Joel Antunes LLC (Reported Closed)

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unc1ala

Joined 5 years ago

Joel's Brasserie. Let's be fair, the location for Joel's Brasserie is not the best. But, the food and service were absolutely outstanding. The Manager, Roy, the friendly waitstaff, and the new Sommelier, James, made every effort to make our visit a special one. And, the wine list is quite nice. The french fries are a must. We highly recommend this restaurant. If you want a nice romantic dinner for two, request a booth. ENJOY!

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kurtfetherolf

Joined 5 years ago

Fantastic. I believe a lot of the negative reviews below stem from an unfair comparison of the current Joel to its previous incarnation. It is certainly a smaller, less formal manifestation of the restaurant Joel Antunes ran, but the quality of the food and the service haven’t suffered as a result. My roasted duck was perfect and my girlfriend’s seared Cod was the best I’ve ever tried. Both of us raved over the lemon crepes with sorbet. Service was attentive without being overbearing, and the entire staff was both warm and friendly. If you want stiff, dour waiters and overpriced haute cuisine, then go someplace else. We had a wonderful time and I’d highly recommend this new version of Joel.

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Ryan Sims

Joined 4 years ago

Atlanta's French staple with a new school philosophy.. In Short

Adjusting to a new menu and restaurant concept after the departure of famed Chef Joël Atunes, Joël Brasserie aims to lighten the fine-dining mood that often leads to stuffiness by adjusting the whole attitude of the restaurant. Chef Cyrille Holata focuses on rustic, homey dishes that include local produce and farm-to-table ingredients whenever possible. Options like the sea bass with crispy skin left on with delightfully hearty confit of tomato and thin stew with tiny, skinny mushrooms translate well what the chef is trying to accomplish. Fresh soups accented with sorbet provide contrasting flavors, and the desserts are nothing short of sublime. Other ways Joël Brasserie is trying to lighten up include wallet-friendly nights such as pizza and beer night and half-priced wine nights.

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TimTheFoodie

Joined 5 years ago

A shadow of its former self. I took my wife to Joel again this week-end, and the term 'disappointing' definitely comes to mind. The place was half the size, and while cozier, the change came as quite a shock.

I guess maybe they just aren't getting the business.

If there were any specials, and I suspect there were, we weren't told about them. The food was well prepared, but $39 for the lamb, and side dishes extra was a bit steep.

Then we are told the had run out of souffle. How do you run out of something on a Saturday night, especially since we are 'early diners'. Their claim to fame, the wine list was wide ranging, but again pricey. $138 for Justin Isoscelles(sp) is over the top.

If you have this much money to spend on dinner go to Quinonnes,

for a few bucks more you'll have 3+ hours of wining and dining.

Doesn't Recommend

gourmetgirl92

Joined 5 years ago

Don't bother with the new Joel!. Don't bother with the new Joel!

I was visiting Atlanta and my friends raved about Joel. I ordered a simple meal that included a Caesar salad as my first course. The salad came using the tough ends of romaine, poorly dressed and in a tiny bowl. That was followed by a plate with John Dory - fish that was obviously previously frozen. The dessert was the only redeeming part of the meal. My three friends had similar mishaps. And the restaurant was so noisy that we had trouble carrying on dinnertime conversation. The bill came and I was shocked to see how pricey it was for a lousy bistro meal. Don't waste your hard-earned cash!

Doesn't Recommend

bskinne

Joined 5 years ago

Amazing food, Horrible service. The food was incredible, as was the atmosphere. However, the service was dismal. for the extensive wine list, both our server and so-called "sommelier" were both very uninformed and unknowledgeable about the wine. Food came out wrong, and the server had little to no knowledge of the menu. I went with my boyfriend, and our bill was close to $400. For the money, the service was appalling and did not compensate for the food, no matter how great it was.

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ssilvera

Joined 6 years ago

Slight Attitude of Indifference on recent visit. There was a time before Joel closed for renovationt that friends and I were a fixture to the bar lounge two, maybe three times a week. Polished, low key and attententive service. At one time they had an excellent bar manager, Pam, wonderful service and an occassional live jazz band. I recently visited Joel's because I hadn't been in some time and felt way turned off by an attitude of indifference on the part of someone in the wait staff. He was snobbish to the point that I felt like I'd be darned if I spent any of my money there which is sad because there is nothing negative that I could have said about Joel's prior to this. Unfortunately, your staff is a reflection of your entire business, even if you don't uphold that type of behavior. I can spend my time and money elsewhere.

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ian1979

Joined 8 years ago

Great food!! Great ambiance!!. Went a couple of times and had a great experience every time. Menu has a very good variety of food to choose from. The appitizers are to die for, plus they have great deserts. Would reccomend making reservations and bring a bunch of money, but it is well worth the price.

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atlantajan

Joined 6 years ago

Joel is now petite in size but not in price. In 2007 Joel was reduced to about 1/3 of its original size as it was rarely filled and had an enormous bar area that stayed empty. The new space is cozier but you have to exit the restaurant for restrooms located in the office building lobby, which is a bit odd for a pricey French restaurant. The cuisine does not stand up to the high rating given by the Atlanta paper's dining critic. The place is a bit expensive and overall not near the value of food to price that is readily available all over Atlanta. They do have a $39 fixed price menu but you must be seated and have the order in before 6:30. Our dinner for two (one each drink, app, entree, dessert, and no wine) plus tax and tip was $180 for the two of us. Valet Parking.

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tootsemikayla

Joined 10 years ago

Everything you dreamed it would be. We had finished our errands early and showed up 1 hr early for our resvr. Said we could sit at the bar but they promptly sat us. Server was very eager to explain the menu and get us our drinks.

We had the lentil soup and the mushroom, riziotto pastry. Both were like nothing you ever tasted before, excellent.

Next we had the skirt steak and scallops. Everything just melted in your mouth. Interesting flavors and the best quality ingreidents.

Would go again in a second. I do recommend though if you are a couple to ask for a booth when making your resvr. We were seated on the long bench and you couldn't help but to hear the conversations of the people next to you they were so close.