - like they were trying too hard to do something totally different. ie: Moussed scallop - was that really necessary??? It was basically fishy tasting white foam that looked like anti - spermicide.
3) Foie Gras was great - but a few toast points would have been good with it considering the richness of this taste. The wine w/it was good.
4) The whole table agreed that there was a slight fishy taste to ALL tastings, which leads me to believe the chef used the same knife on everything.
Michelin: I guess if you put a $200 price tag on a dallup of dog crap and give it a swanky name, they'll give it some stars, and sucker the public into thinking it's worth it.
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It's all about the food...
Well, in the higher reaches, not entirely. For me, a restaurant gains five stars by going beyond food perfection. A bad food experience will certainly bring a rating down, but good food--five star food--has to be assumed for the "serious" restaurants. Sure, even the pros are human and mess up, and when they do, we'll ding them, but I can't imagine any respectable (and dedicated) chef not trying to seek perfection! So, I do my reviews with that in mind. Then I move to the experience and examine my subjective response to all its parts and certainly including the food (never forgetting the foodie equivalent of Life's Philosophies, Footnote #12: "Money isn't everything, but it's way ahead of whatever's in second place." In this case, food isn't everything, but it's still...)
So I went to Chez TJ last night. The food was uniformly good, but for me, most courses fell just short of what I had hoped. And then, despite my good fortune of being joined by a most lovely dinner companion, the experience tipped my rating backwards to four stars.
The food: We went for the four course Menu Gastronomique with wine pairings (priced at $80pp with the wines running $45 on top of that--I had one item that was $15 supplemental, and we each had a Champagne; total bill $315 to which I added 20%). The twelve course Chef's Tasting Menu just seemed overwhelming, and funny, our surprise "amuses bouches" were from the Tasting Menu. Portions were tiny. Okay by me, but I suspect others leave Chez TJ hungry. (This was the first time in awhile I didn't leave with the bulk of my meal in a box! In fact, we cleaned our plates.)
So I think this was entirely Chef Chemel's menu. I actually asked and was told by a disbelieving hostess that it was, but there were feelings of deja vu. Lisa S.'s review was banging around in my head. In the end, I think the menu was built with some sense of protecting the two Guide Michelin stars garnered weeks before Chef Kostow left for Napa.
--- Pre, In-Between, After
*Delices - were not (pretty tasteless fried cheese-I think, endive with creme fraiche and mini-vegies, and something forgettable).
*Amuse Bouche - Sweetbreads from the Tasting Menu - nice but I've had far better (Village Pub, John Bentley's). Teensy.
*Gratinee - Tart and palate cleansing. Had to eat in one big bite. Brain Freeze!
*Petits Fours - not engaging. Tiny!
--- First Course
*Artichoke Squash Veloute - BEST item on the menu. Wish I had brought a Thermos bottle. This stuff was life-sustaining.
*Fois Gras - a trifecta of seared, pressed/terrine, mouse. Needed a magnifying glass to cut it, but quite yummy. Not enough toast. My plate-licking was not appreciated.
*Wines - Adam Tokay Pinot Gris, Dr. Loosen Reisling, both excellent but a tad warm.
--- Second
*Lobster and Wild Mushroom Medley (with black truffles) - disappointing because the tastes clashed. The poached lobster's subtle sweetness was lost in the truffle's pungency and the power of the chanterelle(?) mushrooms.
*Wine - Sharknose Chard, eh, middling...
--- Third
*Chicken Breast - a little overdone. Awkward sauce.
*Sirloin - almost Kobe-like. Dense, buttery. Small portion. Turnip puree was okay, but they had me at the baby carrot!
*Wines - Moshin Pinot Noir, Monte Lomas Cab; the Pinot was sweet in a good way; the Cab, not husky enough for the steak.
--- Fourth
*Cheeses - eensy, weensy. Roquerfort was good, Crottin de Chavignol not ripe enough. More toast please!
*Chocolate Decadence - I have no idea as I was busy with my microscope, dissecting the cheeses.
