77 and Counting

OK, so you are not really supposed to state a woman's age, but my Mom turned 77 this week. As I was rushing out of the house to head downtown to a brief meeting, a lunch grab in the mall, followed by a long afternoon meeting, I realized, while putting on my shoes, that it was my Mom's 77th birthday.

I stood up from putting on my shoes, and the doorbell rang. It was Mom and Dad, in town for a medical appointment, wondering about parking in our driveway while they lunched at janes on the common to celebrate her good news checkup and her birthday.

This is where working for yourself really pays. You know what I did.

Yep, I blew off the early meeting and had lunch with them, and was able to buy, thus satiisfying any obligatory present stuff.

It was at this lunch that I had a mini epihany about janes, and why people like it so much. More later on that.

Mom had a cup of beet and apple soup, with some yougurt in the middle - beautiful to look at and she loved it. Dad had the chowder, which he said was excellent. I had the special, an open faced beef sandwich with cheese and carmelized jalapenos on top. The food was predictably great, and Mom decided she'd really celebrate and have dessert. I suggested that they split one, as the portions are large for her normal intake, and they ordered the warm gingerbread with rum/maple sauce. I decided to try the Belgian hot chocolate - I had never had that before.

The gingerbread had real candied ginger in it (Mom loved it), and my hot chocolate had marshmallow floating on top, but not just any marshmallow - it was made there - it was a cube, cut out of a pan of marshmallow. And here begins the epiphany. What jane has done, in a lot of the things on her menu, is take food we all know and remember fondly from our youth, and have them made the way they were originally conceived. No gingerbread mix, no institutionalized, industrialized shortcuts, just the real deal. If you look at her menu, especially, or particularly the dessert menu, this becomes quite clear. The main courses are often enhanced versions, perhaps, of the old favourites, but in general, that is the theme here. Real food done fresh, and not a lot of fakery.

Of course the other "secret" to jane's success is her attention to detail - the relishes, chutneys, garnishes and so on are all perfect and homemade. The interior design is thought out (Breakhouse Design) and the staff very well trained. All this care, but the place still projects a relaxed atmosphere. That is not an easy thing.

And maybe that is why it appeals to such a broad demographic. I can take my Mom and Dad here, or my most radical politically aligned friends. They are all human, and jane's works on a human scale.