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J. Alexander's
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
20 reviews for J. Alexander's
Sat outside on the "wall of fire" patio. Nice and cozy & warm. Happy hour features $5 wines and $8 martinis, {which are regular price}, but come with a 'sidecar' : (essentially and extra glass of the same concouction you ordred :-)
The cab i ordered for happy hour was not avl. and they would not supstitute an alternate, which gave me a facial tick.
I would likely go back, at some point, {when i have nothing else on my very long list}, to have the Hangar 1 mandarin orange tini. Now that was good :-)
Was in the mood for tacos last night so we visited Blanco's but they had a half-hour wait, so walked next door to J. Alexanders. I didn't know anything about the place, but I expected over-priced blandness for some reason.
It was much better than expected. First, I had a $5 glass of Zinfandel that was quite good. And a generous pour.
They had a wide range of menu choices from $10 to upper $20's. I tried a filet mignon/mushroom/mashed potatoes dish that was very good. My wife enjoyed her shrimp.
Many reviews compare this to Houstons - while I agree that Houstons is better, we left dinner last night with $50 more in our pockets compared to my last trip to Houstons.
Houston's knock-off. Houstons is better however this is a good restaurant. Good food and good service. Restaurant is brand new and decorated very nicely. You should definetley try Houston's first.
Many of the reviews of J. Alexander's have been quite descriptive so I'm going to keep mine short and to the point:
I did not enjoy my experience here in the least. Everything about this place is simply "typical."
Sorry Natalie -
Although I did enjoy the top secret pimiento cheese spread, and of course the company, I thought that my overall experience was only mediocre for the price... I'd been to J. Alexander's before - I think to one of their Michigan locations. It didn't make a huge impression then, and it didn't this time either. I think Houston's food, service, and atmosphere actually blow this place away.
Our server was Justin and he did an ok job. I went with the cobb salad and ordered a side of their butternut squash for the table to share. Salad was decent and squash was tasty. Maybe the way to go is to sit at the bar (or so Natalie says). I don't see returning anytime soon, but I would if someone twisted my arm. Although the food was decent, I'd rather spend my time and money elsewhere! Just meh, mediocre, average, etc...
Yay for yelp blind dates! Today I met up with Natalie D and Gabi K for a ladies lunch at j alexander's. Being relatively new to the area (as in...today) I was not aware that it was a chain, and I'll admit, I thought it had something to do with Miss J of America's Next Top Model.
The restaurant has an upscale, clean-line feel, and hip hostesses in black dresses and handsome servers in ties. Service is constant and friendly, they really do have a good balance on how often to check in without annoying guests.
Natalie insisted we try her favorite bar snack: a cheese and pimento spread, which was a little spicy and very cheesy and all around yummy. I dined on the Seared Asian Ahi Tuna Salad which I thought was perhaps a touch expensive at $16 for 4 very small slices of ahi tuna, but the salad part was just perfectly seasoned with a wasabi dressing.
The comparison to Houston's is fair I think, in terms of selection, pricing and atmosphere. It was a nice lunch, if not for the food, surely for the dining companions!
J Alexanders has come to town....and its like Santa coming! JA coming with all its goodies! I'm a JA regular in Michigan and I've been at the doors every week like a bad Mervyns commercial!!! Open! Open! Open! (kidding). They finally opened today I'm told more busy than expected.
J Alexanders serves American-style food with a contemporary twist. They fit somewhere between casual and fine dining and the atmosphere is enhanced by dark woods, indoor/outdoor bar and interesting textures. For Houstons fans, JA has a strikingly similar atmosphere and menu. Legend has it that the original owners of Houstons split and started JA. I personally like the JA menu better. From the colossal onion rings on the appetizer menu to their always classic and perfectly juicy prime rib.
You may see some similarities to Houstons, but don't expect the "famous" Houston's spinach dip. JA's is a queso dip (w/ a little spinach). As I understand it, they try to tweak their menu to regional markets. If that's so, they have to add more flavor to the queso dip. It was terribly lacking in flavor. Folks in this region expect their Southwest style dishes be full of flavor! Kick it up a notch! One friend had the blue cheese topped filet Mignon and another the pork loin...both very good.
The wine list is reliable and pleasing. Many well known labels integrated with some interesting less known. If you're a lemonade lover (Arnold Palmer for DA kid) try their fresh squeezed. Ah! I tell you....they bust their butts for this simple childhood favorite.
If you're a carrot cake fan...you've gotta have it!
My friends and I sat at the bar to watch some Monday night football and our servers Chris and Brittany were friendly and attentive. Tell them I said "hello"!
Bon Appetite!
Good food, okay service and nice ambience, but DEFINITELY not as good as Houstons!
We had to check it out b/c we go to Houstons at least a couple times a month and heard that J Alexanders was just as good. So we went, and *surprise*, they had the same menu items. We ordered a few things that we generally order from Houstons & a couple of new menu items. Here are my thoughts:
Smoked Salmon Appetizer: This is our "absolute" favorite item at Houstons and this one definitely did not measure up. The presentation was identical being a slab of salmon & the crisp toasties, but the taste just wasn't there. It wasn't as moist and the creamy tartar sauce was not included so we had to ask for it. It was good, but not great.
