Friday night, we found ourselves looking for a place to eat. We weren't looking for anything in particular, we were just looking for something we'd like. We found it!
Jam Bistro by Eden. My understanding is that Eden is one of the restaurants in Rehoboth. They opened Jam as a little more casual, affordable option. First...I love the logo/artwork. Simple. But who judges a restaurant by their logo? How about the food?
After we ordered, we were given a basket of house made tortilla chips with a tomato jam. The chips were fine, but the tomato jam was great. A nice alternative to the traditional chips and salsa. A great, condensed tomato flavor.
We ordered a few different things, staying in the appetizer/salad categories. We had a late lunch, so we didn't expect to want to eat too much. Well, we ordered way more than we should have. But it was worth it. Our starting course was Roasted Garlic and Pulled Pork Risotto with a broth--I think it was caramelized onion and bacon broth. This was good! GOOD. Intensely flavored with a wonderful texture. There were whole roasted garlic cloves stirred into the risotto with tender pieces of pulled pork. The broth was light and highly fragrant. Together, it was sublime. I'm guessing the broth is a restaurant trick to help pre-made risotto stay creamy and moist through the dinner service hours. I didn't mind. Seriously good flavor. I expect to make something like this in the future.
I had a salad that made me want to lick my plate. Simple, but good. Bibb lettuce with candied pecans, pears and pretzel croutons--made from cubed soft pretzels! The dressing was a dijon-maple dressing that played very well with all the ingredients. Neither the mustard, nor the maple dominated the dish. 
THE DEVIL! One thing on the menu that look particularly interesting to me was a section on different ways to have fries. Of course the first was where my eye kept going. Smashed Crispy FIngerling Potatoes with Bacon and a Vermont Cheddar sauce. So good. But too much. This came at the end of our meal and we couldn't finish it. The plate was large and could have given a table of 4-6 a nice snack/taste. For two people it was just too much. Other options included fries with Parmesan, Truffle Oil, Sea Salt, etc. 
And the final dish we wanted to try was the Creamed Corn and Bacon Dressing. First, I would classify this more as a custard or even a short souffle before I would classify it as a dressing. But that's just words. The fresh sweet corn was very sweet. Sweet. Which was great with the bacon serving as a foil. But overall, creamy, airy, light, soft with a nice snap from the fresh corn. Nice. This might be something fun to play around with. Eggs, cream, corn--additional flavor enhancers--bacon, onions, leeks, etc... There you have it! Jam! I would go back again. For the amount of food we had, plus drinks, we left spending far less than expected. Service was very attentive without being overbearing. Atmosphere was nice. A few color choices I may not make, but overall we were very comfortable. It was a later dinner, so the dining room wasn't packed, so I can't comment on the volumne during diner rush.
Check it out!
1 comment:
I definitely loved it - always great to find a new good place to eat in a town that has far too many "eh" places.
The risotto was by far the best, but I really liked all the dishes. I did have a caprese salad that left something to be desired.
Their cocktail menu had some interesting options which I'd like to play around with in the future. The only real downside to the meal was that the wine pour for Scott was awfully shallow.
But on the whole this place is a reasonably priced gem good for a meal or drinks/appetizers. Right down the street from where all the boys play for happy hour!
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