Jackson's Bar and Grille

Tee-bonez had been on my to-try list for quite some time - so much so that I didn't have a chance to get around to reviewing it and Jackson's Bar and Grille actually replaced it in the Cheat Lake area. I wasn't going to let this one slip through my fingers, so I asked on Facebook what their hours were. I got a prompt response from Chris and headed over a few days later.

It's at the back end of a cluster of buildings, and it's actually a bit fancier than I was expecting. Chris opened the door for us when we arrived and asked us where we'd like to sit. There was a white-tableclothed area straight ahead, but the lights were off, so we said we were fine sitting in the bar area since there were already folks there.

The menu isn't huge, but it has a little something for everyone - sandwiches, burgers, fish, steak, pasta. Though I rarely order red meat, it looked as if it was their specialty, so I ordered an 8 oz. filet. After a few minutes, the server came back to tell me they're out of filets, but would prepare the ribeye for the price of the filet. Okay, deal.

It came with a salad, choice of potato (mashed for me), and steamed veggies. The salad was out first. I asked for French dressing. I don't know if they make their dressings in-house; I'd be surprised if they did because I don't know many places around town that do, but it was really tasty. I have bought a lot of French dressing, but haven't tasted one quite like this. It was definitely on the sweeter side. But it was a good sweet - at least for me. Combined with a giant hunk of tomato and some croutons, the salad is an easy way to win my heart. For just a side salad, I was pretty happy with my plate.

Before our main dishes came out, Chris had came out to ask if we wanted to try their spin on bruschetta - it's on pita bread and has ricotta cheese. Uh, yes. This was really like a free appetizer almost, because it was a huge plate; I thought we'd just get one little piece. But it was cut up into almost a dozen slices and was quite tasty. I do like the crunch of bruschetta, but with melty ricotta cheese, it's hard to top. Pretty good.

Then our main entrees came out. This slab of meat was the size of my face. I asked for medium-well, and it was cooked perfectly. Very nicely cooked. It really wasn't as flavorful as I was hoping. I used some A1 sauce to amp up the taste, but I really didn't want to have to do that. It was okay. It tasted like meat. Some marinating or more flavorful spices would've been stellar. But, not bad.

The potatoes were actually really well-seasoned, though. I usually hesitate with the ones that have the skin mixed in because of an odd texture difference, but this blended seamlessly. I had pieces of rough skin in a creamy mix, but this was perfect. Delicious.

The service was spot-on, too, as Chris even made sure he said bye to us as we left. If the meat took on more flavor, I'd be happy. Because the service and other items were awesome.

Grade: B