*Wines - not offered! Bummer.
Service was okay but lacked polish; was almost amateurish at times, but there were moments of pretend we're serious; certainly had an uncaring air about it though. The setting was intimate, but should have felt warmer. All was softened by my dinner partner, and that helped the final tally, four stars. Michelin, you'll no doubt be yanking a star, dude!
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I had a hard time deciding between 4 and 5 stars. But I found myself using so many superlatives to describe the food last night that I finally decided on 5. It's averaging 4 right now so I can attempt to give them a little boost, yah?
I was part of a (perhaps elite? perhaps shafted?) small group of folks who dined at Chez TJ "between" chefs. Chef Kostow - who is of course the one winning the Michelin stars for the place - left Feb. 4th for Meadowood in St. Helena. Chef Chemel has arrived but is still serving up Kostow's last menu and is apparently not ready to serve a chef's tasting... Super Good Friend Coworker (who filled in for Boyfriend when he totally forgot about family plans) and I were all set to order up the $112 Chef's Tasting and were slightly disappointed when we noticed it was NOT on the menu. Well okay - not gonna cry over the fact that my meal will be ~$35 less and I'll get to choose my own courses.
Few Cons: SGFC's spoon was DIRTY! There was actually a speck of food on the bottom of it! BAD FORM. Very bad form. Service was just OK. Seemed like a bunch of college kids learning how to wait tables at an award winning restaurant - maybe they were. And while it didn't bother me, SGFC wasn't pleased that the bread was just sliced and cold.
SGFC and I really are like siblings - we ordered the same exact meal (that's 4 choices we had to make). Great minds think alike! The following goes through our tasty tidbits.
-Tater tot with creme fraiche and roe
-Seasoned radish
Both just okay. The tater tot overwhelmed me with salt and would have maybe needed more creme fraiche to quell it. The radish tasted like.....a radish with some salt and oil.
-Morel consomme with pecorino puff
I was a little disappointed at this point because this was very underwhelming. The broth was good but... what made it special? Perhaps it is incredibly difficult to extract even the amount of flavor this had from some mushrooms and it is therefore amazing. But they could have served me Campbell's low sodium beef consomme and I don't think I'd have noticed a difference.
-Foie gras prepared two ways - Cool custard with soft, stewed apples and apple foam. Seared over truffles and honey with thyme.
WOW! This was amazing. I was a little skeptical of the "foam" but it was a great way to subtley include even more sweet apple flavor than the apples themselves contributed. I always love seared foie gras so this was no exception. The sweetness of the honey with the saltiness of the truffles was impeccable. I really wanted to lick my plate. And I found myself jealously drooling as I watched SGFC ~slowly~ polish off his serving way after I had!
-Scallop and prawn with white soy dashi butter, wood ears and a quail egg.
WOW WOW! I thought I had eaten perfectly cooked prawns before but apparently no. The combination of the tender prawn and the amazing white sauce - I thought for a moment that I was eating lobster! The scallop was just barely seared which is the way a scallop should always be cooked. This was incredible. I tried to eat slower so that I wasn't jealously eyeing SGFC's plate again but I still finished before him. 'Doh!
-Clementine sorbet with tangerine gellee.
Nicely tart and just sweet enough. I tried to make this go the distance (not eat the entire bite in... well, one bite) but no go!
-Slow poached beef tenderloin with parsnip, black trumpets and truffles.
Oh My God. OMG... This was unbelievable. I've been to my fair share of award winning restaurants and I don't think I've ever eaten beef like this. It was tender and soft and perfectly cooked. It was red, but not too rare. It was lean and still tender. It was exactly what one would think of when hearing "gently poached". I don't think I've had beef melt in my mouth - until last night. I was actually so full (of bread and the other goodies) at this point that I was almost uncomfortable. But the beef still went down like butter!
-Chocolate decadence with "lemon meringue" and hazelnut ganache.
