New York is an amazing city. Perhaps nowhere else in America can you find such a vast array of cuisines and incredible, world-class restaurants. There is always a new place opening, a new star chef doing this or that. However, the city has some hidden gems that sometimes get lost amidst all the glitz and glamour. Most often, you would walk right by them and not even notice the treasures inside, privy perhaps only to the locals. Tuesday, December 7th, I had the night off and decided to become a local myself by choosing to dine at JoJo, a small, intimate French restaurant a mere 3 blocks from my apartment.
JoJo has a unique history. It was the first restaurant to bear the name of now famed celebrity chef Jean Georges Vongerichten. JoJo, as his family would call him, is an Alsatian born French chef that studied under the masters, including Paul Bocuse. Vongerichten arrived in the United States in 1985 under the auspices of consulting chef Louis Outhier, opening the Le Marquis de Lafayette restaurant in Boston. A year later he arrived in New York to take over the executive Chef position at Lafayette in the Drake Swissôtel, generating critical acclaim with his innovative interpretation of classic French cuisine and earning four stars from The New York Times at the age of 29. There he met financier Phil Suarez, a loyal dining patron. Vongerichten and Suarez opened a bistro, JoJo, in 1991. JoJo was named Best New Restaurant of the Year, and earned three stars from The New York Times, in which Food critic Ruth Reichl claimed: "His food took my breath away". (Thank you much, Wikipedia!) You can read some of the NY Times reviews of JoJo here and here.
Since opening JoJo nearly 20 years ago, Vongerichten has created a culinary empire, perhaps stretching himself too thin, some would contest. Critics are quick to attest that he cannot be everywhere at once, and several of his restaurants receive less than positive reviews regarding service and food that falls short of its price tag. However, few would argue the quality and value of his Michelin 3-Star/NY Times 4-Star flagship--Jean Georges--going strong since 1996. Compared to his flagship in the Trump Hotel, JoJo is almost but a memory now of a place where a star chef was born. Fortunately for me, the memory lives on in my neighborhood.
With this knowledge, I eerily walked in to JoJo, unsure of what I'd find. Immediately, the beauty of the room took my breathe away. I felt like I had been transported into another world, far away from the cold and dark New York streets. The decor is elegant and old-worldly, filled with drapes, bronzes, purples, greens, and white tablecloths dimly lit by candles. The townhouse invoked a sense of warmth and familiarity, as if being in someone's home.
Operating under the concept of a "bistro," the service at JoJo is unpretentious. The silverware, stemware, and limoges are not first class. Wines by the glass are not poured to taste, and the menu itself is pretty small. The staple items are still to be found as they were in the 90's--chickpea fries, roasted chicken, molten chocolate cake--perhaps indicating a lack of innovation in the kitchen. Maybe things have become a bit too casual over the years (I saw cooks walking through the dining room drinking water out of plastic containers, servers carrying wines to the bar in milk crates), leading to the loss of its Michelin Star a couple of years ago. I was a bit scared, thinking I was in for a bad experience. Thankfully, once things started going, the service at my table rolled by smoothly.
One of the nice things about Vongerichten's restaurants is that he offers affordable 2-3 course prix fixe menus year round. I was hungry, so I opted rather for the 4 course Autumn Tasting Menu.
Tuna Roll with Soybean and Cilantro Emulsion, Fava Beans, and Wasabi-Spiced Soy Sauce
***
Red Snapper with Carrot Confit, Cumin, Golden Raisin Couscous, Lemon Butter, and Olive Oil and Orange Juice Sauce
***
Rack of Lamb dusted with Seven Spices, Cucumber Mint Relish, Haricot Verts and Yellow Wax Beans
***
Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Salted Caramel Tuile
***
Peppermint Chocolate Petit Four
To those unfamiliar with Vongerichten's cooking, take a closer look at the menu descriptions. It reads of his travels and passion for exotic flavors. He challenges classic French cooking by abandoning thick sauces, cream, and butter. He opts instead for light vegetable broths, Asian and Mediterranean spices, and bright, acidic sauces. Vongerichten prefers to let the vegetables and spices speak for themselves and awaken your palate rather than have them masked by a thick dose of cream, butter, and demi glace.
The Tuna Roll was okay at first bite, and its presentation extremely simple for a 3-Star restaurant. Unimpressed at first, consecutive bites revealed textures of flavor--a little spice here, a little herb here, a lick of salt there. It was a good appetizer, but nothing extraordinary. Perhaps a new take on sushi, if you will.
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| Closest picture I could find of the snapper =) |
The simple tuna dish was perhaps only a setup for the red snapper. Confit carrots sitting in a pool of an orange juice, cumin, and olive oil sauce, then topped with golden raisin couscous before putting the tender red snapper filet beautifully on top. The sauce was one of the best things I've had in a while; it really lifted the palate. All of the flavors stood out perfectly on their own, and just when you thought things got a bit too rich, you'd get a burst of lemon to put things back into perspective. Truly an exceptional dish. I wish I had a picture, but I've grown weary of taking pictures of food. The ones you see here have been taken from Google.
With my attention firmly in grasp, I eagerly awaited the lamb chops. They soon arrived and the aromas of the grilled spices and meat whet my tongue. Grilled to a perfect medium rare, the first bite was heavenly. The seven spices (cardamon, cumin, sesame, mace, cinnamon, red pepper, nutmeg) really sung through and the cucumber and mint relish added a cool contrast to the flavors of the grill.
Dessert was JoJo's classic Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake. He has been making this since the restaurant's opening 20 years ago, and some may argue he created this now classic restaurant dish when he accidentally pulled a cake out of the oven too early. It is a simple yet delicious molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. I admit this dessert was how I first learned about JoJo a year ago back in Miami. Watching YouTube videos about Vongerichten, I came across one of him demoing this dessert at JoJo in the 1990's. Things have since come full circle, as I live by the restaurant, and had the opportunity to sample the dish, bringing another journey to an end.
The restaurant has its flaws, namely in the casualness of the service. I began to think "but this is a bistro in concept, so it's ok." But when you see and eat the food, and witness the decor, you come to expect perhaps a bit more polish out of the staff. Small details would make a world of difference here, such as: carrying trays properly, not doing chinese food deliveries for the back of the house through the front door during service, not carrying wine bottles around in milk crates through the dining room, chilling wine bottles before opening them for guests, and not spilling water all over the table as soon as the guests sit down (I noticed these mishaps happen at other tables nearby). Will I make the 3 block journey again? Most likely, as the food more than made up for some of the service mistakes I saw, there are some menu items I'd like to try, and the warmth of the room really pulled me in. I can see why the Michelin Guide took back its star, and why the restaurant has faded into the background of the Jean Georges empire. If you're looking for perfection, this is far from it. Still, for a local like myself, this place is a great find I would recommend for a nice, quick night out bereft of any pretention.
And now, thanks to the wonder of the internet, you and I can make some of these recipes at home:
Bon Appetit!
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