Josie Restaurant

Just now reviewing, waiting impatiently for them to re-​open!
Their steak is one of the best I’ve ever had. I’ve been to supposedly ‘great’ steak houses where you’re paying upwards of $ 40-​$ 50 for a steak, and those don’t compare to how delicious this one is.
I’ve come here on dates with my wife, business dinners, even my own birthday dinner.
The ‘old’ décor was just fine for me. I don’t know what they’re doing to make it better, but I hope they finish soon, I’m craving the best steak in LA.

Food is good but not extraordinary, service is good with friendly staff, but my suggestion is to esp scape Valentine package cuz it’s extremely overpriced. We paid $ 350 for two which was unbelievable!

Food and service has gone down hill from when they first opened. Had a good time with friends. Love the parking!

Amazing amazing food! Every time I have visited Josie I have received the best service and best food. For not being a steakhouse, I have had one of the best steaks I have ever had here. Great place to take family and friends on special occasions and to treat yourself to well deserved good food!

AWFUL service. Never had service so bad. The head waiter came by to take our order and we never saw him again. The manager was just as useless. Food was good but will never go back because of service.

Excellent service, well executed food. Had a bottle of wine, tomato soup with grilled cheese (incredible) and quail appetizer (which was truly amazing). Campfire trout was a bit light for an entrée but well prepared. Highly recommend. Prices aren’t too bad either for what presents as a high end restaurant.

Whenever I go to fantastic new restaurants, I realize how blessed we are in LA to have such variety and deliciousness. This is a small, inconspicuous place, but what I call a high-​end hole-​in-​the-​wall. I came here for an event, so had a fixed menu.
*There is a large parking lot right behind the restaurant, so no need to circle around for street parking.
1. Bread: pretty unique, small white butter-​ish bread, baguette
2. Sweet corn and bacon chowder: In a word, YUM. If you follow my reviews, you know that you basically can’t go wrong with sweet corn with me. However, this is a legitimately well-​made soup, with a perfect amount of spice. The soup itself is a perfect blend of salty and creamy. You don’t feel sick after drinking it. It’s a great portion. I can’t imagine someone NOT liking this. :-)
3. Braised short rib: Tender, flavorful, good portions, again. Over mashed potatoes. I loved this dish. It took approximately 2 minutes for me to devour the entire thing.
4. Dessert: Chocolate bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream on top. Delicious! That chocolate flavor adds that extra something to the dish. If you don’t like bread pudding, you will still like this, because it isn’t your typical bread pudding. It’s almost like a molten chocolate cake without the molten. The ice cream on top is perfection.
It’s really 5 stars for the taste of the food, but the menu lacked ingenuity. It’s a solid 4 – 4.5. Highly recommend.

The restaurant is not too big and kinda old
we had dine in la dinner menu… food are okay
the dessert is pretty good

Josie’s is a beautiful restaurant at the southwest corner of 25^th and Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. On a weeknight evening, there is generally ample street parking available within a few blocks on Pico at meters that are free after 6:00 PM. The entrance is very small — no room for waiting. A collection of booths, chairs and tables make up a generous dining room/​bar that is comforting in shades of brown and white with elegant touches such as soft lighting and luscious fabrics.
The service is absolutely 5 stars in this 5 star environment. Everyone is attentive and accommodating. We were curious about a wine available by the glass, so our waiter poured a glass. We did not like it, and he agreed, so we went on to another wine. Wines are generally $ 9-​$ 13 by the glass, and there were four white selections and four red selections. Water glasses also remained full throughout the meal, and food was well timed.
First, bread and water was delivered. ;) The bread basket has thin slices of mini-​brioche loaves — room temperature and very soft. They cannot stand up to the cold butter and are kind of boring at room temperature. (Note: they are great for sopping up sauce (more on that later).) But, for a bread basket, it was 3 stars. The butter was served ICE COLD in a little dish. I did spread some on the crispy toast cracker bread. It was a white bread that was heavily salted in the process.
We started with the sweet potato fries ($ 9) which are tossed with minced parsley, garlic and salt and served with a little dish of hot goat cheese that is golden and bubbly on the top. 5 stars — some of the best sweet potato fries that I have ever had. Crisp, well seasoned and perfectly balanced with the semi-​sour, creaminess of the goat cheese.
For dinner, I ordered the Campfire Trout ($ 27), which is served in a butter sauce with green beans, wax beans, bok choy and cherry tomatoes. The fish was served whole but deboned, and we found only 1 bone in the entire fish — very impressive. Alas, the fish was overcooked. It was a shame, because it was such a good piece of fish without a hint of that foul fishiness. The veggies were perfectly cooked — crisp tender beans and bok choy with shrivled tomatoes — and the lemony sauce was wonderful. I would say that the fish was 2 stars (edible, but I’ve had better) and the veggies/​sauce were 5 stars.
My DM ordered the salmon special ($ 38) rare. A salmon fillet was seared with a crispy skin and served atop pesto with walnuts, white asparagus, spring peas and pea tendrils. Once again, 2 star fish with 5 star veggies. The fish was not rare — it was medium. Fortunately, it was not dry, but it is such a let down to eat overcooked fish (the skin was perfect). The pesto was super fresh — I sopped up all that was left with the adorable slices of brioche from the bread basket. The peas and asparagus were sweet and crisp tender — perfectly cooked. The veggies really tasted like spring.
We skipped dessert because we were very full. Overall, I have to give the food 3 stars and the restaurant/​service 5 stars for an overall 3.5 stars. The star of the meal should be the star of your entrée — not the veggie accompaniments. The fish was tasty, but it was not cooked as it should have been. If you are paying these prices for a piece of fish ($ 38 for 1.5″ x 4″ of salmon), it should be perfect.

