Fresh baked and hot off the grill at Jackson’s.With the closing of Delaware Market, it seemed as though the neighborhood corner store in Bend had gone extinct. There are still a few hanging in there on the Eastside, but with property values skyrocketing, you can’t blame the market owners for opting to cash out.
The historic brick building on the corner of Broadway and Delaware that was once home to Delaware Market, Delaware Ice and a mini mural of downtown has been totally redone. The building now features condos upstairs and a bright, airy market café downstairs called Jackson’s Corner.
“I wanted to bring back the market café,” says Jay Junkin, owner of Jackson’s Corner, “It used to be common in the U.S. but somehow we lost it.” Junkin is the third generation in his family to find a career in the food industry and has been in Bend nine years-most of that time developing and running Parilla Grill.
“With this place I want it to grow organically – give the people what they want and serve this neighborhood first,” says Junkin.
In reverence to the historical neighborhood importance of the building, Junkin has already started building a relationship with the community in the three short weeks that the café has been open.
The menu is fresh and seasonal, working mainly off special boards. Head Chef Brian Mankoski, who has worked most recently as the sous chef at Bluefish but has also helped out at Kebaba, Zydeco and Sumi’s, has crafted a menu using local and organic products whenever possible. Every Wednesday, you’ll see him pulling his red cart to the Downtown Farmer’s Market to stock up on ingredients that will go into that week’s specials. Everything is made in-house including all the breads, pastries and pizza dough.
Everyday, you’ll find Gordon Benzer spending hours kneading mountains of dough and singing to his bread ovens named Kompa and Keeno. The dough becomes delectable ciabatta, baguettes, epi, cinnamon rolls and pizza crust. Benzer has a culinary degree and a specialty in baking which is apparent in everything he produces. His ciabatta and baguettes are crusty, with moist, inconsistent webbing and have a truly artesianal flavor.
There is also usually a special pasta dish or two in addition to the four listed on the printed menu. Junkin bought Sunriver company Gentilini’s Pasta, and now Christopher David Knight makes over 500 lbs of pasta every week. Not only is the pasta fresh, it is made with whole, organic grain flour. Knight, a well-known figure around town because of his 10-year stint at The Victorian Café, makes all the pasta and sauces for Jackson’s, as well as for a number of retail outlets such as Newport Market, Whole Foods and Rays.
Jackson’s Corner already has an avid fan base with some folks coming in for three meals a day. Every employee had the same sentiment when asked about the over-all philosophy-grow organically and give the customers what they want.
“Nothing is set in stone, but I do love that I can keep costs down by not having wait staff,” says Junkin. “With customers coming up to the counter they can see the value and have face-to-face interaction with the people that actually make the food.”
Jackson’s Corner opens at 7 every morning and serves Townshend’s Teas, Umbria coffee and cold-pressed iced coffee. Lunch is hopping and there are big family-style tables to share. I highly recommend the croissants for breakfast (especially the almond), the Havana (slow roasted pork with red onions, bell peppers and ancho chili sauce) or the Alfredo pizza (sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto di parma, basil and mozzarella-provolone) for lunch, and anything off the special boards for dinner.
Jackson’s Corner
845 N.W. Delaware Ave. 647-2198
Open 7am to 10pm every day
This article appears in Jul 31 – Aug 6, 2008.
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Food is great. I sure wish they’d lose a bit of the ‘tude with those of us who don’t look like hipsters. I walk from my office there for lunch and show up looking presentable and they treat me like I’m some kind of scum. Let’s hope they can get over it. That’s why my friend and I (eat out for lunch every day) stopped frequenting parilla.
It was great food and a great atmosphere – just looking at their menu I wanted to try one of everything
” I sure wish they’d lose a bit of the ‘tude with those of us who don’t look like hipsters. I walk from my office there for lunch and show up looking presentable and they treat me like I’m some kind of scum. Let’s hope they can get over it. That’s why my friend and I (eat out for lunch every day) stopped frequenting parilla.”
-Wow, I certainly disagree with that comment. Being an old timer, I may not ‘get’ the whole hipster thing, but I feel like the young staff is more than accomodating to the mostly older clientelle that I’ve noticed frequent Jackson’s. I have enjoyed their service and my morning conversations with the guys there. Maybe you should put a smile on your face, lighten up, and give the kids a break. Jackson’s Corner has been nothing but a pleasure for my wife and me and I’m sure many people share that opinion.
I live upstairs and love, love, love the energy Jackson’s Corner has brought to the neighborhood. I look forward to comming home everyday! I love my friends downstairs…AND the food is FANTASTIC!
I was recently visiting my old hometown of Bend and my niece got a job at Jackson’s Corner. We were there regularly for breakfast and lunch and I loved the atmosphere. The menu reminded me of Italy where I spent 3 years. The food is fresh and delicious. I didn’t eat anything there that I didn’t love. The owner and his family are warm and friendly. Jackson is Jay’s son’s name and the name of the restaurant. If I lived in Bend I’m sure I would be a regular. If you go in tell Taylor (the blond at the counter) hi from her aunt Nichole. 🙂
Sure wish pizzas had more sauce and toppings and flavor . The crusts is perfect though!
Went to Jackson’s Corner for the first time with my mother. The food and atmosphere are great. The service was terrible. Since it was our first time, naturally we were curious and had questions. The girl at the counter couldn’t be bothered to tell us what beer was on tap, ignored completely my question about wine, and was rude to my friend when she asked about something on the menu. She really had no interest in us at all, we were obviously bothering her. Maybe we weren’t cool enough? If we hadn’t wanted to try the food so much, we would have left. Like I said, the food was great and fortunately some of the other workers seemed much friendlier and more helpful.
I chanced upon Jackson’s corner early this summer for a quick lunch. The restraunt was clean, open aired, and held a friendly, conversational tone. The staff were down home professionals and the sandwich was delicate and tastey. I’ve been back many times with the same results…consistent staff, great energy, and delicious fare.
I just googled them to find the number so I could pre order like the best salad ever for lunch!
I love Jacksons Corner, if you think their staff sucks its probably just cause they are new and getting used to things. maybe they just dont Know the answers to your questions, they probably werent ignoring you.
Why not post my comment? Do you have a financial interest in the place? I see another from 9/30/08 WAS posted. Too bad – I speak the truth and you censor it.
JC
I am thrilled that a place like Jackson’s is close by and so yummy! The people that work there are not only courteous and kind, but very enthusiastic! I’d love to live above….but afraid I’d spend way too much money. Kudos and best of luck to Jackson’s Corner…hope you stay in business forever. By the way I love that smiley kid named Connor! Very enthusiastic!