In a town with so many options, you're not missing much if you skip jacs. Their beer list is extensive, but that's not saying much in Madison. I've been twice; once for beers, and once for brunch.\n\nBeers: bottom line, sit at the bar if you want service. If you're on the other side of the restaurant, you might as well be invisible. jacs appears to be one of those places where the busier they are, the more likely you are to be taken care of; it's fine for waitstaff to be chatty with the bartenders, of course, but not at the expensive of obviously-waiting customers. If your brew of choice isn't on tap or on special, be prepared to pay more for a bottle there than you would in most other places.\n\nSaturday brunch: a better experience, over all. Entree pricing is in line with what you might expect elsewhere, and nicely enough, the first bloody mary, screwdriver, or mimosa you order with a brunch entree is $2. Stick with the mimosa in this case; those received positive reviews, whereas my bloody mary was a disaster of a drink. The mix is made in-house but is neither spicy nor interesting, but could have been saved if it hadn't been for the lethal layer of vodka floating on top. Garnished with a lemon slice,a pickle, and a pimiento-stuffed olive and served in a small cocktail glass, this is truly an amateurish effort, and not even worth the $2 addition to the meal.\n\nThe food also received mixed reviews; I enjoyed the eggs benedict (the portion of ham served in this dish is both delicious and generous) and the herbed potatoes were quite tasty. The crepes my friend had were disappointing; she said she can make better.\n\nAfter a couple tries, I'm done with jacs. I was surprised to see that they've been open since 2009; the place has a nice ambience but the service, the beverages, and the food all come with the feeling of a restaurant that has very recently opened and is still working out the kinks. There are better places on Monroe Street and within a couple miles of this place; it's not bad, but you can do far better.
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