One of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. The atmosphere is so relaxing and warm. It is chic but not gaudy at all. Two toned walls are awesome.
The menu is somewhat small but every single ingredient is of the highest quality. It is inventive as well. I recently got the Brittany salt-​crusted chicken breast and it was some of the most tender juicy chicken I’ve ever had. Came with some amazing creamy grits, never knew grits could be so delicious. The steak comes with some fluffy garlic mashed potatoes and peppercorn sauce.
I’ve been here five times and every time it has been awesome. The wine list is also impressive. Last time got a half bottle of Frog’s Leap Zinfandel for $ 30 and it was an impressive bottle. Very decent pricing.

Chef Josie Le Balch*.
Class Act.
Think traditional yet inspired fare.
Think quality, variety, hearty or light.
Make a reservation.
Park in the ample lot behind, slightly south, of Pico Boulevard.
Settle into Ralph Gentile’s and Sophia Harvey’s** sophisticated, rustic interior design.
Prepare to be impeccably served.
Enjoy a meal to be remembered.
It also doesn’t hurt to be the guest of Josie regulars but in observation, there’s no favoritism as ALL are graciously greeted, treated, fed.
My host brought a Turley, not on Josie’s wine list, shared a sip with the sommelier and corkage was waived. As I was both a guest and a guest, I can’t say to the standard fee.
We started with two tried and true apps plus one evening’s special.
Baked Pear and Endive Salad with watercress, aged English Stilton, and toasted pecans, (mine) was fresh, beautifully executed, plated and devoured.
Wood-​Grilled Quail Wrapped in Bacon with balsamic-​grilled radicchio, escarole, golden raisins, and toasted pine nuts, OMG

THE special, Tomato Ricotta Tart was sublime, just the right amount of acid, creaminess, carbs

Entrees.
Buffalo with a grits substitution looked amazing but I was not allowed a taste.
Another evening’s special, Asparagus, Fingerling Potatoes, grilled to perfection Wild Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce was more appealing on the palate than the plate

My Gruyère-​Stuffed Buffalo Burger with truffle fries, caramelized onions and mushrooms astounded my taste buds. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish. Praise be for a little help from my friends as such great food should better go to waist than waste.
Dessert.
Not that any of us needed any but you can’t dine at Josie and not indulge in the renowned Chocolate Bread Pudding, topped with whipped cream, vanilla bean ice cream, and chocolate sauce. Just save room, OK?
Pastry Chef, Jonna J. Jensen whipped up a most amazing evening’s special. Special to the ear, and as we discovered equally so to the tummy, a Rhubarb Galette that we couldn’t resist therefore split along with the mini vanilla bean ice cream scoop atop.
Five stars because my hosts, my friends, love Josie so much. I’d go with 4 because of the overpowering, overuse of salt even in the desserts. I know, that’s just me but I honestly could feel my fingers expand against my rings before we finished coffee.
*

**

We were a table of four at 7 PM Friday evening. Parking was adequate and free.
Food was uniformly excellent.
Service was slow, awkward and generally inept.
We saw a man in a suit standing in the entrance way with his head pointed into the kitchen. Not once did he turn to look into the dining room.
We finally asked to see Josie.
Instead the man in the suit came over.
He asked why we wanted to see Josie.
We explained that he, if he were the manager, was our problem.
He was not managing the dining room. He told us that he needed to focus on the kitchen.
Too bad.
Drinks need to be brought promptly.
Bread, butter, water and menus need to arrive without diners requesting them.
Dirty dishes need to be cleared. Wine needs to be poured.
Lots of stuff has to happen at the table in fine dining.
If all you want is excellent food and do not care about all of the above, eat at Josie’s.
If a more elegant dining experience is your goal, go elsewhere until Josie gets a manager who shares this view.

