My friend and co-worker, Evan Bahler, had told me about a visit he made to a restaurant downtown Wooster, Ohio, called Flamingo Jack’s. He said he had gotten one of the best burger he had ever had there. I’m a big burger person. So when another coworker and friend, Stephanie Feltmeyer, was selecting a place to go for lunch with the our department for her birthday, Flamingo Jack’s came up again. I agreed with Stephanie, that it would be a good place to go for lunch, especially because only Evan had been there before.
I should say right now, that I hadn’t really expected to purchase anything different than a hamburger. But when we got there, and I saw the menu, I knew I had to try something new. While burgers will always be the go-to food item for me, sometimes I like to stretch my wings. Flamingo Jack’s offers you an amazing array of menu items, that allow you to do just that.
When I walked into the restaurant I didn’t get the sense of there being a gourmet type menu available. However, that is definitely the case! (I imagine that if I had known about their food truck, I may have been less surprised. I hear that their food truck is quite popular.)
When it came time to order, after vacillating over several options, I finally selected the Pan-seared Scallops. The menu said I would be getting pan seared fresh u/10 jumbo scallops, over risotto croquettes, braised arugula, Caroline she-crab blazed sherry sauce. The sauce was amazing with just a little bit of a kick. The plate presentation also was very cool. The dish itself looked like a flying saucer or something. Being a Sci-Fi fan, I really liked how the meal was presented. Oh, yeah, the scallops were huge and tender.
Evan and Chuck, another co-worker of ours, chose the same dish. They selected the Boursin Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The sandwich is made with house made Boursin cheese, shaved sirloin, arugala, sweet slow cooked caramelized red onions, and shaved parmesan cheese. Their order came with a side of fries that is served in a separate little container. The sandwich is so big, there wasn’t room to put them on the plate anyhow!
The birthday girl, Stephanie, decided to go with the Shrimp Candied Bacon Egg Roll Nachos. This dish is sweet candied bacon, shrimp, nacho style cabbage egg rolls with roasted garlic peach vinagrette. I have to say that I was interested in that dish as well, so when Stephanie decided to get it I was glad. I wanted to see what it was like, but I also wanted to try the scallops. Stephanie’s decision made it much easier to order them. Stephanie being the sweetheart that she is, let me try a bite of her meal. (I’m really not that nice of a person, cuz I didn’t offer mine to anybody!) The way that Stephanie’s meal came out again had this amazing plate presentation. There were fried wonton strips that were used as the nacho part of the dish. It was just really cool. And it was quite a large serving. Stephanie ended up taking some of it home with her.
Our boss, Sam, was actually the only person who selected the burger. She went with the classic Hometown Burger she then added scallops on top of it. She couldn’t get it with the bun, because she has a gluten sensitivity. However, that must not have affected the taste, because she said it was one of the best burgers she had ever had. Her exact words were, “It was heaven in my mouth.”
When all was said and done, everyone really enjoyed their meals. Although Chuck did say that he probably would have preferred getting his Philly cheese steak as a taco and not a sandwich. The bun used for the sandwich was a thick crusty bread. Chuck said he’s not that big of a bread fan. That’s one of the nice things about Flamingo Jack’s, they give you the option of making a sandwich, a taco with flour tortilla, or a salad for some dishes.
I’m definitely going to have to go back though, because I actually really want to try that hamburger. After having Evan say it was the best and then Sam concurring, I’m obviously missing something. Plus there’s also the shrimp and grits that sounds amazing and the Pork Watermelon Tacos. These tacos are made with coffee and beer slow roasted pork, flash fried tortilla, arugala, marinated watermelon cucumber, pico, sour cream and fresh cilantro garnish. Again, just a little bit different for me, but intriguing…very intriguing.
If you’re ever in downtown Wooster, the Flamingo Jack’s is on South Market Street next to Bespoke Salon. I have heard that on the evenings and weekends it can be a pretty busy place. They have a patio out back where people can hang out and enjoy the food and drinks on tap. Although I can’t speak to that part of the restaurant, you’ll definitely have options of food to choose from that is not typical bar food. Which in my way of thinking, can be a good thing.
