Joyful Cafe

Joyful Cafe

February 10, 2012

Joyful Café is on Francis Street near Vandercook Lake. It occupies the building that was most recently Mars Avenue Grill and for years was Bill’s Coffee Manor. I feel that this is an important location for a café in our area. The previous owners didn’t find success here, but I have high hopes for Joy and her crew.

We stopped in for breakfast several weeks ago and were very happy with our meal. At first, the café was only open for breakfast and lunch, but recently they have advertised a Friday night fish fry. My wife and I are big fans of a good fish fry, so we have been trying to work it out to get there on a Friday night. Well, after a long week of work and no motivation for cooking supper, it was an easy decision to try out the fish fry!

I got home and gathered up the girls and off we went to Joyful Café. We got there after 7 o’clock, so business was winding down a bit. We were greeted warmly and invited to seat ourselves. After a moment of deliberation we found a table and settled in.

We got our drink order in and studied the specials board for the fish choices. My daughter was pretty geeked to see that one of the sides offered was mac and cheese. Bobbi and Calli decided on the pan-seared cod, while I stuck with batter-fried. Baked potato was the side choice for the grown-ups, while Calli was having nothing but that mac and cheese!

During our short wait for our food to arrive, I was able to take a look at our surroundings. There is a definite “homey” feel to the café. Homemade curtains adorn the windows, antique knick-knacks line the shelves and the paint is a warm welcoming shade of yellow. Overall, it felt clean, tidy and well lit.

…and now the food. It arrived quickly and looked great! I saw Calli’s first, with the pan-seared cod, mac and cheese and two hush puppies. The mac and cheese was clearly homemade and baked. The fish was cooked well and the hush puppies were a golden brown, and Joy (one of the owners) assured us, “we make those from scratch too”. It’s important to us that restaurants go to the effort in the kitchen to whip up their own recipes, so that was nice to hear. Our plates arrived as well, and we were similarly pleased. My batter-fried fish was nice and crispy on the outside, flaky and well-cooked on the inside. Calli, in particular, really liked her fish.

My wife and I were both really impressed with the friendliness of the staff. Joy was our waiter, and her Mom was on the till, as well as pitching in elsewhere. Joy’s husband was in the kitchen whipping up the food.

I would encourage everyone to give Joyful Café a try. The owners are local and putting forth a great effort to provide a great product in a friendly, inviting atmosphere. I’m a big believer in supporting our local establishments, and Joyful Café is a valuable addition to the south east side of Jackson. 

leif.borreson@gmail.com

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Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson

City Crepes

City Crepes

February 4, 2012

After following the news of City Crepes opening, and then now being open on Saturdays , I decided it was time to give it a try. I can’t remember if I have ever even had a crepe. Being a veteran viewer of The Food Network, I am no stranger to the concept of crepes, but am still fascinated with the actual making of the crepes.

The family and I stopped into City Crepes at about 12:30 on Saturday, February 4^th. We brought a healthy appetite and curiosity to the little “hole in the wall” restaurant at 141 North Jackson Street in scenic downtown Jackson.

My first impression was how small the place is. It’s Definitely not a place to take a crowd to dine in. I think there were five small tables that looked like they would be at home on the sidewalk outside a bistro in Paris. The walls were newly painted in a pleasant hue, and the décor was very quaint and restrained. The owners did a really nice job with the decor!

But…let’s talk about what’s really important here. After all, I’m a heterosexual male; and I’m here for the food, not the interior decorating! I must say, If I had one concern about having lunch at a crepe place, it was whether they would provide me with a hearty enough meal. I needn’t have worried.