Good enough for DineLA: not sure if the fare is worth retail.
With a table of six, was able to perform a mix-​and-​match of a large part of the menu. Glad we did, as the hits and misses were surprising.
The winner of the day was whole trout served in a lemongrass marinade. Granted, I’ve avoided trout since a tasteless disaster at Bouchon in Yountville/​Napa, but this offering was quite good. Warm, firm-​enough trout flesh — expertly deboned — melded nicely with the savory sauce. I’m quite glad they didn’t make the mistake of thickening the sauce to amplify the texture, as the dish succeed in its simplicity.
Fusilli with goose confit, however, was a miss. The problem with confit sometimes is that flavors and texture disappear within a big dish, and that was indeed the case here. Nothing special about the sauce; bacon was just a chewy part of an otherwise monotonous dish.
Appetizers, including the soup of the day as well as the bacon-​wrapped quail, were fine. Unfortunately, the quail was rather overshadowed by the bacon (which was excellent — where was this in the fusilli?). Most definitely not deserving of the $ 19 price tag.
Beer selection, though unlisted, is pretty good. La Fin du Monde, a Canadian Belgian-​style beer, actually complemented dinner better than some of the wines.
The more progressive sister restaurant next door looks promising.

We had a DineLA experience here this week, and it was all right.
The service was great. The waiter, busmen, etc. were unobtrusive but attentive. The interior is nice and a little fancy without being snobby. It looked like it could be a good option for a group, depending on the occasion.
I found the chicken entrée pretty mundane and steak to be a little underwhelming and a little overcooked for a medium rare order. The quail wrapped in bacon was a unique starter, but I’m glad that I asked for the bacon to be extra crisp on the outside. Had it been limp and oily this would not have been a nice combination with the gamey quail legs, etc. Word at our table was that the best appetizer option was the short rib croquette.
We shared the fig and arugula tart, and a tasty pear salad. Both were nice, but that’s all: nice.
The fries (sweet potato and regular garlic) were delicious but you don’t want that to be the stand out item from your menu when you’re this type of fine dining establishment. As far as the entrees went, I preferred the accompanying sides (brussel sprouts, polenta, etc.) to be the stars on the plate.
Dessert was a bummer. The kabocha pumpkin cheesecake was the best of three options. The Fuji apple crisp with vanilla ice cream smelled great but was a watery mess and tasted watery too. The chocolate bread pudding was good but also not worth a second visit.
Overall my portion of the bill was $ 70 and I didn’t even have wine, so I doubt I will be returning especially to pay retail. The food was nice, but for that kind of coin I expect some serious tastebud pyrotechnics.

Cute little neighborhood restaurant in an unassuming corner of Santa Monica. There’s plentiful parking in the back. It has an old school feel to it with dim lighting. There were lots of families here when I came around Christmastime.
We started with the bacon wrapped quail, and then my friend had the tagine of cod, and I had the farfalle pasta with duck. We finished with the chocolate bread pudding and the key lime pie.
The bacon wrapped quail and the tagine were both very good. My farfalle pasta was pretty good — I liked the sauce but I’ve been so spoiled lately by wonderful homemade pastas that I was underwhelmed with the pasta itself. Both of our desserts were good.
The place has a limited menu but does a good job on just about all of its offerings.
Ideally, I’d give it 3.5 stars.

Delicious! My favorite Santa Monica restaurant.
Nothing much to speak of on the outside and location, but the inside is nice. The service is professional and attentive. But the star here is the food. The kind of meal you savor.
Too expensive for regular dining, but it’s been a favorite special night out spot for us.

