Jack's Family Restaurant ~ Peterborough — Restaurant in Peterborough

First visit to Jack's. Enjoyed a late lunch here yesterday with my mother who's been before. The restaurant was almost half full which made me think the food must be good as it was late in the afternoon and a weekday. Upon entering I noticed a clean and casual atmosphere. We were greeted and seated promptly, drinks came fast and so did the food. Our server was very pleasant. I ordered the black bean burger (veggie burger) with a side Greek salad. There was an extra charge for the Greek but I was really craving it so I didn't care. The burger also came with a second side (coleslaw or baked beans). Although I didn't want more food, I chose the beans. Presentation was beautiful. The burger was really good and on a brioche-style bun. All of the toppings were very fresh. I'm not a huge fan of baked beans but I tried them. I'm sure any bean connoisseurs out there would enjoy them. They also seemed very fresh and made right there. The Greek salad was amazing and huge for a side portion. I left the dressing on the side and saved half the salad for today. It was just as delicious - crisp lettuce, veggies, real Kalamata olives and a perfect creamy/oily dressing. I would go back just for the salad - it was that good. My mom had the special which was peameal (sp?) bacon on a bun with coleslaw and fries. I nibbled on her fries which were really good. Although she wasn't very hungry to start with, she ate almost everything on her plate and kept saying that it was all just so good. She told me she's been for breakfast before and also had their fish and everything was tasty. I thought the prices were fair. The washroom was clean and the service was pretty good. My only complaint is that the server never returned to the table until we were all done. We didn't need anything and the meals were perfect but I want the server to check in at least once, just in case. I noticed rotisserie chickens cooking in the back and out front was a case of pies (homemade?). If I'd had room I would have tried one. I will be definitely be...

I stopped in for breakfast and ordered the Meatlover's Breakfast. It came with 3 eggs, 3 ham, 3 bacon, 3 sausages, home fries, 2 slices of Texas toast, and some strawberry jam on the side. I also ordered a coffee. My server was a sweet lady with a good sense of humor. The breakfast rush came in shortly after I had arrived.

Appearance: 3/5. It was well laid out but the excessive grease on the ham dropped its score there, and the jam could have been given in larger cups or even a small bowl.

Taste: 3/5. The jam was a little bit sweet, but otherwise, absolutely amazing. However, I needed to ask for more because it came in a tiny paper cup similar but smaller than those you put ketchup in at McDonald's. Absolutely delicious, though. The coffee, I drank black. It wasn't too bitter, was fresh and pretty smooth to drink. Definitely using a good brand of coffee. The toast was lightly buttered, always nice. It tasted like it could have been frozen for a longer shelf life, wasn't too bad, though it could have been toasted a bit more. The eggs were done well, just needed a pinch of salt for seasoning but otherwise, basic eggs. The bacon was crispy and delicious. The sausages and the ham were a bit of a disappointment. The ham had good flavor but was pretty overwhelmed with grease, possibly cooked with the sausages. The sausages seemed to be low end breakfast sausages as they were also pretty greasy and tasted like the breakfast sausages you get from a discount section. I was, however, impressed with the home fries. The potatoes were cut nicely and seemed to be pan fried. They were lightly seasoned with what seemed to be fresh herbs and seasonings.

May check back in a couple of months to see if there has been any...

Wife and I have been to Captains Jacks many times in market plaza. We've always enjoyed the fish and chips as they're always pretty good. This is the first time I decided to try something different and had the ribs 1/2 rack with bbq sauce and 1/4 chicken combo. First off, the chicken was a big portion for it being only 1/4 piece. And it was also a nice size rib portion. But the chicken seemed really dry, maybe it was because I got white meat but I don't know. It was a bit of a struggle to eat it all. (I was really hungry) The ribs though...were delicious. Fall of the bone good, really quite tender, but could have used more sauce. I also for the first time there ordered gravy. Which was not good. I wished I had tasted it first before putting it on my fries, it had NO flavour and more salt didn't help. My wife ordered Fish with Onion rings instead of fries. She absolutely loves the rings there as they are quite good. But this time she commented that the fish seemed dry too. While I did eat most of what was on my plate (hungry, like I said) I think, from now on I'll probably just stick with the fish and chips (without gravy) when I go there as they rarely disappoint. The waitress was pretty good, but I wish they would ask how the meal is when our mouths aren't full. If she had asked when I could speak I would have told her my thoughts instead of just a wave. But I guess that's a hard thing...