TLO Restaurant Review: Neighborhood Jam

I once tried to review the Norman restaurant, Neighborhood Jam, 102 W. Main. Sadly, I failed to file that story.

Though no fault of the restaurant, I'll just say it was a localized disaster of romantic portions with the wrong person. But, to no fault of its own, Neighborhood Jam always stood as one of the restaurants to blemish my record of good taste in the area.

After enjoying a great meal with their next-door neighbor, the Winston, I thought it was finally time to give Neighborhood Jam a second take, only with a different class of companion, so I hit up my old pal Jodie to go with me, giving me the warm energy that I was craving.

Grabbing a seat on the heated patio, I ordered the gravely-voiced Sam Elliott ($5.00) Signature Latte as a frothy, caffeinated appetizer. Although its namesake would be appalled by the lack of bourbon, it was a delicious made-to-order latte, with the superlative additives of sarsaparilla and sea salt, to kick it a notch.

It was a rootin’ and tootin’, to say the least!

As we waited for our meals to arrive, Jodie and I caught up as the traditional smell of breakfast danced by us. We talked about her recent sabbatical, work and marriage, and my subsequent stroke and partial speech impediment. It was great company, creating a new memory of the Neighborhood Jam, one that I can fully recommend.

Speaking of our meals, Jodie ordered the Heap ($14.00). Without a reference to the golden age comic book character, it's a bed of hashbrowns blanketed by a generous helping of cheeses, scrambled eggs, sausage, avocado, pico, cilantro, and chives, with a roundhouse of pure biscuit passion heaped on top.

With little heat on this cold day, the Heap turned up the thermostat!

Like the name implies, the scrambled eggs and the ample cheese and sausage created a new-wave breakfast, with the avocado, the pico, and especially the cotija, thoroughly hanging out and causing a ruckus. Success to this breakfast!

My order, the Hot Jam Biscuit ($13.00), made me think of a school lunch jazz band during the height of a Sun Ra freak-out in the auditorium. It’s a freshly made biscuit, slathered with jalapeno peach jam, a big fried chicken breast, some bacon, a sunny-side egg, a little cheddar, and the biggest hash brown available.

Overall, it was pretty fine – like a grand breakfast sandwich should be. The chicken breast was alright, but the savory jalapeno peach jam was a pure revelation, a sticky addiction that left me wanting more of it on my food and, probably, in my coffee. With the bacon and cheese dripping off my sandwich, this was a testament to a quality breakfast.

With our breakfast complete and bellies full, Jodi and I sat around the table, talking about good times and better futures. Whether you're catching up with a good friend or simply looking to jam your stomach with food, Neighborhood Jam is a great breakfast spot, for the most part.

Cómpralo ya!

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