Sweet and very well done but didn't blow my mind. A trio on a plate: a very rich, smooth chocolate ganache with crispy hazelnut flakes, small disks of flourless chocolate cake topped with a lemon flavored meringue and a small piece of grapefruit in a thin sugary-lavender flavored sauce.
-Espresso French macaron with chocolate filling
-Passionfruit gellee
I barely tasted these - I was so full!
I certainly hope Chef Chemel can live up to the impression Chef Kostow has left with me. I'm looking forward to taking Boyfriend since he couldn't make it this time. So I suppose I'll really be able to compare the two this way. And I'm certainly looking forward to returning. If the food is anywhere as good as it was last night - I'll be their biggest fan!
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Chez TJ is a rare treat.
The restaurant is set in a historic Mountain View home with a wrap around porch that creates an unparalleled setting. The attention to detail is insurmountable from the hand painted walls, glass blown lamps, and custom curtains, to the carefully selected china and silverware varying with each tasting. A beautiful garden in the back boasts the source of several fresh herbs integrated into the delighful cooking.
From the moment you enter the doors of the restaurant, you are greeted by the friendly and knowledgable staff. Contrary to what many may believe, Chez TJ is anything but stuffy. Quite the opposite, it exudes the welcoming aura and familiarity you may expect when visiting the home of a friend or family member.
We had the chef's tasting menu with wine pairings. The menu consists of the chef's selection of 12 portioned courses. I've read several reviews on here complaining of the inadequate quantity of food, and I couldn't disagree more. By the time we reached our 9th course, I was stuffed...but couldn't stop there. Listen - if you want heaping chain-style portions, then head to your nearest Chevy's or Outback.
If, however, you have an appreciation for the freshest ingredients, mouth-watering cuts of lamb and foie gras, appeal for artfully presented dishes and ceaseless delights for your pallette, then I urge you to visit Chez TJ. The selection of wine and ingrediets could not be more perfect and complimentary to one another. The chese dish is to die for, as is nearly ever single other treat that is placed before you. Chez TJ reintroduces us to the fundamentals of dining; enjoying a beatifully prepared culinary delight over the course of hours rather than minutes. The pace of the meals allows for conversation and appreciation for the ambiance, company, wine, and of course the steller food.
Chez TJ could not be more deserving of its Michelin Stars...DEFINITELY worth the trip to Mountain View.
Would love to give this place more stars. The initimate setting was ruined by having tables way to close. When the person seating us pulled out the chair it knocked into another patron who gave us the evil eye. The bread was good but cold. I gave an explicit description of wine that I would like (i.e. bold no tanins on the backend, etc) but the wine was sweet and bitter with a lot of tanins. For $16 a glass you would think they would serve better wine. The plates of food were bland in color (very grey) and the taste was hard to swallow. Not that creative and tasted so so.
The restaurant is located in downtown Mountain View and the decor is basically like a house. Each room in the house holds about 3-4 small tables. Eating here felt very awkward because it was just too quiet. The food was good but compared to other 2-Michelin star restaurants, it was not all that memorable. There are better French restaurants in the bay area.
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Wow - look at all the recent hate for this restaurant. I'm surprised.
Chez TJ is a quaint house located in an offstreet of downtown Mountain View. Current chef Chris Kostow makes it his house of food - unfortunately, he is relocating to Meadowood around Valentine's day. What I did find out, is that there will be a transition period, where Bruno Chemel (of SF's now closed La Suite fame) will take over and learn the in's and outs. Possible ideal time to try out the best of both worlds is around mid-February 2008?
I was quite surprised. The famed morel mushroom tea amuse bouche was overrated. Just a really strong essence of mushroom. I'm feeling that my mom could make the same strong mushroom soup with dried shiitake, without the whole tea bag morel decoration and the presentation. I guess the presentation's the key winner here.
Everything else however, was not overrated.
Brilliant dishes out of the 12 course tasting were -
Apple smoked Foie Gras served two ways - in custard and seared. The custard variation was brilliant - little bits of apple, with signifcant maple syrup undertones. The apple foam on top added to the brilliance. The seared version was just as good, but the best part was actually the perfectly caramelized onions underneath the foie. Onions were great throughout all courses that it was used.