About eight or nine years ago, I was offered a job at Josie. I either did not show up or called to tell them I wasn’t going to work there after all. I had no reason, though. I didn’t have another job. I just decided that I did not want to work there.
However many years later it is now, my lady friend decided to book dinner here for us and two friends. What a nice little place. I felt bad. I totally ditched them. And look. They still waited around for me!
Only this time, I came in with my corporate credit card and my dry cleaned shirt and my car that costs more each month than I probably would have made as a busboy or whatever I was going to be. Prep cook. I don’t know.
I’m such a d-​bag. Poor Josie. Though she looks like she’s doing just fine. She hasn’t even aged a bit.
This was my first time having frogs legs and I have to say… they are exactly how I would have imagined them. You may as well try them here if you’ve never tried them before. It’s as good of a place as any to have some legs. My lady made a point to note that they did not also serve us the frog’s arms. I’m not sure this is true. I am pretty sure a frog does not have arms and if it does, the arms double as legs. It’s the same thing.
But I don’t know. I’m not a frog expert. I’m just a guy who doesn’t show up to a perfectly suitable job.
The waiter was very friendly and well-​versed. Too well-​versed, maybe. He spoke to us in detail about so many dishes, I wasn’t sure if he realized there wasn’t going to be anything left on the menu for us to read ourselves.
And to think… that could have been me. Sorry, Josie.

Josie is a small, intimate, subdued restaurant that reminds me of a restaurant, Grove Street, in Greenwich Village from back in the early 1980’s. The very unpretentiousness of this culinarily competent boîte is a charming change from so much restaurant hype that is so prevalent here in Los Angeles where style trumps true substance.
Josie’s understated, quiet, neutral calming colored respite is a glorious oasis away from the noisy scene which seems to attract many people who want to see & be seen, fine, imaginative food not being an important factor in going to a restaurant.
1) I ordered the Wood Grilled Quail Wrapped in Applewood Smoked Bacon, Fried Rapini, Fresh, Creamed Sweet Corn Sauce. The bacon infused flavour of the slightly gamy quail was meaty with a porkiness infused smokiness. The corn kernels were absolutely fresh, plump, sweet signaling what would probably be the last of this summer crop.
1a) The waiter suggested Cartlidge & Browne North Coast of California Pinot Noir 2011 by the glass. The pinot was slightly jammy for a Pinot, but had nice blackberry, cherry, with a green wood herbal & slightly diesel scent. The acid was moderate & tannins were structured, and so the wine was smooth going down. The green herbal notes were a good offset to the smoky bacon infused gaminess so that not only did this wine complement the flavours of the quail, but acted at refreshing the palate for the next bite.
2) The main course was the Lacquered Maple Leaf Duck Breast with Wild Rice Croquettes, Spicy Carrot Purée, Haricots Verts with crushed Hazel Nuts. The colors in this dish were earth tones, touch of green, & deep, rich orange which reminded me of the typical colors of autumn with its changing leaves.
This introduction to fall, was basically a generous, thick cut Magret de Canard with a Demi-​Glacé Sauce probably made mostly from its own pan drippings. The waiter advised that Chef Le Balsch would cook it medium, but I asked for it to be a bit before Au Point. The duck was pleasantly gamy, soft, heavy velvet in texture.
The dulcet carrot purée was pillowy soft & finely suave with a slight bite to it as though there were some sharp spicing I can not place my finger on. The wild rice croquettes, though, seemed too heavy & weighted down, and the flavour was bland which did not do anything to enhance the great duck which is already rather rich & heavy to begin with.
1a) By this time with an almost full house, I couldn’t wait for our waiter to come back to inquire if I wanted to pair wine with the duck, so I grabbed a helper to get the wine list, and ordered the Bien Nacido Hillside
Estate Syrah by Qupe from the Santa Maria Valley, Central Coast 2008.
Jammy, ultra dark, with dried cherries, leather, white pepper, smooth acid & tannins, this Syrah from Qupe was excellent in being a good match for the heavy, gamy taste of the duck. The food here at Josie is definitely a 4 Unilocal Star experience.
Con: The house got pretty filled up, and it looked as though there were only two full fledged waiters, who were fully engaged & busy to the point they had trouble coming to all their assigned tables to check up on things. The other members of the staff only did their limited jobs & nothing more even though they noticed that the waiters were taxed to the limit.
Because our waiter was stretched too thin, I had to keep asking other members of the staff to bring a wine list that I needed later in the meal; got another staff member in order to obtain wine to pair with my duck even though the duck had arrived 5 minutes before.
For some reason, all the wait staff is not coordinating smoothly & intuitively so that there are gaps in service. It is up to the managerial staff to train the wait staff so that they can be made aware that they need to fill in needed service even though it may not officially be their job. The other wait staff should have the mentality that they need to support the waiters when they are so busy they can not do it all.
If someone sees that the wine glass of a guest is empty, no matter who it is, he should be inquiring of the guest & bringing a wine list for the guest to peruse. Later they or the waiter should come back to take the order for the libation. Our waiter was so harried that he mistakenly put two of the same items on the check when only one was ordered.
Again, the other wait staff should help take over some of the duties of the waiter when it gets so busy the waiter is overwhelmed. A concrete plan of action with consensus between management & input from the wait staff should be formulated & made aware to all concerned so that a smoother running restaurant is made operational.
The cuisine at Josie is an excellent mélange of New American & French, but the service needs to upped at least two notches to reach 4 Unilocal Stars.

