J. Alexander's Restaurant — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

A friend invited me to join him for dinner at J. Alexander's, which I hadn't been to in a rather long time. When I arrived at where I remembered it being located, the restaurant said "REDLANDS," which was quite confusing to me; I thought J. Alexander's must have moved! I called my friend, who assured me I'd come to the right place. The parking was scarce (on a Saturday night, for a 7:30 reservation; be warned!), so I drove around the back, where there was a (smaller) sign saying "J. Alexander's." Apparently the parent company is Redlands, and they are indeed in the process of demanding their restaurants with the parent company name. However, it is confusing. Anyone who passes by expecting to see the J. Alexander's name and noticing REDLANDS, will logically assume J. Alexander's has moved or gone out of business. (Owners/managers take note!)

In any case, my friend raved about the salmon spread as an appetizer. I love salmon, but this was disappointing. It was served with thick rounds of a crispy toasted sort of bread, kind of like a good-sized Melba toast, but the dip was bland as can be. I asked for Tabasco, tried salt & pepper (both from a mill), but nothing helped.

My friend ordered the "Maui Steak" off the menu, and I ordered a special: a filet mignon with a Madeira wine sauce and mushrooms; they both came with a "loaded baked potato," which are enormous! But for a "loaded" baked potato, they aren't terribly generous with the fixings one usually expects in a "loaded" baked potato, especially for a potato that freakishly large. The Maui Steak was very flavorful, with a pineapple/coconut with ginger and soy sauce. My filet was not so flavorful. I love a good Madeira sauce, especially with mushrooms. This sauce used way too much corn starch as a thickener, which managed to mute the rich taste of the Madeira wine. And the sauce, too, was too skimpy to last for the entire filet, unless they expect one to just dab at it as you eat.

The decor was nice, if rather generic, but it was clearly popular, with a crowd that made the kind of buzz that one associates with a successful restaurant. The service was pleasant and attentive, and I'd say the prices were rather reasonable: I believe the filet mignon was around $36, and I did not see any item more expensive than that. But I, for one, expect it will again be a long time before I feel obliged to return. There are definitely better destinations for tasty appetizers and...

2/15/2020- Late lunch. It was busy too. I was able to get a small pot of tea had a choice of tea!s Kaitlyn was our server what a little sweetie . George had the bacon Swiss burger and I had the French dip I asked if they did half salads and I was told no because otherwise they were so huge but Kaitlyn recommended that I get the kale salad instead of the fries which was very good I really enjoyed it with your champagne vinaigrette. And I got the fries anyhow there really not fries they’re more like a potato sticks crunchy. The great big room always comfortable in there.

9/8/19- again another great meal. I went with the Fried shrimp, comes with cole slaw and shoe string fries , I was able to change that and got , oh I forgot G- had the Ahi Tuna w/ mashed potatoes, K- got the special Cod look really good & L- had the Veggie burger with fries. Plus on Sunday there are certain bottles of wine for only $20.00. G ordered the Château Saint Michelle Merlot

7/14/19- Sat at a nice booth inside the bar area. Nikki our server was so nice accommodating. We picked her brain and she had answers to all of our questions thank you Nickjie. Started with two Ice-T‘s and then we had the beef Capaccio appetizer there was a arugula salad on top that had this great dressing and she told us it was a champagne dressing made in house was delicious I had the French dip sandwich and my girlfriend had ttbe fish sandwich which was red fish and we also had Sunday special half-price $20 bottles of wine .

5/10/19- Wow , big bar. Very friendly bartenders. Big chalk like board above bar for wines and martinis. No HH per say . Only Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Different bottles of red and white wine specials. Very seeet hostesses. We sat ina booth that had 2 chairs too. We started with the artichoke appy 4 halves s, cooked perfectly. Plus the remoulade, is very good . Another had the veggie sushi not on menu. 1- had the Cod special with a baked potato 2 Veggie buger, said it is the best around town 3-Prime Rib open face au jus VERY SALTY for me 4- NY strip cooked Perfectly All very happy . No dessert...

BEWARE of a sneaky fee by this brand here people. So I decided to get to-go recently instead of regular dine in and was surprise charged 6% for " Packaging" I asked why and the response was because the"plastic is more expensive than Styrofoam"...I laughed. It sounds pathetic. They say it with a straight face too. Called corporate,same thing. It sounds like a joke. So let's break this down, there's no warning of the added fee, other restaurants use the exact same containers but do not charge this fee, if you dine-in and ask for a to-go container, there's no charge,(because they KNOW it will piss people off and they won't tip)..plus it stops you from tipping the cashier for Togo because you've already been charged 6%! AND theres no plastic ware or napkins or salt and pepper. Just preposterous, Rediculous and greedy. I can just picture the type.of person who came up with this bright idea for the brand...we all know the type, speaks nonsense and has a serious face and attitude to back up their nonsensical ideas lol. Everyone should complain to corporate about this, and comment something like,"do you hear yourself?"...when they respond. This absurdity you hear about scamming tourists at beach bars but to sneak charge a loyal local is just greedy. Leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. Legit, I was like, forget it, I'll cook my own ribs and steaks before I go paying an exorbitant price for a plastic to go container. Glass/ceramic can be bought cheaper than that fee! lol what a joke. So I'm warning people here because you won't see a sign up warning of this greed, how bad would that look if there was a sign by the greeters saying, oh by the way, we now charge 6% on to-go should you decide to pick up. Would look just like what it is, greedy. I'll stick to the restaurants that respect and appreciate their customers when placing...