Small-Town Atmosphere with Good American Food
The Jaywalker Restaurant came recommended from a friend of a friend. It was described as a good restaurant, popular with the locals around the Mottville, Michigan, area. Mottville is just a tiny spot on the map, a few miles north of the Indiana state line.The restaurant is at the intersection of Highway 103 and State Road 12. The long building is built on a narrow strip of land alongside the St Joseph River. We parked in an awkward spot in front of the building, but possibly there was a more traditional parking lot on the other side. The entrance is just a solid steel door, placed off to one side of the front of the building and not particularly welcoming. It was plain enough to make a new customer just a little uncertain as to whether this was the right entrance.
Inside, the bar area dominates the center of the restaurant. It soon becomes apparent why the outside layout of the building feels odd: The long back wall is lined with picture windows. Virtually every table has a magnificent view of the lovely St Joseph River and the beautifully arched Mottville foot bridge. Wow! It was a pleasure to be seated next to the window.
Tables and chairs are diner style, inexpensive plastic and vinyl and metal. The waitresses all wear jeans and T-shirts. The atmosphere is very casual, but the restaurant was clean, organized and operations were efficient.
The menu is just one page, printed on both sides but with a satisfying selection. The menu is mostly American fare - a full line of appetizers plus sandwiches, salads, burgers, steaks, prime rib, pasta, chicken, fish. You can even order frog's legs. (I didn't, thank you.) The prices were slightly on the high side for a casual restaurant in Michiana, but not so high as to be distracting - appetizers were around $6.50, sandwiches and salads averaged $7.50, and the entrees ranged from about $8.50 to $23.50.
|
|