![]() Chef Jackson has a pretty impressive resumé for someone under 30, that’s for sure, with brief stints at Alinea (Chicago), Robuchon (Vegas) and Union Square Café (NYC). Beverage revenue is what keeps a restaurant’s lights on-no matter how good the pasta may be-and we all benefit as Jame approaches the critical one-year mark of staying in business. The corkage policy at Jame is very affordable, but unless it’s a special occasion bottle, I would implore South Bay diners to help keep this sweet spot afloat by buying the wines they offer. I was sad to see how many folks brought in BYOB bottles like Rombauer chardonnay when delicious, off-the-beaten-path Italian wines made from indigenous grapes like vermentino or timorasso are literally made to go with Jame’s cuisine. I hope they are bribing these neighbors with good wine, because they have it at Jame. I watched as Melissa and her team cheerfully and creatively moved patio furniture into neighboring businesses’ outdoor spaces as other shops closed up for the evening. About 15 minutes before we open, people start coming in droves.”įormerly a BBQ joint, Jame accommodates only about 24 diners indoors with space for about 40 more outside in the not-exactly-a-patio space. Front-of-the-house star Melissa, a veteran of the Hillstone group, says, “We call it, like, The Walking Dead. on a Saturday and were lucky to score a table before the masses started lining up. “We’re so glad you’re here with us tonight, and we’re so excited to share our food with you!” Their enthusiasm is real, and it’s a pleasure to find this kind of authentic “food-is-our-passion” in an unassuming strip mall in El Segundo. Love is in the air at Jame, from the cheeky neon sign that entreats you to “feed me pasta & tell me I’m pretty” to the warm, try everything. Gimme that plate of capellini, please, topped with an incredible “36-hour tomato sauce” that will make you cry the next time you guiltily buy a bottle of Rao’s at the grocery store. Perhaps this unintended pun works, as diners queue up and wait for steaming plates of pasta in a city known for carb aversion. ![]() “Ja + Me” is a reference to co-owners (Ja)ckson Kalb and (Me)lissa Saka, although it sounds a lot like “gimme gimme” in Mexican slang. The answer is twofold: love and adrenaline, both of which are on display and then some at El Segundo’s unexpected hot spot Jame Enoteca. As any restaurateur can tell you, the margins are slim and the potential for disaster lurks with every rent hike, every worker’s comp claim and, more recently, with every mandated minimum wage increase for employees. ![]() Statistically, for every one restaurant that opens in the U.S., nearly two are shuttered.
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