03.03.10
Review of Jo’s, Sunday December 2009
264 Elizabeth & E. Houston Sts., 212-966-9640
Great for: everything, private parties
I am so happy to discover a great new restaurant in my neighborhood. Plus, it’s really close to SoHo Billiards, where the Boyfriend practices, so we’ll probably be coming back often.
We started with perfectly cooked mussels with andouille, white wine and herb butter. They were terrific. Not gritty and the sausage was perfectly salted. The broth was so yummy I actually used bread to eat more of it.
In an attempt to be healthy, I got the striped bass with potato purée, snap pea emulsion, grilled onion and sopressata. There was no sopressata that I could find but the dish was just lovely, with nice soft fish and some crunchy skin. It was kind of a small portion and the peas were a little unexpected but overall I really liked it. My included side of local greens in soy vinaigrette was absolutely great. I loved the dressing and the leaves were a little big but I was delighted to stuff it all in my mouth. His shell steak au poivre was also terrific. The meat was evenly cooked and there were lots of fries with wonderful garlic chili mayo.
We had very friendly service. It’s really cute inside, with an inner dining room after you get past the large bar. There’s a back room with stripper poles for private parties. (The next time I do a birthday dinner, I’m so there.)
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $85 (1 big app, 2 Lionshead pilsners)
Noise level: convivial hum
Chance of walking in: it won’t stay undiscovered for long – you probably want to call first.
