Fill Your Tank At Jackson’s

By Sara & Dave/ foodie@longislandernews.com

The bright red sign in front of Jackson’s seemed to shine especially bright, inviting us inside — maybe it was because we were especially hungry. We found parking spots immediately, however we’ve heard it can be difficult to find a spot or table during weekends and prime dinner hours. Jackson’s – the new incarnation of Blue Oyster Grille by restaurateur Artie Bloom — doesn’t take reservations, except for special days, but call when you are leaving the house and they will add you to their waiting list. They are taking Mother’s Day reservations, and both you and your mom will love it.

The evening truly began by jumping someone in the parking lot. By that, of course we mean jump starting a drained car battery. As soon as we accomplished our task, we were rewarded for our good deed with a warm, welcoming atmosphere and exceptionally good food. Upon entering we saw an old fashioned gas pump with a low price of 14 cents per gallon that made us wish we could fill up our tanks as well as our bellies at Jackson’s. As we joked about pulling our cars in to fill up, our hostess ushered us to a quiet table with a great view of the goings on in the dining room.

Fresh tortilla chips and an addictive creamy black bean dip with fresh tomatoes and cilantro gave us something to munch on while we studied the menu and took in the warm coziness of the dining area. The walls are adorned with black and white family-style photographs that make you feel as if you were at home.

We started with a drink special recommended by our server Jessica. A martini, she explained, that was invented only earlier that day, but is sure to become a Jackson’s favorite: the chocolate-Dr. Pepper martini is an amazing creation with the scent and taste of a chocolate-covered cherry infused with Dr. Pepper.

Browsing the menu we found many offerings that could be considered sophisticated comfort food. Dishes vary from burgers and sandwiches to southern barbecue and grilled specialties. With many tasty choices, like the wood roasted chicken, on the bone, mesquite seasoned and served with garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli and lemon drizzle ($14.95); fall-off-the-bone-BBQ ribs, marinated, slow roasted, slathered with a homemade southern barbecue sauce and finished on the grill ($15.95-$21.95); pecan crusted chicken in a port wine sauce, with caramelized onions, mashed potatoes and broccoli ($15.95); Asian lacquered Chilean sea bass with wok stir fry vegetables and Japanese sticky rice ($25.50); a classic chophouse burger with all the traditional fixings ($8.95); or the vegetarian-friendly veggie burger, a house recipe of brown rice and oat bran, served with lettuce, tomato, cheddar, BBQ sauce and crispy onions ($9.95). .

At Jessica’s recommendation we went with the horseradish potato crusted salmon with pan roast spinach in a Dijon mustard sauce ($18.95) and the special of the day, a papaya soy-marinated rib eye steak, served with wasabi mashed potatoes and broccoli.

We chose to start with a tropical and Caesar salad. The portions were so generous that they could almost have been a light meal themselves. Both came with a healthy dose of fresh mixed greens. The tropical salad featured apple slices, raisins, almonds and mandarin oranges with a Key lime honey mustard dressing — a citrusy tasting dressing which brought out all of the flavors of the salad beautifully. The light and flavorful salad would be the perfect lunch on a summer day, and brought to mind those Corona commercials taking place on a tropical beach with crystal blue water and white sand … it had us longing for a lounge chair and flip flops. Caesar salad, with traditional crispy garlic croutons, fresh parmesan cheese, and dressed with an egg-less Caesar dressing earned a bravo!

Before long, the flavorful aroma of our dinner hit us as we saw Jessica approaching our table. The presentation was picture perfect, almost too good to eat, but consume we did.

The 14-oz. steak was incredibly tender and had just the right amount of sauce to fully accentuate the flavor of the mouth-watering steak. Wasabi mashed potatoes were tangy yet delicious and left you wanting more. The salmon was cooked to perfection and sat atop pan-roast spinach, finished with a coating of sweet and spicy horseradish mashed potatoes and served with the Dijon sauce that nicely played off the tanginess of the wasabi.

Jessica warned us to save room for a special dessert. Restaurateur Art Bloom’s own invention, a hot fudge French toast sundae — to be shared by two or more — consists of large pieces of batter-soaked Challah bread french toast, topped with vanilla ice cream, warm caramelized bananas, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. One bite of it and we knew it was truly as if we had died and gone to heaven a la mode. Other dessert options included a sweet and tart Key lime pie, warm bananas foster bread pudding with banana rum sauce and whipped cream.

With so many tempting choices on the menu, including appetizers that we regrettably skipped in the name of dessert, we will definitely visit Jackson’s again.

Jackson’s Restaurant

6005 Jericho Tpke., Commack

631-462-0822

Cuisine: American

Price range: Moderate

Take out: available

Hours: Seven days from 11:30 a.m., Mon-Thurs ’til 10 p.m.;

Fri. and Sat ’til midnight; Sun. ’til 9 p.m.;

Brunch daily ’til 4 p.m.

Late night Happy Hour 10 p.m. ’til midnight

Main Menu