My wife, daughter and I perused the menu board and made our decisions. My daughter chose the “Main Street”, a crepe with cream cheese, bacon, turkey and fresh spinach. My wife decided on the “Farmer’s Market” with brie cheese, tomato, fresh spinach and herb de provence. She added some turkey to that as well. After much deliberation, I einie, meinie, miney, moed upon “The Barrio”, a crepe with Grilled Chicken, Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese, Salsa and Tortilla Chips. Once we got our order in, we took a seat and watched our crepes being made on the skillet. If you’ve never seen this procedure, it is worth the visit just to see. The thin batter was ladled on the oiled skillet and spread out with a unique little tool. Toward the end of the cooking of the crepe, the fillings were added and the crepe was folded twice to a roughly pie shaped piece. It was easy to see the high quality of the ingredients that were used. We finally all had our crepes in front us. My wife commented on the wonderful smells emanating from her crepe, very herby. I didn’t bother with the smelling of mine, I just dug in! Our six year old wasn’t quite sure how to attack hers, but with a little guidance, she heartily began.

The talking quickly subsided as we each got a mouthful or two in and reflected a bit. Mine was cheesy, with a nice sweet salsa tang. The tortilla chips gave it a little bit of crunch. The crepes have such an interesting texture; not like a flour tortilla at all. They are crispy at the edges and soft and almost spongy in the middle. My wife really liked the herby flavor of her crepe, and my daughter remarked, “Daddy, you picked the best place ever!”

The menu at City Crepes has two sides: Sweet Crepes on the left, and Savory Crepes on the right. Obviously we chose from savory crepe side, but others had chosen some of the sweet crepes, and they looked SO good, so we decided to share one of those for dessert. We agreed on “The West Side”, a crepe with sliced strawberries, cream cheese, brown sugar and topped with whipped cream. It did not disappoint, to say the least! Everything was warm and sweet, without being TOO sweet.

I certainly Wish City Crepes success. As long as they keep up the quality and friendly service, they should do well. They make a welcome addition to the downtown area of Jackson, and we will visit again.

Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson

leif.borreson@gmail.com

Klavon's Pizzeria and Pub

                                    Klavon's Pizzeria and Pub

My family(wife and daughter) and I visited Klavon’s Pizzeria and Pub today(Saturday, January 28). It’s located north of Jackson at the intersection of M50 and Rives Road. We’ve been here before, but decided it was time to look at it with more of a critical eye.

  We arrived at approximately 12:30pm and found it to be about half full and were seated immediately. The staff looked to be friendly and professional. We got our menus and got our drink orders in. Surveying our surroundings, I was able to follow several basketball games on the multitude of TV’s scattered about. This place really caters to the sports fan!

They have a large selection of items on their menu, with pizza and wings probably being the most prominent.  It was no doubt that we would be ordering their famous stuffed pizza. It comes in medium and large only and comes with five toppings of your choice. We also ordered the cheesy bread sticks. The stuffed pizza takes a little while to bake, so allow a little time for it; that’s why we ordered the appetizer.

It didn’t take long at all for the cheesy breadsticks to arrive. They seem a little more flavorful than a lot of other restaurant’s breadsticks. They were thick with cheese and seasoning, with ranch dressing and marinara for dipping. There was some double dipping going on, but we’re family, so it’s ok! These breadsticks were so good, we had to be careful not to fill up too much before the main course arrived.

Finally, as we had cleared away most of the breadsticks, our pizza arrived. On the whole pizza, it had pepperoni, cheddar cheese and tomato. On my side it had sausage and salami as well. My wife and daughter chose black olives and mushrooms. The waitress placed it on the raised pizza stand and left us to admire this masterpiece. The first thing I notice is how massively thick this pizza is! As I raised the spatula, I could see the layers of crusts and toppings; truly impressive! Finally it was on my plate. I don’t know how they do it, but somehow they manage to have a crispy bottom crust on a pizza that is about two inches thick. This is a knife and fork affair. The first bite was just a little bit short of orgasmic! It was truly an “Oh my Gawd” moment. I took my time and savored this experience and slowly worked my way through two slices of heaven. By the time I finished, I had to let out the belt a notch. Truly, a satisfying dining experience.

We look forward to Klavon’s opening their second location in Vandercook Lake, in our neck of the woods. I’m not sure how my waistline will react to having them 5 minutes from home instead of twenty though!


leif.borreson@gmail.com

Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson