JK Crossroads: A good pick for well-prepared, home-style fare

JK Crossroads: A good pick for well-prepared, home-style fare
By Ann Connery Frantz Telegram & Gazette Reviewer

Tucked into the fork between 2A and 101 in East Templeton, JK Crossroads is an inviting spot for the whole family. It's also a very popular town spot, offering a handsome tavern interior on one side, with easy-on-the-ears music and very well-prepared home-cooked food. There is always something down home on the menu — like stew or roast beef — and something a little mouth-watering — like a beef filet or tenderloin sandwich and any of a dozen yummy burgers.

There isn't much to offer in Templeton by way of eating out, beyond a pretty good pizza joint up the road, so dining out could mean going to nearby Gardner — if it weren't for JK Crossroads. Its exterior isn't much to look at, but the dull brick, contemporary appearance belies what's inside.

The tavern is welcoming and authentic, with an open-beam ceiling, all-wood tables, an attractive bar and a few booths. The bar serves 15 beers on tap (with excellent choices such as Yuengling, Smithwick's, Steel Rail, Guinness and Stella Artois) and there's a side room, bright and contemporary though very interesting.

We were seated in that room, which appeared to be a repository for families with small children. We had brought two, and there were a number of busy little people nearby. Service was conspicuously fast — the kind of speed that suggests the owners know little bellies need to be filled quickly or chaos erupts. All of the nearby families were enjoying themselves, and no chaotic outbursts appeared imminent.

We quickly ordered chocolate milk for the girls, and something a little stronger for gramma and grampa: a blue coconut margarita ($8.50), which I found too sweet but he liked very well, and Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea and Lemonade ($6.25), a Southern style vodka-based "iced tea" variation that hit the spot.

We chose a mixed platter appetizer, knowing the girls would never agree to any single item. Caelin's Collection ($11.99) included mozzarella sticks, a split baked, stuffed potato ("skins"), fries and chicken fingers. This was a family-sized appetizer, and it did the job. The chicken fingers were out of the ordinary — a good size, light and delicious. The skins (pretty much the whole potato) were filling and topped with bacon and cheese. The frying art here is well-handled, so nothing tasted overdone or greasy. The kids loved these hand-cut fries. The mozzarella sticks were also delicious, slightly battered rather than being drowned in breading. On the whole, this is a great appetizer for groups, and includes enough for five or six munchers.

Galloping along, our server brought two salads before our dinner selections, also well before we had finished the appetizers. The courses sped in at such a pace that it was too much to handle. Again: kids may like that; adults, not so much. Our dinners also raced to the table, so we packaged a large amount of leftover appetizers for later.

The kids' menu offered chicken nuggets for $4.99, so that was easily handled. If there was a chicken nugget dessert, they'd probably go for that as well.

Anyway, the adults at the table found a wonderful selection of entrees and sandwiches, along with some specials, so choosing wasn't easy. The special, king crab legs with butter and sides, sounded good, but there isn't much to describe when it comes to crab legs, so I opted for something requiring a little more "chefery" — seafood ravioli ($18.99). My spouse ordered the local favorite, Black Diamond steak ($16.99).

There are quite a few good-looking dinner salad options (mango steak, caprese scallop, cran-turkey among them) as well as entrées ranging from sesame shrimp to pot roast, ribs, chicken havarti, basically something for every taste, though vegetarian is pretty much limited to eggplant Parmigiana, veggie burger or salad. The seafood options are very appealing, including maple salmon, blackened salmon with blue cheese sauce and several baked dishes.

Lately, the restaurant has offered individual pizzas that are thick with toppings and delicious looking.

Both of our entrées were delicious and generously sized. There's no stinting on serving sizes here, one of several reasons the restaurant can be found packed from breakfast through the dinner hours. Another is the carefully prepared meals, with nothing drenched in oil or over fried.

My dish included shrimp and scallops, with wild mushroom raviolis and bits of tangy mushroom and tomato. It came in a light cream sauce. The mixture was so, so satisfying, with tender and sweet bits of seafood, losing none of their flavor to a tasty cheese sauce. The same could be said for the raviolis, which had a dark, earthy flavor I very much enjoyed.

My spouse loves the brazier-ready flavor of Black Diamond steaks, which are well-marinated in a soy sauce blend with honey, vinegar, ginger and garlic. He ordered his cooked medium and found it delicious. I tasted and concurred. Locals love a certain nearby butcher's Black Diamond mix, so the crowd is familiar with this entrée. It was generously sized and tender, served with coleslaw and some mashed potatoes he found less remarkable.

The kids, too full after appetizers, didn't eat their nuggets, but it was clear to see they were made in-house, and one taste provided a good idea of how good these were as well.

We ordered two desserts to share, strawberry shortcake ($4.50) and chocolate lava cake ($5.25). There was little else besides cheesecakes, and the server mentioned upcoming dessert menu changes.

We found our cake scrumptious, though I tasted very little of it once grandchild number one discovered its rich chocolaty flavor and doused it with real whipped cream.

The strawberry shortcake was pretty conventional: homestyle shortcakes and what tasted like frozen strawberries (not surprising in January), paired with whipped cream. It was good, but nothing special.

Overall, we enjoyed this meal. We noticed a musician or two setting up in the tavern, early enough for kids to enjoy as well.

Light entertainment is a regular feature there, and the packed tavern crowd was ready for it.

Cost for our meal came to $87.60 with tax and the two drinks. Less expensive appetizers and entrées are available, so one can adjust one's "end" easily.