Night Out – J. Alexanders Review – Toledo, OH

The wife and I decided it was time to use the gift card to J Alexanders we were given for Christmas.  We lined up a baby sitter for the kids (Thanks Grandma), and got ready.  Since it was a Saturday night, I called to see if they do call ahead seating.  They do, but only if they are on a wait, and at this time they were not.  20 minutes later after battling our way through the tail end of a snow storm we got to the restaurant.  We were greeted kindly and told it would be about 5 minutes before we could be seated.  It was exactly 5 minutes and we were led to a 4 person booth in the far corner of the restaurant.  We were promptly received and served our drinks, water for both of us, and a Coke for me.   Moments after getting our drinks our waiter came by and introduced himself and told us about the nightly specials.

Deciding what to eat here is difficult.  The menu ranges from $9 veggie burger, to $26 Carolina Crab cakes.  I have several favorites here, but decided to try something new.  I settled on the Ahi Tuna Filet – rare, which has a ginger mustard glaze ($26).  For sides, Jasmine rice and the braised red cabbage finished with goat cheese.  For the wife: Cilantro Shrimp, over rice with cole slaw($17).

One thing that has always amazed me about J. Alexanders is how they always seem to know when you need a drink.  A waiter will not ask if you need more, but will just show up with a full glass.  I never feel crowded by waitstaff.  One might almost think they have cameras at the tables to keep tabs on you.  How ever you do it, bravo!  Great service without being intrusive is the key for me.  Other restaurants should take notes.

Our food arrived in just the right amount of time.  Meaning; we had some conversation and enjoyed each other, but never had to question where the food was or complain about being starving.   Both of our meals were cooked perfectly.  The tuna was just as I like it, seared on the outside but barely warm on the inside, and the portion was large.  As for the red cabbage, I was not entirely impressed, it lacked any substantial  flavor and appeal.  It was just a pile on the plate.  The Jasmine rice was good and cooked well.  The Cilantro Shrimp dish is plentiful.  There were 11 well seasoned delicious tiger shrimp on top of a bed of white rice.  The Cajun shrimp are pleasantly spicy with a cilantro finish.  I did not try the slaw, but the wife says “it was fine”.

I had to have dessert since I am a sucker for carrot cake.  Since we were already full we got a couple coffees, and ordered dessert to go.  I got the carrot cake ($6), and the wife got the Very Best Chocolate Cake ($7).  The dessert portions at J’s are huge.  I have eaten my carrot cake for 2 nights now, and have enough for a big dessert for tomorrow.  If you like carrot cake, J’s is one to try for sure.  It is always moist with a smooth cream cheese frosting.  The chocolate cake was mediocre.  My wife is a chocolate aficionado, and is tough to please when it comes to dessert.  The cake wasn’t bad, but it did not stand out in any way.  A box of Betty Crocker Devils Food could give it a run for it’s money.

The entire experience was very pleasant, the waitstaff was polite and courteous, and the atmosphere is enjoyable, not too dark or loud.  The total bill came to around $75, not your average night out for us.  We typically can feed the whole family at Outback for about half of that, but it was very nice for the occasional change of pace.

Overall I recommend this Toledo location J. Alexanders restaurant.  You probably won’t find us there every weekend, but a few times per year for sure.