Jack's Restaurant — Restaurant in Dana Point

Ok I've eaten here 3 times in the past year and is gotten worse each time. In my most recent visit my companion ordered the chicken scallopini and I ordered the veal. Both were overcooked dry and tasteless. The accompanying house salad was awful, basically just some lettuce and a tiny bit of julien carrot, my partner had the same although hers came with pepperocinni and tomatoes. Both salads were not fresh and a grocery store bag salad would have been an improvement. We had to ask for bread....twice....what we got was a basket of stale varied croutons, it looked like it had been destined for the trash. Service was adequate and cheerful, although I made a reservation I still had to wait 20 min for a table. My overall impression is that the menu, ambience and service is good but something has gone terribly wrong in the kitchen. The chef is either not interested in what he does or inexperienced or both. Overall the prices are high and particularly so when quality of food is considered. Jack,...

Our go to restaurant in Dana Point recently closed and I had a hard time thinking of a good substitute for a six party birthday dinner on a Friday before memorial day. I remembered a nice meal about 30 years ago at Jack’s so I decided to book our party there. I’m glad we did. It was excellent. The atmosphere was very nice, organized and inviting. There was enough space between tables, and the sound was very manageable. The crowd, casual and polite locals. The service was good and the food even better. Everything I saw served looked good and my seafood pasta was excellent. The desserts were also excellent. They appeared to have been made in-house. Finally, I thought the dishes were reasonably priced. Portions were larger than I expected. All good quality ingredients carefully prepared. I think we have a new favorite restaurant...

The food was absolutely delicious... the ambiance was the same. It was nice to be somewhere that they really value a great experience, I never felt rushed or forgotten, which happens often as I travel, I usually eat alone. I had the calamari, and the pizza was perfect, and I've lived in Italy, and it rivaled my favorites there. My dessert was out of this world. Seems simple being cream and berries, but the cream was positively sinful, SO rich and creamy. My bartender, Kyril, said the chef is the best. I believe it. They seemed to be closing up, and he made me feel like I had all of the time I'm the world. Being a former bartender and server, I kept trying to offer to pay the bill so he could cash out at least, but he wouldn't let me. Even offered tea when others probably wouldn't, so I accepted. Nothing but 5...