Joel Antunes LLC

12/20/09

Fantastic

by kurtfetherolf at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Outstanding food, good service, great value
• Cons: None

11/17/08

A shadow of its former self

by TimTheFoodie at Citysearch

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.

11/09/08

Don't bother with the new Joel!

by gourmetgirl92 at Citysearch

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!