St. Jack

There's nothing more formidable than the dual threat, like the quarterback who can run, the actor who can sing, or even the quarterback who can act -- like Mark Harmon, or Jesse Palmer if you assume he was acting, and he played quarterback. Dive-bombing your stomach two ways: St. Jack

From the restaurateurs behind hits like Pok Pok and Foster Burger, St. Jack is run by a former 23Hoyt chef, and named for the man's encouraging grandfather (it's also an Americanization of "coquille St. Jacques", French for "scallop"); the eatery's split into a black-'n-white tiled patisserie with gingham curtains and delicate pastry domes, and a staid bistro boasting blond wood inlaid floors, a formidable bar, and a table that converts from baking workstation (aka "Coolio Cubicle"). Morning starts on the patisserie side, with Stumptown coffee, Steven ("Not A.") Smith tea, and classic pastries like golden-brown, made-to-order madeleines, while lunch offers creamy butternut squash soup, cheese plates, and tartines (open-faced half baguettes) rocking combos like salmon, cucumbers, capers, radishes, dill & créme fraiche, also the name of Vanilla Ice's buttermilk-white cousin. In the evenings, the bistro side'll sling rustic Continental fare: small plates like warm marinated goat cheese w/ baguette, apps like sweetbreads w/ cauliflower puree & bacon/leek/caper vinaigrette, house-made charcuterie including a potted foie, and mains in the realm of fried rabbit w/ celeriac remoulade, a farmhouse ale-braised 1/2 chicken w/ pearl onions, bacon & wild mushroom, and a "St. Jack"-sauced Gruyere meat-which they're calling Le Hamburger, because the funniest thing about Europe is the little differences

St. Jack will also bring in a serious cocktail program, as well as a selection of French wines they're calling "aggressively priced" -- words also spoken by Jesse Palmer's agent, but in the end, even a team with Ken Dorsey as a backup tossed him out with a pooper-Shoop-er.