Reviews for Gogi's Restaurant

01/19/2024 - MenuPix User

07/10/2023 - Christopher Lauderdale
Tourist Trap! Frozen peas with a $70 steak???

After looking at the menu online, we came here expecting a fine dining experience. It was anything but.
It was a moderately busy Friday night, but no one seemed rushed. Gogi's has a nice bar, but no bartender, so wait staff have to make their own drinks. It was 40 minutes from the time we sat down until drinks came, much too long. We discussed leaving. The berry cocktail was great, lots of berry flavor and well balanced. But the peach one was bland and watery. Started with the sauteed broccolini. Tough and bitter, not even al dente. The tomato reduction with hazelnuts was pretty good.
The "compressed" watermelon salad was confusing. It was mostly spring mix from a bag with fresh watermelon chunks and cucumber strips (what does compressed mean?).
Not a very imaginitive menu for such a pricey place, mostly large cuts of protein, some with a sauce. So I ordered the ribeye with peas and duck fat potatoes for $70.
The ribeye was full of gristle and globs of fat, obviously the end cut close to the chuck, not a good quality piece of meat. On top was a dollop of BOTTLED barbecue sauce (gel-like texture, full of modified food starch).
The "duck fat" potatoes were mashed - not prepared in a way that highlights the used of duck fat - and weren't even creamy or flavorful.
But the kicker - the peas are frozen from a bag! Frozen peas on a $70 entree! The manager said they couldn't get fresh from the supplier, yet we're at the height of pea season right now. A decent chef would sustitute something fresh and change the menu.
My friend ordered balsamic strawberry ice cream for dessert. It looked like a bunch of half scoops dug out of the bottom of the tub in a cereal bowl. No garnish. No presentation. Ugly.
This restaurant is very pricey. The owners spared no expense in creating a website that suggests a special experience. There were six of us; I'm a former Ritz-Carlton chef, and my friends are experienced foodies. I came away feeling ripped off. The others were unimpressed with their meals. It's clear the owners are unwilling to hire a chef or a bartender, and the service and food are substandard.
When I expressed my dissatisfaction at such astronomical prices for less than mediocre food, the manager said "The owners set the prices".
Jacksonville has a tourist economy. It's clear that the owners are interested only in fleecing tourists out of their vacation money, and don't care in repeat business. STAY AWAY!