Mad Jacks: Jacks Skins
It’s fun on occasion to get good ol’ American Fare at a sports bar. An appetizer, maybe a burger and fries are staples during a visit like this. But most times when people who eat gluten-free go out, so many of these tasty treats are axed off the “safe to eat” list. Not at Mad Jacks Sports Cafe in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota.
We arrived last Thursday night when I needed to run some errands. While it was a little out of our way, my daughter and I were determined to check it out. We each asked for a gluten-free menu. And we got it: Mad Jacks full-blown, three-page gluten-free menu. I have seen some longer menus before but many of those have “asterisks” on them. If you eat gluten free you know what that means….some of the dish is okay, but you have to order it in a certain way (burger without the bun, salad without the dressing, etc). But not here. This menu was fully gluten-free — all the way down to the fryer! Even offering a gluten-free deep fried fish sandwich (see previous post with my interview from the general manager/executive chef).
We started with an order of Jacks Skins. They were basically a potato, with cheese, chives and bacon (we requested no jalapenos). They were very good. My daughter has been wanting those since we stopped getting them at Timberlodge Steakhouse (because they were fried in oil with the battered stuff).
Triple Decker GF Grilled Cheese & Fries
Mad Jacks: GF Cheeseburger & Fries
Then, Emma ordered a cheeseburger and french fries and I ordered the Triple Decker Grilled Cheese with french fries. The fries were great!!! It was so fun to see Emma actually get french fries from a restaurant! She was fine with the burger and the bun, but the actual patty was pretty charred. So she didn’t eat much of it. My grilled cheese wasn’t too bad, however the bread had a bit of an after-taste, so my recommendation instead of having three slices of iffy-tasting gluten-free bread in the Triple Decker Grilled Cheese…maybe make it just a double-decker traditional grilled cheese without the additional slice of bread. I think I would have enjoyed it more.
Next time, I will probably try another item off the menu, while Emma will probably give the burger another shot. Everyone I have heard from has really enjoyed their experience. And so did we. It is definitely worth a trip.
Tags: french fries, gluten-free, grill, Mad Jack's, menu, restaurant, sports bar
January 15th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Headed there tonight! Thanks for the tip and review.
January 16th, 2011 at 5:41 am
So I feel great this morning after a night of complete indulgence in bar food. Here’s the deal, restaurants should be far more invested in provide safe GF options because it only brings them business. We, our group of four, would never have driven 25 minutes on a Saturday evening only to wait 20 more minutes for bar food, were it not for the GF menu (and of course your review) When we go out, I tote anywhere from one to 7 people with me and we only go places with GF menus. I will probably do a review myself on my little blog but we love our meals. We started with the Szechuan green beans, something I really have missed, they were great. I had the breaded tilapia sandwich which was wonderful. Anyway, Amy, thanks for all the local reporting you do and the great blog. While Mad Jacks is way outside our geographic we we surely return!
January 16th, 2011 at 9:08 am
I am so glad you had a great experience Cari! Yay!
January 28th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Also check out Time Out Restaurant and Sports Bar in Elk River,MN. We were there this past Thursday 1/27/11 evening. They too have an extensive not ‘stripped down’ gluten free (5) page menu including Appetizers (Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Stuffed Bacon Cheese Potato Skins, Fries (currently oven baked), Southwestern Nachos), Fresh Soups (Soup du Jour, Chicken Wild Rice & French Onion) and Crisp Salads, Classic Entrees (steak,shrimp,chicken,curry, pork chops & BBQ ribs), Perfect Pasta Entrees with Tinkyada Brown Rice Penne, South of the Border, Pizzas with Rich’s Gluten Free Crust, Burgers and Sandwiches with Udi’s bagel for bun/bread. We couldn’t find the GF Menu on line…
but you could call to request a .pdf of it 763-441-4443