The Jacobson

[PumpkinStalker]

Has anyone else tried this place? I've been twice, once for lunch and once for late day apps, and came away impressed both times. I have a restaurant crush on them right now.

http://www.thejacobsonkc.com/

I went for lunch last week with some coworkers. We had a burger, herbed chicken sandwich, salmon sandwich, and banh mi (pork belly sandwich). The burger was great. They were out of the Tillamook cheddar so I got provolone, the bun was a buttery croissant type. I wasn't as big of fan of the pasta salad, it was a sour cream base, and I like the italian vinaigrette type better. Personal preference...

The salmon sandwich was a very hearty piece of salmon, very impressed with the portion size here. This will be the next lunch item I try.

For apps the other day we got the trio of hummus/dips and pita, and the crispy sesame crusted oyster mushrooms. They came with a delicious sriracha aioli for dipping. On this trip I ordered the Manhattan Mo which was a nice take on a Manhattan.

The decor is nice, elegant, but not stuffy. It has a pretty open airy feel to it, thanks to a garage door on the south wall, and windows/door views to the patio outside. I especially like the patio, and they put in a little bar outside as well for when the weather is nice. We'll definitely add this into our regular rotation of places.

[WSPanic]

I just went yesterday for lunch. I really liked the place. I had the Jacobson Burger - burger with a short rib roumelade, onion straws and bone marrow butter. It sounded so good, I didn't even add cheese to it. It was fantastic. I had the house made chips. They were seasoned with some sort of house-made spice mix - think it was some sort of curry/cinnamon/nutmeg/salt combo. Sounds weird, but they were great.

The two people I was with just got salads. They seemed please.

I'll definitely be heading back. Lots on the menu I wanted to try.

[smh]

We went opening night and waited 30 minutes past our reservation before leaving. However, based on the comments here and everyone else whom I've spoken to, we clearly need to forgive the opening night transgression and give it another go.

[KCLofts]

We had a late dinner on opening night. The food was quite good. Standouts include the stuffed meatballs appetizer and the pasta entree.

We didn't venture out to the patio, but it was definitely jumping.

I liked the space. Looking forward to going back sometime when we can spend more time to hang out and enjoy some cocktails.

[KCMax]

The menu looks delicious. How was the banh mi?

[AJoD]

The menu looks delicious. How was the banh mi?

It was a good sandwich, thought might not satisfy a craving for a banh mi. It was rich and porky, with generous slices of (pork belly, maybe?) and I don't recall a lot of heat, funk, or pickledy-ness. But I'd order it again.

[taxi]

The menu looks delicious. How was the banh mi?

It was a good sandwich, thought might not satisfy a craving for a banh mi. It was rich and porky, with generous slices of (pork belly, maybe?) and I don't recall a lot of heat, funk, or pickledy-ness. But I'd order it again.

It is pork belly. Mine was very fatty, I cut about 1/4 of the pork content off, still leaving a considerable amount of fat. No jalapenos and I don't think there was any cilantro. I would not order it again.

[loftguy]

The menu looks delicious. How was the banh mi?

It was a good sandwich, thought might not satisfy a craving for a banh mi. It was rich and porky, with generous slices of (pork belly, maybe?) and I don't recall a lot of heat, funk, or pickledy-ness. But I'd order it again.

It is pork belly. Mine was very fatty, I cut about 1/4 of the pork content off, still leaving a considerable amount of fat. No jalapenos and I don't think there was any cilantro. I would not order it again.

Pork sandwich of southeast asian origin at new American bistro named for Jewish haberdasher does not live up to traditional expectation.

I will soon give a report on the fried oysters.

[chrizow]

The menu looks delicious. How was the banh mi?

It was a good sandwich, thought might not satisfy a craving for a banh mi. It was rich and porky, with generous slices of (pork belly, maybe?) and I don't recall a lot of heat, funk, or pickledy-ness. But I'd order it again.

agreed. i checked out the jacobson last night with a friend and ordered the banh mi. it was tasty, but didn't really taste like a banh mi. as you say, it was basically a pork belly sandwich, on very soft (not crusty) baguette, with a modicum of pickled veg, cilantro, etc. the main flavor was the "spicy" aioli on it, which basically tasted like the "chipotle aioli" dipping sauce you might get at Blanc or Bloomin' Onion sauce. the fries were pretty good - they were hot and fresh, which is always nice, but really needed some salt. all in all it was a decent meal, esp. for $9 or $10 or whatever it was, but yeah it wasn't really a banh mi as much as it was a banh mi-inspired sandwich.

i am not really sure what to think of the place overall. it basically reminds me of a mashup of, say, Gram & Dun and The Well or even Houlihans. the menu is huge and tries to please everyone - everything from cornish game hen entrees to kind of generic pasta dishes and salads. my friend got the "jacobson burger" and said it was good. seems like more of a happy hour place than a serious dining destination, giant menu notwithstanding.

