Cronin's Currents - November/December 2000

Just across the road is JAKE & EARLS Dixie Roadhouse and our own Cronin's Critic recently visited this 90‑seat, full‑service comfortable and casual restaurant and bar on a very busy Friday evening:

There are many benefits to living at Cronin's Landing; the convenient location, the scenic Charles River and now JAKE & EARLS DIXIE ROADHOUSE where they are serving some serious food! Let me get right to that first. You'll order dinners named the "Et TuBubba?" Southern Caesar Salad, the "Delta Double" Chicken and Ribs and the "Tennessee Triple" with pulled pork, pulled chicken and beef brisket. Entrees all include baked beans, slaw, cornbread and watermelon not to mention the house, hot, sweet or mustard BBQ sauces. The restaurant was more like a backyard party the night we visited. Friends meeting friends, people making friends. The bar was filled with happy, satisfied diners who mixed and matched their food with their bar tabs while the dining rooms, filled to capacity, buzzed about their business. Our group ordered a smorgasbord of food starting with the "D‑Train's Stuffed Jalapenos" hot poppers that oozed with cream cheese and went down too easily. Hurts so good! And like the house chile which was meaty and rich with sweet onions and served with a big hunk of cornbread, truly a meal in itself. We moved quickly through the menu by ordering a Southern Caesar Salad which was fresh & crunchy with just the right amount of lemon and was topped with smoked BBQ chicken that was tender, juicy and flavorful. Next came the `entree of smoked and rubbed salmon topped with pineapple chutney, fried plantains and grilled eggplant, an instant favorite among our group. Jake & Earl's gets thumbs up not only for getting all the orders correct, but for serving them fresh and hot from the kitchen. More thumbs up for the prices. Appetizers & sandwiches run from $4.95 to $6.95 smoker platters & entrees range from $8.95 to $15.75.

There are lots of choices around our city, but when it comes to authentic BBQ, owners Don Yovicsin and Tyler Goff know what works and wants you to `PUT SOME SOUTH BACK IN YO' MOUTH". Take for instance the all‑wood fired , $20,000. BBQ cooker that was custom‑made and shipped from Mesquite, Texas. This baby holds up to 1,000 Ibs. of meat (that's 1,000 Ibs.!) that is smoked through the night to insure that your ribs, brisket, chicken and even bologna is cooked to perfection without any electricity or gas. Then there's Head Chef Steve Peal who joins Jake & Earl's after a few stints at some places you might have heard of ...The Bay Tower Room, Grafton's and the Iguana Cantina. A visit with Steve, who by the way attended the Culinary Institute of America, quickly assures you that he and his assistants are well‑trained to bring delight to your every tastebud. These guys love to cook and they maintain a clean and a festive kitchen atmosphere!

As for the beer in a bag and a bone... this is legendary at Jake & Earl's. They serve your PBR canned beer in a brown paper bag, just for fun and their "best ever" pork spareribs are just $2.00 each by the bone! Ya'll come!