By Lynne Margolis and Veronica Meewes
Adam Jacoby brought true ranch-to-table dining to the capital city when Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile opened at the end of August. He grew up working at his family’s feed and seed company in Melvin, Texas, raising sheep for stock showing and cooking at the homestyle cafe that was originally started to nourish local ranch hands. The all-natural, hormone-free meat used in the restaurant comes from the family ranch and is showcased in classics like the flavorful burger, a perfectly crunchy, golden-battered chicken-fried steak and a juicy steak stuffed with cheese and topped with veal gravy, grilled peppers and onions.
There are also dressed-up Southern comfort dishes on the menu, such as creamy deviled eggs balanced with the bite of a thin sliced pickled radish and a marmalade-roasted quail over porridge. And you can’t go wrong with the desserts, from impossibly fluffy coconut cream cake to fresh, bright strawberry cake, made using many of the recipes from the family’s Melvin cafe.