their cocktail program appears ambitious, but i have heard mixed results as to its execution - didn't verify for myself. they have a confusing "flask program" for certain cocktails where you can basically order a 2x or 4x size of the cocktail for sharing, at a per-unit discount. but this is not explained on the menu at all, and it took three staff members to try and explain it. it's something like "double the price, minus $2 for the small flask, or quadruple the price, minus $2, for the large flask." could be a bit more clear, but whatever, i dont really see us ordering these large format cocktails anyway.

beer choices were pretty good, maybe 10 beers on tap, including a nice selection of blvd smokestacks. i had a lagunitas IPA draft, which was delicious. i also had a PBR which was awesome - probably because the keg lines are so fresh since the place just opened. several wines by the glass, pretty decent stuff if a bit skewed towards the marketing-driven wines with pretty labels and pithy names.

overall, i think the food and beverage execution is okay, but it seems like it's more about the scene than anything else. very "plaza/joco" crowd, great patio with firepit, kitschy cocktails and an all-over-the-map menu to appeal to a broad range of folks. nothing wrong with that, and i anticipate it will be popular. it just seemed like a bit of a suburban place to me or something, despite the urban location, like you plopped a Yia-Yias into a 1900s warehouse.

[smh]

Reminded me of Reverse.

[chrizow]

also, the TV above the bar was tuned to MMA / UFC fighting, which i thought was kind of weird. the audio feed in the men's room was playing jeff foxworthy standup comedy. and the restaurant soundsystem was playing really bad, Hoobastank or Creed type rock music that was just awful. i don't expect places to always play great music or anything, but it was just kind of weird to watch MMA while listening to such ostentatiously bad music in a place ostensibly trying to be "classy." the sights and sounds were more like something i would expect at a dive bar in independence.

[bobbyhawks]

also, the TV above the bar was tuned to MMA / UFC fighting, which i thought was kind of weird. the audio feed in the men's room was playing jeff foxworthy standup comedy. and the restaurant soundsystem was playing really bad, Hoobastank or Creed type rock music that was just awful. i don't expect places to always play great music or anything, but it was just kind of weird to watch MMA while listening to such ostentatiously bad music in a place ostensibly trying to be "classy." the sights and sounds were more like something i would expect at a dive bar in independence.

Ha. That kinda reminds me of the random nature of Rythm and Booze. I have actually enjoyed their food and good prices on Tank 7, but the music is almost always horrendous. It can actually pass as a dive, though.

[KCLofts]

Reminded me of Reverse.

That's exactly what they were going for. One of the partners was involved with ReVerse.

[DaveKCMO]

who's been to the J so far? thoughts?

[chrizow]

i've been once, see review above. i think it is okay, nothing great. it's the kind of place that i wouldn't object to for a lunch with coworkers, but i would never voluntarily suggest to go there. it feels like the inverse of the phenomenon where all the midtown restos opened in leawood - the "J" feels like a flash in the pan JoCo "hotspot" but located in the freighthouse district.

also, like many bars and restaurants in KC (including Affare) the "J" is way too big.

[ignatius]

I thought it was OK too, nothing great but a doable option for downtown. I thought much better than Nica's nearby. And agree it's too big of a space. I don't understand the need for huge restaurants in KC. Most large cities 'urbane' eats only have maybe a dozen tables, some less.

[kboish]

also, like many bars and restaurants in KC (including Affare) the "J" is way too big.

Absolutely agree with this. I think part of the reason westport cafe and the boot are successful is their size. Things in KC need to be scaled way back-especially downtown restos. Nothing worse than walking into a huge space w/ no one in it- or on the flip side walking into a cheesecake factory type setting where you know there is no way you're getting a quality meal.

[KCPowercat]

I like it for happy hour but haven't craved their full dinner menu. Love the patio, I think its been mentioned here before but how the bar interacts with the dining room is weird especially the TV and audio choices

[loftguy]

I am quite pleased with the J.

Too big? I have seen the place full on several weekend nights. And if a place is at capacity with some regularity, I have trouble seeing it as "too big".

I have enjoyed most everything I have sampled from the menu. Not the best meal to be found in the city, but something to satisfy a broad range of tastes with pleasing results.

This is now a stop in my rotation and it has been a good time, on each visit.

[bobbyhawks]

I haven't tried much of the menu, but I've heard it can be inconsistent. I always order the Jacobsen burger, and I think it is among the best burgers in the city (probably my favorite right now). The marrow butter gives it a richness that does not need and is probably diminished by added condiments.

I will agree that the bar placement is awkward, but I'm happy to have this as an option.