Jackson House — Restaurant in Middletown

I was so excited about this restaurant coming to the neighborhood and couldn't wait to go there. My family and I went for the brunch and everything went smoothly. The food tasted good and the service were great..with this in mind I couldn't wait to go there for my birthday dinner. My family and I had a 8:30 pm reservation. We got there about 8:20 and were seated in 15 minutes. The front desk guy apologize about the wait, which was understandable knowing that it's Friday night. Our waiter came about few minutes which was great. When she got to our table, she did not speak to us or introduced herself. She asked what we were getting to drink. My kids told her what they wanted and my husband and I was still looking through the menu. I told her that we were just getting started to go through the menu and trying to find what we wanted. She quickly said ok and walked away. She later return with the kids drinks and asked what we wanted to drink. She seems ignore, and in a hurry. She appear very flat even with a 5 year old at the table. I'm not sure if that's her personality but it's a new restaurant and even as that, no body should feel rushed in looking through the menu. I told her that this were our first time for dinner here and were not femalia with the menu. I asked her about the non alcoholic drink which she was able to point it out on the menu. I couldn't had find it anyway because it had a different name on it. She quickly left again after pointing that out on the menu. I noticed, it was taking her a long time to return. I had to ask the other witter for help because it seems like she was not returning. I also notice that our table had one water bottle and the other tables waters were poured into their glasses and ours was not. After I asked the other witter for helped, that's when he poured our water in our glasses and when to get our witter. I even asked for another witter but we got the same lady. The food was not good at all, I'm not sure if, it's because of the time. The Gnocchi, which was recommended, smalls bad and tasted sweet. My husband could not eat it and asked for the shrimp scampi, which looks like, they took a raw shrimps out of a bag and put it on a half cooked spaghetti. I asked for a well cooked Lamp Rack and I were given a manual raw. The beef quesadilla was very dry and was not the best. I even told her them that it was my birthday and wanted a slice of cake. I did not even get a Happy birthday. I was kinda surprised, since it was a restaurant. When the witter came to collect the plates, I then try to tell her that we went there because the brunch was good but the dinner was not so good. I even told that maybe we were there late that's why. She didn't seems to care much, she then said, " well, it's the best on the menu and a lot of people like it". She then return with the check and said we took the Gnocchi and shrimp scampi off". My husband and I try a bite of the Gnocchi and didn't touch the stramp scampi. It was nice of them to not try to make us paid for it. It's a shame because I kept myself hungry all day because I really wanted to eat good. I'm not sure how soon I will return here but I might go...

As this location only opened a little over a week ago, I am going to believe that's the reason for why I cannot give it 5 stars at this time. I made a reservation but I arrived about 30 minutes before to which I was promptly seated, however noticed that I didn't truly need a reservation for this Sunday's brunch. Maybe many people were traveling or decided to stay in, but considering this is still a new restaurant in the area I did expect it to be crowded. My main concern was that I was seated and it took about 10 minutes before anyone even greeted me. I noticed all the waitstaff and manager walking around me and initially was wondering if I was invisible, but I think maybe my coming in early the host didn't communicate to the waitresses therefore it was not clear who's table I was. I noticed a table that was sat after me was promptly greeted, maybe it was because it a 5 of them and only myself for brunch that led to that. Either way the young lady came over and didn't even apologize for the wait as she looked right at me when she and the other waitress were trying to figure it out then went to the host station before coming over to me. I say this because all aspects of service is very important especially for a new restaurant and management needs to communicate this. Oh and I did find it odd that I was asked what type of water I wanted by my escort to table, it really threw me off and perhaps that should take place as usually expected after seated. Also, I noticed my waitress poured another table's water into their glasses, but did not do the same for me. Consistency in service is a must!

I decided go order less than I planned because while I gave grace for the wait the fact that there was no acknowledgment of it, that changed my desire to explore the menu. I ordered a Lavender Elixir cocktail which was very tasty, however it was missing the flower as indicated on menu and other reviews. I asked the waitress for their top sellers and she suggested the Chicken and Waffles and their breakfast plate which I went with the Chicken and Waffles with a side of scrambled eggs with American. The eggs were cooked very well however it is clear that they were liquid eggs and not 2 whole eggs as indicated on the menu; the latter being my preference. I did add some pepper and the eggs included chives (not indicated on menu so if have issue with that inform) but I was pleasantly pleased with the taste prior to adding the pepper. The waffle pieces were warm and along with the syrup they were delectable. The chicken was a chicken steak piece that was fried perfectly, however something was missing in the seasoning (thinking some pepper/cayenne) that made me have to add some hot sauce to it. I will give them a plus to my stars because nothing was overly salty!

I gave the middle of the road rating because it was just so so to me. The ambience is fantastic, especially for Middletown, and I really enjoyed the musical entertainment during brunch. I'm not going to go out of my way to go again any time soon, but I would give them another try especially since dinner reviews seem to be...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Totally Redeemed Itself!

Gotta be honest — my first visit to Jackson House didn’t wow me. My meal just missed the mark. But I’m so glad I gave it another shot, because this time around? Wicked impressed.

We kicked things off with drinks: the Espresso Martini was classic and flawless — smooth, bold, and just sweet enough. But the Mr. Biggs Margarita? Whoa. It’s their seasonal special and super herbal — like sipping a garden. I joked it felt healthy enough to count as a salad. But honestly? It totally worked. Bold, refreshing, and absolutely worth trying. Drinks? 5/5.

Fresh off a routine doctor’s appointment, this was our kind of wellness follow-up: one cocktail that felt like vegetables, and the rest pure comfort.

Next up: soup. And both were stellar. The Loaded Baked Potato Soup was creamy and dreamy with little bits of potato and bacon and just enough sour cream to tie it all together. The Potato Leek Soup was rich, velvety, and topped with these beautiful shaved potato crisps — the kind of detail that takes a simple dish to the next level. Soup? 5/5.

For appetizers, we got adventurous. The boneless wings came with a wild blueberry Uncle Latest sauce — and that sauce was incredible. The wings themselves? Just fine. Same for the fried squash blossoms — interesting to try, but mine had a bit of raw batter and didn’t really pop. Still enjoyable, but not something I’d order again. Appetizers? 3/5.

The vibe here is hip, cozy, and a little upscale. We were seated right away, and the service? Outstanding. Huge shoutout to our server Jaylyn — she was incredibly kind, attentive, and just a superb server all around. You could tell she genuinely cared about making sure we had a great experience.

Final verdict? Jackson House has totally redeemed itself. From garden-fresh cocktails to soul-warming soups, this visit flipped the script. I went from skeptical to full-on fan in one meal — and I’ll absolutely be back. Don’t sleep on the seasonal specials… and if you see “Uncle Latest” on a sauce list,...