Friday 26 July 2013

Jack Astor's

After many delayed openings the Jack Astor's in Kingston was finally open to show off its one-of-a-kind rooftop patio for this summer.  I just recently had the privilege of trying it out and for the most part have a positive response to it.  The bar is cool, the view is nice and the misting machine they have to cool you off on a hot day is really quite interesting.  The only gripes I had were with the bugs (although really that happens with any outdoor venue so i can't hold that against them), and the silly potted plants they threw up there to "green" it up a bit, but again that's just personal preference.  The inside of the restaurant is as upbeat as any other Jack Astor's i've been to, equipped with monstrous mirrors, many tv screens and some brown paper covering the tables for you to doodle on.  But let's get down to the food.


Chicken Fingers (without fries)

My trustworthy meal that i so often order is of course the chicken fingers and fries.  The menus years back used to claim that they were "fresh never frozen" which was what originally attracted me to them.  They don't say that anymore however a coworker of mine who used to work on the line there claimed that they breaded them to order so i'll trust that they're still legit.  The fries are a bit underwhelming for me but the chicken is satisfying enough that it doesn't bother me much.  I paid about $13 or so which is a little pricey for chicken fingers but compared to the other menu items i'd say they're reasonably priced.

Spaghetti and Meatball

Complete with it's own little Italian flag the Spaghetti and Meatball looked like a solid choice.  I had a few bites of this and found it to be pretty good but nothing special really.  The sauce was pretty fresh tasting and although I enjoyed the hot chili flakes that had been added, my boyfriend did not and almost sent it back for being too spicy.  Just a head up incase anyone else out there orders it without a taste for spicy food.  The official name for this was something like "Really big meatball" which I thought was a quirky title for Spaghetti and Meatballs, but it turns out these noodles weren't spaghetti at all, they were Bucatini.  If you don't know what those are just think about the Kraft Dinner noodles in long strands and you've got the idea.  I'm sure they were used for the benefit of holding more sauce or just adding to the originality of the dish but to me I found it a little unusual.  It was around the same price range of the Chicken Fingers which i found a bit steep but again, affordable compared to many of the other menu items that would bring you well up to $20+. 

The desserts in general i've found to be a bit lacking, I had a few sundaes and maybe a cake at one point but nothing really that I was just dying to have again.  I'd say go for the 99 cent brownie for its value especially if you don't know how much room you have left for dessert. 

Other items not pictured are the nachos with added beef and honey BBQ wings.  Both of which were solid appetizers for what they were, I can't comment on the price since I received these appetizers for free.

On the note a good tip for students is to sign up for the Jack Astor's newsletter.  Every so often you receive an email for a free appetizer if you come in on a certain night.  The only restriction is that you don't order the 2lbs of wings.  I was surprised that there wasn't even a minimum purchase needed, and that they were kind enough to read the email off my smartphone when the coupon said to print it out.  

Overall:

3.5 / 5

I love the chicken fingers but that was about the only thing I really loved.  The food is good for what it is but the prices deter me from trying  other things there.  Though the ambiance is nice and the servers are attentive i'm only going to judge based on the food.  A close 4/5 but not quite there.  

Did I miss an amazing dish that would've brought it up to a higher score?  Should I retry a dish that has been improved?  Drop me an email and let me know!

-Liv 














Introductions

I've been in Kingston for what has almost been 4 years now to the date.  As a student I, like many other busy individuals, find myself in constant need of a good restaurant or take-out joint when I am exhausted from school, work, or both.  
Coming to this town for the first time I was surprised to see the sheer number of restaurants concentrated in the central Kingston area.  Not knowing where to start I searched the internet for reliable food blogs to recommend a few places.  I maybe found two or three of them but I was saddened to see that one is no longer in posting for Kingston and that others didn't quite seem to share my same opinions about certain places.
And thus after my few years of exploring the food scene I will now share some of my insight into eating on the town (or rather city) of Kingston.

Enjoy!

About Me

Food reviews from the beautiful Limestone City! Contact me at oliviainkingston@gmail.com