Butter poached lobster with sweetbread ravioli.
Imagine your best won-ton you've ever had. And then toss that out the window, since this ravioli is that many times better. This is almost a take of east meets west shrimp and won ton soup. Lobster takes the place of shrimp, perfectly poached, tender, buttery, sweet. Ravioli takes the place of the won-ton, in which the sweetbreads inside just burst in flavor. Think Ding Tai Fung XLB meat tenderness, but with so much more interesting flavor (and 50x the price ;_;). I feel so wrong for calling it like this, but that's the only way I can describe it.
Roasted suckling pig confit with five spice prune.
The preserved prune was just like the ones you can buy in chinatown with the pit inside. Though this was distinctly house made. Sits atop suckling pig, crisped skin and all its fatty goodness, in confit form. This sits above a small piece of napa cabbage, absorbing all kinds of saucy goodness. Chinese food, meet French food.
Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with shaved truffles.
I'm lucky the table behind us asked for how the beef tenderloin was cooked, because the waiter couldn't explain - and he went to ask the chef. The waiter came back saying, that he'd do everyone one better, he'd bring the chef out to explain himself! Chef Kostow described the beef as sous vide within a veal broth with truffle seasonings and salt, but would not disclose the time or temperature within the sous vide bath. This mix of flavors was so excellent. The little pieces of coarse salt within the beef added to little taste explosions in your mouth.
Other downsides - I don't think the wine pairing was worth it. Service was on and off. The sommelier could not keep track of everything going on - he missed my wine for the beef tenderloin sous vide. Is there such thing as a sous sommelier? If so, this place needs one. Reidel glasses were a bit unclean - I kept seeing white fuzz on the inside of my glasses - talk about added sediment :(. Certain waiters and waitresses are very nice and friendly, will ask you your name and welcome you back next time, others are a bit snooty and run away after describing your dish.
5 yelp stars for the food. Some -3 odd yelp stars for the odd service. Some -2 yelp stars for a clogged/broken toilet. And +a million yelp stars for Chef Kostow coming out and greeting us, and listening him describe the sous vide beef tenderloin was brilliant.
I can possibly understand why he's moving - but I'll leave it open to interpretation. I'll probably follow him to try his next restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, if I get the chance.
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A feast for the palate. Not so much for the stomach.
My wife and I wanted to experience Chez TJ before their two-Michelin-star chef left, so we went for dinner a few Saturdays ago. We each had the twelve course chef's tasting menu.
The food was quite good. There were several recurring themes. For example, lots of foams. Also, lots of various kinds of mushrooms. In general, the meal was mostly an interesting experience texturally, with the foams, creamy liquids, some crunchy things, some mushy things and so on. The meal included numerous high-end ingredients. Lobster, foie gras, for example. That said, it's a tasting menu, so each course is almost comically small. With the variety of items and the amount of time the meal took, by the end I was tired of eating, but not exactly full, and on sensory overload.
The atmosphere is cozy. Assuming everyone is using their "indoor voices" you get a pleasant buzz of background conversation. But we were seated next to a table of douchebags loudly debating how to monetize their targeted advertisement API or some buzzword-laden nonsense like that. After three courses of this, we asked to change tables, and the staff was quite accommodating.
A note of caution to anyone using the Passport card (www.passportunlimited.com). They say Chez TJ accepts it, which means it should be two-for-one. It's not. They simply give you a flat $25 discount. I called about this, and they rationalized their policy by saying it'd be "too expensive" to honor the card completely. So the bill was therefore nearly $100 more than expected. Still delicious though.
High in quality, but very high in price. Three stars.
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what to say... is good but not $110 good. The good is alright, not the best tasting menu I tried.
The service is pretty bad. I need to keep asking for water. You do not have a set waiter/waitress. All they do is hand you the dish, list the ingredient, and walk away. The wine guy is not that much better.
