NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Up until now, breaking with tradition has seemed taboo within the Great American Restaurants family.

But they took a gamble with the catch-all Jackson’s—and, methinks, it’s paying off in spades.

In true GAR fashion, the Reston outpost features a little something for everyone, including: indoor/outdoor bars (exterior heaters keep smokers toasty; snazzy purple halo projects an aura of cool inside), posthumous tributes to GAR toque Bill Jackson (that’s him peeking back at you from the Little Rascal-esque mural, while his many strengths—and shortcomings—are laundry-listed on an opposing pegboard) and even some experimental cuisines: Macadamia nut sushi, anyone?

Deviled eggs were fast favorites, revealing mustardy oeufs sprinkled with spiced pecans and flanked by sugar-cured bacon (woody-sweet stunners). An Asian-themed burger—automatically cooked to medium-well “because that’s how they have the best texture, flavor,” according to one server—summons succulent duck bolstered by zesty shiitake ketchup (molasses-tinged mushrooms), all parked atop a brioche bun.

A funkified marshmallow-meringue pie pours face-puckering lemon tart into a graham-cracker crust, then reaches skyward with briskly whisked meringue artfully blowtorched into waves of caramelized splendor (a pool of raspberry coulis helps short circuit any citrus overload).