Cranky Review Alert...
Hey all -- i had brunch at Big Jones this morning and I have to say I was really disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high -- i love southern comfort food and I was so looking forward to having a great southern place not only in Chicago itself but in my very own hood and so my disappointment might be in proportion to those expectations.
First of all -- i liked the light airy feel of the place -- pastel walls and higher ceilings -- the former restaurant, Augie's, always made me feel so claustrophic with its darkness. Plus...really comfy chairs -- sort of southern kitschy but quite pleasant on the rear end. I don't get why the waiters wear severe black though -- seems less than hospitable.
Secondly -- while my service was perfectly fine -- cordial enough, my water glass was filled pretty well, my food didn't take too long, i got what I needed relatively soon after I asked for it -- but they have some things that really irritated me. I like pepper. Lots and lots of pepper -- especially on eggs and grits and when I requested it, I was brought a salt shaker and a huge pepper mill that only the waiter could operate. I don't particularly like this practice in any restaurant but for breakfst it really irritates me. On that same note -- they don't carry sugars, fake or otherwise. They supply you with simple syrup or a syrup substitute. They have good coffee but I"m one of those annoying people who really likes my coffee sweetened and light. The coffee is brought with steamed milk but you can't control how much they put in. For breakfast...I want that control. I also like my splenda, thank you very much. The whole fussiness of the service (we do this for you, you just sit there) turned me off.
That would all be water under the bridge if the food had lived up to my standards -- which it most certainly did not. They committed the cardinal sin of bad breakfasts -- instead of a lovely poached egg -- i had a hard boiled nasty thing whose yolk required a sharp knife to dig into. Such a disappointment! The overall temperature of my whole plate was rather cold too -- as if they had had the plate sitting back there for weeks before they served it to me. I would have sent it back for another try but my Saturdays are filled with errands and cleaning and I had to get a move on. The "potatoes o'brien" were really hash browns with scallions and had they been a temperature above tepid, I'm sure i would have enjoyed them much more. They placed about 10 grapes on the plate as garnish -- i don't get that -- it wasn't artful -- it was a handful of grapes plopped in my hollandaise. I have no problem with grapes -- but when they're dripping in hollandaise, they lose their appeal. The very thick slices of country ham on the benedict were salty and tasty but again, quite cold. I did like the taste of the popover and the texture was good but the poached egg really burned me. it should ooze and drip golden yolk mixing with the hollandaise. I ordered a side of the cheese grits because i was curious -- i'm not a very big grits person and the side they brought me was huge -- but I will say they were tasty. Probably the tastiest thing on my table -- and certainly the hottest.
Beignets are presented as you sit -- they were appropriately dripping in powdered sugar -- but I can say that the ones I've had the massive chain Grand Lux Cafe were tastier. I have never been to New Orleans so I have no originals to compare them to.
I think this place has a long way to go to be competitive with m. henry and even Ann Sather. Ann Sather's at least knows how to poach an egg.
Total cost of coffee, benedict, and a side of grits -- $17.01.
I'll try 'em again in a month or so....maybe I was just too early to the party.
s