Smoke on Cherry Street

[waterboy]

My wife and I decided, impromptu, to visit this nicely remodeled restaurant that used to be Jazmo's (?). I wanted to give our impressions of the place. First off, we have been to this location through its many personalities back to when it was called Cardo's Cadillac which we truly loved. It has changed immensely and I think this is a really good personality for it. It is tastefully decorated in a contemporary motif and features art on the walls of local vistas from local artists, mostly in a rather impressionist watercolor style. I instantly recognized a local view painted by Tom Ball ("downtown garage") , a view that I enjoyed when I rented space at the Wilkerson Chevrolet dealership over on Elgin. It seems to accommodate a variety of patrons though the menu and pricing indicates decidedly upscale. The back of the restaurant has a cigar room, there is also a separate bar area with tv's tuned to sports programming. That really helped in keeping the dining area suitable for civilized conversation. Our fellow patrons ranged from YP's to middle class families to mullets and baseball caps. To me, that is a bonus as I am a people lurker and enjoy the diversity, I expect that will change over time though. It's simply too expensive for everyday folks.

Even though we had no reservations at 7pm they seated us with little fuss. The menu is a bit sophisticated for our tastes but we waded through it and made note of what others were enjoying as a guide. I saw mussels, oysters and some unidentifiable items, mostly in quite small portions. We ordered a Cape Cod and a Vodka Tonic with house brands and they were great (hard to mess those up!). After a discussion with an attentive waitress we decided to share a salad and one 24oz steak. We're not big portion eaters. It was plenty.

The salad consisted of simple lettuce wedges and the dressing was a bleu cheese, bacon mixture that was perfect. Our steak was cooked perfectly and needed no embellishment but they provided a cup of a vinegary sauce that took some getting used to. There was a bit of mashed potatoes nearby and some smoky flavored Okra both of which I loved so much I really didn't want to share with the wife.

I expected the service to be a bit slow since the place is new and it was but we were not ignored and believe me, the food made up for it. I simply loved what I ordered. I do wish the portions of mashed potatoes and Okra had been larger and the prices more in line with my current income, but I'm sure I am not their target demographic. Total meal with tip was around $80. Not bad for someone with a good two income household and as far as ambiance and quality of food preparation, well worth it. My wife doesn't care for oysters, mussels etc. but I look forward to trying some of those menu items some day.

Really glad to have this place nearby for when guests visit.

[SXSW]

Good to hear, I'm planning on trying it next weekend.

[Gaspar]

Sounds great!  Doesn't sound like what the name implies.

[custosnox]

co-worker was telling me today that he checked this place out over the weekend.  He felt it was overpriced but that the food was good.  he did really like the katchup, says they make it themselves. 

[Conan71]

Sounds great!  Doesn't sound like what the name implies.

Were you expecting a carton of Marlboro Lights and a sleeve of Skoal Long Cut?

[Townsend]

he did really like the katchup, says they make it themselves. 

Holy buckets... There's a third way of saying that?

[custosnox]

Holy buckets... There's a third way of saying that?

Hey, I was tired and horrible speller anyhow.  I knew it was wrong, but was being too lazy to fix it. 

[Townsend]

Hey, I was tired and horrible speller anyhow.  I knew it was wrong, but was being too lazy to fix it. 

I promise I wasn't making fun.  I come from a few places around the country and have been schooled in the speak of many areas (pillbug/rolly poley, creek/crick/stream, pop/soda/coke).

With the whole Ketchup v Catsup issue, I thought someone had a katchup crowd.

[livingkate]

I tried this restaurant this weekend with my family, and unfortunately we all agreed we would not be back. I wanted to like it, I really did! The service was terrible. It may have been our waitress' first day of waiting tables, ever. Had trouble opening the wine, didn't know the specials, was referring to items that aren't on the menu. I understand they just opened, but for the price point of the food, the service staff should be fully educated on the wine and food menus and be nearly impeccable.

The food itself was quite tasty. I got the tuna special which was great but very rich. My mom got the "Fried Green Tomato Salad" which should not be listed under salads by any means - two small slices of tomato topped with a tablespoon of crab and some leafy garnish. Not worth the $10-12 we paid for it.

Maybe the service will get better and the prices get lower, but if others have the experience that I had there I don't think they are long for this world.

[custosnox]

I promise I wasn't making fun.  I come from a few places around the country and have been schooled in the speak of many areas (pillbug/rolly poley, creek/crick/stream, pop/soda/coke).

With the whole Ketchup v Catsup issue, I thought someone had a katchup crowd.

I think my mind was trying to grasp at one or the other, couldn't decide at the time (like I said, tired) and just went with both.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I think there is a law saying you can't call it "ketchup" unless it has 35% high fructose corn syrup.  They probably don't use that much if it is home made, so they can't use the word.

[tulsa_fan]

Had lunch here yesterday, it's not a cheap fast food place, but OH MY, the food is delicious!  And our portions were big enough one meal would have been enough to share.  I had the Grilled Chicken BLT and took 1/2 of it home.  The ketchup is awesome, the flavor of my sandwich was delicious, I am definitely going back.