I love food.

So. Much.

And so I have decided to start a new series of articles based on my love of food. This is the first article which includes a review of a restaurant I recently dined at: J.Alexander’s. I hope my review of these heavenly places to “grab” some grub will help you become a lover of food as I am. Yes, I said lover.

J.Alexander’s. The location I went to was on the east coast of Florida in Boca Raton. The occasion was a nice night out with my wife and soon-to-be baby-mamma. We wanted something nice. Something memorable. There were the common places to choose from: Chang’s, Applebees, Pizza Hut Bistro. There were the uncommon places: all of which required valet parking. I am sure you remember THAT post. We wanted something with a history, something that was proven, so that ruled out all the mom and pop places. We wanted something different, so that ruled out the common franchises.

 We settled on J.Alexander’s at the suggestion of a friend and are very glad we decided to try them out.

THE ORDER

My wife ordered a strip steak, which came with a side of fries but she subbed it out for a side of fresh green beans. The steak was incredible. I know because she didn’t have to use A1 sauce on it. You can tell it was fired-seared because it was perfectly juicy. There was a butter garlic sauce that you could garnish on your steak as you ate it. Big plus there. The green beans for probably the best green beans I have ever tastred - they had some kind of garlic seasoning to start, but the real winning aspect of them was that they were so crunchy and full of substance.

I ordered a Roasted Chicken which was lightly crusted on the outside to give it that perfect crisp edge to the skin. I have to say that this review may be a tad bit skewed since I am currently thinking about adding Roasted Chicken to my list of all-time favorite foods. But I can honestly say that J.Alexander’s perfect crisp roasted chicken is now in my top TWO favorited roasted chickens served at a resturaunt. The other is Rum Runners. If I went back, I wouldn’t be able to NOT order it. It was that good. It came with “Smashed Potatoes” but I substituted that for a “loaded” baked potatoe. This sucker was loaded in the fullest sense. It was about 5 inches TALL (not wide) and was amply supplied with cheese, sour cream, butter, bacon, chives, and I’m sure love from the chef him- or herself. The skin was encrusted with sea salt. The entire baked potatoe ceased to exist about 10 minutes later.

My wife and I went for dessert afterward and we are glad we did. The waitress recommended the carrot cake since supposedly J.Alexander’s is famous for it’s carrot cake. Regrettably and at the same time unregrettably, we ordered, and I quote directly from the menu, the “Very Best Chocolate Cake”. Pretty dang good. Came with an honestly generous helping of vanilla icecream, drizzled with chocolate sauce and a couple mint leaves. The cake was enough for both of us, easily. Not too rich, and not just all icing and fluff. Again, I am not sure I would be able to order anything else should I go again, although that carrot cake sure is tempting as I write this.

THE SERVICE

Not a whole lot of bad things to say about the service. Our waiter made some good comments about certain menu items, was never “missing”, and the drink refills were virtually nostop, a HUGE plus in my book. Other than that, it was standard restaraunt service as it should be. He got a well-deserved tip.

THE ATMOSPHERE

Family style dinner? Sure. A romantic dinner date? Definitely. Jumpin’ night life? Not really. Although there is a bar in the middle of the dining area, I would say this place was way too quiet if you were looking for a “watch the game and drink on a stool” evening. The table we sat at was big enough for 6 people. And it was just the 2 of us. The crowd started to pour in around 5:00 PM. We got there at 4:30. The tables are spaced enough apart that you don’t feel like you might just be part of any number of tables. Good music, subtle but you were aware it was playing.

PRICE POINT

Ahh the big question. I think we got out of there with under a 50-dollar total bill (after tax and tip). For what you are getting, the price is just about right. Add some alchoholic drinks and you could easily tack on another 15-20 bucks. I wouldn’t eat here every night (or even every month at this point), but once in a while is great. I have had way worse meals for more than this costs so that’s saying something.

So if you are ever near one of their considerably few locations throughout the country, I recommend trying these guys out. Tell ‘em Aazh sent ya.

Website: J.Alexander’s