J.T. Prime Kitchen Yuma — Restaurant in Yuma

I work in the service industry and myself and my colleagues train service, hospitality and food safety to our restaurants. We are in Yuma doing just that. So not knowing the area or the local restaurants we looked for a good steak house to go to. We came across JT prime. Is sounded amazing and had the best google reviews in Yuma. We went to the website saw they had reservations open every 15 minutes. No where does it say you MUST make a reservation. (weeknight, not a weekend) so we decided to go and try JT prime. We walked in we were greeted. My colleague said that there was 3 of us and we didnt have a reservation. The Hostess looked at us like we had broken the law, her eyes poping out of her eye sockets. (She could have simply said we are reservation based only and we would have understood and stepped outside to make a reservation for next 15 minute slot because again ALL the reservations were available) but instead she CHOSE to treat us like we were garbage off the streets. She barked at us summer menu or regular menu. We said regular, she rolled her eyes and told us she would see what she could do and walked away. We almost turned around and left at that moment, but we decided if they could seat us we would stay if not fine. Like I said the google reviews were amazing. So after about 5 minutes she comes around the corner with a waitress and rudely says so will you take them, like the waitress had to see us before she would decide. The waitress says yes and takes us to the table. As we were seated other staff stared at us and proceeded to shake their heads and roll their eyes at us, making us feel even more uncomfortable. Our waitress was decent. I think she could tell we were starting to get upset and she was very attentive, which is why I gave service a 3* rather than a 1*. We started with water, that was judged. We wanted cocktails but we also always start with water. This seemed to rub the waitress the wrong way, we got the underlined attitude like "oh great, these are THOSE customers" which was incorrect. So when she came back with the waters she asked if we wanted any appetizers, we said no because none sounded appealing tbh, we normally order appetizers. But we did place our cocktail drink order. She then said well did you want to place your food orders sense you aren't getting appetizers, we said sure. It took 10 minutes to get our drinks (bar had 20 orders, which we understand) as we wait for our food and drinks the staff in the kitchen is continuing to stare us down and roll their eyes. Our drinks come and they were very good. The food came and was ok, probably would have been better if we were treated better. Because yes service and atmosphere does effect the quality of your food and dinning experience. We were so upset by the time we left it was disturbing. Our waitress definetly could tell we weren't happy. The ONLY time the staff was nice to us was when we were leaving, our assumption is they thought we didnt have the money to eat in a "high class place" so when we did they tried to safe face and were nice. I can honestly say I have NEVER been treated so badly. I don't normally leave bad reviews, I am writing this 2 DAYS LATER because I am still upset about how we were treated, and so are my colleagues. TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE TO BE POLITE! we spent $300 on ok food and absolutely horrible service, worst in my life. Do better JT...

I really enjoyed this experience. We went with the tasting menu and the wine pairings. It was really great. I enjoyed each course even if one was not to my flavor profile. The first course, the main and the desert were the shining stars. But what we ended up getting was 7 plates of awesome. The tasting menu has some really notable standouts. The Tuna tostada was amazing. It was awesome and amazing. Crunch, Acid, fattiness from the avocado and a wonderful fresh piece of fish. This was a great first bite. The next appetizer is a bruschetta. It was not to my taste but it was flavorful. The bread was crispy, it was an umami bomb. Following this umami was bomb was oysters on a half shell with a wonderful sauce. It was delightful and refreshing and made so much more better as it really contrasted the bruschetta. Next was the Scallop and a bacon wrapped shrimp. This was delish. Ran a little heavy but again it contrasted great against the lightness of the oysters. There was a delish pork belly. I generally do not appreciate this type of preparation for the Pork belly but it worked with this wonderful fruity composte that came with it. The Buttery potatoes and the composte really elevated the dish. The main is a prime rib with potatos and charred vegetables over another round of the potatoes. The meat is really great but when it is paired with the charred and smokey goodness of the vegetables, it shines. Fat rendered perfectly, bitterness from the charred vegetables really accenting all the great flavors in the dish. Finally, they brought out two deserts. These were great and had a lot of depth. A fermented pineapple float and a chocolate lava cake. The chocolate lava cake was the balance of not being overly sweet combined with a richness. The pineapple tepache had a large scoop of coconut ice cream and created this wonderful float which again was not a sledge hammer of sweetness and instead a balance of fruity goodness. Finally, ordered an espresso which came out with three sugar cubes to help digest the wonderful tasting menu. It was a nice journey but better yet, it gives you a wonderful taste of many of the restaurant's best dishes and presents some unique items.

For Yuma, this is insane that it can be had here. For the wider world, this is a good spot which offers a reasonably priced tasting menu.

The wine pairing had a lot of variety.

Service: It was not bad. I thought perhaps the waiter might explain the dishes and the wine pairing but there was little to no explanation or fanfare. What was great though is that the waiter was really johnny on the spot, he grabbed plates, refilled water, was present but never disturbed our conversation or was a bother....

Make sure you understand the concept of a pop-up kitchen before visiting. As far as pop-ups go, JT Prime is amazing! The talents of the chef here are definitely worth exploring. We went for our anniversary and will def return! JT Prime is located in a small strip mall and not in an ideal location, but that's kind of the definition of a pop up. A sandwich shop by day, JT Prime becomes a high-end feeling restaurant by night. Its not a permanent setting, hence the pop-up, but what they do to set the ambiance for the evening is great. The prices are high for Yuma, as others have stated, but when compared to other pop-ups and higher end restaurants in larger cities we've dined in, the value of the food is extremely competitive. As for the food, we ordered the Wagyu strip and the Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta. Both were outstanding. The steak was ordered and cooked to a perfect medium rare and was wonderfully seasoned. The meat literally melted in your mouth and had a perfect texture, temperature and flavor. The steak was served with whipped potatoes that were topped with fresh, lightly cooked mixed veggies. Absolutely delicious and one of the best steaks we've ever eaten. The pasta was freshly made on site, and the chicken and accompanying vegetables in the dish were cooked to perfection, and the flavor was wonderful. We started with a couple cocktails (mai tai and a margarita) that were both better than average, and ended the evening with the molten lava cake. The cake was amazing and was topped with cream and fresh berries. There are no short cuts here, and the pride of the creations showed in the chefs and servers. The service was top notch, especially for Yuma. If you love great food and an appreciative, highly attentive staff, give JT Prime a try. We are so happy we did, and we...