Jacques-Imo's Catering

09/02/09

financial profiling

by lolarae85 at Citysearch

my boyfriend and I went to this nifty little house, the atmosphere was cool, playing good music and no wait time.... then our waiter came.

from the second he saw us, and the fact that it took us a few extra minutes to decide what we wanted- we were not worthy of his time. Not only did he stiff us on the free cornbread (we each got one roll while others got 2-3), he barely came back to our table. the staff has people specifically designated as drink servers, so we only saw our waiter when he brought us our food.

We ordered 2 appetizers (listed as $7.50 and $8.00 on the menu) which were delicious... and the panned rabbit (which was listed as $25.95), which was wonderful and served over a heaping amount of pasta with a seafood sauce.

then without asking if we wanted desert, he sapped down two of the smallest free deserts i have ever seen and gave us the bill.

HE HAD PADDED THE BILL.

the appetizers were listed as $8 and $8.50, and the rabbit was $27.95. we were a little puzzled so when he came back to pick up the bill, we asked to see the menu. he was shocked and asked why? I stated that I thought that the rabbit was rung up wrong and i was trying to continue the sentence by also stating that the appetizers were wrong too, but he had walked away. he came back with $2 taken off the bill, we were a little upset and as to not make a scene in the now very crowded dining area, we barely tipped and left- since it seemed that he had already chosen his tip from us, that's what we gave him.

now, we are not the richest couple- but when we decide to eat at a place that we already know is going to be semi-expensive... we know to tip accordingly, but being profiled as two tight wads left a bad taste in our mouths. its too bad that an exciting evening was ruined by such a crappy waiter.

• Pros: large amount of food on main course
• Cons: overpriced and service is lacking.

06/19/09

Skip this place

by pubdraught at Citysearch

There are many, many truly spectacular restaurants in New Orleans - Jacques-Imo's is definitely not one of them. The food is mediocre, the space is crappy and the service is awful. I'm a native New Orleanian and have experienced many much better places to eat in the area - please don't waste any precious time at this place.

• Pros: None, really
• Cons: Horrible service

10/21/08

Avoid weekends

by Rayrey at Citysearch

The noise level at this place was so bad that it probably damaged my hearing for life. The cornbread was very very good the stuffed shrimp was out of this world. The carpetbagger was over cooked and the sauce was very greasy and had no flavor. They only have one bathroom for both men and women including well over 200 people. I think that if Jacque was cooking and supervising instead of walking around getting drunk and sticking white powder up his nose this place would run a whole lot better. It took us 2 hours after we sat down to get our food. By the way do not order there mixed drinks, they taste terrible.

• Pros: cornbread, stuffed shrimp
• Cons: steak, mixed drinks

05/25/08

Good food , Good service

by UclBob at Citysearch

We had a party of 9 people on a Friday evening. Upon arriving at the restaurant and being re-directed to our dining area Jacques was walking among the crowd and cheerfully greeting everyone. We sat at our table, where well received by the waiter. All in our party enjoyed the appetizers we chose. Upon deciding on our main course we relaxed in the atmosphere of the room taking in the many pictures and murals, including the restroom. Each of us seemed to have ordered a different item. Upon finishing our meal none of us had any regrets. The wait staff took good care of us and Jacques walked through the dining area thanking each of us (and those around) for coming in and gave us suggestions for our next visit on what to order based on what we ordered that day. It was a busy night and the crowd outside was anxiuos to get in when we left.

• Pros: Good ambience, food
• Cons: crowed space

05/06/08

Crazy crowded

by pinays at Citysearch

unless you have a group reservation (i think 6 or more) be prepared to wait 2 hours for a table. luckily, we had a reservation, which was booked 30 days in advance to the day of the dinner.

the place was packed and colorful and had interesting places where one sat diners (the bed of the truck, the balcony, anywhere they could fit people). where we were seated, we walked through the kitchen -- which i think was good in a way as it allowed transparency in terms of the cleanliness.

we started off with jalapeno bread, which was like cornbread with its sweetness and consistency and had a slight hint of jalapeno.

for the appetizer, we had crabcakes, which were not greasy and lightly breaded served on a bed of arugula salad. we also had calamari served over a slight tangy sweet sauce. we also had the alligator pie, which did not really strike me as exciting.

for our entrees, i had the scallop braised in red wine sauce and pears. the scallops were so nice and tender and tasted a bit sweet due to the pears. the scallops were also pretty big. i did enjoy this dish. my mashed potato side and greens were also very good.

i tried the quail, which was juicy and moist and quite flavorful.

the service was very friendly and homey. the chef made his rounds later on with his jug of cosmopolitan where he proceeded to go up on tables and take pictures with the patrons. he was definitely a good chef and host. good times. if you have the chance to try this place, you really should make the effort.

