Jack Daniel’s Saloon Premiers Menu

by David Donalson

Gilley’s on south Lamar has a new watering hole attached to the venue, the Jack Daniel’s Saloon. I was invited to come and taste some of the new, Texas inspired food that you can eat for lunch, before a show in the many venues, or even enjoy their catering abilities.

After a quick tour of the facilities (15 minutes of walking, this place is huge), I sat down to see what was on the menu, expecting Applebee’s Jack Daniel sauce to be slathered over everything. This was not the case and there were some good standouts.    

The Texas Rattlers ($6.00) are the illicit mix of chile rellenos and jalapeno poppers. A mix of chicken, cheese and peppers are stuffed into a poblano pepper and then deep fried. The fry was good, the poblano still had a little texture to it and the stuffing had just a hint of heat. This is a great way to start.

1015 Rings and Gilley's Original BBQ Sandwich

Another good starter was the 1015 Onion Rings ($5.95). The Texas sweet onion was simply fried and served with chipotle dipping sauce that was unnecessary. On the same plate was the Gilley’s Original BBQ sandwich ($6.00).  Nice beginnings with a good amount of black pepper and sweetness from the sauce.

We also were given some of Hannah’s fried pickles ($4.95, named after GM John Gilbert’s daughter), the Texas Top Heavy ($6.95, a pulled pork sandwich), Filling Station tacos ($4.50 for 2, steak or chicken) and the El Toro Ensalada ($6.95, mixed greens, fajitas, grilled onions and pepper, cheese and tomato). The overall picture of the food was that it was a solid deal, with nothing on the menu over $10.

Filling Station Tacos

One last note about Gilley’s Jack Daniel’s Saloon is the Bloody Sunday brunch. John Gilbert was talking about having a Bloody Mary Bar ($5) with all the fixings to go with the brunch ($10). On a crave salary, this is my kind of deal. Brunch goes from 9am – 3pm.