Louisiana flavor beckons

Fifteen years ago Jack Jasper opened Jack Shrimp in Newport Beach with just one menu item -- his grandmother’s famous Louisiana-style peel-n-eat gulf shrimp. The trademark dish is wonderfully spicy and addictive.

While the shrimp cooks, a sauce with a dozen herbs and spices simmers alongside. The savory spicy sauce is served with fresh C’est Si Bon bread for dunking, and it was good enough to launch a successful trio of restaurants.

Jasper seemed destined to be a cook. As a fourth-grader growing up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, he entered his “crazy-chocolate cake” in a 4-H baking contest and won first prize.

“I competed against old ladies baking pies, and my cake was the best,” said Jasper.

Yet Jasper doesn’t take all the credit for his baking and cooking skills. He’s quick to say his grandmother, the late Esse Laplante, a Louisiana native, was the inspiration for his Jack Shrimp restaurants in Newport, Aliso Viejo and Irvine.

Jasper says his grandmother’s house was like a well-stocked grocery store.

“She had garden fresh tomatoes, homemade jams and jellies; she was a phenomenal cook,” Jasper said.

Jasper treasured her recipe cards he inherited but still managed to lose every one while in college. But luckily for diners, he knew the recipes well enough to recreate them from memory and has put most of them together on the Jack Shrimp menu.

Still, he says he wasn’t able to duplicate some of the magic. To this day he hasn’t tasted a crust as good as his grandmother’s strawberry rhubarb cobbler.

“Our strawberries and rhubarb are right on,” Jasper said. “We’re still working on that crust.”

The strawberry rhubarb cobbler ($6.50) is just one of Jack Shrimp’s must-try desserts.

Favorite appetizers include steamed whole artichoke served with a spicy remoulade sauce ($7.50) and a hot crab dip served with toasted bread ($9.50).

Everyone raves about the jambalaya. It’s culinary twist comes from its preservative-free chicken andouille sausage, with boneless breast of chicken, bell peppers, onions, fire roasted tomatoes cooked in a red pepper cream sauce and served with penne ($14.95); you can add shrimp for $3.50.

Black iron dishes here are especially good. Cajun seasoning and flavors come from the skillet, not as with other restaurants, just a crust of overwhelming peppers and spices that complement the delicate flavors of meat and fish.

Try the black iron halibut, lightly dusted in seasoning and served with rice and slaw, or sauteed vegetables ($16.50). The blackened prime rib is also a favorite. It’s served Cajun-style with fresh sauteed spinach and diced tomato ($18.95); or add avocado ($1.50).

You can’t go wrong with the chili Orleans or the voodoo chicken. The chili is made with ground beef chuck, red beans, chicken andouille sausage ($10.50); and the voodoo chicken and pasta is cooked in Cajun spices with pesto, spinach, bacon, white wine, fire roasted tomatoes, penne and fresh parmesan ($13.95); or add shrimp ($3.50).

Hot sandwiches served on French rolls are satisfying and filling ($7.50 to $14.95). Try the butterfly shrimp sandwich on French bread with coleslaw, tartar sauce, onions served with potato salad ($7.50); or the blackened prime rib served on a French baguette with coleslaw, mayonnaise, and Dijon. It’s served with red beans and rice.

Dinner salads make great entree choices ($10.95 to $16.95). The pan-seared salmon salad with Cajun spices served on romaine lettuce with freshly grated cheese is a favorite ($12.95); so is the warm spinach salad with smoky bacon, balsamic vinaigrette, sheep’s milk cheese and basil pesto ($9.95); or add chicken ($2.50) or shrimp ($3.50).

“We also offer low-carb entrees like shrimp jardin,” Jasper said.

It’s gulf shrimp cooked in a smoky, spicy sauce with bacon, garlic and white wine served with fresh spinach, fire roasted tomatoes and balsamic vinegar ($14.95).

“We hope guests will blow their carbs on dessert.”

A new chocolate bread pudding will debut soon, and sweet and creamy pumpkin spice cheesecake is here for the holidays.

Jack Shrimp serves appetizers, gourmet foods, beer and wine in a casual atmosphere. It offers sit-down-friendly service and even complimentary corkage on first bottles of wine -- $10 corkage on secondary bottles. Upstairs there’s a pool table, a bar, sofas, a dining area and a heated open-air patio. The space can be reserved for private parties. There’s also a large party and catering menu for special events.

Taste the best southern Lousiana-style cooking in Newport Beach. At Jack Shrimp you’ll feel like you’ve been invited to grandma Esse’s home for a Southern meal.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at greerwylder@yahoo.com; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; or by fax at (714) 966-4679.

IF YOU GO

* WHAT: Jack Shrimp

* WHERE: 2400 W. Coast Highway

in Newport Beach.

* WHEN: Lunch on Fridays only from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturdays; 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays

* INFO: (949) 650-5577 or www.jackshrimp.com

20051111iprl72knDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Jack Jasper, owner of Jack Shrimp in Newport Beach, toasts over blackened prime rib with sauteed spinach, diced tomatoes and avocado.