Jasper's - Plano

Unpretentious, Affordable Gourmet Food!. Jasper's is one of my favorite restaurants in the area, and I've eaten there multiple times. The Maytag Blue Cheese Potato Chips are dangerously addictive, and I apprecate the "backyard gourmet" concept with mostly simpler entrees given a mild gourmet twist. Peach barbeque pork chops! Rotisserie Free Range Lemon Chicken! I almost always get the Jasper's Greens salad, and my favorite entree is Salmon with creamy marscarpone polenta. I love the bourbon creamed corn as side dish!

I confess, I don't like the jazzed-up Mac-n-cheese, though. Just does not taste all that good. Maybe it's the ham in it.

I've taken my mother here to brunch once or twice, and I love the crabcake benedict on those days!

Regarding some other reviewer's complaints about portion size: I actually appreciate the portions here! Texas as a whole is terrible about restaurant plates with far too much food -- Jasper's plates are reasonably-sized for those of us who do not want to join the growing obese population.

And, the "mini" desserts allow one to have dessert very cheaply, or to get a little trio of desserts.

Finally, I've never ever experienced bad service here! The decor is tastefully modern, sophisticated, and calm.

Jasper's hits it for me on all points.…

Not the best food in Dallas. New Years Eve. $80 price fixe menu. For reference. the last few restaurants we've dined at were The Mercury, Penne Pemodoro, La Duni & Del Friscos. We're not dining virgins nor are we New Year's Eve Price Fixe virgins.

We ordered some of the fantastic Gouda/Ham/Mac n Cheese (additional cost as it wasn't on the price fixe menu). Great. 1st course salad OK. BTW, failed to mention we asked for bread&butter when we were seated. Second course, a delicious Chicken Masa soup that barely covered the soup bowl bottom. Hmmm.

Champagne/Cranberry Granita to clear the palate. OK as well. Where's the bread? Waiter says it got sent to another table. He comps us some Foccacia bread. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. A half loaf of undistinguised french bread w/greasy mushrooms covered in melted Mozzarella. Doesn't remotely resemble a decent Foccacia.

Entree arrived. Laughable. I ordered the Kilman Smoked Brisket over black bean cassoulet. Two golf ball sized pieces of "meat". One of the b@lls was pure fat. I sent it back. 5 minutes later the plate comes out with the glob of fat removed and now only 1 GOLF BALL SIZED piece of meat on the plate. Not wanting to hold up dinner >EVEN MORE< I accepted this with a complaint to the waiter. Yummy but only 4 freekin bites! Serving sizes for the other entrees ordered was good

Desert was cheesecake. Again, a laughably small golf ball sized miniature. Two or three bites and gone.

For a New Year's Eve gathering like this, I don't expect a lb. of meat, an appetizer as big as Fort Worth & a dessert that you need a fork lift to get from the table to yer mouth (lemon Daubagge cake at Del Friscos comes to mind, ummmmm goooood). But I don't expect golf ball sized servings either.

Verdict? We'll never go back. Too many excellent alternatives.

-1* for service lapse on bread and the "Foccacia" substitute.

-1* for the miniature entree

-1* for the miniature cheesecake.…