Jackson Mountain Cafe, Cape May

As you can tell, I go for their steak. Add to that-Black and Tan and you've got a very satisfying meal. The owner always came out to me to ask how the steak was, and he could tell by my smile it was perfect.

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There are plenty of “fine dining” establishments in Cape May (some of them finer than others in our experience) but sometimes you want something more down to earth, and it was that in mind that we decided to sample the Jackson Mountain Café. And I guess we got what we came for! The service was only so-so, but the food, though fairly basic, was tasty, served in generous portions and good value by Cape May standards.

Favorite Dish: We shared a starter of cheesy pierogis, which had a good flavour but were rather stodgy. But the main courses were more successful – I enjoyed my blackened chicken (although there was no way I could finish the three chicken breasts as well as the fries and coleslaw that accompanied them. And Chris liked his fajitas too. The bill with a couple of beers came to $63 – which as I said is relatively cheap for Cape May. After our meal we headed to the bar area and sat a while over a couple more drinks. There was baseball on the TV and we struck up a conversation with a woman from Philadelphia about the rules of this and cricket, and places she recommended us to go while in Cape May. It was nice to chat to someone almost local and we enjoyed this part of the evening more than the meal I think.

By the way, the reason behind the name of this place is quite amusing. It sits at the junction of Jackson Street and Washington Street Mall, which apparently at 14 feet is the highest point in Cape May – hence Jackson Mountain ;-)

My sister had warned me that there were a lack of good restaurants in Cape May. Understatement.

AS for the Jackson Mountain Cafe...well, the food was simply awful. But being as it rained for a record number of cold and blustery days, we braved the cafe, twice. Just to make sure it was truly "bad", you know?

Stick to the beer on draught and throw a few back at the bar. I mean...and I'm not kidding...even a plate of french fries(we thought this would be safe) was a soggy waste of a potato.

Favorite Dish: BEER.

Not sure how this restaurant got the word "Mountain" in its title, since it's on basically on the coast. However, they had some really good seafood here, as can be expected from most places on the coast.

Favorite Dish: I think I enjoyed the clam chowder and baked stuffed something or other.