Wine Country's Best Chef Success with Jackson's Bar and Oven

Dining Detectives
By Carol & Joe Davis

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Santa Rosa's favorite chef: Josh Silvers

Now that Santa Rosa restaurateur Josh Silvers has closed Syrah and its successor, Petite Syrah, and cut back service at Three Squares, his restaurant at 205 Fifth St., the question becomes: How is Jackson's Bar and Oven, his other eatery a block away on Fourth Street, doing?
And the answer is that it's doing great, just as it has since the day it opened on Nov. 27, 2009.

Any number of factors might be responsible for a restaurant's success, but three reasons for Jackson's popularity stand out.

First, the room is delightful be in and to look at. Attribute that to Neva Freeman of Neva B. Designs in Santa Rosa, who hit this assignment out of the ballpark.

Second, the drinks list carries 59 wines, 19 bottled beers and ciders, a slew of beers on tap, plus all the usual full-bar classic cocktails and eight artisanal inventions unique to Jackson's, such as the Ras-Barry White for $9 that contains Espolon reposado tequila, Kokomo verjus, lime juice, cilantro, raspberries, egg white and simple syrup. It won't give you Barry White's deep voice, but it will give you a mouthful of sugar.

Third, when the classic American dishes are good, as they almost always are, they're very good indeed. Do not end your dinner until you order up pastry chef Scott Noll's better-than-New-Orleans Beignets ($8.50, 4 stars).

Three of these doughnut-dough cylinders dusted with powdered sugar come with a trio of dipping sauces: rich chocolate, vanilla anglaise and fresh strawberry.

You'll notice this review started with dessert first. Jackson's is that kind of place, just right for a libation after work and as a spot to give yourself a treat or meet friends or family.

The staff is friendly and helpful. The only drawback is that as the room nears capacity, the sound level nears obnoxious. When things are going full blast, you likely won't be heard across the table.

Jackson's happy hours run from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on weekends, when a glass of beer is $2, wine is $4 and cocktails are $5.

The happy hour food menu is noteworthy, with fish tacos for $5 Mondays through Wednesdays and two "Juicy Lucy Sliders" for $5 Thursdays and Fridays.

The daily happy hour menu includes wings for $5, raw oysters for $1.50 each, and a margherita pizza for $8. To take advantage of these prices, you need to sit at the bar.

The regular menu centers on wood-fired pizzas from the cooks who work the wood-burning oven under chef de cuisine Jason Denton's direction. House-Made Italian Sausage Pizza ($16, 3 stars) has a fine, puffy, chewy crust; caramelized onions; red bell peppers; fresh oregano; and tasty Italian sausage that contained enough hard, rubbery chunks of gristle to be annoying.

Still, this is as good an artisanal pizza as you'll find in Santa Rosa, as opposed to a New York-style pie like Mombo's.

Among the small bites, Indian Spiced Lamb Meatballs ($13, 2 stars) consist of three golfball-sized, hot meatballs covered with cold onion chutney richly flavored with Indian spices like cumin and cardamom, tomato sauce spiced to heat the mouth, and cucumber yogurt to cool it down.

Jackson's Bar And Oven
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRESS DEMOCRAT
SANTA ROSA, CA

Jackson's Bar and Oven's bartender Hannah Jacobs in Santa Rosa,. (Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat) (Crista Jeremiason / PD)

Braised Short Ribs at Jackson's Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa,
(Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat)

Hot Pastrami Sandwich at Jackson's Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa, Wednesday, August 28, 2013. (Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat) (Crista Jeremiason / PD)

Italian Sausage Pizza at Jackson's Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa, Wednesday, August 28, 2013. ) (Crista Jeremiason / PD)

Beignets served at Jackson's Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa, Wednesday, August 28, 2013. (Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat) (Crista Jeremiason / PD)

Josh Silvers, owner of Jackson's Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa, Wednesday, August 28, 2013. (Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat) (Crista Jeremiason / PD)

Jackson's Bar and Oven's chef de cuisine Jason Denton cooks pizzas at the restaurant in Santa Rosa, Wednesday, August 28, 2013. (Crista Jeremiason / PD)

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BY Jeff Cox
COURTESY OF PRESS DEMOCRAT