J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood St. Louis — Restaurant in Des Peres

Edit: Original review preserved at bottom.

J Gilberts was historically good, but has changed for the worse in over the last year or so.

Prices have gone up, which is somewhat fair, but a few prices seem excessive, including the charcuterie board.

Quality has gone down.

The charcuterie board appears to be pre-prepped and stuck in a fridge now, and as a result the toast rehydrates and gets a bit soggy. The prosciutto is not well separated and due to the refrigeration, the fat is still hard. Thus, we have a lump of meat that's less flavorful due to temperature and hard to separate. The pear is insufficiently poached and does not appear to be good quality/ripe to begin with, so its hard and not particularly sweet, which is a shame as it's my wife's favorite. Cheese is served with the rind still attached now and has changed (change is not bad, but the result of change/apparent decrease in quality or at least preparation is a problem)

The tuna steak is now one for four in the kitchen getting it right. The first time I ordered it here, it was fantastic. I had expressed concern about it being served rare (Tuna should be very rare, in my opinion and per the menu) and they nailed it. It was a fantastic dish, and I was excited for our next visit. The next time, it was way overcooked, white and hard throughout. I complained, the manager replaced it and checked it before serving the second time. The replacement was better, but the manager saw (prior to it being served) that it wasn't exactly right, still overcooked, and removed it from the bill proactively. This was a good call, and I applaud them for doing so. It was better, but still overcooked. Last night, I tried again, specifically calling out rare to the server. It came out overcooked again. This time it did have a rare center, but huge white bands of overcooked, tough fish on all outside faces save one large flat side, which was nicely cooked. When I complained, the server indicated that it was rare, but had been under the heat lamps which may have continued cooking it. Given the temperature of the plate itself in comparison to other plates, that one face was well (rare, minimal banding) cooked, and the long delay in serving our entrees, this is probably what happened. It's just not acceptable at this price point.

Asparagus served under the tuna was tough and a bit woody, which is odd for the rather thin size of the stalks. I'm going to presume under-cooked, and perhaps not great quality to begin with. Sauce served over the asparagus and potato was lacking in flavor.

Caesar salad was spicy, and I say that as someone who enjoys spicy food. I liked it, but the rest of the family thought it was overly spicy. It would be good with a note on the menu/description or an option.

Ribeye steak was very good.

To top it all off, they have no published email. I would have preferred to send this to them in private (praise in public, criticize in private), but they have no easily visible contact info on the web site.

Original Review:

J Gilbert's is consistently very good. Steaks cooked consistently to order and very good sides. This is one of our go-to restaurants for a nice dinner.

Wins: Properly served bread and smoothed butter. Chipotle butter topping for steaks. Notably good iced tea. Gratin has some delicious pepper flavor without being so hot that my wife and child reject it.

Wishes: a smaller, less expensive ribeye. Varying aged meats (pick your cut and age, with corresponding price adjustment), more seasonal variation in the menu -- at this price point I want different options...

UPDATE: I spoke with Tripp, the general manager who had invited us back. We set up a reservation and gave them another chance. Our waitress was amazing. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Both Tripp & our waitress apologized for our previous experience and made sure this experience was much better than the last. The food was delicious and fresh. Our drinks were never empty, our food came out in a timely manner, and the dessert was one of the best I’ve had! This experience was 100x better than my expectations. After revisiting, I can say with certainty that Tripp cares about the customer. I’d like to thank both the waitress and Tripp for a wonderful dinner. We will be back & would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious restaurant in the St. Louis area.

We visited for my 30th birthday and our 9 year wedding anniversary on 4/12/2024 and was extremely disappointed. We were sat so close to the other tables that the waiter bumped into me several times. We could not move our chairs even the slightest without hitting the table next to us. We seen our waiter MAYBE 3 times during the entire experience. We indicated on the reservation that it was our anniversary and the waiter knew it was a birthday celebration as well. Our waiter was extremely rude and dismissive. It took over 20 minutes to get a drink. I had added a Cesar side salad to my meal that didn’t come out. Once i brought that to the waiter’s attention, he said “OKAY” then comes back with a salad after we were done with our main entrees. I did not touch the salad because by that time, we were just ready to leave and our meal was over. I was still charged full price. I had asked for a second drink, (that was a mistake) because again, the drink did not come out until we were already finished with our meal. The waiter seemed as if we were a bother. The table to the left of us, who had the same waiter, had to flag down a random employee to get help with her meal issues. However, we overheard the waiter to the right of us congratulating his table table on their wedding anniversary and brought out a special dessert for them. To say this was a disappointment is an understatement. If you’re wanting to try this restaurant, i hope you’re lucky enough to get decent service because apparently it’s the luck of the draw and probably don’t risk it for a celebration. $150 for two people...

Had reservations; didn’t have to wait long to be seated. Requested a booth, if available; first host was firm about seating 5 at table, but other host seated us at a booth w/o a problem. Warm atmosphere & lighting, as well as prompt service after seating.

Delicious, fresh sourdough bread to start. 1 of 5 enjoyed the pastrami spread, but plain is an option. ❤️ the large spherical single icecube in the old fashioned—kept it from getting watered down. House salad was good. Authentic Caesar dressing w/ anchovies was on spicy side; fiance had to get tissue for running nose & wished he ordered house salad, tho Caesar is normally his fav.

2 med steaks were overcooked (gray; no pink), but other 3 were as expected for rare. Server was very responsive to have them redone. Salmon was melt-in-your-mouth! Surprised the cooks don’t snap asparagus to remove woody end; the pickled tomato/onions mixed w/ it detracted from the asparagus’ flavor. Fiance left his on plate; it was disappointing. I gave my Yukon potatoes away; for me, they were over mixed & glossy/starchy, not fluffy as I enjoy.

Our server was attentive, up until coffee—never offered a refill. As a former server, I was incredibly shocked when he touched & actually rested the ice water pitcher to the rim of each glass he refilled. This transfers germs & possibly even herpes, from lips-to-glass rim, to pitcher rim, from glass to glass to glass all around the room. I really wanted more water & ice but held my hand over my glass each time he came to our table. My companions weren’t worried about it, but I found it unbelievably unprofessional & shocking in a high-end restaurant, especially.

Desserts were great, as was the hot, fresh decaf. The apple pastry w/ ice-cream was not overly sweet; the chocolate mousse cake (?) w/ raspberry ice-cream was AMAZING, & the creme broulete (sp?) was enjoyed. To finish off with a cold drink of water would have been nice, but I was so grossed out by that nasty pitcher, I did without. Overall, there were some delicious aspects, but especially for the price over $600 for five with only 2 cocktails, my fiance & I won’t return unless the BD girl chooses this place again. I know, first-world...