Two-star reviews deserve explanation.

I travel a lot for work, so I find myself eating out alone more than I would like. Ces't la vie. Don't make it worse by being the hostess that says "Just you?" when I ask for a table, followed by the server greeting you and saying "Just one tonight?" (Hint to servers everywhere - don't call your guests "friend". I am not your friend, I am your customer.)

So Jaker's has a pretty broad menu for a bar and grill. It's not the least expensive place out there, but it's got better than decent ambiance. I was seated at a nice booth in the bar, which was a nice plus because they could have asked me to sit at the bar because I was "Just one".

My waiter came by and asked what I'd like to drink about thirty seconds after he'd dropped off the dinner menu and drink menu. I told him I hadn't had a chance to look yet. Then he passed by my table at least four or five times before asking for my order. By then I'd had a chance to look at both menus, so I ordered the meatloaf ($25) and a glass of merlot. The bar menu only had one merlot by the glass, but the waiter said I had a choice of two. Not knowing either name he mentioned, he then said "Do you prefer more tannins, or less?" I went with less. In the end it showed up as house merlot, so I don't know what it was, but it was very good.

I love meatloaf and don't have it often. It sounded interesting as it incorporated Italian sausage, which I thought would add some nice flavor. I was wrong. The most flavor that the meatloaf offered actually came from the gravy. I will give them extra credit for the gravy not being too salty, which is the case more often than it should be. He asked what side I wanted when I ordered, and when I was apparently taking too long finding them on the menu, he reeled off all of the available sides (including mashed potatoes, which already came with the meatloaf). I went with the asparagus.

At first glance, the asparagus looked good, grilled and hot with my first bite. I start at the thick end and work my way to the asparagus tip, as that's the best part. Except in this case. It was rendered inedible. I took a close-up picture to show that the asparagus tips were blackened, dry and crusty. While blackened might be a great way to prepare fish or other entrees, it doesn't work well in this case.

Not being able to finish the meatloaf or the asparagus, I decided to try one of the two small rolls that he brought out with my meal. The roll was good, but the honey butter was way more honey than butter. It ended up being a nice dessert, although I only ate one.

My meal included a salad, and I got the side Caesar, which had a flavorful dressing. But it takes more than a decent salad and a very good house glass of merlot to make a meal. I will return to Pocatello in the future for work, but I won't be returning to Jakers.