Lunch is now being served at Jackson's - Pensacola News Journal

Julio Diaz • jdiaz@pnj.com • September 17, 2008

Lunch is now being served at Jackson's, 400 S. Palafox St., and having sampled the menu at a pre-opening media event last week, I can tell you, it's a lunch worth making reservations for.

Chef Irv Miller has put together an incredible menu that features a gourmet spin on such typical lunchtime fare as hot dogs, hamburgers, BLTs and salads, alongside heavier and more traditional Jackson's entrees such as filet mignon and Maine lobster.

I chose the fixed-price business lunch ($17), which includes the featured entrée of the day and a choice of salad or dessert. The entrée, a superb vegetable lasagna stuffed with rich cheese and fresh veggies, was a very generous portion, but it was so good, I couldn't help but eat it all.

My wife had the hickory-fired Kobe beef cheeseburger ($15.50), which she proclaimed the best burger she's ever had. It's served with crisp Parmesan basil fries that are too tasty for ketchup.

We also shared one of the delicious large salads, and to call them "large" isn't doing them justice. One salad could easily feed two people on its own.

We watched plate after plate brought to tables around us, and each dish looked better than the last. There's no danger of growing tired of the same-old stuff here; with the extensive menu, you could try something different every day for weeks. And even though it's lunchtime, Jackson's first-class service doesn't miss a beat.

And if you don't have to rush back to work, your first martini is on the house with lunch.

Reservations are very highly recommended. Call 469-9898.