JB’s Steakhouse — Local services in Robinson

J.B's is an excellent restaurant in a little town with a surprising number of good ones. It's really the only "special occasion" restaurant in town, and it fills that role nicely. The building it occupies was built in 1900, so the exposed brick and tin ceiling are not attempts to create some atmosphere, they're the real deal. (I deduct a point for the low-maintenance plastic tablecloths: ugly. Try real tablecloths, it'll look nice.) It's a weekday night and not very crowded, but it seems like they're slightly understaffed. However our service is attentive. The menu doesn't stray too far from typical steakhouse fare, but there were a few nice touches. The appetizer menu has something called "Béchamel Boats," so I have to ask. It's J.B.'s take on potato skins, substituting béchamel sauce for cheese. To be completely honest, they don't taste much different than what you get at Applebee's, but I give credit for a little creativity. J.B.'s is a steakhouse, so naturally I want to try their specialty. I understand they source their beef locally, so it seems like they take care to do it right. I order the surf & turf, a 4-oz. filet with sea bass. The steak is perfect medium rare, and it passes the butter knife test (can you cut it with a butter knife?). Surprisingly, the sea bass is the star of the show. It's fresh (remember, we're a thousand miles from the ocean) and very slightly overdone, so there's a little crunch to it. Sea bass is a full-flavored fish so it doesn't need a lot of sauce, and the simple beurre blanc is perfect. My wife has the chicken Caprese and she reports that it's excellent all the way around; she suspects the chicken and mozzarella are also locally sourced. All in all the entrees suggest a high level of skill behind the burners and also in the selection of ingredients. We have an interesting discussion as we dine: should they try for a few more creative touches on the menu, or stick with what works? I'll leave that decision to J.B. The wine list could be longer – it's actually shorter than the spirits list – but we manage to find a couple of good glasses. Steakhouses are famous for their wine lists that are actually more like books, I may suggest this is one thing J.B's can work on. We both agree that for the quality on the plate, the prices are very fair. It's expensive for Robinson, but you definitely get what you pay for. We're coming back, and looking...

This was the first time i visited JB's with my wife. The atmosphere was very nice, well laid out, and thoughtful. We both ordered basically the same dishes with slight differences. The 4 oz. filet mignon and shrimp. We had different styles of shrimp and sides. The sides we wanted were not available. Apparently, there was a large crowd earlier, and they did not make more of those sides. The waitress forgot to give use bread. Each of our cuts of meat was not cooked as asked. We sent back my wife's meat to be redone. It took over 10 minutes to cook 4 oz. of meat rare? We had finished the rest of the meal.

Since this is my first time here, I will not make a positive review yet. Sadly, I was not impressed by the performance of the restaurant. Maybe they hadn't recovered from the large group, I do not know. But it is no excuse. When you have a $30 plate, you expect better performance. Maybe next time I go, they will redeem themselves.

Oh, they have what is called in the industry as "10 minute chairs." These are little cushion and hard backs. Used to get a higher turnover by causing the patron to not linger due to a lack of feelings in the legs and butt. I would have expected better chairs in this higher end restaurant.

So please look for my update on this review after we return to make our final decision about JB's.

As always, if you enjoyed this review, please "Like"...

JB’s Steakhouse

For Robinson, JB’s Steakhouse is the only “upscale” dining establishment. It is conveniently located on the square, right across from the courthouse. We ate here two times while staying in town on an extended business trip. On the first visit, I chose the steak from the “Two for” menu. While cooked to the correct temperature, the steak was a bit tough and lacked flavor. The baked potato was OK, and the bread pudding was delicious for dessert! I chose the pork chop on the second visit. It was excellent. The lettuce wedge salad was very tasty, too! On both occasions, the staff was friendly and provided...