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Jo's
Rating Details »
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Nolita264 Elizabeth St
(between Prince St & Houston St)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-9640
- Nearest Transit:
-
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
Downtown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6, B, D, F, V)
Prince St (R, W)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
15 reviews for Jo's
it took me too long to come and check this place out. as a long and devoted fan of white rabbit, i knew jim had opened this place back in may but i am a very very bad patron. i'm sorry. but i make up for it in moving heavy objects.
so i finally came here the other night and i have to say, it was goooooood. so good, in fact, i will be coming back again and again. we stuck with appetizers so that we could get a good smattering of the offerings. the st. simon oysters were sweet and perfectly shucked. no shell pieces with the little buggers, no lingering attachment to the shell. yes, they were alive but you'd never have known it.
we had the braised and fried pork chops. oh my god. if you looked at them askew the meat fell off the bone. and delicious. the sisho leaves and peanuts along with that divine sauce made these plate licking good. all i'm going to say is that its a good thing the place was empty due to the early hour. fantastic, tender, delicious, spot on. spot on.
also on our little tasting menu was the grilled squid. nothing too fancy, a little pesto but cooked just long enough not to be gooey, not too long to be rubbery. nice grilled flavor but the squidness really came through. yes, i just made that word up. you can use.
finally, we had the marrow bone. again, perfectly prepared and deliciously presented but herein lies the four stars. the richness that is inherent to marrow is just a little too overpowering. upon our request, we were provided with some big ass pieces of toast and melted butter to spread the marrow on. this could have been improved by serving the marrow with those thin little fru-fru toast thingies.
the wine list is decent, but then, i don't really know much about wine. i do know the two glasses of white wine we ordered were delicious.
the service was penultimate. not because we knew one of the owners (i didn't let that cat out of the bag) but because the staff are professional, kind, and eminently friendly. helpful and patient, our waitress was more than happy to accommodate our at times pedantic requests and input on the food.
and let me just also say that, as someone who is no stranger to yelpers, jim is always open to suggestions and keeps an open mind to suggestions from his customers.
good stuff all around. oh, and the place is beautiful.
Went last Friday with 2 gf's. Waitress was a bit young and out of it esp when it came to describing the menu, but they let us sit and chat and didnt hassle. They also brought wines to try to our table which I always enjoy.
We shared 2 apps and each had an entree and 2 glasses of wine and the bill was $50 each with tip- great deal.
I had the farro with veggies- outrageously yummy. Everyone loved their food. Decent portions.
Would I return, yes. Would it be a pointed return? no.
On a Sunday night when there are only four other patrons at the bar--in fact only four other patrons total, don't ask me for a credit card for the tab.
What am I going to do? Run out without paying for a $9 caipirinha?
Shouldn't I be able to enjoy my drink without having to fumble in my wallet to get my card out...when I'm going to pay cash anyway?
Your caipirinhas suck anyway.
Tasting Room take 2?
I was sad to see The Tasting Room go, but Jo's is a pretty impressive replacement. They've maintained a similar theme with a la carte / old school portions of entrees, but the atmosphere has completely changed from clean, bright and elegant to a little more edgy, dim and, homey.
If it looks smaller than the Tasting Room, that's because it is. Last time I was there though they were working on the back-back room, which looks like it could be open soon.
Decent brunch, better dinner. But whatever you're in the mood for, you'll find something -- the menu runs the gamut from Foie Gras French Toast to Watermelon Salad to Meat in a Cup. Or if you're just in the mood for a quickie, a Jerk & A Slap will suffice.
Probably my new local. I already get smirks from the staff I'm there so often.
Delicious.
I had the pork rib and peanut appetizer ($11) and the grilled squid ($9). The squid was tender and tasty, and the ribs were so soft, they fell of the bone onto the plate. I then had the shell steak au poivre. ($20) The first bite was tough for some reason, but the rest was so tender for a shell I just had to smile.
This neighborood is the best in NY, and Jo's is a friendly mellow spot to meet up with friends and enjoy the night.
The next day, I tried the pancakes...
No amount of typing is going to describe these things. You HAVE to go and try them.
Went to Jo's on a Saturday night for an early-ish dinner. I was impressed with the menu and decor. However, the food was just off - everything was just kind of wrong.
