My boyfriend and I went to Josie last night after reading great things in Los Angeles magazine and on citysearch, but have to say were disappointed. We eat out frequently, always trying to experience new restaurants with an open mind and a mutual love of good food. The interior, first of all, was a little outdated and somewhat blah, however, that could easily become ""easy going"" or ""down to earth"" if the food was outstanding. I enjoyed the lack of LA ""scene"" and the humility of the place, thinking that the focus must be 100 percent on the food. But no. We split two appetizers: the wild mushroom sandwich and the fig & goat cheese tart. The wild mushroom sandwich was great, really creamy, earthy and comforting. The tart on the other hand was boring. There was no goat cheese flavor really and the overall taste was unimpressive. We shared the tagine of short ribs and the white fish as the entrees. The tagine was good, average good, not like ""we are coming back here for this dish"" good. It could have used more potent moroccan flavors and spice, but hinted at the exotic rather than achieving it. The Israeli cous cous in the short ribs was fun texturally, but also lacklustre in flavors. The fish was boring. It was slightly fishy (as in not fresh-white fish should be mild and flaky). There was no real marinade, infusion or sauce on the fish to compliment it either. The vegetables underneath were good though, a mixture of beans, tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Oh, and we ordered a side of truffle fries. Truffle + fry should equal heaven, but at Josie not so. Once again, the fries were boring both in texture and flavor. They were barely truffle-y at all, and I had to squint and imagine truffle taste while eating them. The trio of creme brulee were boring too. I don't know why anyone would make a creme brulee with a barely there carmelized sugar top; that's the best thing about creme brulee and the best part was not capitalized on. Too bad.
Pros: Good cocktails
Cons: boring food, boring interior
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