Jag's has quickly become one of our favorite fine-dining establishments. PJ and I have been there twice now, and I just went there this past Saturday with a girlfriend for Restaurant Week. So here's a review of Jag's in three parts:
Part One - The first time PJ and I went, we went for
Restaurant Week back in the fall. It is a great way to try different menu items at high-end restaurants for a more reasonable price, offering 3 courses for each diner. I like to go to at least one restaurant each time Cincinnati is having its Restaurant Week. The past two Restaurant Weeks, I have gone to Jag's. I guess I like it.
But anyways, we each ordered the 3-course deal for $26.10 a person. My first course was the Caramelized Diver Scallop. It was only one huge scallop, but it was oh so amazing... cooked perfectly, atop some creamy polenta and red pepper coulis and olive oil. My blurry photo doesn't do it justice (it was very dim in the restaurant!). I wish there was more than one... I would definitely order the entree version of that!
PJ's first course was the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (he lovessssss jumbo shrimp cocktail) - 2 jumbo tiger shrimp served with cocktail sauce (duh!). These shrimp were definitely jumbo! A definite plus.
For my second course, I ordered the Julius Caesar salad which is romaine, shaved parmesan reggiano, caesar dressing, and a huge hard crusty piece of fried cheese. I love fried cheese and this was a bit too hard! The salad wasn't anything special. Not very memorable.
PJ's second course was the Apple Smoked Bacon Potato Soup. I love me some potato soup. This was good. And bacon makes all things better. You know this : ) No pic though. It was too horrible to even attempt to make better!
His third course was the filet mignon, topped with onion straws and served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I usually always order filet mignon, because I love steak. And filet is the best steak. But since I knew I needed to venture out more, I went against my better judgment and didn't order the filet! Their steaks tend to have a crispy, charred crust. PJ doesn't always like that, but I do. He did let me try a bite or two, of course. Sharing is caring, after all.
I ordered the Pork Chops Au Poivre, which were also tasty, but they got nothin on my usual filet : ) Sorry, pork just will never be as good as filet. But it was a thick, tasty pork chop... don't get me wrong! And the sauce was good. I just was wishing I had ordered what PJ had... the filet and the potato soup. That's what I get for trying something new, huh!?! It was served with some asparagus and mashed potatoes. They like to put a little fake flower in their mashed potatoes. I guess they think it looks pretty. I think it looks kinda cheap. Oh well. But still tasted good.
I also ordered an apple martini.
My drink of choice for awhile there. Along with mango mai tai... sex on the beach... pina colada... rum runner... you get the gist : )
Our first time there was on a Saturday night, and Restaurant Week, so it was very crowded and loud because of the band playing. But I did like hearing the music in the background. So this particular time, the place was boomin'! Full of life and music and dancing! The next time we went... not so much....
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Part Two - The second time Peej and I went was for Sweetest Day 2010. Would you believe that it wasn't very crowded? I think it had something to do with the 56 Deal... which offers discounted rates for 3-course meals between 5 PM and 6 PM. So it was probably a little too early for most people to eat. We arrived and were seated at a secluded booth with beautiful roses in the center of the table. They sure know how to set the atmosphere. Got us some pink lemonade. Look at our pretty girly table. All that red and pink. Don't mind the blurry pics. The lighting was super dim and therefore the pictures didn't turn out so great.
My first course was the Spinach & Artichoke Dip, served in a cute martini glass with chips and toasts for dipping. I thought the presentation was adorable. It went great with the Sweetest Day feel. Not the best spinach artichoke dip I've ever had, but definitely not bad.
PJ's first course was the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail again (big surprise!) and I thoroughly enjoyed them! Again, served in a martini glass all fancy-style. It came with three dipping sauces: the usual spicy cocktail sauce, a wasabi-ginger aioli, and an apricot habanero glaze. I was a fan of all the sauces, particularly the wasabi and the apricot. Just a little somethin different than the normal cocktail sauce that comes with shrimp cocktail. Another hit!
