jacs

It is no small wonder that this blog is 6 months old and so far jacs has only been mentioned as a small part of a previous post since we're there so often. It's probably because we're there so much that I've neglected to write a review on jacs and have instead written about other restaurants that I visit less frequently since I'm not sure when I'll return to those to write about them. It's finally time for me to give jacs it's due as the most fantastic restaurant for gluten free dining for it's style of cuisine and probably more than most other restaurants in town because of the special efforts it makes for it's gluten free diners. It is certainly one of my favorite restaurants in Madison.

jacs is located on Monroe Street on the same end as Bluephies and Taste of India. It has a dedicated fryer for gluten free food and are able to produce yummy gluten free frites and even a gluten free breaded fish fry on Fridays as a result. They are able to make almost any item on their menu gluten free, including those that contain bread products. Also, unlike most other restaurants who accommodate a GF diet by providing the menu item minus the offending gluten containing item, jacs provides a substitute including a gluten free flatbread, gluten free buns and bread for it's burgers and sandwiches and even a gluten free English muffin on their brunch menu!

I've had many of the menu items including a few of their flatbreads (the margarita is my favorite although the veggie looks delicious and I haven't tried that one yet), the duck, the burgers, the mussels and the smoked salmon benedict and can recommend them all in their own right. I've not been as impressed with their dessert, but I've only ordered it once and there's not typically room at the end of the meal anyway! jacs also carries GF beer and a cider as well as wine if you're looking to just stop in for drinks or to have a drink with dinner.

This Friday we had the fish fry which is probably what I go there most often to eat. It includes two breaded pieces of fish with tartar sauce, frites with aioli, coleslaw and applesauce which are all really good. There's typically nothing left on my plate at the end of the meal which attests to how good everything is, because it is a lot of food and apple sauce and coleslaw are not typically favorites of mine, but jacs does even these basics well.

The staff at jacs is knowledgeable about their gluten free items and very friendly and efficient. There's a strong need to be efficient too because jacs is frequently crowded with a wait for tables, especially on a Friday. They will do call ahead seating and we do typically call from home before we leave and ask to have our names put on the list. This can be done 30 minutes in advance. They do also take reservations, but I'm not sure if they do so every night.

I'm sure most people who live in Madison who are on a gluten free diet have already discovered jacs, but if you haven't, I would make it your next stop. Also, if anyone from jacs is listening out there, I'm making a special request for gluten free fried chicken. Enjoy!