The atmosphere is alright. At $110, I would hope that the decor and utensil would be better.
If $110 does not worth much for you, then Chez TJ is a good place to go.
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Two star Michelin rated? Yeah, more like two star Yelp rated.
However, they gave us plenty of complimentary amuse bouche that I have to bump that one extra star. But that's it, that's all they are worth.
Of course I judge the more expensive restaurant harsher than I would a hole in the wall; for the money I have to shell out for food, it better be damn good all around.
The food was good, I think... but I was constantly distracted by having to wave down a waiter for things like water. They passed us several times, but each time, they ignored us. And then, when the dessert came, we asked for the wine menu because we were thinking of ordering dessert wine or some kind of cordial. A few seconds later they brought us the check. Fine, if my money isn't good enough for you, then you don't get to have it.
The wine selection was okay. For dessert wines, they had nothing. The food was good, but not exciting or had that WOW! factor.
If anything, I have learned that the French Laundry has ruin fine dining for me. Now there's a restaurant deserving of their Michelin stars.
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the inside of the restaurant feels like you are dining in someone's house. We had a party of 10 that was in a small room where we could talk as loud as we could without bothering anybody else at the restaurant. The food was good but very small portions which made you hungry at the end of the meal which in my mind isn't good. Some of my dishes included lobster, sweetbreads, mushroom tea soup, and a chocolate mouse dessert. Don't think I would ever come back to the restaurant as it is way overpriced and felt hungry at the end of the meal.
-Randy
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For a land of bland strip malls, smog, and chain restaurants, Chez TJ is a diamond in the rough. The South Bay would not be the same without this amazingly creative place. The head chef who was there when I visited is now in Napa Valley, so it will be interesting to see what the new chef has to offer.
I read that people needed to eat more after their dinner?! Seriously? I was going to roll myself out after when we were done.
This place is innovative, quaint, and special. They have their own garden, where many menu items come from, behind their cute, colorfully painted Edwardian home turned restaurant. Inside small vases of fresh flowers and votive candles sit on a perfect white linen, and architectural touches like crown molding, a stained glass divider, and built in shelving surround you.
The most memorable items I tried were a panne cotta of sea urchin, which tasted just like the ocean...amazing, and the foie gras trio, one of which had melted dum dums on top!!! (Imagine a foie gras creme brulee...sounds crazy but so good.)
There were other, less crazy items, but the point is that this place is memorable and different. Be my guest though, enjoy Tyler Florence's special Applebee's menu. You can even get Weight Watcher's meals there. That way the tables at Chez TJ won't seem so close together.
No, wait, go to TGIF and get a server with more "flare", and less quality.
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The food was delicious, but the portions were tiny. I was seriously contemplating hitting up the nearest In-N-Out burger afterwards.
I was there on an evening where they were serving a 4-course fixed price menu. The portions were more like what you would get if you were doing a 7 or 8 course menu. Everything was miniature. Even with all the complementary treats between courses, I was not that full at the end. I would have liked the portions to be double the size that they were (seriously).
Not sure if this review matters much, because the head chef is leaving this week, but hopefully the new chef will read these reviews and increase the amount of food!
Also, the way this place is setup makes it very uncomfortable to talk at normal decibel levels. There are only a couple of tables in each room, so I felt like I had to whisper to my dinner companions. Talking normally resulted in all the other patrons hearing every word that I said (not ideal when the average age of the other diners is 55, and the average age of my table was 30).
4 stars for the delicious food.
2 stars for the small portions
2 stars for the awkward quietness
= 3 star rating overall
It was time to go back to Chez TJ and give it a try after its recent remake; after all, Michelin was impressed.
Technique and serious style were evident. We had the smaller of the two tasting menus, with wine parings. The service was fine, though you noticed it rather than it being unobtrusive. One thing in particular, I liked the wine pairings - they were interesting and a good value.
But somehow it's just not comfortable and doesn't make you its friend. The house setting doesn't bother me, but the focus on plates with lots of bits of elf food somehow doesn't work for me.
