Saint Jacques

Reviews 4

BE

Bernard Pommier

SAINT JACQUES RESTAURANT IN RALEIGH IS A HORRIBLE CARICATURE OF A FRENCH RESTAURANT It is not the only French restaurant in the area, certainly not French, and should not even be called a restaurant. On their website it is written that the chef/owner is from Grasse and has done his apprenticeship at Roger Verge’s Moulin de Mougins, one of the most reputable 4 stars on the Michelin guide south of France restaurants. This is a fairy tale as the chef yesterday could not have worked at Verge’s. It started with a welcome mini appetizer supposedly a crusted spicy tomato cube but with bad flavors and a disgusting after taste. Then came the owner/manager/sommelier? and asked what wine we would like so ordering fish as a main course and being really from the south of France myself I ordered a Rose de Provence and they uncorked a cotes du Rhone rose. Not that I mind but being in a supposed south of France authentic restaurant? The cotes du Rhone was acceptable but overpriced. Then came the waitress offering little pieces of bread from a large panier like if they were gold nuggets but the bread was hard and chewy. The butter was half melted and we waited a good hour for our appetizers, terrine for me and escargots for my wife. The terrine. Seriously, anyone can make pate it is just Pork, duck, or simply chicken livers with salt, pepper, spices and a little cognac and sometime people add eggs and some bread previously damped in milk or crème. In this case it was mostly bread but the worst part is that the pate was old and rancid, almost black. Note that the half cornichon was a bit dry but acceptable… The escargot is even easier to do, just some fresh butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. What a surprise when the waitress presented each escargot, one with peanuts the other with chorizo etc… Don’t take me wrong, I love chorizo and somehow even peanut butter but not in my escargots. Also escargots when well prepared and cooked at the right temperature are not chewy like a piece of tire. After a good hour waiting for our main course the waitress approached the table with a little ramekin usually used for crème Brule or other pastries cooked in the oven topped with a mushroom like dough, not sure what is was but piercing it with a knife a horrible fumet/odor of rotten seafood aggressed my nose. About the same thing happened with the flounder filet, or better said a mini portion of it, on top of a little spoon of rice filled with microscopic shrimps in a gooey smelling sauce, this whole misery hidden under multiple pieces of watercress salad. I think in a 4 star restaurant a fresh whole portion of fish or meat should be cooked to perfection and proudly presented on the plate not hidden under a smelly camouflage. Unless it is not fresh? If you do not want, like us, to be a victim of Saint Jacques restaurant’s false advertising stay away from this caricature of a French restaurant (nothing French there guaranteed) you will save yourself the experience of a very bad dinner (my worst in 40+ years traveling the world). Bernard Pommier

SA

Sarah Simone

Outstanding. My husband took me here for my birthday, and the experience was a memorable one. Definitely a place for a celebration ($$$ does not lie!) however the quality of the food and experience is well worth it. The other reviews are correct in that you do not feel as though you are in a strip mall. Once inside, the ambiance is very romantic bistro, with white coverings on the windows and romantic tables. I was even offered a black napkin instead of white, to match my black dress. The men are given one menu (with prices) and the women another (without prices), for a complete date-night, fine dining experience. Our evening started off with a fantastic server who was very charming and had a great sense of humor; none of the staff were stuffy or acting entitled, like you can sometimes find in fine dining restaurants. After we ordered, the owner Serge appeared with a Cauliflower Goat Cheese creme brulee, complements of the chef, to awaken our palate. It was phenomenal and we could taste every ingredient. Fresh, homemade bread was brought to the table with soft whipped butter -- Cranberry lavender honey wheat rolls were delectable and soft. I then had a mixed green salad with pickled carrots - a basic green salad, everything very fresh with homemade dressing and a nice touch with the carrots, and my husband had the strawberry, balsamic, and walnut salad with goat cheese brulee croutons, which he found heavenly. I also had a cup of the seafood chowder -- with salmon, sea bass, and grouper -- it was one of the best soups Ive ever had, smoky and rich, with notes of sherry, bacon, and fresh fish. Before our entrees, our waitress brought over a palate cleanser -- a cucumber, lime, and mint sorbet, which was perfect before our main meal. I had the sea bass, over sauteed fennel and leaks with mini ravioli in a demi glace -- possibly the best fish dish I have ever eaten. The bass was cooked perfectly -- just at medium -- soft and melted in your mouth, and the fennel was mellow, with the richness of the demiglace and the sweet soft ravioli. My husband had the beef tenderloin over a potato cake with roasted endive and red wine sauce. He loved it, the meat was so tender, he could cut it with a butter knife. He rated it #2 out of all the steaks hes ever had (and hes had a lot!) For dessert, my husband had the profiteroles with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and slivered almonds. He devoured them, and thought the were delicious, but felt that the pastry could have been a little bit lighter. I had the apple tart tatin with salted caramel and vanilla gelato...the caramel was salty, sweet, creamy, and decadent, and the apples were cooked perfectly. All in all, we will certainly be back here for a special occasion. Highly recommended for a special event/romantic evening in the N. Raleigh area.

JE

Jean Jeannie

One of the best meals of my life! If you eat at only 1 fancy place this year, make it Saint Jacques. The staff is fully trained in what fine dinning was and should still be. Forget dinner at some new "restaurant of the week" downtown, eat here instead! I guarantee that this is better than any overpriced, ridiculously plated restaurant with arrogant waiters that are too cool for their own reflection. After eating here I was mad at myself for going to all these, so called "hot spots" for years and thinking that the food was good...you eat a place like this and you realize that all that other stuff was sub par at best. Try the frogs legs for a starter and whatever else you pick cant be wrong...its all perfect. I didnt care about taking photos and posting them because I was actually lost in the moment, enjoying the company,the atmosphere, the wine and the food with no desire to be anywhere else. Seriously it is that amazing. GO!

ME

Medlin Davis

Tried Saint Jaques for the first time on Saturday night. Im a great fan of French Cuisine so was very excited, and I’m happy to say I was not disappointed. The menu is small, which I like because it normally means great care is taken in the cooking and the ingredients are Fresh. It was a fine dining experience with all the dishes cooked to perfection, as good as being in France. We have resolved to come back on a regular basis so we can sample the rest of the dishes. The ambience is excellent and we got to know Chef Jaques who introduced us to all the dishes and provided some fun discussions about the French cooking from the different areas in France, he was very impressive. Hats off to Maris, our waitress, she was excellent and helped contribute to the all round incredible experience.