The James, Essex

"Well…….we went to The James (formerly The Village) on Main St in Essex and were not impressed at all. I had high hopes because The Village had been a family favorite for decades. The remodel was done tastefully, though with the most attention being made in the bar area. I guess that sets the tone for the new business …it’s a bar that also serves food. When we first arrived, just after noon, we were surprised to see only one or two cars in the parking lot. I just thought we were early, but even when we left at 2:00ish, there were still only a few cars. We were the only people in the greenhouse area, there was one couple inside and two couples outside, if I remember correctly. After eating, I realized it’s likely because the food just isn’t very good. My hubby ordered Salt and Pepper Chicken wings. Easy enough one would think, except you couldn’t taste either salt or pepper! They were so bland! The Blue Cheese dip that came with them had been watered down so greatly, it also had no taste and there was only one small speck of blue cheese in the bottom of the dish. I tried one of the wings and it was undercooked! The chicken meat still had a little rawness to it. Just awful. He also ordered the Tuna tartar and it was actually good. It is the only reason I gave the food rating a 3 and not a 2. It’s hard to mess up raw tuna, so thankfully it was good. I ordered the special of the day, Jerk Salmon with pineapple salsa and put it on their Arugula Grilled Peach goat cheese salad. It sounded wonderful! In reality, the salmon (though it looked delicious) was the saltiest food I’ve ever been served in any restaurant EVER! I could only eat it if I put it with the pineapple salsa and took a big chug of water with each bite. It was AWFUL! When the waitress came to ask how the food was I told her it was the saltiest food I’d ever been served and she said “I order it all the time and I think it’s great!” Ummmm…. so I choked it down and then burped it up for the rest of the day. :(. Thank goodness for the pineapple salsa tho! The Gilled peach salad was all arugula, which I love, but there were only two tiny wedges of peach, barely enough to taste, and the cheese? I could hardly find it. There was the tiniest of sprinkle on top. There was also supposed to be candied walnuts but I only found a couple tiny pieces. It seems like maybe the restaurant is struggling financially, so they’re cutting back on anything that might cost money, like Thinning our dressings, cutting back on quality ingredients? I don’t know, just a guess. Maybe if you’re just going here to drink, it’s a nice place with a decent atmosphere, but if you’re looking for food, I can think of 10 other places to go to first that would be much better. They obviously don’t care about the product they’re putting out. I think Gordon Ramsey needs to go here and straighten them out. It’s a shame because it’s a great location. I hope they try tasting their recipes before serving them. Maybe they’ll get better with time."

"We came around 6pm on a Thursday and the parking lot was nearly full. Heard a lot of great things about this place and wanted to try it. The place is cute, food was ok. My dad's food came out piping hot and mine was lukewarm. I had 4 pieces of steak tips, 2 were cooked to medium rare (what I asked for) and 2 were medium-well, but still pretty good. The asparagus was perfect. The fries might have been better if it came out earlier. It didn't seem like there were enough waiters, but they did a pretty good job of getting to everybody."

"The renovations that were done are amazing, brought new life into an old building! I love all the personal touches from decor or tables. You can tell that a detailed eye put a lot of effort into making this place special. Food was spot on and service as well! Still dreaming about the Irish soda bread and nachos! Cocktail list was great but love that they include cocktails as well! Too busy enjoying to get more photos. Definitely a place worth going to again and again!"

"I’ve been so impressed by the James Essex both times I’ve been. The owners managed to convey the friendly, personal atmosphere of their first location within a much bigger restaurant. The service was above and beyond - the chef came out and spoke to me both times I was there, and the bartenders made time to check in despite being quite busy. The food was amazing, high quality, and came out quickly both times. I can’t wait to go back and bring my family!"

"The James is an awesome place!!! Please be aware that it is not a pub pub, it is a very upper class pub. The prices were reasonable and the staff was friendly. The food was so so fresh!! If you’re looking for a “pub” where your shoes are going to stick to the floor, this is not your place. If you want a great place for a date or family dinner, this is it!!!"