05/04/08

Mediocrity Amid the Spectacular

by MusicCityDiner at Citysearch

I've resisted writing a review on Jacques-Imo's figuring the reasonable, thoughtful approach was to give it another shot. . . and another. May 3, 2008 was the third trip, and the second visit to the restaurant during the busy JazzFest period. We'll be succinct: Jacques-Imo's proved average on the best outings and worse this past trip, and it's particularly frustrating to have such a disappointing experience in a city filled with outstanding dining options. The problem is that after the long, long wait the service is disinterested and then another extended wait for food that's not all that impressive. After a two-hour wait, our server met us with a dry, indifferent , unfriendly reaction. . . to people who they had to know had waited a long time to get in. Didn't even offer us drinks, just asked if we were ready to order. This has been our experience numerous times. Which would be alright if the food proved outstanding. It isn't. NOLA is littered with amazing restaurants -- we suggest skipping this one.

• Pros: Lively, energetic atmosphere
• Cons: Average food, spotty service

04/29/08

My favorite place in New Orleans

by Coldsteel120 at Citysearch

I have been on assignment in New Orleans for the past 6 months and Jaques-Imo's Cafe is the best I have had while assigned here. The outside may scare some off but the food IMO is outstanding. I have not had a bad dinner yet. The atmosphere is pretty chaotic and if you are looking for a quiet dinning experience this is not it. Neither was Brennan's where they were letting in folks with flip flops and shorts the other day. I have yet to leave Jaques-Imo's without taking food home. Anyone that rates the place a 1 star has a grudge against the owner IMO. The locals I work with recommended this place immediately as their favorite place to eat. I concur, and I have been to the French Quarter and have sampled most of the resturaunts and Jaques-Imo's is my favorite so far.

• Pros: quality of food, price
• Cons: size, parking, bathroom

03/15/08

unimpressive food, too loud, and too dark

by nolanew at Citysearch

This "Cool"place is not worth the trouble.

While the appetizers were great (fried green tomatoes and alligator sausage/shrimp cheesecake), the entrees were awful. The blackened redfish came with an over-done rich sauce and the Cowboy Steak the same. The mashed potatoes are good.

The worst thing about the meal was the salad dressing, which was like a rasberry vinaigrette from a bottle: so sweet it made me wince! The fried oyster on the salad was great.

• Pros: fried oyster, appetizers
• Cons: loud, dark, bad entrees

03/10/08

A Transcendental Eating Experience for a Sensible Price!

by BiblioLA at Citysearch

OK, this is my first ever restaurant review, so be patient....I never knew that a meal could bring such bliss until I ate at Jacques! I was in grad school in NOLA for a few years in the mid/late 90's, and even we could afford it! I can only speak for the only meal I ever ordered [over and again]: pork-chop stuffed w/ massive amounts of shrimp and crab and topped w/ Portabello mushrooms; plus some heavenly mashed potatoes (rosemary? garlic? I forget); the best corn macquechoux [sp?] I've ever had the pleasure to ingest... Anybody new come into NOLA? We immediately dragged them to Jacque's; and they *always* loved it, as well. The one time our food was late, Jacques presented us w/free wine.

Don't miss this opportunity for a total eyes-rolled-back-in-your-head, toe-curling pleasure!

HINT: try to eat "out back" (past the kitchen).

For Jacques: Thanks to you and your staff for sticking around; I was afraid you'd be gone after the storm...

In deep appreciation,

Kristen M. Reed

• Pros: Incredible food at sensible costs.
• Cons: Lately - the wait to get a table.

02/21/08

Insanely Yummy

by evajefferies at Citysearch

Myself and 4 of my girlfriends were down in New Orleans last weekend for a 40th birthday party. We went to Jacques Imos the first night and it was hard to beat. I wanted something with a local flair to it with great food and we got exactly that. Bit of a cab ride if you are staying in the French Quarter but worth it (about 15 minutes away). Nice to get away from all the tourist traps.

They start you off with cornbread that will almost make you cry it's so good and I don't even like cornbread. All the appitizers are amazing from the fried green tomatos to the fried oysters (and we nearly tried the lot), nothing was short of excellent. I had the mahi mahi for a main and it was some of the best fish I've ever tasted. Go hungry because you'll barely be able to walk out the door. Wine list was good and reasonablely priced. Service was also good and friendly at the table but the girls at check in were a bit on the surley side. Bar is hopping and really fun. I can't say enough about this place. Almost worth a trip back from San Francisco for this dining experience alone.....

• Pros: Food, Ambience
• Cons: Check in could be friendlier