We split 2 apps to start. The beet salad was basically a huge plate of beets, most were undercooked and gritty. There were 3 tiny drops of goat cheese and some beet greens. Also had the grilled squid, but was stuffed with a gross caper filing. Also, the beet portion was tremendous, while there were just two pieces of squid.
Two in our party had the special pork porterhouse. It was a great piece of meat, juicy, and cooked perfectly, but super salty. I had the vegetable curry, which was OK. Not bad but not great. The fourth diner had the pasta which was kind of weird. Overly cheesy and too dense. Also, the portion sizes were again strange. The pasta was a tremendous portion and the curry was on the small size.
The service was very good and the bar looked nice. Would go back for a drink but definitely not dinner.
Attended on Saturday night with three others.
Apps were not good and menu descriptions were misleading. A beet salad should have more than just beets that came out of the fridge. A $9 grilled squid app should NOT be stuffed with some kind of fish cake/caper blend unless I am informed beforehand. I thought I would get a big plate of grilled squid in true American style.
I had the Pork porterhouse, which I was informed was left to brine for four days before being grilled. An interesting idea, but totally unnecessary. The cut of meat was fantastic, but the process of soaking it in brine left the meat too salty by a mile.
This restaurant has a nice decor and great service, but there are two things that need to change. They need to simplify the menu and not try so hard to be different. There are a million places in NYC that serve "American/____ Fusion" or "New American" cuisines. Jo's should just make simple dishes that everyone will enjoy. Serve the porterhouse without the brine, make a decent pasta dish where cheese isn't the only flavor and drop the fancy decorations.
Also, please stop playing the Killers at maximum volume during an 800 meal. That will lead to insanity on the part of your service staff. Maybe this is part of the ambiance because, as was pointed out by my fellow diner, the chandelier is exactly the same as the old A&F stores at the mall in the late 1990's.
Had dinner Saturday at this chill brick american place in soho.
Very close to all the little boutiques I love and has a bar area in front complemented with leather couch seating area and booths in the back. There is also a private room behind the chalk board.
My friend went gaga over the mirror and I loved the decore which was simple yet comfortable basement feel.
We cleaned out their Oysters for appetizer and each ordered the Ripeye, pork chops and strip bass. Ripeye was delicious with mushroom and mash potato sides. The crispy skin of the strip bass was amazing and the pork was wonderful with pees on the side as well.
There was a minor incident with the bus boy pouring some oyster juice on my dress when he was clearing out the table. He also did not respond to my request for a napkin or for an apology. But that has nothing to do with our waitress or the food.
This morning my wife and I were out and about in SoHo after her Saturday morning, rainy bike ride...we were checking out a sample sale of bags when we happened across Jo's a few doors down.
For a Saturday morning it was rather empty. We were led to the cozy back dining room and given menus.
As soon as we sat down, the waitress was offering my companion and I much needed coffee and water. The menu was their brunch menu. They had an small but oh so difficult to narrow the choices down menu.
I opted for the true test: 3 eggs over easy, potato hash and multi-grain toast, my wife had the Burger Deluxe (lettuce, tomato, pickle and smoked onion) w/ Gruyere cheese and a side of french fries with garlic chili mayo. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive, but not hovering or pushy.
Brunch was served and WOW, they hit this one out of the park. My eggs were simply cooked perfectly, potatoes were a delightful compliment and the toast was swell but the highlight was the Burger Deluxe... specifically the SMOKED ONION!!!!! Seriously, this often overlooked burger garnish tasted as we were eating food prepared over a campfire. It made the meal... the burger was seasoned well and cooked to a hot yet bright pink medium rare, the Gruyere was melty and an excellent compliment to the meat. The fries were crisp and fluffy and the Garlic, Chili Mayo spicy and flavorful.
We were pleasantly surprised to find our entire filling brunch bill was UNDER $20 for two of us.
After we finished and were gathering up our stuff to leave my wife said, "My ideal birthday celebration would be a bunch of our friends going for a bike ride in Central Park and meet up here for Burgers and Brunch." A ringing endorsement, indeed.
