Jacques-Imo’s is the creation of chef Jacques Leonardi, who arrived in New Orleans by way of upstate New York for the Coast Guard Academy. Leonardi’s first job in a kitchen was due to an icon of cajun food, Paul Prudhomme and the rest is culinary history.
Jacques-Imo’s opened its doors in 1996 in Uptown New Orleans on Oak Street. Since then, they have been dishing out solid if not great food.
The menu is sort of hard to describe, as it does not focus on any particular cuisine. I would have to say that it is Leonardi’s spin on New Orleans food done how he wants it no matter what. That is because he is at the helm of the funky restaurant every night, roaming from the front of the house to the back. Even if you have never seen him before, it will take no time at all to figure out exactly who he is.
Dining at Jacques-Imo’s is a culinary experience to say the least with a small bar/waiting area in the front and restaurant in the back. The combination of the two make for a great night out. Best bet is to quickly get acquainted with the bar; unless you have reservations or arrive at opening, you are sure encounter a wait. Hey, if you are brave enough, there is even a funky painted truck outside that is available to dine in the bed of the truck.
Now for the food…..so many unique and delectable dishes to choose from. Each table is served an order of homemade cornbread muffins. Not your normal lunch line muffin, these have a slightly crunchy outside and a light fluffy interior. As for taste, its hard to beat the sweet, buttery and garlicky burst of flavor from these cornbread muffins.
Also served to all dining guests: a spinach salad topped with a fresh fried oyster. The fried oyster sort of wilts the spinach ever so slightly which I think makes all the difference. The dressing on this simple yet delicious salad seems to be some sort of sweet vinegar and worcestershire sauce. Whatever it is, it makes for a great compliment to the spinach and fried oyster.
For starters, there is the shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake. Trust me on this one, it is a must have when you go here and it is totally not like what you would expect it to be. It is savory and bursting with flavors and as a consistency completely unlike a traditional cheesecake, having a texture closer to a frittata. It is made of eggs, cream cheese, shrimp, alligator sausage, cheese, and other savory seasonings. If you have more than two people in your party, you may want to order two slices because I can promise you that a fight will ensue if you don’t.
Another good appetizer for the table is the deep-fried roast beef poboy. This too may sound odd, but deep frying just about anything tends to make for a great dish. The poboy is dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, mayo, creole mustard and then battered and deep-fried to perfection.
As for as entrees go, you can’t go wrong with Jacques-Imo’s rendition of the carpetbagger steak. This fillet comes stuffed with an oyster topped with caramelized red onion and blue cheese hollandaise sauce. While the mountainous steak cooks, the 
hidden oyster steams in its pocket imparting its flavor subtly on the steak.
The combination of the beef and the oyster flavors alone would make for a great meal alone. Top it with caramelized red onions, blue cheese and a hollandaise sauce and now you have a unbelievable meal.
Another can’t-go-wrong selection is the paneed rabbit. The rabbit is lightly coated with bread crumbs, simply seasoned and pan fried to perfection. The paneed rabbit topped an oyster and tasso pasta with cream sauce. The pasta gets its great flavor from the tasso which is a heavily seasoned and smoked pork butt and the oysters add a good flavor and adds a different texture to the dish.
I always hear the saying that rabbit tastes like chicken and I am here to say that it doesn’t. If you still think so, then it should be of no problem ordering this dish since everyone likes chicken. When ordering an entree, you have a choice of sides which consist of but not limited to smothered cabbage, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, corn maque choux(recommended), mixed greans, etc…
As mentioned before, be prepared to wait unless you arrive early or reservations are made for 6 or more. While waiting may bother some people, I think that this is only part of the experience of Jacques-Imo’s and should definitely be done. If you are looking for a place to have a romantic, quiet dinner, this is not the place. On the other hand, if you want a great meal, a few cocktails while waiting and a fun experience, make your way to this funky joint on Oak Street off of Carrollton Avenue.
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