|
Dining Out: Jacksons
Dinner and Jazz-filled
Summer Evenings
Great food and music make dining at Jacksons a memorable experience
By Cassandra Wentworth
With its casual yet refined style, Jacksons Restaurant-Rotisserie-
Bar in Southpointe is an ideal jazz venue. The fact that assistant
executive manager Joe Mowod is the son of a local jazz legend is just
the olive in the martini.
Tony Mowod, WDUQ Jazzworks radio host and president of the
Pittsburgh Jazz Society, helps Jacksons coordinate its weekly tribute to
America’s first art form, complete with local talent, wine-tasting, and
tapas. Each Friday evening through the summer, the Jacksons patio
transforms into a cool club with hot performers for Jazz to the Hilt.
The event starts at 7 p.m., and includes wine and drink specials and a
specially designed tapas menu, which always complements the
featured drink of the evening.
Tony adds his own magic to the evening by interviewing the
slated performers on his show the week before the event.
“Pittsburgh is well known for its jazz heritage,” Joe says.
Chef Jeff Kuhlman creates such mouthwatering tapas specials as
smoked pork shoulders, grilled Tuscan bread and pan-seared scallops.
The patio seats 50, so reservations are recommended. But even
diners seated inside can enjoy the event.
Guests seated outside aren’t limited to the tapas selection. They
can order anything off the restaurant’s diverse menu of American
cuisine with international flair.
Kuhlman changes the menu each season to highlight the freshest
ingredients available. However, the staples Jacksons has gained its
reputation with include shrimp and chorizo chowder; jumbo lump
crab cake served with kaitafi, fennel-apple slaw and remoulade; and, of
course, Omaha steaks.
“What makes them special is the way they’re grilled,” says Joe.
“We grill them over mesquite and hickory to create that distinct
flavor.” The sweet smoky smell wafts through the dining room,
enticing appetites.
Seafood also is a Jacksons forte, with fresh selections including
halibut, scallops, Mong Chong, snapper and salmon flown in from
Hawaii and other locations daily.
In the dining room, a fireplace, wine lockers and curved cherry
wood bar add to the comfortable yet elegant atmosphere. Soft jazz
swells from the speakers. Raised blue candleholders offer a shock of
color above white tablecloths, and bright, bold paintings hang
throughout the dining room.
“We've been voted Most Romantic Restaurant [by the Tribune-
Review], and we are perfect for anniversaries, birthdays and other
special events. But we’re not just that,” says Manager Mike Lucente.
“You can come in and just get a pizza or hang out and watch a game
in our bar on one of our three giant flat screen TVs.”
But if you do come for a special occasion, Jacksons Southpointe
offers a private dining room that can sit up to 20.
While it is well known for its excellent food, Lucente says
Jacksons’ reputation hinges on the attentive service provided by every
member of the staff.
“We want our guests to know we’re concerned about them,” he
says. “We want them to have an experience.”
Jacksons Southpointe also features performances by Sunny Sunseri
every Friday night, with the jazz artist changing up his vocalist and
companions weekly. An end-of-summer Jazz Explosion night also is
in the works.
At the Jacksons Moon location, summer entertainment is coupled
with a Caribbean island atmosphere. Manager Brian Torchia and his
staff put on a Jamaican-themed event every Friday. Steel drum bands
provide the entertainment and guests can sip sangrias on the patio and
dine from a tapas menu of jerk chicken, fried plantains and coconutcrusted
scallops.
Whether you’re in the mood to sip wine and taste tapas, enjoy a
full meal with family and friends, or simply sip a cocktail and take in
some jazz, Jacksons always offers a memorable experience.
Jacksons Restaurant-Rotisserie-Bar Southpointe is located at 1000
Corporate Drive, adjacent to the Hilton Garden Inn. Monday through
Thursday, Jacksons serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and dinner from
5 to 10 p.m. On Fridays and Saturday, dinner is served from 5 to 11 p.m.
They are closed Sundays. The bar is open until midnight on weekdays,
2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. For reservations, call 724-743-5005.
|
