Cabana Jacks: More than booze and bands

Cabana Jacks is well known for great live entertainment, but it's their food menu that sets them apart from other local venues.

It's not hard to miss the tropical themed bar on Columbus Ave.; the music, lights and colors are as inviting by day as they are at night. The Cabana grill, fryer and oven are fired up and ready to go daily at 11 a.m., with several mouthwatering options.

If you're strolling downtown and stop in, the menu will greet you with several appetizer choices including shrimp cocktail with a spicy Caribbean sauce, sauerkraut balls, breaded mushrooms, chicken tenders and cheesy fries. If you can't decide, the sampler platter's your best bet, giving you the best of the fried world, with portions of mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders and jalapeno poppers.

If your stomach's really growling, you're in luck. Cabana Jack's does have several of the traditional “greasy and fried” bar selections, but also serves soups, a variety of salads, sandwiches, burgers, paninis and pastas. There's also prime rib, sirloin steak, Monterey chicken, lake perch, surf and turf and fantail shrimp dinner entrees that are served after 5 p.m. with a tossed salad, garlic breadsticks and one side dish.

The Monterey chicken is amazing, a plump, juicy chicken breast that's grilled just right and smothered with a layer of Monterey cheese. Yum. They also have a marinara sauce that's unlike anything I've tasted elsewhere. The best way to experience it would be on their spaghetti, which is served in heaping portions.

If you want the best of both worlds, try the chicken parmesan. Not only do you get to experience the tender grilled chicken breast, you also get the marinara sauce atop of spaghetti with drizzles of mozzarella cheese.

On any given game day, Cabana's is filled with the smell of freshly baked pizza. Available in either medium or large, the pies are terrific, loaded with toppings and definitely one-of-a-kind. There's also key lime pie and cheesecake for those with a sweet tooth.

If you're not hungry, but looking to cool off on a summer day, make sure you try a pina colada smoothie or a vanilla, chocolate or strawberry milkshake.

The restaurant is also very clean and always mellow during the day, making it an appetite haven for the lunch hour rush or a quick bite with the family. If you're running on a tight schedule, call ahead. The staff is always happy to accommodate you and ensure you're able to get in and get out at your leisure.

If you're out on the town, it's impossible to resist most items on the menu, but you can rest assured you won't break the bank by indulging. Prices vary, but for the most part are under $10.

Cabanas is a great place to party, but the best the establishment has to offer isn't just its alcohol selection; it's the food and hospitality.

Comments

cabana jack

Submitted by sandusky barten... on May 9, 2009 - 1:49pm.

I love cabana jacks, i never have a problem there at all, and i think you people are just mean miserable people to say all those bad things, maybe if anyone of you spent one day bartendering a bar of that size you would change your opionsa real quik.....everytime i've ever been there those bartenders are workin there butts off,yeah you may wait,but what bar dont you wait at?give them a break there just doing their job

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