This is a solid 3 – 5 star restaurant depending on your expectations. Nothing to complain about, nothing to be astounded over. You’ll get good service, friendly ambience, and well prepared dishes with seasonal options.
The core of the menu seems stuck in time, think late 90’s upscale Santa Barbara-​California flair. How do we elevate our quail? Grill on wood, wrap with bacon. How do we differentiate our trout? Serve it whole but take out the bones.
Been there done that but still good food. A place I’d go if I’m with a group of old people in Santa Monica and can’t decide where to go.

***Josie Restaurant is not as good as it used to be and I think that given the LA restaurant scene has changed so much, I am skeptical of a rebound unless significant changes are made; Josie La Balch’s gastropub Next Door provides a less expensive and livelier menu***
The fine dining restaurant Josie definitely feels out-​of-​touch when compared to some of the newer contemporary upscale casual spots like Ink, Son of a Gun, Animal, Manhattan Beach Post, and even Josie La Balch’s gastropub Next Door (which is of course next door to Josie).
When the economy began to struggle, restaurants like Josie starting to get less and less busy (and some like Ortolan and Sona even closed). Some continue to be strong though. I would put Josie in the same category as Lucques and Campanile in terms of menu and approach (Josie is probably a little more expensive), but the food at Lucques and Campanile is still very strong while Josie seems a little stuck in the past.
We went for dineLA Restaurant Week and started with a wild mushroom quiche amuse bouche (which they have been doing for years). The flavor was good and it was moist and creamy. There was also some bread including a french-​like bread and crisps (both bread choices were just okay).
I started with the oxtail ragu, which was served with creamy polenta and some tempura greens. The flavor was okay though it was kind of a sloppy presentation. There was not much to the plate as well. The braised oxtail was meaty and tender, but it was a standard tomato sauce. The polenta was good.
My friend opted for the bacon wrapped quail (which came at a supplemental charge) and that appears to still be a star dish here.
For my entrée, I opted for the Brittany salt-​crusted Jidori chicken breast with sausage bread pudding, brussels sprouts and a sherry sauce. Ordering chicken at a nice restaurant can be a disappointment, but some fine dining restaurants do it well. The crispy flattened chicken at Campanile is always a hit (the meat is moist and juicy while the skin is very crispy and flavorful).
The chicken here was a little dry. The skin was pretty good – crispy with a very noticeable salt crust. The sausage bread pudding was kind of like a stuffing and while the sausage did not have a spicy flavor, it was pretty good. The brussels sprouts were just okay as was the sherry sauce.
For dessert, I had the chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. It was kind of a standard dessert (something you could easily find elsewhere), but it was satisfying enough. The bread pudding was chocolatey and moist while the vanilla ice cream was cool and creamy.
Service was decent. The food came out at a good pace and our server was polite. The staff was attentive.
The décor at Josie has not changed much over the years. The kitchen at the front of the restaurant gives Josie kind of a neighborhood feel though the décor is very fine dining with white tablecloth and well appointed seating.
Prices are very high for the quality. Entrees go a little more here than what you would find at similar style restaurants that are better (like Tavern, Campanile and Lucques). Josie does feature specially priced nights during the week (with set 3 course menus) that will allow you to try the food here without spending too much. I think Josie may also be featured on
.
Josie serves decent though unremarkable food. I do not think it is as good as it used to be and since the restaurant scene has changed so much, I am not sure it can make a comeback unless some big changes are made. Josie La Balch’s restaurant Next Door is lively, not as expensive and has a menu that is a little more contemporary. I would suggest trying that restaurant instead.
Parking is available on the street by meter.