Jules
by Frank Quattrone
The new kid on the block in Bristol’s blossoming renaissance and dining scene is a cozy little BYOB with a peculiarly descriptive name — Jules@Market – Farm to Table Seafood & Chop House. Jules Soto, the charming owner and executive chef, is a Renaissance woman with quite a story to tell.Jules@Market brings to the Bristol Borough Water District what avid local resident Jules herself calls “a progressive restaurant, a little bit of sunshine, a big investment in farm-to-table, sustainable eating.” Since its opening, fortuitously, around Thanksgiving last year, the restaurant has grown from an extension of the owner’s award-winning boutique catering business to an unofficial community center. Many Bristolites, watching the staff prep for the evening meal, pop their heads in the door and ask if they can get a cup of coffee. No one is turned away. Often these unexpected guests receive an unexpected snack from the staff and find themselves returning for dinner a few days later.
Jules@Market’s spacious open kitchen is clearly a draw in itself. Jules says, “There’s a level of vulnerability, even integrity, behind every dish. It’s a rare level of accountability. There’s a choreography to the experience. Each staff member, including my son, Michael, who does much of the plating, and my great chef, Bob Williams, knows his role and plays it so well.”
Fittingly, the reviews to date have been rapturous. Jules finds that to be somewhere between “divine intervention and genes,” as she admits to never having worked on a (cooking) line in her life. Yes, she was a personal chef for three years. Yes, her mother was a professional cake decorator and her maternal grandfather was a chef. But still.
Encouraged by her general manager and Jill of all trades, Crystal Noyola, who has been by her side every step of the way, Jules built her first menu around seafood, chicken, and beef to learn what the locals like best. Ninety percent of the sales through their first months in business was seafood. And after a wildly successful “Seafood Fest” about seven months ago, it was clear that the die had been cast. Jules’ simple “good food” concept had evolved naturally, organically, into a seafood restaurant. It has thrived as such ever since. Quite humbly, the talented Jules says, “Culinary is a language. The more you practice it, the better you become.”
Tellingly, Jules@Market was one of the three finalists in the Seafood Eat-in Category in the patron-driven Best of Bucks 2018 contest — after only eight months in business! (The winner was announced after this article went to press.)
Oh, there are two regular meat items on the menu — Signature Sirloin, served with horseradish cream, gremolata, and fresh basil, and Herbs de Provence Lamb Chops, served with lemon, butter, and basil. But Jules has done swimmingly well with her popular Wednesday Raw Bar (plus full menu) and roughly a dozen seafood entrées on the regular menu.
After a great conversation with Jules, an avid traveler who does some writing on the side, Eve and I settled in for an array of fresh oysters, served with mignonette, spicy cocktail sauce, and a lychee, to cleanse the palate. The selection changes weekly, including one “Buck-a-Shuck” oyster each Wednesday. Virginia’s Grand Pearl was the dollar selection during our visit. We also enjoyed the prized Prince Edward Island Shipwreck oyster, Honey Cups from Norman’s Cove, Maryland, Nauti Pilgrims from Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Fireside Oysters from Cape May.
After our excellent oyster treat, Eve and I enjoyed Jules’ best-selling item Avocado Toasts, topped with the juiciest sautéed shrimp we’ve had in months. Next, we shared a generous, refreshing Beet Salad of meaty chunks of fresh beets topped with arugula and sheep’s milk feta under a lightly sweet fig glaze.
By now our palates were eager to try Jules’ vaunted seafood entrées. Eve enjoyed the mild but slightly sweetly flavored Copper Shoals Red Drum Fish, blackened and served with avocado, cilantro cream, and sriracha mayo. It was delightful. More so, for me, was the Jumbo Sea Scallops, served with slices of ruby red grapefruit, microgreens, lemon, and butter, and dotted with capers—one of the best scallops dishes I’ve had in years and now a new favorite.
Among the excellent side dishes available are sugar snap peas, roasted beets, and the best roasted potatoes I’ve had in years. Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, and other desserts are homemade for Jules by Sweet Mama, a local baker.
Guests—who range from local businessmen, police officers, and people who simply love good food, to patrons from Philadelphia and (yes, already!) New York City—enjoy their dinner in a simple, unadorned restaurant that projects a soundtrack-free movie on one wall (it was Pretty in Pink, with closed captioning, no less, the evening we visited) as acoustic music plays softly in the background. After just one visit, I can safely call the unpretentious, no-frills, but quietly spectacular Jules@Market, with its delightful chef-owner Jules Soto at the helm, “an unforgettable five-star fine-eating experience.” We can’t wait to return.
Jules@Market - Farm to Table Seafood & Chop House is located at 111 Market Street, Bristol, PA 19007; 215-458-7622; www.jossandjules.com. Open for dinner Wednesday (Raw Bar plus full menu) and Thursday, 5 – 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5–10 p.m. Available for catering (parties of forty or more). Reservations required for parties of ten or more. BYOB.