Bistro AIX — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Why did I have to set such high expectations!? I should know better by now. I made the mistake of getting myself overly excited about Bistro Aix (and yes, I partially blame all of you) and once again, expectation didn't even come close to matching reality.

I visited Bistro Aix during a business dinner and was given a limited menu to order from. Although the selections weren't what I personally would have ordered, they certainly fell in the realm of what I figured I would enjoy from a place like this.

But before I get into my disappointment, let me talk about the layout and dining experience. Lots of people have commented on the 'sexiness' of the restaurant. I'm going to be a dissenting voice here because nothing about it really felt all that different from any other restaurant. It didn't feel extremely upscale, nor did the ambiance scream romance (which I would have expected from a nicer French restaurant). It was nice and clean, however, and I doubt you'd leave feeling like you walked out of a dive. Our meeting took place in one of the back conference rooms, which although appropriate, was somewhat disappointing. The decor was a bit odd and the layout wasn't really conducive to a business presentation. I would have rather just been sandwiched in with the rest of the crowd inside the main dining hall.

On arriving in the meeting hall, there were a selection of pizzas (Margharita and Mushroom Fontina pizzas, I believe) as well as the Blue Cheese chips to munch on. All of the above were soggy and limp even when they were brought "fresh" from the kitchen. I love the idea of the Blue Cheese chips and admittedly the Margharita pizza had a nice taste but they ended up sitting flaccid on my plate because of the mushiness.

For my meal I started off with a French Onion Soup which was beautifully cheesy and very flavorful. It was the lone item I tried that was worth raving about. It was done exactly how a French Onion soup should be, from the presentation down to the glorious stretchiness of the cheese. But it all gets worse from here. Next came my entree, an Oxtail Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Watermelon. Sounded divine. It wasn't. It was one of the most bland and texturally distasteful things I've had in a long time. I don't even know how to describe my experience with the dish without cringing a bit. I pulled out the mushrooms and munched on those after a bit because they were the only thing I found palatable. I would have sent it back for something else but the dinner was moving very very slowly and our servers were slightly unfriendly so I figured it wasn't worth my time.

To end it all I requested a Creme Brulee to-go for dessert. Creme Brulee is a dish which in inexcusable for a French restaurant to not absolutely nail and this was also a huge dud for me. The berries didn't taste fresh and the flavor tasted a bit off. Even though it was a small portion, I didn't finish it.

People have commented to me that it is unfair to review a restaurant based on a limited menu which I may not have ordered on my own. I totally disagree. This is obviously part of their business and their limited menu should be stacked with things they known they can nail, especially since business customers can bring in a lot of money for them. I feel they failed big time on this one.

Now, for those interested, if I were to order exactly what I wanted, this is what I would have done (although now with this bad experience under my belt, I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance): I probably would have started off with some Fromage including the 5-year gouda, the Asher Blue, and Fromager D'Affinios, followed by Escargot (one of my favorite foods on the planet). My entree would likely have been the Gnocchi. I would have stuck with the creme brulee (which I obviously already know is a no-go).

I guess it's on to find another French restaurant that can...

While visiting Jacksonville, we decided to go to Bistro Aix for a birthday celebration. The menu looked very good and it had high ratings based on a fairly large number of reviews.

Parking was not a problem. We were having a late lunch and there was parking on the street near the restaurant.

As we had hoped, the late time for lunch (l:45) meant the restaurant was not very crowded. The restaurant was still open and we were quickly greeted and sat in a comfortable booth.

The dinner menu is more extensive than the luncheon menu. That is not unusual but, as luck would have it, not everything on the luncheon menu was available either.

The crab cakes ordered as an appetizer were small but there were three of them and they were very good. The sweet potato soup was the soup of the day. Two of us ordered that and it was outstanding—smooth, creamy and with a delightful flavor.

The short ribs were on the menu and sounded excellent and the server recommended the dish. Unfortunately, that dish was not available. I opted for the steak frites. It was accompanied by haricot vert (green beans and french fries).

The steak was cooked medium rare, as ordered, and was tender and flavorful. The beans were still crunchy, not boiled to ruin the natural flavor and texture) and the fries were a little too salty but tasted very good and cooked perfectly.

