One never knows on what day Meaty Mondays will show up. You see, I like to keep people guessing, especially if they are guessing whether I am an animal, mineral or vegetable. It just so happens my friend Bullet Bob from near Cowtown (as in “Foat Wuth I luv yew!”) was in town visiting his sister over the weekend so he and I did a late lunch at the original Jason’s Deli in Beaumont’s Gateway Shopping Center.
Gateway’s heyday is long past since Beaumont went down the path of One Big America Box Store but Jason’s as a company has kept on trucking since it sprouted out of the 11th Street at Stagg Drive location in 1976. It is my understanding that some 150 or so Jason’s franchises now dot the landscape in 14 different states. Perhaps they have an even larger “footprint” — how I hate that trendy word — than that but I had difficulty finding information about the company on their Web site and I had to rely on Wikipedia which as you know can be useful, a piece of dog crap or something in between. I bet you would almost never find the words “dog crap” in a newspaper restaurant review. Aren’t you the lucky one? Jason’s does now have a blog on which “Rusty,” whom I suppose is founding partner Rusty Coco,” notes:
“When we started our little deli back in 1976, we had no idea that 30+ years later we would be where we are today, and blogging about it no less. Blogging? In 1976, blogging might even have gotten you arrested in Beaumont, Texas.”
Yeah, that’s a Beaumont boy, no doubt about it.
Oh, review, I almost forgot. The Wikipedia says that the Jason’s signature sandwich is the muffalettta. I don’t know that to be a fact and wonder because their menu used to mention for the “Sgt. Pepper” something to the effect of “where it all got started.” That is from memory so don’t hold me to it and, to be perfectly honest, if you knew the state of my memory … What was I saying? The Sgt. Pepper is hot roast beef, sautéed onions and bell peppers, provolone, mayo with cup of au jus. Au jus what? Au jus what I said. It is delicious as is a great many items on the menu. And the muffaletta, I would say, is the best sandwich Jason’s produces.
Even better is the Quarter Muff Special in which you get a quarter muffaletta of ham & hard salami or oven roasted turkey breast with choice of any cup of soup or fresh fruit cup, which in their original Gateway location in Beaumont currently sells for $6.29. I usually go for the seafood gumbo when I have the Half Muff. But on Saturday when Bob and I visited I opted for their “Soup and Famous Salad Bar,” which (once again with a Beaumont, Texas, price) came to $7.29 without a drink — their black currant iced tea kicks tail. Bob and I both had the big old bowl of seafood gumbo to go along with their famous salad bar. Hmm. I wonder if the salad bar ever gets any requests for autographs?
Jason’s has come out swinging with what I like to call “the health thing.” They, for quite some time, have had a line of what they call their “Healthy Hearts Slimwiches” and have a few other types of items along those lines. It seems some of the sandwiches are fatter in fat content than I remember. I don’t know whether that is because of a different analysis being used or whether they fattened them up, but I mean they aren’t like Heart Attack Helper. Their menu also notes that their:
” … product specifications result in a menu that is free of artificial trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils but are not necessarily low in saturated fat.”
I don’t know what that means but I am sure someone with an eighth-grade education could probably explain it to me with little difficulty.
I have been to a few different Jason’s Delis, especially in places where I have resided for some period of time. Each one is different with respect to their personnel and their attitudes as well as service. That, of course, can only be expected from franchised restaurants. I prefer the original article because the service is usually ace there. I do visit their location on Dowlen Road mostly on Sundays because the one on Gateway is closed that day. The Dowlen location seems larger and just doesn’t have the atmosphere as my original Jason’s just down the road.
Oh, and I have no idea who Jason is. Really. They opened in 1976 so it couldn’t be Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th fame. I suppose I could ask, but in the scheme of things, what does it really matter?
I suggest you consult Jason’s Web site (the link is above dummy!) or a phone book for a location near you. But if you are in Beaumont and want to visit the original location:
Jason’s Deli
112 Gateway St
Beaumont, TX 77701
Phone: 409-833-5914
Fax: 409-833-1378
Price: Is nice
After Thought Alert: I almost forgot. Jason’s has employee-produced sandwiches that are trotted out, I suppose, on a test basis. One I have had several times recently is called “The Italian Cruz.” It’s kind of Italian po-boy and is excellent. I hope they add it to their regular menu.