J&G Steakhouse

A beautiful day in Washington, election day no less. A Montreal foodie enjoying your city!

I too went to J&G for lunch as I was needing a break from enjoying the architectural beauty around me. I decided to head there on impulse and have no regret.

I was not completely alone, I had a wonderful book with me, Three Cups of Tea, but still, eating on your own is always a challenge and some tend...+READ A beautiful day in Washington, election day no less. A Montreal foodie enjoying your city!

I too went to J&G for lunch as I was needing a break from enjoying the architectural beauty around me. I decided to head there on impulse and have no regret.

I was not completely alone, I had a wonderful book with me, Three Cups of Tea, but still, eating on your own is always a challenge and some tend to place you at the back near the kitchen door. UGH.
But I was given a wonderful table at the window, among the busy diners and appreciated the gesture, the service was awesome with not one but two servers making sure everything remained perfect. I went for the butternut squash soup, it was creamy beyond any cream soup I had in a long time, thickened with creme fresh instead of flour, the texture was satiny, it was served over mushrooms and cubed squash, I nearly licked the bowl clean, and though there was salt on the table, it is a first for me not to have used it at all during my meal, at all.

I then continued with their crab cake, how different! The pieces of crab were large and instead of fine bread crumbs, it was cubed bread, the flavours were a bit asian and instead of lemon, there was small quarters of grapefruit, and avocado, I was shocked by the flavours which blended beautifully on the palate, accompanied by a perfect glass of chardonnay, this lunch was memorable, so much, I barely read at all which says a lot in my case.

I did not have dessert, but I did have their cappuccino, again, just divine.

I saw that this restaurant does not always have great reviews, but hopes that those that go do speak well if they had good meals, as I know for a fact, it is a lot easier to come up here to write about an unpleasant experience than it is a good one.

On that note, I am seriously enjoying Washington, and the awesome food!-COLLAPSE / REPLY (7 Replies) (by Richelle, created November 2, 2010)

»A real disappointment

We took friends for Valentine's Day, and had ridiculously early reservations -- which should have at least meant the kitchen wouldn't be over tired. But we were very disappointed. There were 6 of us. I had really done my research to make sure we would have a sublime meal.

We like spicy food at lot -- but two of the salads were so overpoweringly peppery (jalapenos as I recall which I love) as to...+READ We took friends for Valentine's Day, and had ridiculously early reservations -- which should have at least meant the kitchen wouldn't be over tired. But we were very disappointed. There were 6 of us. I had really done my research to make sure we would have a sublime meal.

We like spicy food at lot -- but two of the salads were so overpoweringly peppery (jalapenos as I recall which I love) as to make it impossible to taste the salad. I love salad -- but I didn't finish this one. I ordered lamp medium rare -- and it arrived medium well to well done. It took so long to arrive that I didn't bother to send it back because I couldn't see waiting still longer and didn't want to make our guests feel uncomfortable. But it was gray and tasteless and the texture was terrible. To the restaurant's credit, they took the cost off the bill. I can't ever recall getting lamp so poorly cooked in a restaurant. For dessert, one of our guests ordered what must have been a flan. She kept saying how egg-y it was so I tasted it -- to my horror, it had lukewarm uncooked egg in the bottom that didn't taste sweet or flavored -- really unappetizing. These were the worst of the lot, but nothing was especially good. We had expected a fabulous meal based on the favorable reviews, but none of us at our table will return.-COLLAPSE (by happy_macomb, created March 2, 2010)

»Good meal but James Beard Worthy??

Dining room is beautiful although the lack of atmosphere and ambiance was a letdown. Virtually no energy at all in the room despite all tables being filled with patrons.
Started with mushroom risotto, was good but heavy handed on lemon flavor. Foie gras brulee was the standout, with a caramelized sugar crust. I went for the panko chicken with artichoke and was a bit let down, chicken was very...+READ Dining room is beautiful although the lack of atmosphere and ambiance was a letdown. Virtually no energy at all in the room despite all tables being filled with patrons.
Started with mushroom risotto, was good but heavy handed on lemon flavor. Foie gras brulee was the standout, with a caramelized sugar crust. I went for the panko chicken with artichoke and was a bit let down, chicken was very moist but flavors were just OK. Server had recommended that over steak and said it was a standout dish, not so.
Dinner mate had hanger steak, perfectly cooked and amazing flavor. Accompanying fries were on par with I would make in the oven at home. Tasted like frozen.
Service was good; all in all it was a good meal but nothing that makes me want to go back. That said I will go back and try some other dishes; James Beard Foundation can be that off can they??-COLLAPSE (by MissDC05, created February 20, 2010)

»J&G Steakhouse - lunch

We went to J&G for lunch today. I don't know how crowded it usually is but it was pretty sparse at 12 today (MLK day). Perhaps it was the holiday. The food was pretty close to perfect. The view out the window of the Washington Monument is pretty amazing.

The service was excellent. They have a bread server who continuously came around and supplied a fresh chunk of chewy bread whenever you...+READ We went to J&G for lunch today. I don't know how crowded it usually is but it was pretty sparse at 12 today (MLK day). Perhaps it was the holiday. The food was pretty close to perfect. The view out the window of the Washington Monument is pretty amazing.

The service was excellent. They have a bread server who continuously came around and supplied a fresh chunk of chewy bread whenever you finished the last one. We also tried some of their custom made sodas/drinks. The cherry soda was very good; not too sweet and an intense cherry flavor. The green iced tea was a little strange. It had an intense green color that was a little scary. It tasted fine, but the color...

For appetizers we had the calamari and mushroom risotto. The calamari lived up to every review I've read and without question deserves its place on Washingtonian's 25 best dishes in DC. The calamari were very lightly battered - more like a good, light tempura batter - and were cooked perfectly. Their texture was like al dente pasta rather than the tough chewy stuff many other places serve. There were thin slices of red chili thrown in that were superb; very hot but added an interesting taste despite the heat. The Yuzu dipping sauce in combination with the peppers was perfect. The mushroom risotto was also excellent. The mushrooms popped with intense woodsy flavor and the rice was a creamy backdrop cooked just right. If I had to go back I don't think I could choose between the two. I'm glad I split them with my wife.

My wife had the Parmesan crusted chicken for her main course. It was cooked just right and the artichoke complemented it perfectly. I had the cod (served the same as the halibut which they list on their web site lunch menu). It was also excellent; the fish was snow white with a nice brown sear on the top. It flaked away with a light touch of my fork. The sauce gave it a bold taste with the chili in it giving a little shot of heat at the end.

For dessert we both had the warm chocolate with vanilla ice cream. As good as expected. All in all the food was really good with everything cooked just right with interesting flavors that blended when they were supposed to and always popped with something special. I'm not sure why it's called a steakhouse but its ranking as a top DC restaurant is well deserved. I look forward to going back.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (7 Replies) (by dacfood, created January 18, 2010)

»Great!

Service was very professional and attentive. but the flavors in the dishes...just amazing! We tried a variety of soups, the gazpacho and pea soup, the corn ravioli (for me) and everything just popped! He does a great job with balancing to not create anything that is too over powering, just simple and delicous! (by Melissa Kay, created December 28, 2009)