J. Gilbert's is a fine steakhouse. The menu is OK and the wine list is OK. The food was actually very good. It just was not a "special night" place. It is a big dining room. It was full of holiday shoppers and their families. There were a few people who seemed to come to gather together for dinner (sets of couples), but no one seemed to actually be there for a "special night."
Now, the prices are on the high side. There wasn't an entree under $30. When researching it I had seen photos of sliders and burgers, but those must be on a different "lunch menu." Not that I was going to eat burgers or sandwiches, but I always like a plethora of options.
We started with cocktails and they were well-made. We had the chacuterie platter. It DID introduce us to a few new things: bresaola (this is salted and dried beef)...it was sliced thin and was good, Mike didn't know what burrata was (it is like a very young mozzerella...not firm...a little cottage cheesey in the middle)...and a mostarda (this one was odd...it is candied fruit (like cherries or apricots) pickled in a brine with mustard seeds (or mustard powder may be added to wine and put in the pickling liquid)) and romao (this is a firm sheep's milk cheese from Spain). There was also: prosciutto, chorizo, red
spruce cheddar, cornichons (French word for little baby pickles), whole grain mustard, and a pear that had been poached with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg (it was really yummy). The chorizo must have been Spanish and not Mexican because it was much more "paprika" tasting than "spicy" tasting. I really enjoyed everything on this board...even the mostarda fruit...that didn't taste like mustard at all!
With this we ordered a bottle of wine. I totally thought I had "nailed it" in selecting a wine. My research said that the Caymus winemakers (bottles are usually $150-$200 made a cheaper wine called Conundrum. It is many of the same family of grapes but a fraction of the cost. Mike and I both thought it was one of the most boring wines we've drank in years. Bummer.
For dinner Mike had a steak, veg and some "polbano" au gratin potatoes. We had recently had au gratin potatoes at The Capital Grille in Clayton and they were nothing special, but Mike really liked these. The poblano pepper added just a little heat. He said his steak was really good and had been cooked well. That is high praise from Mike. 
I had something called Shrimp Durango. It was a take on one of my favorite dishes, cioppino. Cioppino is a seafood stew that is cooked with a tomato and garlic broth with a little white wine. There is always a bit of spice added to the broth. This was only shrimp, but the broth was very cioppino-ish. It was good. There were cooked tomatoes in the broth and diced raw ones added to the top. The shrimp were very nicely cooked and not overdone...that is often difficult in a big, busy restaurant. 
For dessert Mike had an apple crostade (apple cooked in a pastry). It was warm with vanilla bean ice cream on top. I had creme brulee with raspberries. Both were very yummy and a nice end to the meal.
The food here was very good. The service was fine. Next time we will wear more casual clothes and not come on a special occasion.
FYI...they have valet parking out front that costs $10 and was very worth it this time of year.
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