Jonas’ Grill

When Shannon's parents were visiting, before we went to The Main, we had briefly stopped into a restaurant called Jonas' Grill, that draws my attention every time I walk by because someone is grilling chunks of meat in the window. At that time it was too busy and seemed a little pricey for the 4 of us, but to treat ourselves we decided to check it out.

I have read mixed reviews about this place, mainly due to complaints about the service. My only complaint was inconsistency. Jonas' is a Portuguese style grill with a very good marinade that makes its way onto everything from sausage to squid. Among many menu items I was indecisive of the chef choice or the chef special. Upon realizing I could order my choice of 4 of basically any menu item for the chef special, I opted for that option and ordered the rabbit, lamb chops, Portuguese sausage and squid. In the meantime, I savored a Portuguese beer called Sagres that I've been seeing everywhere and never attributed to anything Portuguese whatsoever. Shannon ordered the Portuguese sausage alone.

The starter salad had very good quality olive oil, which really made it since it wasn't much more than mixed greens and a tomato slice. Then two enormous plates of meat were placed in front of us. I started with the squid, because I figured it would be the least likely to taste good after cooling off. It had a nice smoky flavor infused and tasted even better with a splash of lemon juice, but I lost interest after the first piece, only managing to finish the second before turning on to the lamb chops.

I typically only prepare or eat lamb in a very basic Mediterranean way, with a simple herb rub or something, so with a bit of a spicy Portuguese kick was a pleasure. The chops were small, but very well cooked, and I enjoyed them very much without any intermission. I moved on to the rabbit, regretting I had not ordered the pork, which I thought was quite foolish considering it is my favorite kind of grilled meat.

The rabbit was my favorite of the four. I insisted that Shannon try it and she loved it as well. It was so perfectly cooked and delicious I just cannot even compare. Lastly, I moved on to the sausage and thought it was incredibly salty, gross and overcooked. What a horrible spoiler to the entire meal! Shannon, who had ordered the sausage exclusively, insisted that it was good. There seemed to be a huge discrepancy between our two servings. Hers was excellent and mine was basically inedible. Since I was so incredibly satisfied by the end of the meal anyway, I didn't bother bringing this to anyones attention, but it was sort of disappointing. Still, we thought the service was excellent and the food was delicious and we'd surely recommend this place to anyone.