Jason's Deli Oak Brook, Illinois

Posted by on
Have you heard of Jason's Deli?  Surprisingly enough, it is the fastest growing chain restaurant in America.    They just opened one near our house on York Street in Oak Brook.  Funny location for now - being too far away from the Oak Brook Mall traffic - but it is 300 yards away from the under-construction Elmhurst Hospital.  I'm guessing that they're betting on hospital traffic plus whatever business lunches are taking place in the area.

We went to the Oak Brook location last week.  We'd previously lunched at their Oak Lawn restaurant.
The place is kind of like Panera without the focus on the bread and baked goods.  I took the photo above at the Oak Brook location. The menu is loaded with choices and it is somewhat intimidating.  The downside of these two factors colliding is that you order at a cash register.  That means that a line (if you go during one of the peak times - lunch or dinner) starts to back up.  I felt the pressure to step up, order and get out of the way.  But...with such an expansive menu plus the option of going with a salad bar (did I tell you that they have a salad bar!), it felt awkward.  I felt rushed the first time we went.

When we went back, I downloaded the menu (yes...the menu isn't available on their site in any other version but .pdf - which is a shame) and knew ahead of time what I was ordering.  This is the ONLY way to go at this place.  Do your homework.  Know what you are ordering before you walk in the door - it will make your dining experience all that much better.

Each time I had a sandwich and wasn't that impressed with either one.  Sure...there's plenty of meats on them, but they're just average as far as sandwiches go.  I'll have to dig back into the menu before (if?!?!) we go next time to find a better fit for me personally.  Both times we've gone, someone in our party has purchased the Salad Bar - which for sandwich buyers is a key asset.  On the bar, there's unlimited supplies of very giardiniera, pepperoncinis, and pickles.  Tasty.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 4, 2010 at 5:20 PM

    I too drove out of my way to go to Jason's in Oakbrook. I won't be back. All I wanted was a great corned beef sandwich. I knew I was in trouble when I saw them take a shrink wrapped chunk of sliced something and tossed it into the microwave.
    I was supposed to bring a pound of Pastrami for my daughter, but that too was frozen. To me they are a sandwich shop, not a deli. I do not think there is a slicing machine on premis.
    On the upside, they do have free serve yourself soft serve ice cream cones. Even free, it's not worth going out of my way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 25, 2010 at 6:33 PM

    Actually they slice all meats and cheeses daily. As well as prep all produce and make LOTS of recipes every morning. Sure microwaves are used, but that's only to get your fat a$$ a rueben in 3-6 minutes. This chain is high quality and is worth "doing your homework" to know the menu. I do business with them across the country, and they'll bend over backwards to make you happy. It seems the decor has changed from the classic Jason's look, but they're NOTHING like panera!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jake ParrilloMay 26, 2010 at 7:40 AM

    @anonymous - Thanks for the comment! The decor was pretty bad at the two we went to. I'll go back, it will have to be with someone who hasn't been before. Otherwise, we'll choose another place.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 20, 2010 at 7:10 PM

    The place is a good place overall.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Be nice to each other here.

Popular posts from this blog

Lou Malnati's Salad Dressing Recipe as Published in the 60's

Posted by on
Image
Earlier this winter, I wrote about the old Lou Malnati's menu and mentioned that as I was waiting around for my pie to finish up, I spied an old Chicago Tribune article posted on the wall that included the original Lou Malnati's Italian Salad Dressing Recipe.  The Tribune reporter called it "prized".  We were set to host a little pizza party over the weekend, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  Here's the article as seen through my mobile phone's camera. I'm not a wine drinker, so the fact that the recipe called for Burgundy wine didn't strike me as odd.  I went shopping at Angelo Caputos in Addison - a really incredible shopping experience - and when I got to the wine section I found Burgundy wine was carried ONLY in those HUGE jugs.  And they were dirt cheap.  The only issue is that needed just 4 ounces.  We ended up with a whole-lotta-wine that Nat won't drink. I've taken the recipe and modified it a bit by eliminating the percentage...
Read more

Tom Thayer's Italian Beef Recipe

Posted by on
Image
TOM’S TAILGATER ITALIAN BEEF COURTESY OF Steve Dahl  and  DAHL.COM Ingredients: One 3 ½ to 4 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast One package of Zesty Italian Salad Dressing and Recipe Mix One 16 oz. jar of hot giardiniera One 16 oz. jar of mild giardiniera One dozen baguettes (French rolls) Directions: In a four-quart Crock-Pot, pour in one bottle of giardiniera. Place the roast on top of the layer of giardiniera. Sprinkle the salad dressing mixture on top of the roast. Add the second bottle of giardiniera to the top of the roast. Cover Crock-Pot and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. When fork tender, shred the roast in the Crock-Pot and allow it to combine with the other ingredients. Slice the baguettes in half and pile on the beef and giardiniera mixture. ------------------------------------ For the babe's baptism party, we hosted a collection of family and friends back at our house after the church proceedings. We ordered some of t...
Read more

Overwintering Disneyland Roses With Leaf Mulch - Floribunda Roses - December 2024

Posted by on
Image
Yesterday, I posted photos of how I'm attempting to overwinter some Dahlia tubers in the ground and in a couple of those pics, you might have peeked at the chicken wire cages next to the piles of mulch on the dahlia tubers.  Those chicken wire cages are full of fallen leaves and are set on top of the three Disneyland Rose crowns along the southside of our house. See below for a couple of photos showing how I set up the ring of chicken wire and filled it with mulched-up leaves: These roses struggled this year, so here's hoping this little bit of extra Winter protection is going to help them get through the cold.
Read more