Cowboy Jack’s

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Cowboy Jack's photos

“Come back to the Wild West!” Cowboy Jack’s exclaims through both its slogan and full out western décor.

Plymouth’s new restaurant and saloon open just a few short months ago, and with wagon wheel chandeliers, shotgun door handles and western riding accessories adorn the entire interior, complementing the wood paneled walls and roughly planked floor.

The restaurant itself is a spacious room, roughly divided into a dining area with low-top tables and a bar are with high-tops, booths and long bar along one wall that opens out onto the exterior patio. All in all, Cowboy Jack’s stopped short at nothing when it came to outfitting its themed décor.

Not only is the decoration over the top, but they have a menu to match. Filled with a variety of barbecued items and Midwestern favorites, the portions are hearty and full of flavor. Appetizers range from sirloin tips to Cowboy Jack’s wings with a variety of sauces. Salads, pizzas and burgers also make the menu, including a tasty Santa Fe chicken salad with a housemade tangy BBQ ranch dressing. Entrees include steaks, chops and even tater tot hot dish, their version made with a rich brothy sauce and topped with crispy tots and fried onions.

Particularly good eats are the meatloaf sliders, cornbread, beef ribs and mini donuts (if you’ve saved room for dessert). The sliders, traditional meatloaf served on a soft bun with crispy onions, are dressed with the tangy cowboy ketchup and are a great starter to share and a deal during happy hour ($4 for 4 sliders). Cornbread to a cowboy is a must, and the crowd will be pleased with this version, baked and served in the cast iron skillet resulting in a caramelized crust and moist, sweet interior with chunks of corn.

Arriving to the table like a prehistoric meal, the beef ribs are huge and a value for the money. The half rack (2 lbs. for $13) is served with the daily vegetable and choice of potato. The ribs, dry-rubbed, grilled for flavor, then braised in the oven until fork tender, are meaty and fall-off-the-bone delicious—a truly satisfying meal. If there’s room after all that, don’t miss the cinnamon and sugar donut holes served with an addictingly sweet brandy butter sauce.

While Cowboy Jack’s is overall satisfying, they do have a few areas to improve upon. The main dishes were quite tasty, but the daily vegetable side was overly acidic and the potatoes, quite the opposite, hovered near bland. Offering a variety of sauces for their dishes, they are best to stick with the cowboy ketchup (a table condiment) and the cowboy BBQ (served with the ribs). The others we sampled, chili garlic for the sirloin tips and smokey BBQ for the lil’ smokies fell a little short in balance and taste. Likewise is the rice krispy bar dessert—an enormous wedge loaded with M&M’s and Snickers then drizzled with chocolate and caramel, this typical childhood favorite strays just too far from the original to be enjoyed.

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