J Alexander's

The Smoked Salmon Dip: Absolutely Delightful

J Alexander's is a contemporary restaurant that serves American style food with a modern twist. Out of nineteen restaurants nationwide, there is only one in Colorado, which is conveniently located near IKEA and Park Meadows mall. If you are planning on going there on a weekend, you have to make reservations; otherwise, you might be on the waiting list from thirty to sixty minutes. Even with a reservation, you are still not seated immediately. The dress code here is more relaxed than you might think. I saw people wearing anywhere from beautiful cocktail dresses to work-out shorts and tennis shoes (heard them saying that they had come from a basketball game).  

I have dined here many times before but never paid too much attention to the interior décor and other details like the kitchen, which is located right across the dining room. It is very open, so customers can easily see all the cooks who are involved in preparing various dishes. It is absolutely fascinating to watch them work together and not be distracted by commotion in the dining hall.

I chose a weekday to visit this restaurant. It was eight PM on a Wednesday evening when I walked in without a reservation. Since it was not busy, I was seated immediately. The server, dressed neatly, came by right away offering a drink to start my evening with. I went with the dirty martini which was $11.00. This is the only restaurant that serves two martinis for the price of one. They bring the martini in a glass, and a small carafe of extra martini placed in a water glass full of iced water to keep it chilled.  I have had dirty martinis in numerous restaurants, but I can tell you that the ones I had at J Alexander’s, are the best so far.

They are very particular in serving their food and drinks. The main server took my order and came by my table several times over the course of the evening to check on everything. Then there were different servers for drinks and food. One thing grabbed my attention; after everything that was dropped off the table, the wait staff would ask, “Can I get anything else to make this better?” I thought that was very neat.

I started with an appetizer, which, most of the time, I think is overpriced and unnecessary.  However, after having the smoked salmon dip, I changed my mind completely. This dish is prepared from scratch like everything else at this restaurant. It is smoked in-house and is mixed with tartar sauce, red onions, and dill. It comes with thin slices of croutons for dipping. It costs $12.00 and is quite large to share with someone. I am a big fan of salmon, and I am very picky about how it is prepared. This dish absolutely blew my mind. It was so well prepared that every bite made me say “Oh My God” out loud. Needless to say, I will definitely come back here for this particular dish alone.

I requested the salad to be served after the appetizer was finished. They timed it perfectly, so the salad came out exactly when I was expecting it. I had the Redwood salad which has rotisserie chicken, pecans, avocado, tomatoes, bacon, cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing. It does have a lot of ingredients, but the salad itself was nothing special. It costs $16.00 and has a decent size. If you order that salad before your main course, you will be too full to enjoy your entrée. I noticed that their salad prices were ranging from $10.00 to $17.00. You can easily have any of these salads as your entrée and be fully satisfied.

Steak Brazzo with the  Madeira Sauce

The salad was followed by Steak Brazzo, which consists of Marinated pieces of filet mignon in a wild mushroom Madeira sauce and is served with mashed potatoes. It is my absolute favorite! The entrée prices range from $16.00 to $30.00 inclusive. Steak Brazzo is one of the expensive ones but is worth every single penny.  The meat is very delicate and just melts in your mouth. The Madeira sauce is the perfect garnish to any steak dish.

With the helpful suggestion of my server Andrew, I finished the evening with the carrot cake. It was served warm, topped with cheesecake frosting. It was a delicious finish to a lovely evening.

I had a chance to talk to Paul, the bar manager who was reluctant at first to answer my questions. Until the end he was convinced that I was an under-cover food critic, despite my attempts to assure him that I was simply interested in getting some background information about J Alexander’s. I found out that they purchase their food supplies from local distributers who meet their standards. They select every item carefully just like you would pick your own groceries at the store. If the products don’t meet their standards, they simply turn them away, and that is why they may run out of things at times.

The overall experience was satisfactory. You spend a little more than average, but you definitely get your money’s worth. The service is outstanding; very detail oriented but not smothering. Out of the three restaurants I have been to, J Alexander's exceeds my expectations in every category. If you are looking for great food and an outstanding service, J Alexander’s is your destination.