Jct Kitchen & Bar

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stephaniefr

Joined 6 years ago

Cool Atmosphere...kind of noisy though. Walking into JCT, you are immediately taken with the warmth and coziness of the decor. Lighting is pleasant, there are some very cool design elements and you instantly feel relaxed. The only bad thing is that the acoustics are such that once you are seated, you can barely hear the person across from you. My husband and I ended up sitting on the same side of the table just so we could talk!

As for the service, our waiter was 1/2 frat boy and 1/2 good ol' boy. I can't say he was the most congenial person but he did his job just fine. Our salads were heavenly...the buttermilk dressing is fabulous. Then we ordered some "grilled bread" which I put in quotes b/c it was more like charred bread. It tasted like the bottom of an ashtray. Totally gross. Luckily, that was the low point of the evening. The shrimp and grits my husband ordered were great and my veggie plate (I'm a vegetarian) was really good.

For dessert, the coconut cake which was more like a Tres Leche cake was out of this world. The wine selection was also very good.

After dinner, we headed upstairs to the bar for some live music on the patio which was very nice. The bar got my drink wrong but they were happy to fix it.

All in all, I would say this is a pretty good place. A few improvements could be made but overall not bad. Definitely make reservations on a weekend!

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chason

Joined 7 years ago

Fabulous! Felt like home.. I'm a frequent visitor of Taqueria del Sol, right up the hill from JCT. Numerous times while standing in line at Taqueria I have stared at the JCT tower and said "oh that's that new JCT place I want to try." Finally, I did. And was I ever glad I did! The decor is perfect and the smoky air (thank you, bbq pit!) adds a certain flair when you walk in. I felt like I was far off in the country, certainly not in the middle of downtown Atlanta! Our waitress was friendly and made wonderful suggestions for menu choices. I had the shrimp and grits, he had the grilled chicken. Both were AMAZING. I've never been to a restaurant that could even TRY and compete with my daddy's cheesy grits. Don't tell dad... but these were almost just as good. The shrimp were nice and plump. That chicken was about the most succulent I've ever tasted. Between the service, the ambiance, the delicious meal, the excellent dessert (I recommend the chocolate cake), and the down-home decor, I'm definitely going back. If you get a chance, sneak up to the bar after dinner. You have an amazing skyline view, comfy couches and acoustic guitar. It was a PERFECT evening out. We will DEFINITELY be back.

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potterk

Joined 6 years ago

Good food, love the decor. Very nice decor. Been there three times. Has great dessert: bread pudding. Yum! Portions are tend to be very small. If you do not eat some bread and salad, you may come out hungry. Otherwise, very good. NIce service.

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angdee

Joined 7 years ago

Good but Going Down Quick. I have now eaten at this establishment 3 times and everytime I become a little more disappointed. The first time was great, however the service was slow and there were flies buzzing around the restaurant. I know it is supposed to be a farmhouse style atmosphere but the flies are a little too authentic.

The second visit was with a large group. Our waiter messed up the orders and everyone's food came out at different times. Again the flies.

This week was my third visit and service was slow. It took about 10 minutes and asking twice to get a drink refill. The table next to me was sending back their food. Again flies. Please do something about the flies!!!

I will add that all the food I have had has been great and I love the potterybarn style decor. Oh and get rid of the miserable drum CD that plays in the background everytime I eat there. It's annoying.

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xgirl307

Joined 6 years ago

Finally someone gets it!. In a sea of over-hyped, over-priced, and overly disappointing restaurants (see Shaun's, Globe, FAB)-JCT is a life preserver.

We've been there twice-once for a birthday party large group, once for an intimate snack and dessert. Both times were right on the money. Service, Food, Ambience, Creativity are all present. If only more Atlanta restaurants would take notes from JCT we would all be better off.

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therestaurantcritic

Joined 6 years ago

A very welcome addition to the Westside - A few improvements would go a long way.. Space: Great build-out and a big move in taking over a location that has not survived for two other previous restaurants. They did it right with an appealing mix of Southern charm while keeping an open layout and retaining some industrial and modern elements. Two big areas for improvement: 1. A little noise is good for energy, a lot is bad for conversaton - JCT as a lot of noise. 2. The plush leather banquets are very comfy, but sit too low next to the metal two-top tables. Ok, two more additions here - the artwork looks like it was bought from a department store without consideration and there is no greenery inside the very neutral palette of the space sucking a little life out.