My second course was the Jaguar Salad... again, nothing special. I haven't been too impressed with their salads, to be honest. I'm not posting the picture because it was super blurry, plus it just looks like a typical salad with tomatoes, shredded cheese, etc.
PJ enjoyed the Mushroom Bisque for his second course, a much better choice. It was topped with cheese and black pepper. Yummy in my tummy!
And lastly, we both had the Filet Oscar. I love me some filet topped with crab, bearnaise, and asparagus. Delicious as always. Served with some peppers, and mashed potatoes and the infamous purple flower.
Look at us. All in love. So in love that I gave him a kiss on the cheek! (or maybe Picnik did?). His abundance of love makes up for his lack of smiling in pictures. So I let it slide : )
He's my sweetest.
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Part Three - I talked my bestie, Marcey, into doing
Restaurant Week with me a couple of Saturdays ago. We usually meet up every other weekend (pay day!) and go shopping and have lunch or dinner. But we tend to stick to the usual chain restaurants. Nothing fancy. I wanted to do Restaurant Week, AND we had never been to an upscale restaurant together, so I told her to check out the website to see if anything interested her. She hadn't been to
Jag's in awhile, and loved it. So I found myself back at Jag's for the third time, for a third 3-course deal. Which was totally fine by me. She didn't order from the 3-course menu. She is a picky one, that Marcey! But it's cute and funny. She just ordered grilled chicken and a baked potato.
I, however, did go with the 3-course meal for $26.11! My first course was the Lump Crab Cake, served with a garlic aioli, and a red pepper aioli. It was so good. Jumbo and flavorful. I did like the two aiolis as well. I just wish I had more of it! Oh, and there's that flower again! Let's see how many times we see it lol : )
My second course was the Creamy Chicken & Wild Mushroom Bisque, which was chicken stock with wild mushroom and rich cream, topped with chive oil. It seemed like it could have been good, except it wasn't very hot. It was less than lukewarm, and I also didn't taste much chicken. I definitely tasted the mushroom flavor, which seemed like it could have been good if hot. But I was expecting more of a chicken flavor as well. I would like to try this again at a different time to see how it was supposed to taste.
My last course was the Filet Mignon with Braised Short Ribs. I was tempted to try that Caramelized Diver Scallop entree course, but I was drawn to the filet meal because I love filet AND I love short ribs. It was a good decision. There was only a very small portion of short ribs atop the filet, served with bearnaise, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. All of my meals seem to have asparagus and mashed potatoes lol! No picture, it just was too blurry. But it looked like filet, with a tiny bit of short rib on top. With asparagus and mashed potatoes and that danged purple flower.
Of course this is the place that
I found my beloved red wine,
Liberty Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. I originally ordered this because it was the house wine and only $6.50 a glass (cheap me lol!) in comparison to $9 or $10 a glass. Plus I liked it when we sampled it. Marcey ordered a glass of the white wine which our waitress recommended, Mohua Sauvignon Blanc. The waitress said it had a grapefruit flavor, so that's why I didn't order it. But we didn't get to sample that kind. So Marcey just went ahead and ordered that, hoping she would like it. Plus I told her if she didn't like it that I would drink it. Cuz I know how she rolls : ) So she preferred the red wine, and I drank the white wine. But she only drank a bit of her glass, so I finished hers off. Is that not classy? Oh well, I liked it! And I didn't wanna let it go to waste, especially since that was the wine I had originally wanted. Both wines were good though. I did enjoy the Mohua, for a white wine, but I was surprised at how much I liked the Cabernet.
Our waitress was very sweet and patient. Great service. We had reservations for 6:15 PM and arrived there a half hour early, and they still seated us right away. It was great. We were seated in the back area. We walked past the bar area which was livelier due to the band music. In the back, where we were, it was very quiet and not many people at all. I was surprised, for a Saturday evening AND for Restaurant Week. Later that evening though, it did start to get packed. But by that time we were full and feelin too good to even care : )
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So there you have it! 3 different experiences... all pretty good food. All at reasonable prices since I went for restaurant weeks and the 56 deal. All great service. Can you tell that I like the place. Hope to go back soon!
Peace, and bacon grease!
