tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post113579606005103371..comments2024-03-18T06:28:24.094-04:00Comments on ...an endless banquet: Joe Beefmichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04233787524192046136noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1162598636168261872006-11-03T19:03:00.000-05:002006-11-03T19:03:00.000-05:00Hi Lukky,Wow, this is becoming a real referendum. ...Hi Lukky,<BR/>Wow, this is becoming a real referendum. Thanks for the extensive feedback. Sorry you were disappointed. I hope we didn't lead you too far astray. I still stand by our story. Maybe we just lucked out (hard to believe, because seeing as we were their last table on the last night before their Xmas vacation, we were kind of asking for it), but that steak was one of the very best restaurant steaks I've ever tasted. That said, I've never been to Peter Luger or any of the other legendary steakhouses you always hear about. Nor have I ever been to Edinburgh. I too found the wine list prices higher than usual, and in a province where retail wine prices are already CRIMINAL to begin with, that's bad news. I still find myself dreaming of those oysters, though. Of course, if this were a real city and we had ourselves a Swan Oyster Depot, well... As for Au Pied de Cochon. My trips there outnumber my trips to Joe Beef by a factor of 7. Enough said.aj kinikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06961379615390102275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1162406479181230422006-11-01T13:41:00.000-05:002006-11-01T13:41:00.000-05:00I went this weekend (Oct. 29) and I have to agree ...I went this weekend (Oct. 29) and I have to agree that, while the food is good, it is outrageously overpriced. I didn't feel like splurging on wine, so I chose a Spanish wine from the lower-priced section of the list, a Juan Gil Jumilla, priced at $55. To my shock, I checked the retail price of this when I returned home, and saw that it sells for $11-$15 - Joe Beef's markup is five to four times the retail price. Two times or even three markup can be reasonable, but this was absoulte robbery. I noticed that the champagnes are similarly excessively overpriced ($125 for Veuve Cliquot?).<BR/><BR/>We had a dozen oysters - $40 for a generous dozen (I think we actually were given 14), and this was worth it, even if the price was a bit on the high side. Appetizers at $14 to $19 were reasonably priced for what they were - I had the white asparagus, which was very good, but my wife's appetizer, which was the more expensive of the two, was not memorable (which is why neither of us can remember what it was).<BR/><BR/>At $45 for the sirloin steak (plus the "best steak of my life" comment in "The List" on this blog) I was expecting something ethereal. I had a steak at The Restaurant in Edinburgh last year that was my personal "steak of my life," and I was hoping to repeat that experience. The sirloin at Joe Beef was good, but very far from the greatest steak ever, and even though the portion was substantial, it wasn't worth the exorbitant price tag. It certainly was no comparison, neither in flavor, texture nor even the size of the serving, to a dry-aged prime porterhouse I had a month ago that cost about the same. It would have been a good value at $30 - $35, but at $45 I felt ripped off.<BR/><BR/>In fact, overall I felt ripped off by the whole experience and more like I was funding the owner's extravagant lifestyle or desire to get rich quick than I felt like I was given a dining experience worth $150 per person (including tax, tip and a very average bottle of wine) - I felt it would have been a reasonable value at, say, $85 to $100 per person. Granted, there are some more reasonably priced items on the menu (the chicken for two at $24 per person seemed like a good deal, but my wife didn't want chicken), so if you're careful with your choices (and order beer or a cocktail instead of anything from the criminally overpriced wine list) you may be able to get out of there relatively financially unscathed. My experience was not worth the money, and I doubt I'll ever return to Joe Beef (Au Pied de Cochon, on the other hand, is worth every cent and then some).<BR/><BR/>FWIW, the service was friendly and efficient.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1160922555368479512006-10-15T10:29:00.000-04:002006-10-15T10:29:00.000-04:00That seems perfectly acceptable. If I'd had the s...That seems perfectly acceptable. If I'd had the same experience, I'd be doing the same thing. That said, I only have my own experience (an overwhelmingly positive one) to go on.aj kinikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06961379615390102275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1160873184060507202006-10-14T20:46:00.000-04:002006-10-14T20:46:00.000-04:00aj kinik,may be we went on an off nite, but weve n...aj kinik,<BR/><BR/>may be we went on an off nite, but weve never had a worse dining experience. The bus boy was clearing our plates before we were finished, and the blonde waitress informed us we had to be out before the second seating. Not only will we never go back but im making it my mission to spread the word, as ive heard several other people had the same experience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1160866591876324282006-10-14T18:56:00.000-04:002006-10-14T18:56:00.000-04:00Anonymous #1,You're very welcome.Anonymous #2,I wo...Anonymous #1,<BR/>You're very welcome.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous #2,<BR/>I would agree that JB is overpriced. Definitely one of the reasons we've only been there once. As reported, though, on the night we went there we had excellent service (even though it was their last night open before a 2-week vacation), and very good food, with particularly high marks going to the superb steak and the oysters on the half-shell. The seafood pasta dish I had was very generous but could have used some flair. The only misstep of the evening was a sole meuniere that was good but uninspired. I'm surprised that you're complaining of skimping--our experience was the complete opposite: everything was enormous. In fact, Michelle brought home enough of her steak to serve steak and eggs for 2 the next morning.aj kinikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06961379615390102275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1160859156284709892006-10-14T16:52:00.000-04:002006-10-14T16:52:00.000-04:00Joe Beef is way overpriced. The service was punctu...Joe Beef is way overpriced. The service was punctuated by the rudeness of the staff who cant wait to get you out the door!!Food is average at best filet mignn tasted like boiled beef, wife's lobster crepe was smaller than the palm of my hand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1158949053529061882006-09-22T14:17:00.000-04:002006-09-22T14:17:00.000-04:00Thank you for keeping my Great,Great Gradfathers n...Thank you for keeping my Great,Great Gradfathers name alive with your restaurant and tales on this web page!! I will be sure to come down the next time I am in Montreal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1136313286984687052006-01-03T13:34:00.000-05:002006-01-03T13:34:00.000-05:00Wow, I love that tale. I am always intrigued by Mo...Wow, I love that tale. I am always intrigued by Montreal's recondite history. Thanks for the lesson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1136146614230537252006-01-01T15:16:00.000-05:002006-01-01T15:16:00.000-05:00Please check out a blog on happenings in the Wine ...Please check out a blog on happenings in the Wine Country.<BR/><BR/>http://vivageneva.blogspot.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1136090700779268732005-12-31T23:45:00.000-05:002005-12-31T23:45:00.000-05:00Hi Kareen,All the best to you and yours in 2006! C...Hi Kareen,<BR/>All the best to you and yours in 2006! Can't wait to meet the new addition.<BR/>cheers,<BR/>Anthony and Michelleaj kinikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06961379615390102275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056376.post-1136056142821752172005-12-31T14:09:00.000-05:002005-12-31T14:09:00.000-05:00Have a Happy New Year guys! From our heart...Have a Happy New Year guys! <BR/><BR/> From our hearts, <BR/> Kareen, Michel, William and OwenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com