The only positive thing I knew about J. Alexanders before I dined there was that it served American style food. Well that could have meant anything right? Cheeseburgers? Steaks? Grilled Cheese? Spaghettios topped with Kraft singles? I knew this was going to be an interesting experience.
Arriving inside the doors of J. Alexanders I could definitely see that it was a busy place. The bussling open kitchen spewing out steam and the sound of plates clinking together greeted and intrigued me. Drunken wealthy folk drank from oversized wine-glasses at the bar and were shooting their heads back in laughter. Did they know something that I didn’t?
Sitting down I could see that it did seem a little overpriced, but they offered some very delicious sounding things (and spaghettios were no where to be found). The mood lighting was so dim that I could barely see the menu. I could make out…filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. Yum. Kai Thai salad with a cilantro vinagrette. Yum. Aged Prime Rib or New York Strip with Mac n Cheese. Oh my GOD. A thin steak covered in Maitre De butter . Fire roasted artichokes. Old fashion cheeseburger. Crab cakes. Yes! Maybe this was going to be memorable after all. Each dish seemed to range in price from about 15-30 dollars. After hearing the specials I decided to go with the Blue Cheese Encrusted 6 oz. Filet Mignon with baked potato. My accompaniments ordered the club sandwich and the Thai Kai salad. We crossed our fingers for the best and prayed to the food gods to send us something good.
When you first sit down at a new restaurant, you are kind of enthralled and focused on the menu. Your nose is stuck in between the papers scavenging the page for something to your liking…After you order and are welcomed with warm croissants with honey butter you automatically look around the room some more and take in the atmosphere. J. Alexanders completely astounded me. I peeked over my booth to see a very post modern yet cozy environment. Modern light fixtures that look like mazes, smooth upbeat jazz trickling into the speakers. My eye also caught the expediting table in the kitchen with the new entrees ready to be flown to their destined table. “What is that?!” I exclaimed. “Is that food!?” The rest of my party turned around and to our surprise we saw a mountain piled high full of salad and beautifully shaped. Upon further examination around is we discovered that everything here was BIG and BEAUTIFUL. Our onion ring appetizer was the size of packing tape rolls stacked and towered up and over our table in a gorgeous presentation. It was lightly battered and served with a spicy barbeque mustard sauce. If this was just the appetizer, I was both excited and almost scared to find out what our main course was going to look like.
Finally…it came. It was like christmas morning in a mood lit steakhouse... And it almost took our breath away. The Thai Kai salad one of my accompaniments orders was situated like a skyscraper on the table. Apparently you can pick at it like a game of Jenga or just go at it guerilla-attack- style and smash the salad down for easier eating. My steak however looked like something I’d only dream of eating. It was billowing steam as it arrived in front of me. The filet was absolutely glistening and topped with a thick crust of blue cheese. Sitting next to my filet was a gorgeous high rise bake potato overflowing with cheese and sour cream. I dug right in with regrets of destroying the presentation.
The steak was so tender and juicy it actually started to melt in my mouth. The flavor was rich but not overpowering and the blue cheese crust was an unbelievable compliment to the steak flavor. I actually started eating the blue cheese on its own and combined it with the baked potato (winning combo). I have only had a steak this delicious on one or two occasions. And I have to say I have had my share of steaks. It was astonishing and memorable. The baked potato was bursting with flavor and not to mention bursting with size! The sour cream I knew was an artery clogger. But who really cares when you are in a situation like this, right? REAL sour cream. Daisy can take her dollop and shove it where the sun don’t shine. I got to try a bite of the Thai Kai salad too, and it was again, full of flavor and incredibly fresh tasting. The cilantro and the Thai flavors complimented each other very well. To top everything we enjoyed some Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc and it tasted better with every glass. If you have never had this wine, its light, fruity, and refreshing. I find hints of pears in it, personally. I think I understood now why the mood lighting in the restaurant was so dark...they wanted you to focus only on the deep intoxicating flavors and blur everything else out. A wise tactic!
Taking another squinting look around the room I saw that almost every table near me had a very large doggy bag with them to take home. I think it is literally impossible to finish the portions at J.Alexanders. It is so pleasant to find a higher end restaurant that doesn’t have crouton sized portions. They know America is known for large portions and demands large portions. I think they exaggerated this a little bit on purpose. Nonetheless, It was a great experience and my party and I literally wobbled out. I take back my assumptions of this place and have actually visited this place several times. I tried the Palm Beach Gardens location, but apparently there are 4 other locations in South Florida. So readers…save a little in your piggy bank and take a trip to J. Alexanders for an exaggerated American experience.
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