Jimmy Z’s Review

***TRIGGER WARNING***

The review below will upset some of you. You have fond memories from getting drunk in Brockport and finishing off a night at Jimmy Z’s. I understand this; and I don’t want to diminish your memories of eating gluttonous food on a drunken night. You’re all entitled to your opinions; however wrong they may be. 

I finally made the arduous journey to Brockport, NY to check out Jimmy Z’s. It was the last “major” spot on my list that I’d yet to review. Many of you were clamoring for it; so here we go.

To give a bit of background I have some fond memories of Jimmy Z’s. When I was a freshman in college (way back in 2007) I took a trip to Brockport to get a plate with my friends. Unbeknownst to us; it was Brock the Port that weekend and so we got a chance to see Reel Big Fish play live. On another occasion that same friend and I biked from Rochester to Brockport (and back) to get plates.

Now that I’ve got my bona fides out of the way; let’s talk about the current offering at Jimmy Z’s. For 9.23 you can get the “5-star plate” from them. I would recommend going somewhere else to get your plate fix. Unless you live in Brockport in which case do whatever you want. What I found frustrating is that when you order from them it feels like you’re ordering a la carte. It seems like everything you get you have to specifically ask for. For example; my friend ordered a half plate with wings. He didn’t explicitly say he wanted meat sauce, he thought it was part of the plate. Spoiler alert; he didn’t receive meat sauce on his plate. Additionally, I didn’t receive bread, because I didn’t explicitly ask for it. This sort of nickle and diming of the customer is a frustrating experience.

You shouldn’t have to specify that you want classic plate ingredients when you order a plate. It should be a standard by now that you order a plate that certain ingredients come with the experience. On the top of that list; is meat sauce. It’s inexcusable to forget meat sauce this late in the game. Anywho, let’s break it down:

HEALTH INSPECTION NOTES:

There were some noncritical violations. They were minor and I would feel comfortable eating here again.

Meat (Cheeseburgers): 3

A rather mediocre affair. Flat patties that were nothing special. One redeeming quality was the burger cheese; which was quite good. White American is a top-notch choice for burger cheese.

Meat Sauce: 5

The meat sauce was quite good; it had a nice kick to it and a good texture. Was it the best meat sauce I’ve ever had? No. But was it the best part of this plate? Yes.

Potato Side (Home Fries): 3

As everyone knows, crinkle-cut style fries are my favorite. Although they serve crinkle cut style fries, I didn’t think they were anything special. They were classic Sysco style frozen fries that you can get anywhere.

Mac Salad: 2

The mac salad was bland and boring. Just noodles; light mayo and flavorless.

Bread:  -.25

I deducted a quarter point from the grade of the plate for the lack of inclusion of my bread. My friend got bread; but I did not. The bread itself didn’t look great. It looked like an English muffin roll style bread that are generally bland. That said, I didn’t actually taste the bread so I can’t comment on the tastiness of the bread.

Portion Control/Composition: 3

They give you a ton of food for your money which is nice. The balance of the plate was not great; there was too much mac salad which turned it into a bit of a slog. I also deducted points from their rating for the a-la-carte approach to ordering. Imagine if I hadn’t received meat sauce; there would have been hell to pay. It’s a below average plate that is buoyed by nostalgia of drunken college nights.