Have you ever noticed when some high end restaurants look to create a casual, duplicable concept they just dummy down their high end menu with a few sandwiches and stick a Café in front of the name? Café Boulud in New York and Café Spiaggia in Chicago are two off the top of my head but there are plenty more. Don’t get me wrong; I understand it. The fancy shmancy place has name recognition and you lure in the more casual and more frugal diner by advertising the casual place as ‘almost as good’ without the fuss and muss.
When we heard Chef/Proprietor Kent Rathbun of Abacus was opening a more casual concept we were a little more than fearful that we would have a Café Abacus on our hands. He fit the profile. He had reached an enormous amount of national acclaim from his cooking stints and awards from the James Beard House, appearances on TV shows, charity work, etc and Abacus wasn’t really a chain-able restaurant. It is high end with an ever changing menu. A big part of its allure is its uniqueness and originality and it is only open for dinner. So, it made all the sense in the world to create a less pretentious, more carefree sibling that’s open for lunch, brunch and late night and especially made sense to do so in the emerging, self sustaining Legacy Town Center in far north Plano. And it definitely made sense to copy cat enough of Abacus’ menu, at least the famous lobster shooters, to make the Plano-ites feel like they were dining at Abacus north right?
Thankfully, there is no Café Abacus. Thankfully, Chef Rathbun is too creative to dummy down one concept to help another one take off. Thankfully, in fact, there is literally no similarity to Abacus and that makes the appeal of Jasper’s that much greater.
Dubbed as Gourmet Backyard Cuisine, Jasper’s has been so wildly successful since its opening in 2003, that they’ve already spawned outposts in Austin and The Woodlands with more to come. As you know, we don’t typically put chain restaurants on our site and, when we do, there is a good reason for it. Normally, as in the case of Oceanaire, Craft Dallas, and Nobu, the local chefs have some autonomy over the direction of the menu and the freedom to cook what they want (within the context of the corporate vision). With Jasper’s, the fact that it started here, was founded by one of our most famous and best chefs, and boasts a kitchen led by Aaron Staudenmaier (a former winner of the prestigious Rising Star Chef with extensive stints at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia and The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas on his resume), was more than enough to include it on our site and exclude it from the culpability of chain-dom.
Having many friends in Iowa, I was a big fan of Maytag Blue Cheese before it became so popular. Yes, same people as the washers and dryers until a few years ago when Whirlpool bought that part of the company. How does pungent cow’s milk blue and washers and dryers that supposedly never break down come under one roof? Not sure but I’m a very loyal fan of anything with Maytag Blue in it. That leads us to my favorite starter at Jasper’s – the Maytag Blue Potato Chips (see Dishes to Die For). Potatoes are sliced and kettle cooked in house then piled in a basket. Crumbles of the creamy blue are slathered across the top and sprinkled with chopped scallions. No, it’s not particularly pioneering in technique but the crunch from a perfectly cooked chip and the sharpness of the blue cheese is a magical combination that I never miss on my visits.
They take a different and better spin on calamari. No boring marinara dipping sauce here. Instead they serve it with a sauce of toasted orange soy sauce with sesame seeds and cilantro. If you’re over that whole fanatical carb counting thing, do yourself a favor and order the 3 cheese focaccia with carmelized shallots and portabello mushrooms. There are so many great flavors in this bread and if it is possible to make a meal out of a loaf of bread, this one would be a contender.
In the spirit of its relaxed approach, Jasper’s offers two swanky burgers on their dinner menu – one a prime burger with pepperjack cheese, Shiner Bock braised onions and apple smoked bacon and the other a Wagyu Kobe Beef burger. Lunch includes several other sandwiches like a Kobe Beef Ruben and a smoked ham and Gouda Grilled Cheese. Don’t get me wrong; if you find yourself near Jasper’s close to lunch time after a long night of consuming adult beverages, one of these and a good bloody Mary will chase away the hangover lickety split. But, for dinner, I just can’t bring myself to order a burger when there are so many superior menu options there for the taking.
Particularly if you’ve made the journey from south of 635 and paid the $4-$5 of tolls to get here, someone at your table damn sure better order the Texas Peach Barbecued Tenderloin (see Dishes to Die For). A beautiful loin strip is marinated and swaddled in a fusion of sweet peaches and spicy homemade BBQ sauce. Sliced thick and fanned over bourbon spiked creamed corn and a twice baked potato and topped with Tabasco laced onion rings, this dish is so good I would recommend it twice if I could. Wait!! I can, so let me repeat…Someone at your table simply has to order the Texas Peach Barbecued Tenderloin.
