J.K. O'Donnell's

121 West Wayne Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 420-5563
http://www.jkodonnells.com/

Tonight, the 3 Elles got together at J.K. O'Donnell's after having Fritzi strongly recommend it several times. Although this was a different venue than we typically choose, it was just great to be able to get together and celebrate friendship during this holiday season.

ATMOSPHERE:
JKO is an irish pub and as such - the ambiance oozes the pub feel. The restaurant is full of dark, beautiful wood - the walls, the floor, the short stools, the booths - everything. It is visually appealing, relaxing, which lends itself well for grabbing a beer after work with friends.

DRINKS:
JKO has an exhaustive list of beer - quite unlikely you'll find an eatery with more options. Adams L choose a blueberry beer (I truly dislike beer, but the sip I had was very good!). Allen L choose a Heinekin Light. I ordered a diet coke, but regretfully, it was never served to me (but I was billed for it at the end of the meal). I indulged in many goblets of water.


APPETIZER:
Allen L started with Artichoke Dip. Although this is a photo of it after it was 2/3 eaten, you can gather the gist of the dish.


It was chunkier then most other dips in it's class. It had the consistency of a stewed cabbage. The texture did not detract from the creamy goodness of the dish. The broiled cheese top layer made the dish. The dip was accompanied by small pieces of French bread. The other L's thought the bread should be toasted more. They felt the bread lacked the crispiness necessary to adequately offset the creamy chunky dip. Something such as Melba toast might have been just the ticket. The dip to bread ratio was a bit off - too much dip, not enough bread. For $9 it was of substantial proportion and easily shared among the 3 of us.

ENTREES:
For a 3 Elles first, we all ordered the SAME thing - Fish & Chips. We were told about 25% of all food orders at JKO is their famous Fish and Chips. We each chose the half size portion (4 oz vs. the 8 oz that comes with a full size meal). At only $11, it was a great value. Adams L changed her "Chips" to Sweet Potato Fries which she said were good, but not great. They weren't the most flavorful sweet potato fries she has ever had. Allen L and I chose the regular "chips" which were large potato wedge type accessories. They were pretty good. Each meal was served with a side of cold slaw which was rather unremarkable. Additionally, there were 2 special sauces you can chose to dip your fries. Both Adams L & Allen L chose a garlic aolie sauce while I chose the spicy whiskey sauce. I believe the sauces were primarily for your "chips" but I enjoy eating fish with hot sauce so I doused my fillet in the spicy whiskey sauce - YUM!!!! The entree was okay -it was a thick piece of fish and it was prepared well, but it just didn't pack any sort of meaningful flavor. It is a light flavored fish with a thinner, non-greasy breading. If you've eaten Fish & Chips at Paula's 0n Main, you'll be pretty disappointed in what JKO is serving up. It was an okay meal - nothing great, and far from terrible. I think I would have preferred the Irish Stew instead . . . maybe next time (and since Fritzi is there full time now - we'll be back!).


DESSERT:
I ordered the Triple Chocolate Layered Stout Cake. It was rich, but VERY delicious. The carmel drizzle danced on top of the generous piece of cake adorned with 3 clouds of whip cream. There was a surprise layer of a creamy filling in the middle of the cake - YUM!

Adams L ordered Banoffee which was served and tasted much like the "Pot of Gold" at Joseph Decuis (see this) except it was adorned with thinly sliced bananas and served atop a layer of shortbread. It was very rich but oh so visually appealing. You can make something similar at home by boiling a can of Eagle Brand (see recipe HERE).

Allen L ordered Fruit Crumble. Although she thought it was delicious, it would have been nice to have been told what fruit was being served in the dish - plums? apples? other? The dish was served in a hot-to-touch container which made sharing it rather difficult. She thought it was good and would get it again.


SERVICE:
It was GREAT to see Fritzi. We like him very much and because he treats us well, we'll likely find our way back to JKO at some point. Our server on this night was Mandy. Mandy was pleasant and very knowledgeable. If you're looking to be taken care of - ask to sit in Fritz's section and tell him the 3 Elles sent you.

Until the next bite -