Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern, or better known as JFAT, recently introduced a new brunch menu. I was happy to learn about it and my wife and I recently visited their location in Brea.
JFAT is located next to Whole Foods in the Village at La Floresta on Imperial Hwy. just east of Kraemer Blvd in Brea. The Village at La Floresta is marketed as the hip spot for retail shopping and dining on the east side of OC.
Impressive display of their premium wines
An impressive lighted display of super premium wines is located near the entrance. Bottles of wine were lined up on the bar and they also had a fair number of craft beers on tap. TV screens were playing live sports, but they didn’t overpower the experience like a sports bar.
The restaurant is large and spacious. It was obviously designed for people to get together and converse over a good meal. You can hold a decent conversation without having to compete with the people at the next table. While we were there, there was a group of 8 that appeared to having a great time over their Sunday brunch.
Totchos, a cross between Tater Tots and Nachos
Totchos is a cross between nachos and tater tots. It is topped with melted cheddar cheese and salsa fresca. Unlike nachos, you have to eat this with a fork. Cheddar cheese oozes as you pick up each serving. This paired nicely with my wife’s “Tap of the Day” selection, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale.
Charred Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup and Smoked Bacon
Knowing that this would be a meat forward meal, I ordered the Charred Brussels Sprouts. This came with smoked applewood bacon, pinenuts and underneath it was a small pool of maple syrup. I scooped downwards in the dish to gather the maple syrup. The combination of the brussels sprouts with maple syrup and smoked applewood bacon was delightful. It was one of my favorite items that day.
Raspberry Mojito
The Raspberry Mojito was served in a large pint glass and was tasty and refreshing. The Cucumber Cooler is made with premium vodka. St. Germain, fresh cucumber and lemon juice. My wife is not a big cucumber fan, but she enjoyed the medley of flavors.
The Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Malted Ale Waffles was served topped with a thick and creamy thyme gravy and applewood smoked bacon. After pouring pure maple syrup on top of it all, I enjoyed the various taste sensations, crunchy, salty, sweet and smoky. I was quite happy with this dish.
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Because I recently visited Nashville, my wife ordered the Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Sandwich. This is served with coleslaw, pickled jalapeños, and chipotle aioli. While it was tasty, it wasn’t quite as spicy as the hot fried chicken sandwich from Hattie B’s in Nashville.
Jimmy Burger with smoked applewood bacon and Southern pimento cheese
One of JFAT’s most popular dishes is their Jimmy burger. Huge slices of bacon extended beyond the bun like a diving board. I thought the addition of Southern pimento cheese really made a difference in the taste. This burger happened to be our favorite dish of the day.
Other interesting items on the menu included: Green Acres Scramble with mushrooms, cheddar cheese and cheddar, Veggie Bennie, an English muffin topped with spinach, grilled tomatoes, poached eggs and hollandaise, JFAT Blond Ale Fish and Chips and the Prime Rib French Dip on a ciabatta roll.
Their wine list is California-forward. They include notable wineries such as Golden Eye, Silverado, Kunde, Davis Bynum, Duckhorn and Rombauer. The best part of the wine list is that they have 10 red wines and 10 white wines by the glass. You can sample a super premium wine by ordering a 3 oz splash.
Jimmy’s Old School – Warm chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, hot fudge and roasted peanuts.
We were both full and so we were only able to taste Jimmy’s Old School. This is made with warm chocolate chip cookies topped with vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream, hot fudge and roasted peanuts. This was truly decadent.
JFAT is a great place to relax in a casual setting. They offer modern American comfort food combined with the cutting edge beverages you would expect. This is a great place to converse while you eat making it ideal for a date, catching up with a friend or even a family outing.
Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern
Village at La Floresta, 3325 E Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 92823 – (714) 733-1310
http://j-fat.com/