Jobell Cafe & Bistro

Jobell – The Bobers

Well, I’m not sure if Wimberley was on his destination list, but we are delighted that the owners of Jobell restaurant, recent transplants from New York, followed Greeley’s advice. David Bober and his wife have crafted a beautiful little bistro on Highway 12 nearby Wimberly that’s been open for about 5 months.

The menu is eclectic, as is the accommodating ambiance and the beautiful artwork adorning the walls (we’ll save that story for the podcast). The sparkling lights wrapped around the giant oak trees glisten in the hill country darkness, and serve as a beacon to hungry foodies from all over Austin.

As we walked in, were were led up two small stairways to a table in the corner. The main dining room was spacious and elegantly appointed. Our server began with an amuse-bouche of roasted hummus that was excellent and most adequately accomplished its job of priming our palates.

I tried the Chicken Liver Pate adorned with a minted jelly, and it was spot-on. The pate was smooth and went perfectly with the thin slices of roasted bread. My wife had the Brie, and not only was it creatively accented and very appealing, it was gigantic. She had to take at least half of it to go (fine with me). We both had the Cream of Asparagus Soup, which was actually less creamy than I’d expected. This was a positive however, as the flavors really connected with the palate. I’d always prefer a restaurant to present on the thin side as opposed to too much cream. Jobell’s and their new exec chef from Tyler nailed it!

The entrées were also very interesting. Marge tried the Ravioli which arrived simmering with flavor wrapped in roasted pasta. Excellent mouth feel from this dish. I had the Flat Iron Steak drenched in garlic herb butter along with Pomme Frittes. The steak, ordered medium-rare plus, came as requested and the texture (with the exception of an errant vein or two) was quite good. Probably could have done without the side of ketchup for the fries, which were crisp and nicely flavored.

The dessert was a stunning Salted Caramel pudding, and it resonated and crackled with flavor. Some do not like this relatively new trend in gelati and puddings, but I am not one of them. Great dessert.

The only discernible negative was the somewhat shaky service. We sat for too long without cutlery, condiments, and had to ask repeatedly for simple things like Sweet’n Low for the Iced Tea. Our server was pleasant enough, but also unsure about some of the dishes. Again, this phenomenon is not uncommon in newer restaurants, but need to be fixed for Jobell to take the next step forward.

But at worst, it was a minor annoyance. The dishes were delivered in a timely manner, and the quality of the food more than compensated for the occasional service hiccup.

For a five-month-old restaurant, Jobell is ahead of pace. The area truly needed a place like this and thanks to the Bobers, it appears to have gotten one!