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reviewed on: January 29, 2010
Some people go into the restaurant business with grand visions of building an empire that would make McDonald’s envious. But it seems to be a tortoise and hare analogy. The ones that come flying out of the box and immediately start opening locations all over town are usually the ones that go under when their house of cards proves unmanageable, whereas those that take the slow-and-steady course are the ones that succeed.
Then there’s the story of Jack Martinez and his Jack-n-Grill restaurant, who finally got around to opening his second location ten years after his first had become an icon for hungry people in search of good New Mexican fare. Whatever the reason for the decade-long lapse between store number one and store number two, we were excited to learn that Jack and his family had chosen the bustling area just west of Santa Fe on Belleview for the second site, and dropped by this week.
The space is simple but comfy, with warm, adobe-colored walls, and a large central bar area. Most of the seating is at free-standing tables, but there are a few over-sized circular booths for larger parties. One section of wall is taken up with a display of all the awards and accolades that Jack-n-Grill has accumulated through the years. In fact, one wonders if perhaps Jack had to open the second location so he’d have a place to hang the overflow from the first.
The menu at Jack-n-Grill is a sprawling one that takes in breakfast, lunch and dinner, with classic New Mexican entrees interspersed with American fare with Mexican influences. So, you can begin your day with classic Huevos Rancheros, Breakfast Tacos, a traditional Breakfast Burrito or, for the really hungry, truly adventurous diner or one who has a lot of friends joining him, the Grande Breakfast Burrito which weighs in at a hefty seven pounds!
There’s a broad array of burgers, from a classic hamburger or cheeseburger through any number of Mexican variations on the standard. And they are big. So big that I can’t imagine anyone needing to order the optional onion rings, fries and chile fries as accompaniments.
And it’s not just the burgers that are served in large portions. We ordered the Chile Relleno Plate of two grilled, egg-battered chilis stuffed with cheese, and the New Mexican style stacked enchiladas topped with two fried eggs, and both came on overflowing plates that included the obligatory Mexican rice along with ample portions of tasty pinto beans and calabacitas, a vegetable sauté built around zuchinni, onions and corn. In short, when you visit Jack-n-Grill, go hungry, and still expect to take home a doggy bag.
Until the planned third location of Jack-n-Grill opens, you’ll still have to come to the west side of town to enjoy this great food, but for those people who live in the south part of the metro area, the opening of the second location means you can now cut a few miles off your drive.
Jack-n-Grill
2630 W. Belleview Ave. west of Santa Fe Drive at Belleview and Prince
303-474-4242
2524 Federal Blvd.
303-964-9544
http://www.jackngrill.com/
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