Mrs. BDB and I were in quirky moods last nite, we both wanted to go out to dinner, but had decidedly different ideas of what we wanted. We both agreed we did not want to go downtown or change out of the de rigueur Portland plaid outfits. She wanted steak. I didn’t.
We don’t usually hit the chains, but last nite Claim Jumper was tapped, and it was a good decision. She had a fairly inexpensive sirloin, at least compared with going to Ruth’s or Morton’s, and I had a club sandwich. We split a beet and goat cheese salad for an appetizer.
The menu is extensive, covers almost all choices of dining, and while a little more spendy that similar chains, Claim Jumper adds “huge portions” to their “claim to fame”.
I was darned near full after half the salad and a piece of cheese toast.
Mrs. BDB pronounced her steak delicious, and offered me a smidgen. I admit, it was more than I expected, tender, flavorful, cooked as ordered. CJ has a raft of sides to choose from, she elected roasted vegetables, confident, I am sure, I would not be snitching off her plate.
Such was not the case in the obverse, with Mrs. BDB’s beautiful hand absconding with some of my shoestring fries, which were done perfectly.
The club? In the top 3 I have had in Portland, with Huber’s still taking top honors. I love club sandwiches, and can usually polish them off in short order, but I am still working on mine this morning, having been able to only eat one quarter of it last nite.
Mrs. BDB ordered a red velvet cupcake to go, for dessert. No report on that yet. The only other time we have been to Claim Jumper was to get one of their famous pieces of chocolate cake, a monster slice at $10 per, that we worked on at home for days, as I recall. It was akin to the Simpson episode about the sub sandwich, if you recall that.
The place was jammed. No recession there. Their menu is online, and in some places they deliver.
Photo of the exterior is from CJ’s website.
