It’s possible that J’Go, a Toulouse-based group of restaurants serving southwestern French food, was once good. Indeed, when I revisited one positive review I had remembered reading, there was ample evidence, both written and photographic, that this restaurant once served something that not only looked edible but appetizing and fresh.
What I ate was insipid and suspect.
A puny slice of foie gras terrine had an assertive, unrefined ferrous-ness (is there an actual noun that I can use here?) and a dry texture, and if that hadn’t left a bad taste in my mouth, the 19€ price tag certainly would have. At a different restaurant I might be perfectly fine paying that much for a well-prepared piece of fat liver, but these cooks were slinging it, in what feels a little bit like a TGI Friday’s with bullfighting posters instead of American flea market props. (The friendly waiters are mercifully free of flair, thank heavens.)
My three pals shared half of a duck from the rotisserie. The skin was pale and not at all crisp, as thought the rotisserie just wasn’t quite hot enough. Tough meat had to be dug out from under tenacious layers of blubber. Three hands reached for the salt simultaneously. The sides with this poor bird were a watery potato purée and a pile of mushy cabbage.
I ordered leg of lamb with tarbais beans. The skimpy slices of lamb were barely warm and the flavorless beans could have come from a can. It was 28€.
Dessert was a few scoops of prune ice cream drowned in Armagnac, a brief moment of sweet boozy relief. The glace comes from Philippe Faur, and is available at the new stand in the adjacent marché Saint-Germain that’s actually run by the people behind J’Go.
My advice? Pick up some ingredients there and cook at home.
J’Go rue Clément, 75006 +33 (0)1 43 26 19 02, and 4 rue Druout, 75009 +33 (0)1 40 22 09 09 website
I’m so glad you posted this. I hadn’t tried it yet, and was planning to go. Off the list!
Ditto what Cowgirl said. Could this have anything to do with your declaration that you didn’t like French food?
Wow! What a bracing, well-written to the point review. I definitely will not be visiting J’Go. It sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for the heads up.
Camille – Ssssssshhhhhhhhhh! You’re blowing my cover! Carry on, everyone! Nothing to see here.
When the original Paris location opened up on the Rue Druout, I rather liked the concept and it, but in November 2007 when the Left Bank place opened I went and my review was titled “J’Go = Gigot, get it? I didn’t.”
Dumb name too
I remember going to this place in October 2008 and really wanting to like it. The food was soso in taste, but I knew within a couple of hours that I would be drinking water and fasting for the next 24 hours. I can’t remember the last time I had food poisoning from a restaurant and I can say with almost complete certainty that it was J’Go, the one on rue Druout, 9e.
Ferrous-ness seems about the right noun for the grub served at J’Go!
Your assessment of the Druout location is pretty spot-on, unfortunately. It has the makings of a great place (open kitchen and rotisserie, and a friendly vibe) but the food is disappointing and pricey.
I’ve eaten well at the Saint-Germain branch, which seems to have a whole different staff and set of standards. But the prices can be high as well so folks should stick to the pre-fixe menu if they can.
John – I like the concept, too. Alas…
Adrian – Agreed.
Ron – Yikes!
European Chic – Thanks for your lexicographic support!
David – Actually I was at the Saint-Germain branch, but I’ve heard unpleasant things about the Druout location, too.