Food: An eclectic, yet purposeful blend of southern staples with a gourmet touch. The apps did not standout enough to warrant too much exploration. The trout was excellent - finally a great freshwater entree hits Atlanta, The dumplings were small with good texture, albeit a little bland. Chicken was good, but lacking a little personality and a touch dry. Handcut flat noodle dish was was an unexpected and welcome addition to the menu. I'd like to find a dish that takes a bolder step with meat/poultry and spice. I will be interested to see how the menu evolves for fall.

Service: Decent. Basically a set of relaxed professionals doing there thing and still getting comfortable with the the menu. I was happy to see servers that were more focused on doing their job than playing chatty cathy at the server station like a lot of waitstaff can do at newer restaurants. Pace could be improved.

Winelist: delightful. A good range of varietals and good to see the choices extend beyond the typical retail presence. Would like to see a higher end Malbec / Cab / and Pinto Noir be added ...I'm sure the clientele will bite. Overall, I would recommend this restaurant as a very welcome addition to the Westside for a nite out and feel compelled to mention the harsh acoustics as a potential dealbreaker.

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natp

Joined 6 years ago

Fabulous bar...... but average restaurant. Our server had little knowledge about the menu (had to keep asking the kitchen how dishes were prepared). The food was good - the cheese plate was a little bland but the trout was succulent and tasty even after the removal of the mountain of frisee. The shrimp and grits were good as was the salmon. However, wine is highly over priced and the restaurant has a HUGE problem with noise. You can't hear yourself speak never mind anyone else - recommend you dine alone with earplugs or take a megaphone! Also ideal for kids (aged 6 +) early evening.

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griz78

Joined 7 years ago

Food Pretty Good....Sevice still spotty. Food was pretty good. My boyfriend had the fried chicken which he really liked. I had the "Chicken and Dumplings".....the menu needs to descibe this more. Chicken is on the bone and the red wine reduction sauce was REALLY salty. My boyfriend said the sauce was saltier than soy sauce....i agreed. The cheese plate is pretty basic (brie, goat, goudea, etc.), but was good. The crab and shrimp cocktail is kinda like a ceviche. The tomato broth could have used a little bit of a "kick".....it was kinda like shrimp and crab in V8. Our server was extremely nice and somewhat informed, but our food took quite a while. Entrees took well over 30 minutes. Meredith Ford gave this place 4 stars...i think she was being a bit generous.

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porkee

Joined 11 years ago

Great new twist on southern food - not really a meat and three. - Must haves: parmesan and truffle fries, tomato soup, salmon sandwich, and butter pecan ice cream that comes with the chocolate cake. -Worth a try, but nothing to write home about: the chocolate cake, mango & peach sweet tea, garlicky green beans (somewhat bland). -Pass on the: Oyster Po' boy (impossible to eat as a sandwich since the bread is so big and crunchy. oysters were nicely flavored, however.) -Service: somewhat slow (took 10 minutes to get a refill on my sweet tea), although this was at 2PM, when the servers were busy cleaning up to close for lunch at 230PM. -Ambience: well decorated and a good atmosphere. has a clean picnic or beach vibe. -Price: All of the food above for $42

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cnewton

Joined 6 years ago

Above average for a meat and three but a little pricier than that type of food typically warrants. Three of us went for lunch. The atmostphere is cozy like sitting on a back porch or Martha Stewart's kitchen (thankfully without Martha). We each had the fried chicken since it was written up in AJC. The chicken was moist and tasty. It was fried without the skin which was great for me. For side items, it comes with mac & cheese and garlicky green beans. Comments were that while the garlicky green beans were good, it wasn't something that went with the rest of the plate very well. I substitued collard greens. They were no so great. Not much flavor, too much sugar, slightly overcooked. Collards need a bite at the end and the sugar took this out of them. The next time we go I am going for the Chicken Cobb BLT, it looked great at the next table. I would say it is a bit pricey for lunch for what you get especially with Taqueria del Sol next door but it would be more in line with Figo - maybe just a tad more. I would go back but certainly not weekly. Our server was very nice and even got some Tiger Sauce out of the fridge that one of the employees brought since one of my eating companions did not like Tabasco. I think they probably need to work on getting a nice Southern hot sauce versus tabasco. It would be good for a change when you are looking for more upscale meat and three.