Chicken Caesar Salad: The dressing was good but didn't have the garlicky punch as Houstons. It was still tasty and the anchovies on the side were huge, tender, and moist. Again, good but not great.
Cheeseburger: It was okay, but a little dry. The onion rings were huge, but a little bready for me so I ended up stripping it off.
Mac & Cheese: Delicious! Definitely would go back for it!!
To sum it up, this is a great place with good food but I'd definitely go back to Houstons. I find the food to be much better there!
Now this is what I'm talking about. I've been waiting for JA to open since I used to frequent the one back in IL when I lived there. My girlfriends and I had lunch there today. Not only was the meal delicious but the service was off the hook -- thanks Luke!
The ladies and I were all jonesin' for the rotisserie chicken. Loved it. I substituted the mashed potatoes for the vine ripened tomatoes. Yum! And get this -- I wanted some of their skinny french fries and jokingly (well, sort of) asked Luke to snag a few for me from the kitchen. After a couple of minutes he showed up with a plate of fries for all of us to share!! And, not that I wasn't full already, we shared the white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce for dessert. Incredible.
Five stars all the way for J. Alexanders. Looking forward to heading back soon.
Last night I went with the fam to J. Alexander's. The experience was good for the most part (especially since I had a few glasses of wine in me) The atmosphere is upscale, modern, and inviting with friendly service. We sat in a booth and were all pleasantly surprised that despite the large size of the restaurant, we didn't feel like we had to shout to hear each other. Other yelpers have said this already, but the restaurant reminded me a little of Houston's, however Houston's definitely has J. Alexander's beat in the food category.
We ordered the calamari for an appetizer. It was pretty tasty, but just a tad on the spicy side and we couldn't figure out if it was the sauce or the batter. Instead of your typical bread rolls, J. Alexander's serves croissants that are to die for and basically melt in your mouth (probably my second favorite part of the meal with the wine obviously taking first!)
Sis ordered a Thai salad, mom had the Veggie Burger, Dad had the New York Strip, and I had the special which was a Swordfish on Israeli Couscous. When our food arrived we all gasped at the size of the portions, they definitely bordered on absurdly too big! Everything was supersized, I had a side of broccoli and we are talking two WHOLE stalks/trees on my plate! Taste of the food was so/so, I tried a little bit of everyones and I though all of the food was a little too rich. For dessert my mom opted for the Carrot cake, and even though I don't really like carrot cake I actually thought it was pretty good. It had a warm icing on it that was really tasty.
To sum it up, the atmosphere is nice, the prices are moderate, the food is okay, but word of advice......don't be afraid to split an entre!
If you like Houston's, this is like Houston's creepy cousin that isn't quite right. It's Bizzaro Houstons. The food is just gross. I didn't like anything about it. You do get a TON of food...but none of it is good. I got the pork tenderloin...it was gross. I ended up sending the meat back and just ate the mashed potatoes with the sauce...that's all I could stomach. (The prices are about the same as Houston's, however.) I couldn't believe how packed this place was...no one at our table liked their food. A few of my coworkers went there as well and there were no good comments about it.
I was visiting Scottsdale this past weekend, and after walking around the Borgata Shops, stopped in for dessert and coffee. I ordered the Creme Brulee and a cappuccino. The Creme Brulee was the best I've had in years! A very nice portion and done up just right with the top nice and crisp with a dollop of mascarpone and fresh fruits. Even the coffee was done perfectly.
My husband and I went for an early dinner on Friday night. We enjoyed our meal quite a bit. The service was very good. We had the salmon and prime rib. The prime rib was prepared as requested and was very good. My husband got a very nice serving size of the salmon and he enjoyed it quite a bit. I ordered a cocktail from the bar and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was actually alcohol in it and not just mixer. The drink was excellent. We ordered the chocolate cake for dessert and it was one of the best chocolate cakes I've had out in a restaurant in a long time. If nothing else, I would return just to get the dessert again. I would definitely plan another visit to J. Alexander's; we had a very enjoyable evening there.
Am I really that picky? I don't like "chain" restaurants much to start with....but I thought I would give them a try.
Ick! Can I say "Houston's" but a few notches below??
First of all, they brought out their "bread" which were the greasiest croissants I have ever had. I had to eat one of course.....
I found the menu terribly B-O-R-I-N-G! All the usual boring menu items...nothing fun or exciting. I had the veggie burger. Since the place seemed like a Houston's I thought I would compare. Houston's definitely out shines theirs. It was just ok. My "dinner friend" had their swordfish. It looked like something served at a hospital cafeteria. It did taste just ok. They also have no clue how to make a dirty martini. Hello? Olive Juice, please! My glass of Hess Chardonnay was thankful not "corked".
The only reason I would come back would be for a glass of wine (or a bottle) since the atmosphere was not bad and it is so close to home.
J. Alexander's is not normally a place I would frequent, but we had a couple of birthdays to celebrate at work and it is right across the street. So a group of about 10 of us went.
