J Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood

When you first walk into J Gilbert’s, you know you have entered into a place that has been here for a while. The interior is still fresh looking and adorned with grand lights throughout the establishment. I loved the exposed brick and the wood used in the décor of the interior. The bar was large, well-stocked, and could be a great spot to just sit at for a drink, and a dinner in solitude. Just as pristine was the staff and we were well taken care of. All our needs were met, and everything came to the table on a suitable schedule. The staff is friendly, helpful, and attentive. I had high expectations for the food we would eat as I was impressed by the staff and the overall look of the interior. This particular night I was with a few friends, and we ordered enough to feed an army. Let’s dive right into it.

We started the night with a few appetizers, the first being Blue Cheese Chips. The chips were crispy and well done, but the blue cheese sauce was a letdown. I really didn’t taste a lot of blue cheese in the sauce, which is hard to do since bleu cheese is so pungent. I think it would have helped the dish if there were more crumbles of bleu cheese on the finished dish.

Blue Cheese Chips

We decided to splurge a little and order a third appetizer to share with the table. We went with the Charcuterie and Cheese slate, and this was probably my favorite item of the night. There’s just something special about the combination of sweet and salty and both were represented with this slate item. The sweetness of the poached pear and the cherry mostarda enhances all the saltiness that comes with one of the different meats. Combine the pear with prosciutto or the mostarda with the chorizo and you have a burst of flavors that excites the palate. Take the burrata and smear it on the bread along with either a small slice of the pear and/or cherry mostarda and it makes a great combination. I thoroughly loved this part of the meal and would return just for this.

After all the appetizers it was time to move on, and I moved on with a nice wedge salade. I always love a good wedge salad, especially when it is prepared correctly and served at the right temperature. In my opinion a good wedge salad is composed of just a few simple ingredients, lettuce wedge, bacon, tomatoes, bleu cheese dressing, and bleu cheese crumbles. If there is going to be onion, it should always be diced red onion. Personally, I forgo the onion as I’m mostly there for the pungency of the bleu cheese. The bacon should be crisp, and the tomato just diced. Very simple ingredients, but how it is served can make a big difference. A wedge salad should never be served war and never on a warm salad place. It should be served in a chilled salad plate and at a temperature that is in the lower 40s. J Gilbert’s does a decent job with the wedge salad meeting all my requirements for such an item.

Charcuterie and Cheese Slate

Wedge Salad

Now to the main course. I ordered the Filet Combo and Seared Scallops with wild mushroom risotto and cream corn with bacon. I want to address each item separately as it is deserved. When it comes to any steak, most of the time I do not like to dress it up with any sauce or fancy topping. I like the beef to stand on its own, just a little salt and that is all. I want to taste the beef, and I don’t want to hide imperfections by muddling the steak up with other strong ingredients such as a bleu cheese crust, or peppercorns. J Gilbert’s does a woodfired grill for their steak, so I expected to get a different taste which represented their cooking method. The filet was cooked the way I had ordered it which was medium rare, and I have no negative comments to make. It had a great flavor to it and it was what I expected. It just took a little salt to bring out the full taste of the beef which you want from a cut of meat such as a filet.

The scallops were okay; I can’t say they were great. I have a feeling the pan was not hot enough when the scallops went in, and we really did not get a good sear on them. They were also on the small side which you really don’t expect from sea scallops. Get the pan screaming hot and make sure you put the scallops in end up first, cook for a couple of minutes on each end, until you get a decent crust. There is never a reason to place the scallops on their sides when searing, this is a big no-no.

Filet and Sea Scallops with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Cream Corn with Bacon

I love risotto and I love mushrooms, and you can never go wrong when paring them. The wild mushroom risotto had a very earthy taste to it thanks to the abundance of mushrooms. The mushrooms were tender, but still held up to the cooking with plenty of bite left. I have to say I really liked this part of the plate and if I had one complaint it would be this. The risotto was a little tight and could have been a bit looser by the addition of stock or cream. Overall, though, I would order this again.

The cream corn itself was more than adequate with a contrast between the sweet corn and salty bacon. This was cooked in its own cast iron pan and server on the plate with the filet, scallops, and risotto. I found it to be a nice break from the earthy flavors of the filet and risotto. I have no complaints to this part of the meal and enjoyed its silky texture with the whole kernels of corn mixed in for texture.

It was now time for dessert, and I decided to go with the Seven Layer Coconut Cake. By all counts from reading the description, this cake should have hit it out of the park. While I can say I found it adequate there were some hits and misses, with the misses being hard to overcome. I’m always frustrated when a dessert comes to me, and it is served on a plate that has not been chilled, and not hot as if it just came out of the dishwasher. This was the case with this dessert, and it was rather abusive to the ice cream. The ice cream should not have been as melted as it did when it was brought to the table. It was not a good look. Secondly the description said it was to be pineapple ice cream, to problem is that there was no hint of pineapple in the ice cream. I was really looking forward to pineapple ice cream as it would have been wonderful with the coconut cake, I was sorely disappointed. All was not lost as there were some positives. First the passion fruit coulis was phenomenal and a great partner with the cake itself. I loved its bold flavor and how it enhanced everything on the plate in flavor. A second positive would be the cake itself. I found it properly baked and a nice coconut cream as the frosting for the cake. I’d go back just for the coulis and the cake itself, just make sure it’s on a plate that is of proper temperature.

I save the best for last, and this dessert did hit it out of the park. This wasn’t something I ordered from myself, but wish I had. A friend who was with me ordered this and he won the dessert award of the night, and I snuck a taste of this cake. I feel guilty calling it a cake because it is so much more than that. It was silky smooth and deep in flavor with chocolate that wanted me to eat the entire piece. On every account the cake was a big winner. The raspberry ice cream was also very tasty, but again it was all served on a very warm plate. The ice cream was half melted by the time it came to the table and had to be eaten fast.