Lunch At Jane's on the Common

Jane's on the Common
2394 Robie St
http://www.janesonthecommon.com/

I know it has been a while since I posted something. Hopefully this makes up for that.  I went for lunch at Jane's with a friend of mine today. We have both been there countless times and have enjoyed it every time.  This trip was no exception.

I arrive first and the server who greets me gives me my pick of tables. I choose the table in the corner. It is a little hidden and I think it's the best table in the house. I sit down and order a glass of  Las Moras Black Label Bonarda.  I love this wine. It has a deep, rich purple colour and has great flavour. I find it goes well with almost anything. While I wait for my friend, I check out the specials. Today the soup is carrot and mint with a dollop of poppyseed yogurt. The special is turkey pot pie with a sweet potato, cheddar and peppercorn topping. One of my all time favourite albums is playing in the background. Careless Love by Madeline Peyroux. I am content to wait at this little table and listen to the tunes.

My friend arrives and the server gives us some time to chat and pick what we want. I go with a bowl of the soup and an open-faced chicken sandwich with Caesar salad. Not surprisingly, my carnivore friend chooses the burger and also picks the Caesar.

The soup arrives first. It is bright orange with specks of mint throughout. It is served with a light and crunchy tea biscuit.  

Carrot and mint soup with tea biscuit

The soup starts out tasting like most carrot soups, sweet and smooth. The mint, we both agree, is a surprising aftertaste. We both love it. The yogurt is nice with the soup but unnecessary. Yogurt tends to go better with spicier soups. The biscuit is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and still warm.

While I finish the soup, my friend notices that the restaurant has completely filled up. This is on a Tuesday afternoon around 1 pm. A testament to how many people love to eat here.

The mains arrive. They both look delicious and we find it hard to wait to eat them while I take a picture.

My friend's burger is huge. The meat is moist and has a distinct smoky flavour. It is topped with pickled red onions. These add a sweet & sour flavour to the burger. Also on top is applewood cheddar, homemade mustard and bacon aioli. My friend thinks the toppings are wonderful and I agree.

Char broiled burger with Caesar salad.

The open faced chicken sandwich is delicious. Nova Scotian free-range chicken is lightly spiced and topped with provolone and a red pepper slaw. The slaw is awesome. It also has the sweet & sour flavour of the pickled onions and is perfect with the melted cheese. It is served on crunchy toasted sourdough spread with roasted garlic aioli. This amounts to a "party in my mouth" and I can't get enough.

Open face chicken sandwich with Caesar salad.

We both ordered the Caesar salad. The dressing is creamy and garlic-y. It is topped with crunchy bacon and thin slices of parmesan. My friend comments that she likes the cheese sliced as opposed to the usual grated version in most Caesars. I think the salad could have been mixed up a little better. I have some dry pieces of lettuce and some blobs of dressing on the plate. Otherwise, it goes well with my sandwich.

Though both of us are full, we decide to look at the dessert menu. The server informs us that the gingerbread is the best seller but her favourite is the pumpkin cheesecake. We decide to listen to her advice and order a piece to share. I order some orange pekoe tea and my friend orders coffee to go with the cake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

The server was right to recommend this cheesecake. It is light, fluffy and full of spicy, pumpkin-y flavour. The base is made of gingerbread and pecans. The pecans are a nice touch because they give a little crunch to an otherwise smooth dessert. I'm not a huge cheesecake fan but I helped polish this one off pretty quick. I loved it.

Jane's is my favourite restaurant in Halifax. This is mainly due to its consistency. The food is always good. The chef is innovative and has great ideas for flavour combinations. You can come here on any day of the week (except Monday when they are closed) in any month of the year and have a great meal for a reasonable price. The staff are friendly and attentive. Jane herself can often be seen serving, chatting with regulars and making sure everyone is enjoying their meals. This is truly a great place to eat.

FYI: Jane's Next Door is a store next to the restaurant that serves take-out. It consists of sandwiches, muffins, soup etc.  They also have frozen foods, like homemade macaroni and cheese. These are made by the chefs at Jane's and allow you to take a little piece of the restaurant home. They also sell all of the great jams they make for brunch here.