Art & Jake’s finds success in healthier sports bar fare

Art & Jakes finds success in healthier sports bar fare

Art & Jakes finds success in healthier sports bar fare

By BRYAN BEVERLY

This time of year is always exciting for sports enthusiasts: February brings Super Bowl Sunday (sorry, Lions fans), NBA All-Star Weekend and the start of MLB spring training, while March Madness is just on the horizon. But where to take in all the action?

Sure, the comfort of my living room has an intoxicating allure, particularly in the seemingly never-ending onslaught of cold weather from Mother Nature and Jack Frost. Yet sometimes, one wants to feel like they’re part of the crowd, even if they’re not actually in attendance. Frosty beer mugs, strong and flavorful cocktails, and plenty of high-fives to go around — the sheer essence of a sports bar.

The Lansing sports bar scene is wide ranging. Some date back three quarters of a century. Some have passionate, local followings due to their close proximity to Michigan State University’s campus. Others are established regional and national brands. This month’s review highlights a Michigan-based chain in Art & Jakes, which occupies a completely renovated space near the Eastwood Towne Center that formerly housed Champps sports bar. Founded in Shelby Township in 2002, the chain has grown to five locations in southeast Michigan, plus one in Georgia, and the newest venture in Lansing.

Art & Jakes sees your sports bar vibes and raises the bet. I didn’t get a full count of the number of televisions, but 90 doesn’t sound inaccurate. The space is large, appropriately lit and modern enough without trying too hard. What struck me most about the ambience was that even during a recent Spartan basketball game, the noise level was still conducive to conversation. The staff is friendly, if not exactly attentive — on one visit, I waited an inordinate amount of time to be greeted and offered a beverage while seated at a sparsely populated bar. Team members seem to enjoy one another’s company a bit more than taking orders or following up with customers because I also had to waive over a bartender to pay for my takeout order, even after the food arrived via another server.

What’s surprising

Typical sports bar fare doesn’t include the range of healthier options that Art & Jakes does. Most offer a version of a chef or Ceasar salad with or without chicken, a couple of soups and maybe a wrap of some sort. Art & Jakes goes above and beyond with choices that impart flavor without damaging your diet.

First up was the Orchard Harvest salad with chicken ($15.95), which is one of 10 salads on the menu. Sliced apples, dried cranberries, fresh-cut strawberries, blue cheese crumbles and candied pecans accompanied leafy greens. The fruit and cheese complimented one another well, but while the chicken was flavorful, it didn’t exactly look very appealing, which caught me off guard. The raspberry vinaigrette was a lovely combination of sweet and tart.

Next, I tried the Island chicken ($18.95), a stir fry packed with pineapple, broccoli, onion, red peppers and snap peas and topped with two coconut-crusted chicken tenderloins. The tropical chicken flavor was stellar, yet the stir fry was missing something sweet, salty, citrusy or spicy. Add any of those as an additional layer of flavor and this dish would be out of sight. Next time, I’ll try one of the ahi tuna options.

What’s good

Of course, Art & Jakes still has plenty of the usual sports bar suspects: pizza, chicken wings, sammies, nachos and Midwestern favorites like fried pickles and pretzels. The new spot does these very well.

The Game Changer ($15.95) is one of 10 burger options, topped with a yummy bacon jam, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and more bacon. My burger was cooked to a solid medium (though I always prefer to be asked how I like it cooked, which is medium rare), and the boost of flavor from the garlic aioli was quite pleasing.

Both the mozzarella sticks ($10.95) and the three-cheese bread ($13.95) were cheesy, greasy goodness and impressive portions to boot.

Best bite

I was stunned by how good the Memphis burnt ends ($14.95) were. The chunky bites of smoked pork belly were melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the sauce was sweet and tangy but not overpowering. I only wished there were more of the pickled onions to provide balance and texture. The burnt ends are also served on top of the Detroit mac and cheese ($20.95), which is made with cavatappi noodles and smoked cheddar cheese.  

Art & Jake’s finds success in healthier sports bar fare

Art & Jakes finds success in healthier sports bar fare

By GABRIELLE LAWRENCE

Michigan-based Sports Bar chain Art & Jakes and I have something in common, aside from our love of seasoned french fries and carrot cake: We both do business in the state of Georgia. For those of you keeping track, which I understand is probably only my parents at this point, your girl is a licensed attorney in Michigan, of course, but also in the Peach State, home of Julia Roberts, Elton John and the late Jimmy Carter. (If you don’t believe me, Google it.)

Art & Jakes recently opened its newest Michigan location near the Eastwood Towne Center, atop the land that used to be Champps sports bar. The building was destroyed after allegedly being in such terrible condition that it was easier to tear down and rebuild. Doesn’t that feel terrifyingly close to what’s happening nationwide right now? Anyway, let’s drown our dystopian fears in street tacos and steak tips.

On my first visit, I immediately set my sights on the roasted kale salad ($15.95). I remember the days when kale was relegated to be a garnish on the Pizza Hut lunch buffet, but now I’m a fan of the dark, leafy green and have yet to meet a kale salad that I didn’t love. This one was unique. The kale was roasted at high heat to achieve a bit of texture before being topped with the other salad components, in this case sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, grilled chicken, dried cranberries, feta and balsamic vinaigrette. I know most of you won’t believe me, but this kale salad is the best thing on the menu. If you want to dip your toe into the kale salad pond and don’t want to spend 10 minutes chewing each bite, try this one. I loved it.

On a return visit, I tried the fire-grilled Cobb salad ($14.95), which left me crying for kale. The portion size can only be classified as “humongous,” and the sheer amounts of bacon and blue cheese surely eradicated any purported health benefits. This was one dimensional for me, and I also wondered about the suspicious absence of any avocado.

For my next trick, I placed a large takeout order for a family dinner. We started with the New York steak bites appetizer ($15.95), which was a good idea in theory. The menu promised thinly sliced New York strip steak on top of melted provolone cheese and toasted baguette, with a side of au jus for dipping. In actuality, the steak was cooked almost beyond recognition. The kids had a kids’ cheese pizza ($8.95), which was crispy, had a healthy amount of bubbly melted mozzarella and was, frankly, way better than any kids’ pizza has been in the past. They also shared an order of chicken tenders and french fries ($7.95), which elicited one of the most bourgeois comments my son has ever made when he said the fries were almost as good as the ones at the University Club pool. He further instructed me to write in my notes, “I give this a five-star french fry. Please, can I have way more!” (He is 7.)

Mr. She Ate had the steakhouse meatloaf ($18.95), which was a thick, juicy slab of savory-as-hell meatloaf served with a mound of mashed potatoes, sauteed zucchini and red bell pepper. In a world obsessed with protein intake, get yourself a slice of meatloaf. It’s cozy and comforting and is so much more fun to eat than cottage cheese. I love cottage cheese, for the record, but on that snowy night it would have hit differently.

I chose the shawarma chicken bowl ($18.95) because I’m a total sucker for unexpected dishes on the menu of a sports bar. I’ve come to realize recently that I love my chicken shawarma with pickles, and this version had plenty of them, along with lots of crisp cucumber and tomato. The garlic sauce was runnier and less potent than I’m used to, and the rice wasn’t the typical Middle Eastern rice pilaf, but again, we’re talking about a sports bar. The kale salad is still my clear winner, but the shawarma bowl is a solid option.

We also picked up a slice of the carrot cake ($12.95), which was humongous. Think of it as a slab of multi-layer carrot cake. The cream cheese frosting was way too sweet for my preferences, which meant everyone else in my family loved it.