I ordered the steak and fries, the steak rare, and clam chowder. The clam chowder was awesome. My steak came and it was well done. So, with these prices, I figured I should get what I asked for, so I sent it back. It came back rare alright. The first few bites were cold in the center and then it got to barely warm. Not impressive at all. And honestly, I can cook a better steak than that.
Everyone else loved their meal, though.
The service their is over the top, more than a bit too much. There are people constantly walking by, even standing and staring at your table at some point. Hang on to your plate, because the moment you pause from your meal, someone is there to snatch it. I think maybe they have cameras over the tables and an observation room, "Iced tea refill, table twelve, repeat, iced tea refill table twelve, over!" Though the wait staff did not appear to have ear-pieces, you still get the impression these are secret service wanna-be's, ready to dive to save your dropped spoon from hitting the floor.
The menu had a lot of good, but traditional, items on it, steak, salads, burgers, sandwiches, all high-end, fresh, homemade, etc.
Maybe if I had ordered something else my experience might have been totally different. But, even with work picking up the tab, I managed to have a bad free meal.
I had a good experience here. The atmosphere was clean, friendly, inviting, and even a little bit "swank." My server, Sean, was outstanding, especially considering my diet requests. (For example, how many customers actually ask for salad greens only and sea salt as opposed to table salt?) I thought the portions were huge for the price. In fact, [too] large portions are a pet peeve of mine because I hate that so much food goes to waste. Overall, I was really pleased. One tip which might have made for the excellent service: we went early, 5:30 PM. What can I say? I was with my elderly parents.
I'm surprised to see such mediocre reviews of this place! I live just up the street, so we go to J. Alexanders at least a couple of times a month. Everytime we've been here we leave raving about the service, the food and the drinks. We actually tried Houstons across the street before we tried J's and left Houston's saying never...ever again! We've taken out of town guests and business clients and they're always impressed! In a city full of chain restaurant after chain restaurant J Alexanders (I know it's also a chain) stands out in the crowd!
Ahhh...swanky is right I felt a bit smothered in the aire of the place. Service was ok and my friend and I both thought the food was so-so. We had the smoked Norwegian Salmon as an appetizer and it was pretty good. We had the Carolina Crab Cakes, sizes does matter when your hungry and it was on the short side. The grilled Norwegian Salmon...what a shame a generous portion but over cooked and very dry. We passed on the desert...not wanting to throw good money after bad sort of speaking...I still like Houston's across the street who I think they are in direct competition with. Well the valet were sweet looking, like desert for the eyes...haha
I just came home after a really nice happy hour(s)over at J. Alexander's. Okay, so maybe I spent roughly 2.5 hours there, more than what I thought would be an hour's worth after work. While I have never been a huge fan of chain restaurants, I've been lucky in the ones I've been to, which have left me with nothing but really nice things to say. With J. Alexander's, after reading through the Yelp reviews, I suggested that it would be the ideal meeting place for my fellow architectural buddies to meet at after work. After tonight's happy hour, I couldn't help but fall madly in in love. The hostesses, yes, more than one, were much more friendly than most, and our waitress was the sweetest. I tried to get one of my colleagues to ask her out, but he was too beat to do so. Her name is Lisa and she was attentive from the minute we moved to the dining area from the bar. I need to note that the chefs/line chefs or whatever they are called are quite the eye candy. We sat not too far from the open kitchen area and I couldn't help but enjoy the view...okay, now on to real deal....We did have a fairly decent wine list to choose from and I chose a glass of Parcel 41. After my fourth glass, I realized, then, that I really should have ordered a bottle. Regardless, it was obvious I enjoyed myself. The intent of meeting there was really just to get a a glass of wine and call it a day, but it was our first time for all of us, and with more than a few glasses of wine and appetizers (*limited selection) there was enough to keep us kicking for the time being. While we waited for our appetizers, we were served croissants with butter and that was delish! By the time our calamari arrived, we were all in good spirits and ready to indulge. We all had separate bills and I was more than happy to reward my waitress with a well deserved tip...more than 30 percent of my bill. I believe in great service and that was what I got at J. Alexander's. The ambiance and ladies' room was A+...as a designer, I'm all about lighting and well kept restrooms, I don't know why. Still, I could have easily stayed till closing, but with a sitter at home watching my two boys on a school night, I knew it was time to call it a night. A little bit more on the pricier side, I'm still returning and even contemplating a holiday gathering of some sort there. It's a great place to meet with friends and have a great time. Good service and decent food. So, I say, give this place a try -you'll be glad you did.
yup, as good as it gets..great spot, great menu(something for everyone, great service. I don't know what kind of mental problems Kelley P suffers from but I suspect she works at Houston's and realizes she'll be out of a job soon! If anything this place Blows Houston's away. Sit out on the patio under the huge ass fan(yes that's its name) Have a drink, the staff is young and friendly. Food is fresh, large portions at a very good price...what's not to like. $1 espresso and $2 cappuccinos I just couldn't make it to try the deserts sorry..
