Convenience occasionally influences my choice of subject for review.
For example, I recently had family in town with a variety of expectations. They wished to play pool, have a beer and a decent hamburger, and not travel more than 30 minutes, as there were also time restraints. I was in the mood for finer fare, but also feared losing my reputation as a fine host. Were there any such places near that I hadn’t yet visited?
The South Jetty in Hammond seemed as though it would fit the bill quite nicely, and indeed it did.
Pool was played, beer drunk, burgers devoured. But as this isn’t an amateur review a la Urbanspoon.com, I feel duty-bound to elaborate.
There is a trend that I’ve touched upon in past columns regarding the encroaching shadow of the culinary world and its effect on menus in humble diners, cafes, sports bars and other eateries you wouldn’t expect. I used to know what I was getting when I walked into a South Jetty or comparable venue.
Now I’m eager to see what they’re attempting (and if they can pull it off). But I don’t know how I feel about it. Sure, such places are only trying to corner more of the market. They know that these days someone in the group would rather have a mixed green salad with pears, walnuts and bleu cheese tossed in balsamic vinaigrette than an iceberg ranch.
They should also know their place. I make this statement not out of some misplaced animosity I might feel toward a restaurant that lets what used to be polar opposites mingle next to each other on the menu, but rather because it’s rarely done right. The now commonplace items that were years ago evidence of a classier restaurant almost seem to contaminate a simple burger and fried seafood menu. They simply don’t fit in, don’t feel true. The lines have been blurred.
So I order that pear walnut bleu with the balsamic ($7.95) in the Hammond bar. Pear cubes, unripened, overpopulated the large bowl. A level handful of raw walnuts throughout. Too few greens swimming in a sea of factory vinaigrette. The bleu cheese was thankfully restrained. These ingredients cannot simply be dumped in at will like so many chef salad toppings. There’s balance and precision necessary. The Caesar salad ($4, $5.50) was as expected. Despite the factory shredded Parm, indistinct dressing and OK croutons, South Jetty doesn’t butcher a classic. Clam chowder ($4, $6) is rouxy for my taste, but was enjoyed by my inland dwelling guests who don’t eat it everywhere they go.
Housemade chili ($4, $6) is extremely thick – fork thick – and sports good flavors and balance. You certainly won’t be crushing in those Saltines offered on your saucer.
Appetizers were hit and miss. Grilled shrimp wrapped in bacon with pesto ($6.50) is another item out of place here, though the gutsy presentation was worth a chuckle. An 8-inch skewer impaled six smallish prawns while a thick strip of bacon weaved around them like the serpent on the rod of Asclepius. Even after you dismantle the odd food sculpture and remove the shrimp tails, it’s another chore if you’re sharing. The single long strip of bacon must still be divided up and somehow reunited with the shrimp and unnecessary pesto.
Pan fried oysters ($7.50) were crumby in both senses of the word. Overly coated and overcooked, they resembled the “oyster McNuggets” some may remember from a previous column.
Crab cakes ($7.50), served with garlic aioli fared better, and are recommended. However the “citrus salad” they sat upon was not a salad of citrus segments as I’d been led to believe (not by a server, my own logical assumption), but rather mixed greens dressed in citrus vinaigrette. Chicken spring rolls ($5.50) were odd to see on the menu, but despite their slight greasiness, were satisfactory. It’s also nice to note that it’s an item made in-house.
Entrees also varied in levels of success. Meatloaf ($9.95) was deliciously pedestrian given the fanned-out, propped-up presentation I found a little too showy for the comfort-food staple. Green beans were heavy on the garlic and cooked just between al dente and mushy.
Mashed potatoes were fine, benefiting from the surrounding pool of brown gravy.
Chicken Parmesan with mushroom penne alfredo ($13.95) was rather disappointing. The crusted chicken itself was not the problem, but rather its foundation of pasta was in a bland sauce. Table salt, a dash of Tabasco, and a lemon wedge off of a guest’s plate breathed a bit of much-needed life into the dish (I’m MacGyver).
A 12 oz. ribeye steak ($16.95) ordered “blue” (extremely rare) was cooked medium to my disappointment. Roasted Yukon gold potatoes (my favorite next to fingerlings) were somewhat redeeming.
As I suspected, burgers and sandwiches ended up scoring highest with me. A mushroom and pepper-jack burger ($8) was a solid choice. Soft Kaiser roll, decent patty not too dry, sauteed fresh mushrooms and melted cheese – hard to mess that up.
The pastrami Reuben ($7.50) was flawless and messy at once. I liked the fries: a good factory variety with an ultralight batter coating just to keep them crunchy throughout the meal. I’m not much of a “tater-tot” person, but the one who accompanied me assures me the South Jetty’s are tip-top; not too crunchy, not too limp.
A turkey-Swiss panini ($7.50) was a touch hard on the outside, but like beef jerky, was OK once I accepted its most durable countenance.
I’m beginning to reach acceptance of menus such as this by thinking of them as ambitious rather than pandering (not to mention an unavoidable reality). But I always wish the “finer” items could be handled with more care. The very inclusion of a pear walnut bleu salad on South Jetty’s menu makes it passe, but the fact that it has come so far earns it the respect to be made right.
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