Ribs are certainly backyard and certainly casual. We’ve also seen ribs, be it braised short or traditional pork baby backs stacking up on higher end menus for the past several years. There’s nothing all that artful or dramatic in presentation about Jasper’s version but, again, that’s the beauty of the approach here. Take a backyard comfort food and just create the best version of it without trying to trick it out with exotic ingredients. Jasper’s slow smokes theirs to a fall of the bone tender and sides them with a creamy baked potato salad.
Granted, when you think of a gourmet picnic, slow cooked meats come to mind but one of their fish preparations that stood out was the macadamia crusted striped sea bass. On our visit this was served with a cool salad of heirloom tomatoes and haricot verts and a smoking cloud of whipped potatoes with a little truffle essence. The crunch and sweetness of the nuts were a nice twist to the more routine almond crusting.
Jasper’s just recently launched a prime steak program. Partnering with famed bovine broker Allen Brothers, they now offer a half dozen cuts of USDA Prime and two Sterling Silver (the very best of Choice) meat. I mean, you tell me. When you’re thinking about firing up the grill for a nice dinner at home, doesn’t a steak seem to find its way onto your menu? Of course. So, it only made sense for Jasper’s to add a few more cuts to the two offerings previously there. The gamut now includes two sizes of prime filet, a porterhouse for two, a strip served Delmonico style, a bone in ribeye and a prime Berkshire pork chop as well. Anyone that knows Chef Rathbun will tell you he doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to quality...be it Maple Leaf Farms ducks, Berkshire Pork, or Allen Brothers beef. Rest assured you’re getting the best cuts from the very best purveyors out there.
Super sides are headlined by the aged Gouda and Smoked Ham mac and cheese. You know the deal. Super creamy with the savory meat and luscious cheese making the elbow pasta a mere afterthought. The aforementioned bourbon cream corn, as well as the grilled portabello whipped potatoes, also makes the list.
Pastry Chef (and accomplished artist) Rick Griggs oversees the desserts at both Abacus and Jasper’s. Unsurprisingly, the after dinner goodies at Jasper’s are a little scaled down and a little more playful than its famous older brother. Abacus regulars might remember the chocolate dessert with the mini chocolate malt from 5-6 years ago. It has resurfaced at Jasper’s (thanks Chef!). Other hits are the cherry limeade pie and the butterfinger crème brulee. Nothing fancy but stuff that would make you say WOW at anybody’s back yard picnic.
The wine list is actually not near as restrained as you might think. It would have been easy to slap a handful of big name Cabs and blends on there but it is very clear a lot of thought went into this collection and the vast majority of the bottles are quality vinos priced under $100. A couple of my favorites that go very well with this type of cuisine are the Hendry Block 7 Red Zin ($85) and the Qupe Syrah “Bien Nacido” ($70). Some of the bigger ticket wines that stood out to me include the Pinot Noir powerhouses Etude “Heirloom” Carneros ($180) and Seasmoke, which is quickly becoming the Silver Oak of Pinot, priced at $111. The Veraison Stagecoach Vineyard Cab for $110 and the L’Arco Amarone at $157 are also delicious. You’ll also find a very solid representation of Spanish, French, and Italian Wines. By the glass offerings are plentiful at roughly 30 as are the half bottle selection which hovers around 40.
Designed by the Egstrom Group out of San Francisco, the theme at Jasper’s is a modern outdoors look. Think low slung Adirondack style chairs in the sitting area by the bar, vertical groves of marsh like weeds, and polished yet still rustic looking floors with backlit panels lining one entire wall. You’re comfortable enough to be there with your kid but also realize you’d be at ease dressed up for a business dinner or special occasion.
Jasper’s stands on its own as a top notch restaurant that would’ve carved out its niche without the fanfare of Abacus. Who knows? Café Abacus might have been a hell of a success and having access to Lobster Shooters in two locations wouldn’t have been a bad thing. But I’m much happier to have an original restaurant like Jasper’s that I can count on for homey yet upscale cuisine in an atmosphere that looks nothing like my backyard patio but makes me feel just as comfortable.