09/04/09

Worst Joe's experience ever w/ Darmouth Street

by Aokeefe000

I ordered the Baked Chicken. I have eaten inside Joe's American Bar & Grill restaurants before, but this time I ordered through an online dining-in service. This may be the reason that my food was so ill-prepared. Below is the description of my meal provided by their restaurant.

"Fresh boneless half chicken with our special corn bread stuffing, creamy chicken gravy, cranberry sauce, and real mashed potatoes"

Fresh boneless half chicken - 50% of the half chicken was simply missing, above it lay a nice crispy later of skin, fat, and a flat piece of cartilege where there surely was once a hunk of meat attached. The only reason I point this out is because I have ordered this meal several times (from other locations) and never once seen such an incomplete half chicken. The portion of meat that was present was very rough and not appetizing at all. Nothing enjoyable, did not eat it. This chicken is also NOT fresh.

Corn bread stuffing - This part was fine but it does not comprise much of the meal

Real mashed potatoes - Yes, they are very real. In fact, they are so real that the chef apparently takes a potato, any potato, no matter what blemishes it has on it, grinds it up and calls it real mashed potatoes - skins, fungus, and all. There were several large pieces of black R0T (I used a zero in place of the o because that word is not allowed to be posted on this site) in the potatoes. One piece was as large as a quarter and about half a centimeter thick. I was eating these potatoes under dim light for a while but after noticing the color black, I decided to take a closer look and see exactly what I had been served. I closed up the tray and threw it out. Disgusting. I could do so much better than this poser restaurant.

Any restaurant that does not take care to serve good tasting food besides dumping a bunch of salt on it (classic Joe's style) is a scam. I gave my trust and my money to this restaurant and they failed miserably to provide a good meal. I cook everyday...I personally know its not hard to make sure the food comes out right. The chef's at Joe's are no more concerned about making good food than a fast food joint.

This restaurant is OVERRATED. I would have rather eaten a cheap burger from BK than the sh*t they served me.

• Cons: Careless preparation of food / disturbing finds

08/10/09

Uncomfortable Experience for Parents

by FoodFan77

Went to Joe's yesterday for lunch. Had been there before so thought I knew what to expect (good comfort food, relaxed atmosphere). I have a 1-year old and, as happens, he had a few loud outbursts as learns how to use his voice. After one of these squeals, a young woman at the table adjacent to us got up and approached her server. It seems that our child and his voice were making her uncomfortable. That's fine - different strokes for different folks.

But, she proceeded to ask for the manager and demand that either she or we be moved to another area of the restaurant. Now I don't know what proper etiquette demands, but certainly not asking a family to relocate, especially at a place such as Joe's on a Sunday afternoon (this wasn't Mistral at 9pm on a Saturday!).

To Joe's credit, they did not, but they did cower to this young woman, sending over complimentary food and drinks upon being unable to move her. Seeing Joe's staff cower to this childish behavior left my wife and I feeling like we had done something wrong. This interaction also happened before we had been served so we spent the remainder of our meal on pins-and-needles.

I suppose this is bound to happen when you mix high-chairs with Newbury Street -- I just wish that Joe had been better able to identify who was the child in this situation.

• Pros: Friendly, attentive staff
• Cons: Patrons

01/04/09

Needs a revamp.

by mysteryirishdiner

I have been here a few times actually it is the first place I ever ate in boston. I ate there again last night and the condition of the place has dropped a little and the menu hasnt changed in four years. Saying that I had the rib eye and it was fine. Athmosphere is only ok.

• Pros: Great outdoor dining in the summer
• Cons: Needs a revamp