Chef John’s

This place has closed.

Not impressed!
We went for dinner on a Thursday night at 7 p.m. Two other couples in the place. They were out of meatballs and veal. I had the salmon. It was OK, but parts of the fish and associated veggies were lukewarm, not hot. My husband got linguini with shrimp, and the shrimp were so small and hard he didn’t eat them. He also didn’t like the sauce. Oh, and our bread was stale.
The waitress forgot who were were (with only two other couples mind you) and brought us dessert forks, but she had us confused with another table. We hadn’t been asked if we wanted dessert yet.
We expected better, since this place was recommended to us. We did not enjoy it at all, the food was awful, and my husband had stomach complaints afterwards. We won’t be going back!

If you are going there to eat — don’t bother. Place was pretty much empty at 7:30 on a Sat night so we should have known. Drinks in cheap disposable plastic cups, mostly ice. Got the prix fixe: Gnocchi for him, salmon for me. Beyond awful. Bland, lukewarm, blah. Server just doesn’t care; knows it’s a dive (food-​wise), and behave accordingly. NO WATER unless you want to pay for a bottle!!! Seriously? No bread. Dessert was thrown on our table (yucky pineapple polenta something) — no choice because they were out of the 2^nd option (tiramisu). Didn’t even ask if we wanted coffee. Happy to pay the $ 5 cover (had them put it on our tab) for the decent band but will never go back to eat. What a shame… someone please call Restaurant Impossible because this place could be wonderful.

My friend and I ate at Chef John’s after leaving two other restaurants in the area that were jam-​packed with two hour wait lists. I remembered that Chef John’s was not far from The Dive Bar which was hopping, and though I wanted to eat there– was simply too crowded, so I suggested we go to Chef John’s as they usually have live music. It was around 7:30 when we arrived, and I had to ask if the place was open because it was so empty. And I mean this literally… no one was inside. The hostess/​waitress even made a joke out of it when she said we could sit anywhere we liked. We asked if there was a band later and were told yes so we decided to stay. The menu is not very extensive, but they had a $ 15.95 menu that included a small salad and an entrée. I chose the chicken breast and my friend chose lamb chops. The plates were very small and the portion sizes even smaller. I’m only 100 lbs and ate it all yet left still hungry. The chicken was tender but the cheese gave it its only flavor, and it had a side of mashed potatoes underneath it. The same side came with the lamb chops, as there were no choices given. When I tasted his lamb, it was very bland. The best way to describe it is mediocre. Finally, after an hour of sitting there, another person filtered in and then 3 more bellied up to the bar. We ordered another round of drinks with the anticipation that the band would be starting at 9pm. It was then that the waitress came to our table and asked if we wanted the ten dollar cover put onto our food tab. I was shocked and asked to speak to Chef John. I told him we’d not been informed upon entry that there was a cover and I found it unreal that he would charge his only diners of the entire evening who had just waited an hour and a half and been ordering cocktails while waiting another 10 dollars. He rudely said he had a 1000 dollar band to pay for (Note– I am a Blues fan and prior Blues singer, and have never heard of the band playing there last night) and said he would be jam packed in a few hours because of the music so even though he got lots of complaints about the cover from diners, he didn’t care. He then went on to tell us that we had a heck of a deal to get such a great meal for only $ 15.95. I dare say that was an overstatement, as I could have gladly eaten better food at the Outback and for cheaper. Our total bill at Chef Johns cost me $ 63 dollars (well under what we’d have spent if we’d stayed and listened to the band). But instead, we left and drove to Square Grouper and enjoyed the stars, a beautiful night and a live band outside with no cover. They were able to get our hard-​earned money at their bar and I am able to decide to never go back to Chef John’s and tell every one I meet how rude the owner/​chef was to his diners.

This was one of our first dates and we chose this restaurant because one of us is an avid musician and blues lover. The music was the only real reason to be there.
The first two items we ordered were not available. One was a special of which the kitchen had run out. The other was an item on the menu of which the waiter was unaware, so when I ordered my veal chop, I got veal parmesan instead. When I noted the bait and switch to the waiter, he apologized because that item was not scratched off my menu as it supposedly was on all the others. Given that this was our fourth date, I decided to focus more on my company than my lackluster entrée.
We also ordered the conch fritters as an appetizer which were just ok.
However, we really enjoyed the music and notwithstanding that our waiter had never heard of a gimlet, he diligently ensured that the bar delivered this request.

I was having Unilocalers block when I came upon this place to review it. So, i bookmarked it and decided to just come back when I was ready to Unilocal away. Anyways, this place is a favorite of mine, although a bit out of the way, I don’t mind at all due to the fantastic attentiveness and attention to detail that the entire staff provides.
Before we ordered, the server asked what we might be thinking about to have so that he could suggest a wine to pair it with. He took us on a guided tour of what we were eating, how it would taste, the wine that would best accompany the dish, oh and the dessert and would finish off the meal perfectly. He seemed excited to help us and had an obvious passion for food.
The food, again 5 stars. our seafood ceviche appetizer came out sitting on a glass fish bowl with a little fish friend making laps around the bowl.
It doesn’t get any more fresh than that LOL. Anyways, this place adds special touches that make the night memorable.
Its very quiet inside. Mostly you’ll find an older crowd here, on some nights they have a piano player.
Its good for a 3^rd date or to bring your family. I say 3^rd simply because there isn’t a lot of action, and you don’t want any silent awkward moments on a first date!
If you do bring a date, make sure you reserve a booth, they are quite
romantic and give you a view of the entire restaurant.
*Its not formal, but just don’t show up in a pair of flip-​flops and a t-​shirt.

Chef John Jones (formerly of five-​star Petite Marmite, and Palm Beach hotspot Renato’s) brings his über creative cuisine to a new level in his Indiantown Road location. Chef John uses classic cooking techniques fused with avant-​garde touches to create exciting food that tastes as good as it looks.
Dishes to try are the «Bass under glass» which is based on his Bön Apetit featured recipe from 2000 (
) and his beef wellington.
The staff at Chef John’s are meticulously trained and offer the perfect advice to guide your meal experience.
Recently, Chef John has introduced a «small-​plates» menu that really kicks up the value. Dishes are offered in slightly smaller portions for reasonable prices and allow the diners to try multiple dishes without breaking the bank or the stomach.
Chef John’s lovely wife Jan is usually running the reservations, and she will offer you any advice on family favorites as well.
Weekends are pretty busy even in the off-​season, so make sure to make a reservation.