I had the foie gras three ways. One of which is a nice seared chunk - no complaints, nice condiment. One of which was an unagi (spelling?) combination. Now we speak English here in the states, so while I find it fun to decipher French menus in France and Italian menus in Italy, I don't get why I have to try and remember my sushi Japanese for Chez TJ. Maybe they don't want to say "eel"? Doubly odd since both variations were interesting, if less than the simple implementation.
I also had lamb several ways. All of these samples were tasty but too small to share.
I think Chez TJ should be more straightforward and less baroque, and all would benefit. More crudely, stop trying the faux sophistication and try and create a few dishes that are standouts.
Chez TJ is no French Laundry, but its not half bad.
One of my favorite places for a special dinner. I have never eaten something at Chez TJ that wasn't wonderfully delicious.
A great place for a leisurely special dinner.
The food is amazing, memorable. Dare I say perfection? A co-worker and I dined at Chez TJ last night. We are in the industry, so we are very critical and observant, especially when you are eating at a two Michelin Star establishment. Expectations are at or near perfection when you reach that level. 5 stars for the food, hands down, once again food was phenomenal. But it's the little details and not so little (wine list) that I'm looking at when dining at a 2 Michelin Star restaurant.
Biggest weak point, the wine list, it's actually pretty bad. No first growth Bordeaux's? ehh? But they do have a full page of California Zin. Who drinks CA zin with such beautiful delicate food? I expect this restaurant to have a better selection of French wines. Wine service wasn't at perfection either. My Champagne flute was empty 4 times throughout my dinner, my Burgundy once. And one more small little thing, most of the dinner I was given elbow service aka armpit service. These are just very small things most people would never really notice, but with 2 Michelin Stars comes this type of scrutiny.
All in all, I had one of the best, most memorable dining experiences I've had. The staff was great, they really bent over backwards for us a lot of the times and with the exception of those slight imperfections, are great. (Edgar and Chris - Great job). Oh, and we asked for a caviar to start with to have with our Champagne but unfortunately they didn't serve it by the ounce and only served with the first 2 courses as an accompaniment.
I will definitely dine there again. Sorry for the strict criticism, but thats what 2 Michelin will do to you.
I am in complete shock that this restaurant earned a two star Michelin rating. We came for the tasting menu here in October of 2007 and were incredibly disappointed. First, the service. With a tasting menu portion size and pacing are incredibly important, Chez TJ botched both. Because the restaurant is housed in, well, a house, it is incredibly difficult for the wait staff to be attentive without seeming intrusive. There was constantly someone walking by and staring at our dishes, and the moment we were finished with one the next would appear. I would normally categorize this as incredibly attentive, in this instance it served only to ensure that our food sat cooling for five minutes before we could manage to take a bite while we were digesting the last course. This really was inexcusable. To compound the problem the "main dish" entrees on the tasting menu were practically full portions. I had to leave so much food on my plate that it really seemed like a fantastic waste. And another nod to the horror that is dining in someone's house, you can hear every single word of the three tables next to you, even when the patrons are talking quietly.
Second, the food. What a disappointment. The one highlight of the meal was their mushroom tea soup. A simple dish of dried mushrooms and water, it was really a dish more about aroma than taste, an experience I haven't had elsewhere. However, considering how uninventive and generally lackluster the rest of the meal was, the poor mushroom tea soup really does get lost. Most abysmal was a pork belly dish that was stringy and fatty and was reminiscent of carnitas tacos at any hole in the wall Mexican restaurant, only worse. I was underwhelmed by their wine list and our waiter actually seemed irritated when we asked him for a recommendation. We ended up with an adequate Zinfandel, but it was such a terrible pairing with the hearty, fatty dishes that we left it untouched until the desserts.
I consider myself an exceptionally polite diner, and we didn't once complain or frown at our wait staff. We thanked them every time they brought our food, and were nothing but cordial. The coldness we were met with by them was certainly not a response to our behavior. For the price I would never return and instead spend my money at Manresa.