So I loved Torch when it was open a while back and I was looking forward to this new resto Jo's. It is a cute low-key place with a front bar area and a dining room in the rear. The dining room is minimal, but nice with the expected exposed brick walls. The staff was pretty good and the noise level was a little loud, so it was hard to hear her sometimes.
For drinks I had the Diablo Martinique, which is a rum based cocktail, kind of their Dark N' Stormy with blackberry liqueur, it was nice and refreshing. For dinner I started with the octopus with celery leave salad, it was a little chewy, I though it could have used a little more char. Following that I had the mussels with the chorizo and the duck breast. The duck was perfectly done and my favorite of the evening, succulent with just the right amount of fat and a nice rosemary reduction. The non-winner of the night was ablackboard special called "meat in a cup." This was described as a brisket pate?, well it was a little dry and not very easy to spread on the accompanying toast.
I would recommend Jo's, but more as a place to hang and nosh as opposed to dine. They had a pretty nice bar scene in the front.
I came in here last night for one drink before my friend and I decided to bar hop. I saw the blackboard had some really interesting choices for food, and I think if I go back I totally want to try a few of them. I had a drink that had muddled blackberries in it, and it was really potent, but really tasty. I LOVE the wallpaper, the decor is simple but pretty. I sat at the bar, but I did see a few booths you could slide in if you want more room. The bartender was nice and friendly as well. It's a great street. I recommend you go here.
Inspired to write a review after reading a TONY review written by a tastebudless writer. The food is seriously in-cred-i-ble. Truly. Drinks were a'ight. I have been a few times and have yet to order something that disappoints. I've gone with friends and brought out of town family. Everyone is always more than satisfied - at a price that won't break the bank (we're in a recession, peeps).
Cool atmosphere too!
I went to Jo's on a Friday night and it had a really packed happy hour crowd (all drinking not eating) despite the small bar space. With a few super loud voices, it was rather uncomfortable sitting there waiting for my dinner dates. Their voices seemed to reverberate across the walls.
I thought it would be better when we were seated in the back dining area. It wasn't. It was loud almost to an obnoxious level.
The drinks were great. (Love loved Aphrodisiac and enjoyed the spicy Margarita). Food was good. A bit overpriced for the portions/freshness, but overall good. We all enjoyed the mussels, crawfish pasta, pork (fantastic!), watermelon/arugula salad (yumm!), good burger, decent fries. Meat cup was interesting and yummy. BIG MISS - Peorogi appetizer - shrimp. Hard, wonton style. Cold. Not Peorogies at all. Don't order. Yuck.
Food & drink all in all is good. However, because of the volume it isn't my favorite. In an area of great food spots, I'm not sure I'll return.
On a rainy night we made our way to this new resto on Elizabeth Street after seeing the new woody allen movie at Angelika. (good stuff btw) We were greeted warmly by the handsome owner and taken away to the beautiful dinning room in the back. It was half full at 10pm. Not bad on a "summer" (you'd never know it by all the rain we're getting!) saturday night in crap weather.
I had the summer margarita, my friend had the Elderflower bellini & my husband a vodka & soda. The two cocktails were excellent.
To start: a dozen blue point oysters on the half shell, Octopus salad (too salty-couldn't eat it and I LOVE octopus) and my friend had the shirmp pierogies. (loved it)
Mains: My husband had the ribeye and really liked it, my friend got the most delicious (and two-assed dish) Garganelli-four cheese blend, mushrooms & bacon, I had the trout. I liked the trout, but it was a bit fishy so I didn't eat much of it.
The desserts we're the absolute best; chocolate bread pudding and the cheesecake were divine.
My dinner companion and I went on opening night...perhaps that is the caveat to my review. The space was sleek but unpretentious. The staff was very friendly and competent. The drinks were delicious and the wine selection reasonable and quite good. The English pea soup was delicious and the bread was heavenly. The fries were not terrific but the dipping sauce was. One of us had a pasta dish that was perfect. Alas, the same can't be said for the steak...it was uneven and a bit tasteless. Our dessert, listed as a bread pudding, was not the classic kind. Rather, it was like a bread pudding...tart? While I am a bread pudding fan, I was not disappointed with this new take. However, it could have been a bit more moist. Still, Jo's deserves 4 stars because it shows promise....and their soundtrack was fabulous.
