There is a corner spot in the Airline Shopping Center at Airline and Labarre that is cooking up great poboys, hot plates, seafood specialties and rocking out catering orders as well. Jam’s has only been in this new location for a short while, but they also were doing the same great stuff at a previous location just off of Veteran’s Memorial Blvd.
Owner Amy Waller tells us that whether it was the old spot or the new location, she has been serving up classic New Orleans favorites like roast beef poboys, seafood dishes and an assortment of sides and appetizers with an accent on being made from scratch. Waller is very proud of her roast beef. Waller says the key to her roast beef poboy is how she slices the meat. She slices it very thin and knows it is right when it curls as it comes off the slicer. I have had many poboys. Folks here have varied approaches to the roast beef poboy. Some slice the roast beef. Some pull or shred the roast beef. Some places cook the roast beef down for so long that it virtually falls apart. You know, debris! I have to say that honestly I like them all. When it comes to Jam’s roast beef, I really enjoyed the texture of the roast beef and I especially liked the deep, earthy flavor of the gravy. Amy kicks up her roast beef poboy by adding onion rings to it.
We also got to try Jam’s Seafood and Eggplant casserole. This is served at the restaurant and is also a staple item on Jam’s catering menu. It starts by cooking down the eggplant with the trinity and other vegetables and seasonings. Add the seafood and later the breadcrumbs and a few other select ingredients and you have a delightful and delicate stuffing that is packed with seafood-flavor. If you are eating this dish at the restaurant it is served on a fried eggplant boat. Wow! If Waller is preparing it for a catering gig, it is served in a pan and garnished with fried eggplant medallions. Catering is a big part of Jam’s business, and after trying some of their dishes, it’s no mystery why those catering orders keep coming in. So whether it is by the plate or the by the pan, there’s ALWAYS something good at Jam’s.
