jj's liberty bistro

for our anniversary dinner, we chose thisjj'sthinking it was somehow a step up fromjj'sbistro de paris.  well, it's not.  it's more a step over.  we were warmly greeted by jj and shown to our table by a member of staff that we wish would've continued as our waiter.  our waiter was very knowledgeable, but evidently was in such a great hurry that he spoke quickly explaining the menu options and later on forgot that we needed more water & bread.  he wasn't bad, really, just perhaps spread too thin.  the ambiance was lovely, the decor charming.  and the food was yummy.  my coq au vin was jacques pépin's recipe, i was told, and it was wonderful.  my husband's bouillabaisse prominently featured two huge scallops and was sublime.  our dessert choice, pecan bourbon tart, had too much chocolate for us, but we're weird that way.

excellent and fresh.jj'sis one of my favorite restaurants at the beaches. their current chef is very creative and it's really the super fresh ingredients that make the food special. the seasonal menu choices are the best. i had scallops with coconut beurre blanc sauce that was spectacular. they accommodate my wheat allergy and i have never had a single problem with it accidentally sneaking onto the plate!jj'swine pairings are very thoughtful, the wait staff never obsequious, and the ambience is quietly congenial.

not french food. we were very disappointed with our lunch atjj'stoday. i will start with the good points. the place is charming & we had a cheese platter that was excellent. from there it was all downhill. the french onion soup lacked the necessary depth of flavor & provolone cheese on french soup is just wrong. the boeuf bourginon was tough, had sliced red potatoes, no shallots or mushrooms & was floating in fat. it was also served over pasta~julia child would have fainted over this interpretation. the morrocan chicken was overcooked & dry. it had an overabundance of tumeric but, lacked other morrocan seasonings. the french fries were thick pieces of mushy potato & certainly not pommes frites. we had the hazelnut creme brulee for desert which was shameful. it was made in a deep dish & therefore the solids separated from the liquids. it looked like flan but was more like custard soup. the service was good but, we would never return. i had really hoped to have a good experience but, sadly it did not happen.

not your typical french cuisine. i got a groupon and my husband and i decided to visitjj'sliberty bistro. we got there around 3pm on saturday and they apparently have a different menu from 2:30pm thru 4:00pm. the options on that menu were just absolutely horrendous. anyway, we decided to give it a try since the restaurant claims to have the best french cuisine. i ordered split-pea soup and chicken salad sandwich on crescent; my husband got some sort of other sandwich. the soup was ok, but my sandwich was just plain awful. the crescent was not fresh at all (i could have gotten a better crescent from costco). needless to say, for the price they charge i could have gotten a much better meal at european street cafe. i'm not sure i will return or recommend this place to any of my friends.