Jolie American Bistro — Restaurant in Palm Bay

Jolie American Bistro 4720 Dixie Hwy. NE Palm Bay, FL 32905

3.5- Stars

They're back! The team that brought Miami Beach a modern Italian eatery that soon became the locals' “go-to” spot 15 years ago, owners George and Traci, recreated their gastronomical magic with Jolie American Bistro in Palm Bay, FL. I was warmly greeted and seated upon entry, and before too long, I was approached by my server, Kristine.

Kristine knows what to do and does it kicking butt. She has consistently been in the BBDO Top 5 Service Pros over the years. I asked Kristine for an order of their Burrata Tomato appetizer, a Butcher's Meatball appetizer and one Bistro Steak Frites, which consisted of a New York Strip (medium-rare), French Fries, Montelier Butter and House-made steak sauce.

My ace of a server, Kristine, was back with my order in no time. I took a few pics and got right to work. I began today's raid on Jolie American Bistro's menu with a bite of their Burrata Tomato appetizer. If you zero in on the picture, you can see the slime coating the exterior of the cheese. I'm no expert on cheese, but I don't think that is supposed to be there on fresh mozzarella. In addition to the slimy mozzarella, the namesake of this appetizer were about as ripe as Minnesota Sweet Corn on the 4th of July, which is to say, not at all. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, my palate began to try to decipher the seasonings. Surprisingly, it was short work as there were none. Yep, that's right—zero seasoning. We are off to an inauspicious start.

Moving on to the Butcher's Meatball appetizer. This was at least two steps above average. The meatballs were handmade and infused with fresh Rosemary. The sauce was also made in the back and hit my taste buds with the complexity and danger of the Goodfellas' prison red sauce. Magnifico! The bread is fresh, well-baked and clearly the star of this show. The bread and meatballs, like Underdog, saved the day.

Moving on from the Butcher's Meatball appetizer was one of the more difficult things I have had to do lately. Still, I forced myself to the last item on today's Italian–American influenced food journey, the Bistro Steak Frites. After one bite, I had to concede that it was hard to get mad at this offering of cooked Bovine flesh. It's steak en Papillote. The Strip was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and exceedingly well seasoned. The house-made steak sauce was fresh, tasty and added nicely to the overall flavor of this dish. I never discuss price, but I feel I would be remiss if I didn't say that this is a decently priced steak for what you receive.

The Big Boy says, “ If you want to be deluded into thinking you are eating something special for a fair price, then give...

I was really hoping for a great experience here after reading reviews and hearing good things from co-workers who had eaten here. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps the fact that the establishment appeared to me, to be understaffed (2 servers and what appeared to be the owner or manager in the front of house, and a chef, a line cook and pizza cook in the kitchen) led to my lack-luster experience. We went on a Friday night at dinner time. I made a reservation for four. We were seated immediately. Things went south from there. We waited for menus, we waited for drinks, we waited for food, we waited for the bill. When I got my entrée, a pasta special that the server suggested I get with shrimp, arrived without shrimp. The server said that the shrimp will be out shortly. As I was the last one of our party of four to get my entrée, I began eating so the rest of the party didn't feel compelled to wait on me to start eating. I was almost finished my pasta, which was gummy, before the shrimp arrived. To their credit, they took the shrimp off the bill. My wife's pizza was overcooked on top and the dough was undercooked on the bottom. My wife had a beer, my father and I had wine. The three of us finished our drinks shortly after our meals arrived. Some time later, tge server came by to check on us and we asked for another round. The server arrived as our table was being cleared to provide that refill, with the wrong wine. Again, the place was filled to capacity with people waiting. That's great to see for a new establishment. Will I give it another try? Absolutely. But it won't be on a Friday night at dinner time. Perhaps management can hire more staff in the...

This review is long overdue. The staff is incredible. They are so quick to come to your table if you need anything. The atmosphere is perfect for a group gathering, yet intimate enough for a casual date. And at some point, you can almost guarantee the owner is going to come to your table and thank you for your business, and make sure everything is going great. And he will appreciate any feedback, because he is passionate about his business. It’s an art to him.

So it all seems great and all, like it’s too good to be true. But then you can smell your food before it even comes out. And you know right there, you’re not going to need the salt. I got their steak sandwich on ciabatta with chimichurri. Steak was perfectly rare. Ciabatta bread was phenomenal. The chimichurri was bursting with flavor. And the best part, you can tell they didn’t cut corners. The olive oil in the chimichurri wasn’t cut with seed oils (like most restaurants do).

This place doesn’t treat you like a customer. They treat you like family. From the brother and sister waiters, to the chef peeping out of the kitchen to see if you’re enjoying the food, to the owner that has stories to tell, along with decades of experience in the food industry, who only strives to make it better. It’s restaurants such as Jolie’s that give me hope for a culinary revival in Melbourne. 5 stars, hands down. I wouldn’t even sleep on it. Just make sure there’s a table available for me when...