This year we made plans to meet at Federal Jack’s in Kennebunk, home to locally-brewed beers (it’s the birthplace of Shipyard) and a good old Sunday brunch.
Of course appetizers for brunch must be the liquid kind so our party of six went through a few bloody marys. And apps they certainly were. The Federal Jack’s bloody mary came with a smorgasboard of delights, including a grape tomato, a stick of celery, a giant green olive and two thick hunks of pepperoni ($5.75). After indulging in a couple of them, none of us finished our meals.
We were there for brunch, and the menu is a bit limited — about five choices including pancakes with walnuts and bacon or sausage, eggs benedict and a three-egg omelet with chili, salsa and sour cream — but everything we tried was worth the price (all under $9). The omelet had plenty of zip and was very filling with hash brown wedges and toast on the side. The eggs benedict were perfectly presented with just a decent film of holandaise sauce, rather than the drenching that some restaurants give them. The pancakes were huge and golden brown and I had a tough time keeping my fork away from the plate of the friend who ordered them.
If you’re not a brunch person, not to worry. Federal Jack’s award-winning menu has a little bit of everything.
For starters, there is New England clam chowder ($4.95/$7.50), Texas beef chili ($4.95), the Blue Onion (made with Blue Fin Stout beer, $7.95), oven roasted nachos ($8.95) and Pacific crab cakes ($9.95). There are eight choices on the salad portion of the menu ($5.95-$11.95), and several pasta options, including rav’s & beef stroganoff ($14.95) and Jack’s alfredo ($18.95 with shrimp).
You also can chose from pub fare — wraps, chicken sandwiches and burgers — or from the seafood sandwich listings. Pick a Firecracker Shrimp Roll ($9.95), fried haddock ($8.95), grilled crab & havarti ($9.95) or a Maine lobster roll.
And if you’re really hungry, opt for a full plate entrée made with chicken, beef or seafood. The highest priced is the stilton encrusted New York strip ($21.95), with the fried haddock & chips ($13.95) on the low end of the price scale.
And let’s not forget abut the beers. Federal Jack’s serves Goat Island Light, Export Ale, ‘Taint Town Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Old Thumper, Fuggles IPA and Blue Fin Stout year-round. Seasonals this time of year include Shipyard Nitro and Longfellow Winter Brew. In spring and summer look for Sirius Summer Wheat, Celtic Red, Summer Solstice Ale and Raspberry Wheat.
Federal Jack’s celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2007 and by the packed house during our brunch it’s still one of the more popular places in town. The large windows overlooking a quiet cove make for the perfect setting for a fresh meal and a glass of local beer in the summer. And, even on a gloomy winter day the atmosphere was just right for a hearty meal and plenty of catching up conversation with good friends from out of town. We may have found the perfect place to say “See you again next year.”