PROGRESSIVELY BETTER

After a decidedly sub par meal the evening before, we thought it might be best to try a spot that had shown some promise in years past. We had to run out to Town Center Mall for some supplies and I knew J. Alexanders was over there. They also had a PF Changs and some other stuff, but in the end, we thought JA's sounded fine.

When we spoke to the host, she said we'd need to wait about 20 minutes. No big deal. We weren't in a hurry. So we grabbed a couple glasses of wine from the bar and after having them in our hands for about three seconds, our table was ready.

Again, we're on vacation, so we decided to do one of those starters we try to avoid when home:
- calamari with spicy marinara (not pictured)

It was actually really delicious. The crispy outer layer was delicate and the squid was fresh. Often you get the gummy, tough stuff. This was fresh and it was obvious with each bite.

For a main course, Meena had:
- steak and fries (their version of steak frites)

And Alec had the:
- 1/2 chicken with smashed potatoes

As the title states, the food was progressively better than the previous evening. I'm not saying it was amazing ... but it was really nice to have something that was a) worth the money and b) given the appropriate amount of attention in the kitchen. We both agreed that the evening before at Oceans 234, the kitchen staff just seemed to be hurrying everything along and out the door. No care. J. Alexander's staff seemed to make sure everything looked right. And we appreciated that small gesture from the restaurant.

My chicken was moist and the potatoes were full of flavor. The portions were Midwest size for sure and I wasn't able to eat all of it (no should I have). I got most of the chicken (without the skin) and tried with the potatoes. I lost. And that's not a bad thing.

Meena's steak was nice. The butter concoction they put on top was a little overpowering. She said it tasted like butter for the most part. I never like that because I think the steak has such good natural flavor that you shouldn't try to mask it with butter and other seasoning. But it was cooked well and I think she enjoyed it. The fries were fries. Sliced like matchsticks.

And that was Thursday night!