Aaron KGoogle review • 2 months ago
Google
JouJou is a beautiful new venture from David Barzelay, best known for his two Michelin star masterpiece Lazy Bear, which I love and have visited numerous times. The space itself is designed like a French bistro and I found the interior classy and elegant, with natural light pouring in through the front. Our hostess was friendly, and the servers throughout the evening were all excellent, both knowledgeable and warm. A breakdown of everything I tried:
1. Raw Bar - I’ll include all of the items here since they came out as part of the same tower, but we ordered geoduck, razor clams, two kinds of oysters, full uni, and 1 oz of caviar, which they were kind enough to let us order off menu. The oysters and Hokkaido uni were fresh and delicious, though probably worth skipping if you've had before given the elevated prices. The caviar was beautiful and came with smoked cream and toast points, though I would have much preferred the delicateness of blinis. Geoduck is one of my absolute favorite types of seafood, so I was beyond disappointed that it not only came out in such a tiny portion but what I can only describe as a scraped together mess vs the nice, clean slices that I am used to. The razor clams, on the other hand, were an absolute banger as they were plump, savory, and bright all at once.
2. Escargot Toast - I appreciate that they are aiming for innovation, but sometimes classics stay timeless because they do not need to be reinvented. There was nothing wrong with it, per se, but I got very little escargot and while the one bite where you do get one is pretty fantastic, the overall toast felt underwhelming given the ratio. I would expect each toast quarter to have at least 4 of the tiny snails or 1-2 of the plumper ones I am used to. I get what the toast is aiming to emulate but it also felt like how it was cooked dried it out and so was missing that signature butteriness you get after you've finished the escargot and dunk pieces of fresh bread into the garlicky and herbaceous pools.
3. Warm Grapefruit Brûlée - Wildly inventive as each bite gave a different mix of flavors and textures. The brûléed grapefruit was so fun to crack open, and the balance here was spot on, with just enough bitterness from the grapefruit and chicories, sweetness from the beets and brûlée, and tartness from the citronette. No notes; chef’s kiss.
4. Prime Rib of Berkshire Pork - Another highlight and a super interesting dish. You can tell the pork quality is top notch, and the cook was perfect with just a touch of pink in the center. The rendered fat cap adds a depth of flavor that is often missing from pork loin because it is so lean compared to beef. The au jus adds another dimension to each bite, and the accompanying apple horseradish chantilly brings a lovely sharp richness that helps to cut through the fattiness of the pork.
5. Roasted Liberty Duck Breast - The duck itself was delicious, cooked to a beautiful medium rare and paired with a lovely roasted sour cherry sauce, but I did wish the fat had been rendered a bit more, since some pieces were chewier than I prefer. The accompanying duck leg confit pressé was so delicious and I loved the nod to a centuries old technique.
6. Sides - We added both the pomme frites and the creamed kale callaloo, and I would say to skip the fries since they were pretty basic and not worth $15. Absolutely get the kale because it was such a unique combination of flavors and textures. The use of coconut cream and the deft use of it in the dish created a really pleasant mouthfeel that had just enough creaminess without becoming overly heavy, as many "creamed vegetable' dishes too often are. The kale still had some bite while the fried shallots on top added a much-needed textural contrast.
All in all, I had an enjoyable evening here, but I am not likely to return given the unevenness of several dishes as well as the fact that at current price points I would rather spend that money on any number of other fantastic options for French food (or in general) in SF.