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I don't know why this restaurant is Michelin rated. I mean, it's good, but $100/person good? No. My favorite food of the night was actually the complimentary mushroom tea/soup. Otherwise, the food wasn't memorable (My boyfriend and I had the 10 course menu). The service is good and the atmosphere is good (cute, it's in a house), but seriously, not worth the price.
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Chez TJ just went from One Michelin Star to TWO.
Bravo.
http://www.sfgate.com/...
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Someone complained that they didn't like the feeling of eating in someone's house. I think that's part of the atmosphere that I really liked about eating at Chez TJ's. I felt that the tables were pretty intimate, and it was nice that there were only 2 or 3 other couples with you in the room. Although you couldn't talk very loudly, it felt really romantic. I liked the decor, very quaint with a touch of modernity.
My boyfriend and I went for Valentine's Day, and they had a "special Valentine's Day menu". I'm not sure it was worth it coming to Chez TJ's on Valentine's Day particularly, since the menu price was really jacked up (from $80/125 without/with wine to $130/195). But for what we had, I felt that it was very good, if you go in with the mentality that you're here to TASTE, not FEAST.
The purpose of Chez TJ's isn't for you to walk out feeling like you stuffed down a steak and potatoes, it's definitely refined dining.
This is what we had:
Beet coloriage, seared artisan foie gras, lobster and wild mushroom medley, atlantic seared branzino, angus prime filet mignon, blue de moncenisio (watercress and spinach salad), and chocolate decadence dessert.
I got the wine pairing, and my boyfriend didn't -- a couple of the wines were very good, but there were a couple that didn't sit well with me. I'm not a wine connoisseur, so the extra $70 was probably not worth it on me.
I liked the lobster and the filet mignon the best, particularly because I don't like lobster to begin with, and for me to find it tasty, it's gotta be impressive. The filet was also really good, it was crispy on the outside but extremely tender on the inside, even though it wasn't rare. The dessert was good, but not amazing.
Though the food was good, this is somewhere I'd only go for special occasions, unless I wanted to end up horribly broke. Since the tasting menu is 7 courses and requires sitting for a good ten minutes between courses, it isn't very practical for regular dining. Also, since each course is only a minuscule bite, I found myself impatient for more food, and walked out still hungry.
In total, we spent $400. I'm still between thinking it was pretty amazing food and shocked at how much we spent on such little food. But like I said, you're there to taste, and each course had an eclectic of different tastes in that one explosive bite. So if you haven't been here, it's worth a visit for a romantic date.
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Two friends and I had the 12-course tasting menu last week. It was divine.
Usually by the end of a tasting menu, I feel sick at the sight of food. Chez TJ served light dishes, so that I was perfectly content at the end.
I had a delightful champagne.
The dessert course was the best I've ever eaten IN MY LIFE. This says a lot, because I eat 2-3 desserts daily. This particular Chez TJ dish involved a trio of creme caramel, chocolate gelato, and a mousse with caramelized sugar skin. I couldn't stop smiling. It was happiness in dessert form.
The dinner was well into three digits per person, but definitely worth it.
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Been meaning to check out this place for a while, and we finally went on Halloween this year. Short review: compared to other local restaurants of this type, Chez TJ blows Le Papillon out of the water, and it's also mostly better than Parcel 104. I still haven't been to Manresa.
We opted for the regular menu, but got some of the extras from the tasting menu on the house. The bits that stood out for me:
Amuse bouche:
* Morel mushroom tea: This had some truffle in it also. It tasted like a strongly spiced soup, and it was very very good.
Appetizer: Foie gras / apple sampler
I was surprised that this came not with 1, but 4 pieces of foie gras. I was a very happy little foodie, though it left me more stuffed than I'd have liked for the rest of the meal. There were many different combinations, including a neat apple gelatin / foie gras cube. The plain seared foie gras with carmelized onion and apple may be the best I've had. This was the only dish that used foam anywhere, which made me very happy.
