Hidden Find: Jacksons Food + Drink

By Bryan Tsunoda on September 28th, 2015

Jackson’s Food + Drink is tucked away near the ArcLight Cinema theaters in El Segundo. It was founded with the belief that their “menu should reflect the food that you crave, with each recipe and ingredient crafted to achieve a balance in flavor, texture and temperature.”

Despite being veteran restauranteurs, co-owners Scott and Sharon Cooper are still both hands-on in the daily operation and that is a strong contributing factor on why Jackson’s Food + Drink is still successful.

I really like the open air feel of the dining room. It’s physically separated from the bar area and feels like you’re eating outdoors despite being indoors. Strategically placed windows offer a lot of indirect light to achieve this effect. In fact, I think it would be fun to eat during the “pitter patter” of rain while being protected by the elements.

Lamb Sausage Flatbread Pizza with caramelized onions, ricotta, feta, mint and za’tar

First out of the kitchen was a lamb sausage flatbread pizza. The lamb sausage is sourced from Manhattan Meats. Caramelized onions, ricotta and feta cheese, fresh mint and za’atar was added to round out the toppings.

Mama’s Little Yella Pill by Oskar Blues Brewery, CO

I think pizza is best paired with beer and we were served a pilsner named Mama’s Little Yella Pill with the lamb sausage flatbread pizza. This beer is brewed in the Czech Pilsner style and was easy to drink – clean and crisp to the taste and paired nicely with the pizza.

Ashi Sashimi Salad with Daikon Sprouts, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Crispy Wontons, Wasabi Vinaigrette

While seared Ahi tuna salads are rather ubiquitous, I found it interesting that Jackson’s offered a Ahi Sashimi Salad. In addition to the fresh ahi sashimi, daikon sprouts, toasted sesame seeds, crispy wonton strips and baby greens were tossed in a wasabi vinaigrette. This gave it a nice mixture of velvety soft (sashimi) and crunchy (wonton) textures. I particularly enjoyed the wasabi vinaigrette dressing.

Miso Black Cod (fresh, wild-caught)

Miso Black Cod was probably the crowd favorite. It was extremely tender, moist and flakey to the fork. The sake-miso infusion gave it the extra flavor which gave the fish a unique flavor. The cucumber salad served with it made me reminisce about eating in Japanese restaurants.

Pork Brasied Boneles Beef Short Ribs

When I saw the menu, I was really looking forward to the beef short ribs. They were braised in a port wine sauce and were extremely tender. I really enjoyed the port reduction sauce that accompanied the short ribs.

Poseiden Pinot Noir, Carneros

The short ribs was accompanied by the Poseiden Pinot Noir from the Carneros region. This area is known for producing great pinot noirs, chardonnays and sparkling wines. This was a full bodied pinot noir with hints of cherry.

An Upside-Down Blackberry Pie

An Upside-Down Blackberry Pie was served for dessert. Executive Chef Scott Cooper explained that he wanted to serve it fresh out of the oven, but he was challenged due to the cooling process required. He then came up with the idea of serving it upside-down so that he could serve it warm. It was served with Fosselman’s vanilla bean ice cream which put this dessert over the top.

Jackson’s offers a regular happy hour throughout the week Monday-Friday, 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and late-night happy hour, Friday and Saturday, 10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. In addition to happy hour, the restaurant also hosts Taco Tuesdays and Wine Wednesdays featuring $1.50 short rib tacos and $4 margaritas, and 50 percent off select wine bottles under $50 and free corkage.

* Items mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this review. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinion of the reviewer.

Jackson’s Food + Drink