BRUNCH

Service – 4

Our server was super tentative and I love that. I told you guys, I love being waited on, who doesn’t?! If you say you don’t, bye because that’s a lie. Especially during brunch, I usually brunch when I’m catching up with someone and in this case, I was catching up with my girl. When I invite someone out, I want it to be a good time. Being a “foodie” or whatever you want to call me, people expect me to know all the best places to eat and honestly I don’t because everyone’s taste buds are different… BUT, I do want to go somewhere where the service is good, the wait isn’t awful and somewhere that has a variety or unique menu.

The second I walked in, I was asked if I wanted coffee, or anything besides water. Bobby (our server) checked up every few minutes prior to ordering. I looked over the menu quite a few times and do my ‘what’s popular?” question. He answered with a couple options, I also asked what pictured the best but his suggestions didn’t confirm what I wanted to order. What my friend and I really wanted was the zucchini waffle and the pork stack. When we ordered the zucchini waffle, I was told it was sold out which broke my heart. Our waiter checked in the back immediately to let us know that they were able to make more. I had already placed my order, he could have easily just went with my second choice but he came back. I thought that was above and beyond. Throughout the entire brunch I only had to ask for more creamer but everything else was on point.

Ambiance – 4

Jackrabbit is unique to say the least. The space was actually pretty awesome. I loved the booths, it was really open where you could see from bar to bar. The decorum is like wood glam. Everything is made of wood but they have metal mixture with everything. It gives you somewhat of a dark feel but since there are a lot of lights and big windows, it balances it out. The plates all have their jackrabbit logo, even their knives have wooden handles with their logo engraved.

I notice the weirdest things and appreciate the smallest things. For instance, I LOVE abnormally small forks/spoons and LOVE abnormally large forks/spoons. They didn’t have any small utensils here but they gave us a serving spoon and fork which were huge. I loved it but my friends think I’m so weird for this. The music wasn’t loud and the light fixtures were beautiful. They’re connected to a hotel so I guess that gives you an idea of the decor. When a restaurant is connected to a hotel it is either upscale or a cafe. When people travel they either was quick or luxury. Jackrabbit went the luxury route. Especially being in the heart of SW Portland (downtown), almost all the hotel restaurants are going to be nice.

Wait – 4.25

I had reservations so I was seated right away. There were pretty big parties that came in and I assume they were in town for some type of meeting. They all had lanyards on and I noticed they were seated almost right away. There wasn’t a line but people kept trickling in and the traffic flowed nicely. After ordering our food, the wait was super short as well to get our meal. I would say 10-15 minutes which is nothing especially since I ordered the pork stack ( a pork chop). Everything I ordered, drinks, to food to dessert was super short. I liked that our server was not the only one doing drinks. The refill or water and coffee came from everyone so everyone was very tentative.

Food – 4

Maybe it’s what I ordered but Y U M. I ordered the green juice which I was NOT a fan of but I’m not a huge juice drinker in the first place. My friend however is and she liked it. I think the mint in the drink threw me off. Now, the food. YAS. Can I get a hand clap?! The zucchini waffle was filling with a hint of sweet. It’s not your typical waffle so definitely know when you’re ordering, think of it more of bread and not a typical waffle. It was served with lox, creme fraiche, salmon roe, some pickled onions and greens. I L O V E smoked salmon. On bagels, on pizza, anything, YES! That, right there, won my heart. I have no idea why I love it so much. I think because it’s light and with the creme it’s paired with, super fresh and tangy.

Let’s talk about the pork stack. Not going to lie, I thought this was super weird. I’ve heard of chicken and waffles but not pork and waffles. I got what I initially wanted which was the waffle but my friend was wanting this. I have to say, this was the S H I T. It’s not a light meal by any means so be prepared to unbutton your pants but mmmmmm! The pancakes were nice, they were thin and large. The hot sauce butter was rich and delicious but the pork stole the show as it should. My heart stopped when I heard hot sauce butter though, I am not going to lie. Any place that makes different flavors of butter, you already won me over. Anyways, I was literally picturing a huge pork chop but this was a little different. It was still huge but it was thin. The pork was cooked perfectly, not overdone which is easy to do. It was tender and was the nice salty to the sweet syrup pancake.

Onto the dessert, why did I order dessert for brunch? Because I can! Shut it! I ordered the Mandarin dessert with a white chocolate mousse, pistachios, burnt mandarin ice cream in some type of a crumble. The mousse was almost like a creamy ice cream, definitely a dessert to share. I love pistachios which added a nice crunch paired with the mandarin. I didn’t care too much for the ice cream but it’s a nice little bonus.

Overall – 4

I heard about this place when it first opened a couple months ago. I was dying to try it but it just kept slipping my mind. I am so glad I got the opportunity to come here, especially for brunch. It was not a let down. The food was both filling and yummy, Not your typical menu items but definitely a spin on the traditional favorites. Next time I go back, I want to try the bloody Mary cart, YES, YOU HEARD ME, and the fried chicken. Didn’t expect this place to be as good as it was but they’re legit. They definitely played with my emotions when I thought they ran out of  the waffles but redeemed themselves. To be honest, the menu items do sound either weird/unusual but it was all really good. The pork stack, is the spin of chicken and waffles, lox on a waffle is not far from lox on any type of bread, but they do have some traditional items like a quiche and hash. Try this place for yourself. Remember babes, Eat Rich or Die Tryin.