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rkreisler

Joined 6 years ago

Just Not Worth the Money. My husband and I went to celebrate our wedding anniversary on a past weekend and heard the buzz about Janos, so we decided to try it out. The crispy skinned sea bass was perfectly prepared, and although the short ribs were tasty, the accompaniments were completely overpowered by the heavy and rich piece of meat and sauce. Halfway through, you felt like you needed a good palate cleanser to continue and the small pieces of jicama swimming at the bottom of a plate full of gravy just didn't do it. Being good cooks ourselves who make short ribs on occasion, we just couldn't see how they justified charging so much money for an averagely prepared piece of meat and expected at least something better than what we could cook up in our own kitchen. The appetizer of ceviche made of fresh fish was completely overpowered by the mango flavor, and the chocolate souflee was not anything resembling a souflee - it was a bland flourless chocolate cake at best. On the plus side, the wine list was good and the waiter's wine recommendation was spot on. Coffee was delicious (even the decaf), and the staff was polite, but nothing to rave about. We had better service from the younger staff at La Paloma's country club at brunch the next morning.

Even though we took the waiter's recommendations, Janos was average at best and with the prices they charge, average just doesn't cut it. We will not return.

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tucsonfoodie1

Joined 6 years ago

This is not a dinner, its a memory. We went to Janos on Christmas Eve. We were greeted by the chef and offered a drink while we waited (we were 30 minutes early as we were too excited to wait any longer). We ordered the tasting menu with the wine flight. This place is culinary perfection! Each course was better than the last even though they were hard to top. The service is top notch, very professional, helpful, attentive and friendly. The entire experience was magical. This is hands-down THE VERY BEST restaurant in town. The food quality is unparalleled, subtle intermingled flavors paired with excellent wines made this place worth every penny. This is a place I think about as I would a vacation or a life changing moment.

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mogroovee

Joined 7 years ago

Best southwest food in town!. The staff is super couteous and helpful with questions. The atmosphere is fun and at the same time romantic. The food is fabulous and then some. Cocotinis and j-bar nachos with chorizo and smoked poblanos were great. The combo plate with jerked pork, oaxacan lamb bbq, and marinated carne asada (delicious sauces for all these as well) is the best thing on the menu. Salmon and rock shrimp tacos were great too. You have to save room for desert and try the dark chocolate jalapeno ice cream sundae. It's pure bliss!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

A beautiful desert view and Southwestern cuisine with a French twist.. The Scene
Chef Janos Wilder practically invented nouvelle Southwestern cuisine. By fusing classic French techniques with locally grown ingredients, Janos produces outstanding seasonal menus. The restaurant's furnishings are as plush as its menu, and most of the dining rooms look out over the desert and the city. Portions are small for the price, but the summer samplers are a good deal. The wine list is exquisite.

The Food
Janos transforms ordinary items such as grilled beef tenderloin by layering it with roasted chiles and serving it with an eggplant taco. Even more spectacular are Janos' own inventions, including a pan-seared venison chop rubbed with spicy chile-lime paste and pecans and served with tomato and black bean coulis. The appetizer of sea scallops in a yellow mole sauce is spicy-sweet and delicious. And the chocolate jalapeno ice cream provides cold comfort with an afterburn.

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t_girl_dining

Joined 7 years ago

Actually... it was dinner at JBar. Opted for the informal JBar, adjacent to Janos, sat at the bar. Was served by the very friendly and competent 'tender - Michael (who's cute in a clean-cut-Viggo-way). Ordered the meat combo platillo - which has flank steak, jerk pork and shrimp, all very tasty, and the salad/slaws provide a burst of citrus flavor. It's the dessert I'll rave about. I'm usually a chocolate-lover, but stepped out of the comfort zone to try the sorbets. It was an excellent foray into something different; a refreshing, light dessert with wonderful fruit flavors not overdone, right amount of subtle coconut flavor.

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loftonpm

Joined 11 years ago

southwest done good. the food was delicious and the service was outstanding. the outside view was beautiful. if i lived in tucson, i would go eat there every weekend.