My two dining companions ordered the snapper fish special which was accompanied by asparagus and brussel sprouts. The first order of fish was very salty and the person who ordered it does not care for food that is heavily salted. Our server, Marina, was very accomodating and ordered another snapper dish as a replacement. It was not salted and cooked perfectly. The other diner was not as sensitive to salty food and enjoyed the snapper and the side dishes very much.

For dessert I selected a berry almondine with vanilla ice cream that was to be served warm. As it turned out, that dish was no longer available as it had sold out. I opted for the tuxedo chocolate cake which was outstanding and had a beautiful presentation. (See the accompanying photo.)

It was delicious and, as the name implies, had a strong chocolate flavor with whipped cream and strawberries on the side. All three of us enjoyed the cake and it was quickly consumed. Moreover, as I had noted on the reservation that this was a birthday celebration, there was no charge for the birthday cake dessert.

There is an extensive wine list by the bottle. As is usually the case, the "by the glass" list of options is considerably more restricted. There is still a good variety of wine available by the glass. I deferred a bottle as driving through Jacksonville traffic can be a challenge and settled for one excellent glass of cabernet to accompany the steak frites.

Our server was very good and made sure everything was taken care of. Marina was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and her attention to detail made the occasion more enjoyable.

Bistro Aix was an enjoyable experience and worth a visit. I would prefer the more elaborate menu for the evening meal but the items we selected were delicious. The biggest disappointment, which was quickly remedied, was the heavily salted fish entree which is somewhat unusual for a high end restaurant. All of the selections were well prepared, flavorful, and contributed to a happy birthday family...

We went for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner and had our worst dining experience ever. We walked in to learn that our reservation (which was made months before) was canceled by the system for no reason. My husband spoke to them on the phone and had confirmed it a week before and reserved with a credit card. This also happened to the people in front of us. We were told we had to wait. We should have walked out right then. Normally, I don’t mind waiting for a table if there is a bar open, but the bar was closed and also had dirty dishes all over it. We were seated after waiting 35 minutes. The place was mobbed and people all around us who had reservations were having to wait. On a special occasion, walk-ins should not be accepted!! Finally we were sat next to a table that we were basically on top of. The wine I chose was out of stock. They brought me a similar one, which was warm and terrible. No tasting offered. It was just dumped into a glass in front of me. The menu was shortened because of the holiday, so only a few selections. On top of that, 22% gratuity automatically added. How nice for the servers. Our server was a sweet girl, but not a great server. We barely saw her. She was clearly overwhelmed. It was clear that all the servers were overwhelmed by the crowd. Management should have anticipated crowds on Valentine’s Day and been ready for it! Terrible! We had the burrata for an appetizer and Caesar salads before meal. Burrata was served with no bread and no olive oil drizzle, and next to three dinky, pale vegetables. One of the worst presentations of anything I’ve seen in a restaurant. We had to ask for bread. It was pitiful. Are we just supposed to sit and eat a ball of soft cheese? What?? Weird. Caesar salad was equally pitiful and small in a huge bowl. Pale lettuce, barely any dressing. We decided not to say anything because our server never checked on us, and we were hungry. I ordered sea bass for dinner. I never send food back. I sent this back. It was cold, and also small in size. I’m skeptical that it was sea bass. It didn’t taste like it. It was supposed to have capers and olives and there were none. NOT ONE!! The second one they brought was hot, but still no capers or olives. The vegetables it was served with were flavorless and rubbery. Sea bass was $45, burrata $20, caesar salad $16. Total rip off. I got a headache from the cheap gross wine they served me. My husband’s steak frites were gray and overly cooked. What a joke. On top of all of this, the AC kept blowing freezing air like a wind tunnel through the restaurant. On a chilly night, this was truly weird, and everyone noticed and was talking about it. People were putting on their coats. The whole thing sucked. Nothing was offered to us when I said that our meal had been not good. Nothing was special for Valentine’s Day. In fact, everything was awful - like they were doing us some sort of favor, instead of valuing that so many people were there supporting their business and choosing their restaurant above any others for a special holiday. The meal was so expensive (total $235) and we would have had a better meal at Applebee’s. We could have done better almost anywhere else. I will...