Jack's on Marion

How do I describe a place that should be where everybody knows your name? Jack’s on Marion in Punta Gorda, Florida…

When you enter you feel that it might be the same as many that you have been in before.

We entered on the side entrance by their bar, where a woman greets all who come in with a welcoming hello and if you sit at her bar, asks “what can I get for you?”

She’s no Carla, I would say around the same age, but taller and a bit classier, make that a lot classier.

Hubby went up to the front to find the hostess to ask if the two seats we had found would be alright to use, since the impression was that she had to seat you…The young woman with hair that had a maroon tinge and she was also wearing an interesting outfit of a mini printed jump suit covered by a navy colored sheer overcoat of sorts of some old fashioned sixties material, but the look was definitely from this century.

She apparently told Hubby that we would be fine there and came over with our maroon colored cloth napkins that contained our silver ware. There must be a theme here with that color… any-who she did tell us her name, but sadly we both forgot, so unlike me, anyway our server was Sara, the hostess had said and quite soon after Sara came to our table to ask us for our drink orders, which we both chose ice water this time. We also gave her our lunch orders since their menu for lunch was clearly sounding/reading delicious and so we both found our hearts desires very quickly. Hubby got their roast beef au jus with their seasoned fries and I chose their endless soup and salad, Calypso soup and a tossed green salad with grape tomatoes with Balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

We arrived about ten to noon, 12 P.M., and they had been slammed/quite busy so we were told due to the parade for the Veterans Day celebration that had occurred earlier that morning and they were still regaining momentum for their lunch crowd and large party of nearly fifty in their back room. This was explained to us by Sheena the manager, when after about a half an hour I wondered where our lunch was…I was hungry!

Believe me when I say that both Hubby and I were pleasantly surprised that what we had ordered was well worth waiting for!

The chosen items off the menu were not only price amazingly reasonably, mine was a mere $7.00 and Hubby’s was only $9.00!

My soup was to die for, incredible, sea foods that were of very high quality, large shrimp, lump crab, clams and lobster, I think, in bisque made with coconut milk, even Hubby tasted it and loved it as well as his own choice. Even his fries were far superior from most all other places, since he never finishes theirs, but these he did!

Believe it or not usually when they have those all you can eat soup and salads the first servings are so big I never take advantage of ordering more, but this time I nixed the salad, although very good in its own right, but I had to have that soup again! It was almost addictive… must go back for more! We most definitely will!

This was after we had walked for over an hour through the weekly Farmer’s Market, held every Saturday from 8-1. We always, when we had gone before, chose to eat at Fishville, but I do believe we now have a new favorite restaurant that is not only a culinary marvel, but priced at lunch time very affordable for us retirees budget. And this is sad, they are not that new, but why did it take us so long.

After there, we had items to pick up at Publix that we needed, actually our usual shopping for the house, and again I walked with my super duper walker extraordinaire! Good thing too since my motor ran down in the produce dept of Publix and Hubby did his quickie transformer move and I once again was able to continue being transported by him with me pushing the shopping cart.

On that note of pleasant exhaustion, not so much really… anyway, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

PS we beat the rain home… Happy it’s here; we sure needed it.