Jax Cafe

Reviews 4

CH

Christopher Kerr

Jax and their staff not only ruined my New Years through abysmal gaffs and negligent service, I developed food poisoning from the oysters. So, where to begin... First, my girlfriend and I made reservations ahead of time but ended up waiting nearly half an hour to be seated, and waited another 30-40 minutes prior to being greeted by our server; not acceptable. When I decided to order a glass of wine I figured the $20 glass of house brand cabernet, being the most expensive option, would suffice, however it was terrible and reeked of sulfites and had an unnatural, highly preserved color closer to fuschia than a decent wine. Then, we waited over 40 minutes for our entrees and when they arrived, the server or the kitchen had screwed up our orders and reversed our preference for doneness. I had ordered the prime rib (which was annoyingly prix fixe without the option to change sides) which I had requested medium rare, and my girlfriend ordered the lamb medium. When our entrees finally arrived this was reverse. My prime rib arrived brown, overdone, and unpalatable, and my girlfriends lamb which she ordered as medium arrived cold to the touch and bloody rare. The manager took this back to the kitchen at her request but what they returned was overcooked and appeared to have been microwaved. Not surprisingly, the table behind us also complained to us about the service they received and their food, in fact they had ordered pork chops and they were brought to the table an unhealthy medium rare, not a healthy color for pork chops by any measure. At this point in the evening we had already spent over two hours at Jax and were running late for our other New Years Eve Plans, resolved not to finish our meals, and skipped desert, having requested that the server box our desert and bring the check. Given the poor quality of the service and the food, I was taken aback by the cost of the bill but still decided to tip, because Im not a cheap jerk. That said, we were out $175 for a meal I would have gladly skipped over for a chance at a big mac. We spoke to the manager who was kind enough to provide us with a $50 gift certificate however that was too little too late to entice us back. However, thats not even half of it. Normally I wouldnt feel compelled to write such a detailed or negative review, and I would normally give a restaurant a second chance, especially given that we visited on a busy holiday evening, however in this circumstance I absolutely cannot, and the reason was the oysters. The oysters appeared reasonable on first glance, I even had two large ones which looked impressive, however two from the plate had a turgid yellow discoloration on their shells, which I should have headed as a warning. I did not and I paid the price. I came down with a serious bought of food poisoning identical in symptoms and time of onset for contaminated oysters bearing the nasty bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. I spent the entire day on the toilet and nearly went into the emergency room for intravenous hydration since I wasnt able to hold fluids for nearly 12 hours. Thank god for antiemetics and imodium. In short I can see how Jax has maintained its clientele and its role as a NE Minneapolis landmark, it is nostalgic, it does have character and charm, but its charm is as sophisticated and contemporary as Goodfellas or insert mafia movie here. Minneapolis is changing and with as many excellent dining options in the city as there are, I see no reason to return to Jax. I had my taste, and it was enough to know. If you want steaks, chops and great shellfish, go downtown to the true Minneapolis staples like Murrays, Oceanaire, or Capital Grill. If you want a great dining experience in NE Minneapolis, go to North East Social Club. If you want to throw a 1950s throw back party or a quirky NE Minneapolis wedding reception, Jax may be your spot, but when it comes to quality service, sophistication and dining, look elsewhere, period.

TO

Tom Piltoff

After all the good reviews Ive read, Jax was super underwhelming. The cost-to-quality ratio is just way off, this food is absolutely not worth these prices. Im happy to pay $50 for a filet mignon and a baked potato if its spectacular, but this was not. Almost no seasoning on the filet and zero presentation. Aside from the filet, everything else (tomato basil bisque, baked potato, artichoke dip, creme brulee) looked and tasted, without hyperbole, like it would fit in just fine at the Golden Corral buffet. The space itself is cozy and cute, and the bartender, maître d and coat check lady were all super friendly. Our waiter was very rude, though. Not sure if the guy was frustrated with us because we werent dressed to the 9s and expected a bad tip or if hes just this unpleasant with everyone. He looked at me like I just ripped a big juicy fart at the table when I told him at the beginning of the meal that 2 of us would have separate checks! I would return to Jax if they had some sort of lunch or brunch specials, but will never be back to pay that much for dinner.

DO

Dorie Williamson

I bought a certificate for my mom for Mothers Day and it was a suprise to be taken there by my dad. They waited for their reservation even though they had no one waiting and a large amount of empty tables. My mom tried to order the smallest steak on the menu because she doesnt eat much but it had asparagus with it. She tried to substitute for a different veggie and they said no. She then had to order a steak dinner for $47.00 and asked if she could substitute the baked potato for her favorite o gratins and they said that would be another $4.00. She then asked ok then how about just getting a side salad? They said it would be another $2.00. Are you telling me that a $47.00 steak dinner doesnt come with a side salad? Or you cant switch out a simple veggie? Jax Cafe must have changed ownership. My parents started going there before I was born and I grew up going there. I got engaged there. I am so disappointed in how its changed I will never go back. This was supposed to be a special day for my mom. They cant afford much and this was a huge disappointment.

DA

Danielle Eilertsen

We were in tonight with a large group for a birthday and the waiter talked my husband into an upsale crusting/charring on his $47 steak. Because of the waiters enthusiasm, he got the special crusting, but ordered his steak medium rare. He also ordered a side of mushrooms with his steak. The steak came out well done. I pointed it out to the waiter, and at first he said, yes, because of the crusting it looks more done. I showed him the steak in the light, and there was no pink, it was well done. He apologized, and went to have it remade. The manager came out, apologized, and offered to buy my husband a $6 beer while he waited. Now, mistakes happen. But, by the time he got his new properly cooked steak, everyone was done eating. And, his mushrooms were cold. So, when he rushes to eat his steak and cold mushrooms, the $6 beer doesnt really account for much at the end of the day in addressing the real problem when you just spent over $50 on a steak that never lived up to its reputation.