The rest was passable, with the exception of dessert, which was much too sweet. Ah well. The appetizer alone was worth 4 stars.
The waitstaff was indeed much less formal than they tend to be at this sort of place. We only went through one set of silverware each! It didn't bother me at all; Chez TJ is more cozy than polished. It's in a renovated little house with a fireplace and cute art lamps, and the clientle, at least mid-week, includes silicon valley types in sandals and jeans. I came here in costume, and no one batted an eye.
They lose 1/2 star for the meat dish and dessert being so-so, and another 1/2 star for not having an entrance without stairs. Nevertheless, I'll go here again next time I want fancy food without going to SF.
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I wouldn't go back because :
-the dinining area is cold, and I had to put my coat back on during the entire meal, and I wasn't the only one
-the chair they use aren't comfortable; feel like eating at breakfast nook (for 2 darn hours!)
-hard to eat foods due to the bowls they use; too deep to scoop things from down there (why not choose regular soup bowl, to hold warmth?)
-hell of expensive, low cost performance (4 me to say the least)
-hate cold bread (like their butter, European style?)
Sorry to start out negative, but I do understand they have M 2 stars. I could taste the base broth & the quality of ingredients. I believe the chef knows what's important when it comes to foods, which is really crucial because some don't know even though they run such business, pity. Also, his dishes are original, and I have to help thinking the chef has either a good sense of cooking by nature or he has been studying or both. To add, the degree of his saltiness is more sensitive than the one in Berkeley & the one on Saratoga avenue. They were both way too salty, and killed the natural flavor of fine ingredients (4 me at least).
My partner said the wine selection wasn't good, and not worth it. He's the kind of guy who has a wine cellar at home, drinks a glass or two red & white every day, I'm not sure what he really means.
Tasting menu is $115, different from their website, outdated or bad admi, or we were just overcharged (doubt it).
I prefer the bathroom of Los Altos Irish pub over TJ's entire restaurant interior. Because over there they have Beatles songs, hence, they have some theme, whereas TJ, I have no idea. If they meant romantic, blue light doesn't make women look pretty.
Service? My partner didn't get his red wine to go with the meat dish until he asked the waiter for it. I think the sommelier left for the night. No complaint, they are humans, even after $60 tips. But I'm just saying their service isn't anything superb about it.
Good luck, Chez TJing.
After many years of taking mental notes to ourselves to check this place out, we have finally gotten around to having dinner here. Expectations were high after hearing friends' recommendations and reading my fellow Yelpers' mostly positive remarks on the establishment and boy, were they met. We opted for the chef's tasting menu and flight of wines for 1 (we decided to just share as I'm not a huge wine drinker anyway).
There's something delightful about getting little bits of tasty food served to you in relaxed frequency. The space in between courses allow for appreciation of the lingering flavors left by the previous dish. The different wines served to accompany each dish seemed of high quality. Being offered a variety of wine along with complimenting foods is a great approach to appreciating wine as well as the whole dining experience.
Our dining experience at Chez TJ was very comparable to that at The Ritz. It was that good.
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I'll start by saying we had high expectations for Chez TJ, because of the Michelin stars, and also this is a place where I have celebrated several times, many years ago. But we were disappointed. First because the servings were too small. Second, because we were celebrating an anniversary, and we told one of the servers and she said she would give us a candle in our dessert, but then I guess she forgot because nothing was said about it or done afterwards.
We loved the fois gras dish, prepared 4 ways. Our favorite was the seared piece with apples underneath. I loved the parsnip souffle but my husband found it too sweet.
The second course was scallop and shrimp which was good. For main course we both had suckling pig. We liked it but we were both still hungry afterwards.
I loved my dessert - variations on fig, chocolate and coffee. My husbands "carrot cake" was lacking something - cake! It was a tiny quenelle of carrot sorbet with 3 tuiles and some whipped mascarpone. We both were saying "where's the beef?".
At the end, we wished we had gone to Marche, 231 Ellsworth, John Bentley's, or Trevese, where we have enjoyed excellent meals in the past.