Donna B.
Yelp
After hearing rave reviews from many friends and co-workers, my husband and I were eager to dine with our best friends at Jonathan's The Rub at Memorial Green. The menu looked interesting, but as always, I was nervous to try a new place given my husband's serious (life-threatening) food allergies. Before agreeing to meet our friends, I called the restaurant and spoke with the hostess about the menu items. Having read the menu online, I knew that a great many of the entree meat items on the menu were either pre-marinated or heavily seasoned with Jonanthan's signature "rub." After spending about 20-25 minutes on the telephone with the hostess, I was assured that anything my husband ordered would be made to order without the allergens.
We arrived at the restaurant and met our friends, filled with enthusiasm and hope. We ordered yummy cocktails and enthused over the decor and the friendliness of the staff. We took this as a good omen of the evening to come. Sadly, the cocktails were the highlight of the evening. It went downhill from there.
When our charming waiter took our orders, my husband was informed that the only meat entree he would be able to eat was one of their steaks; he ordered a ribeye. He assured us that he would not receive a steak that had been marinated nor seasoned with their signature rub. They promised it would be prepared with salt and pepper only.
We ordered several appetizers for the table and the only one that was safe for my husband to eat was a tuna tartare. He and I shared it and found it to be nearly inedible; it tasted as though it were not fresh. I sampled the other appetizers. They were heavily seasoned with the rub, so much so that I was unable to taste anything else.
When my husband's steak arrived, the look of disappointment and dismay on his face caused me to nearly cry. He ordered the ribeye which was tough, gristly, and overcooked. To be perfectly honest, he would have gotten a better steak at Golden Corral. Accompanying the steak was a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Suffice it to say they were equally dismal. The garlic was not infused with the warm cream used to mash them. Instead, there were big, nearly raw chunks of garlic. His entire meal was a disaster.
I ordered the halibut special of the evening. It sounded delicious on menu, but was merely so so -- not horrible but not great, edible but not worth the money. The sides -- roasted cauliflower and roasted brussels sprouts -- were charred a little too much and overly seasoned with the rub.
My husband thought he would try the fudge cake for dessert and he said it good. I had an extremely weak, almost watered down cappuccino with a stale biscotti.
The total bill for four people was $440. Our portion of the bill was $220 plus a $44 tip. We've spent much more on dinner for special occasions. We don't mind paying a big price if the food is exceptionally good. Jonathan's The Rub was not worth the price.
Perhaps they were having an off night. But, I believe it's telling when the only remarkable thing on the menu is a pre-dinner cocktail. But, what angered me the most is the fact that their meats are all marinated and rubbed, and that's the way they come, like it or not. My husband's steak was made to order, but it was terrible, as though they were punishing him. A good restaurant should be able to prepare a customer's food to order and especially accommodate allergies. I really hope they step up and do better. I don't see us ever returning.