My Redding Bucket List

Some of you will remember that I recently wrote about a Redding Bucket List I had made after I toured Shasta Dam. It's a shame that I have lived in Redding my whole life and have never done some of these things. Here's my list so far (might add to it as I think of other things):

1. Eat at Jack's
2. Go to the Kool April Nites parade
3. Attend the Redding Rodeo
4. See the Sculpture Park at City Hall
5. Go to the Civic Auditorium to enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks
6. Go to a Farmer's Market
7. Go to the Hawe's Ranch at Halloween
8. Eat at the French Gulch Hotel and look through the General Store
9. Go to Market Fest
10. Attend a game at the Big League Dreams Sports Park

As you can see, I have crossed an item off my list!! Yes, I ate at Jack's Grill for the first time the other night for my friend Audrey's birthday.

For those of you who don't live in Redding, I'll share some of the history from http://www.jacksgrilldding.com/:

"The old adage that looks can be deceiving is never truer than in the case of Jack's Grill. Walking into this unassuming restaurant is in many ways like walking into the 1930s. The retro atmosphere is one of its draws, but people come to Jack's for one very good reason: its choice steaks. Locally owned from the beginning, the restaurant has justifiably become a Redding institution.

The history of Jack's Grill is a colorful one. Built in 1935 by Bill Morrison, the two-story structure on California Street originally housed a second-hand store. In 1938, Morrison leased the downstairs to Jack Young, a World War I flying ace, who opened a bar and grill. The last thing the town needed at that time was another bar, but Jack's was successful nonetheless. In the years just prior to World War II, Redding was a boomtown filled with thousands of men who had come to work on the railroads, the construction of Shasta Dam or in the mines. In the best Old West tradition, it was also a raucous, wide-open town, and California Street was an infamous strip of bars, hotels, restaurants and several houses of prostitution (including the upstairs of Jack's Grill for a brief time in the early 1940s). Of the numerous bars that sprang up during that era, Jack's is the only one to survive...

Jack's Grill has held fast to the traditions that made it successful. Believing that “if it ain't broke, don't fix it,” the owners have resisted the temptation to modernize the restaurant. The building still sports the façade and décor of its early days, including two original Old West-style paintings by a down-on-his-luck artist who was befriended by the original bar owner..."

I must say it was quite an experience to eat there. It was VERY dark in there and CROWDED!!! Here's a picture of Patty using her cell phone to see her food. They bring you a flashlight (which you definitely need) when they bring the bill.

Here's a picture of Patty, the birthday girl Audrey, and Kim:

I'm glad I went, but I really have no desire to go back again. The food was delicious, but I didn't think it was any better than Cattlemen's (just my opinion :0) ). At Cattlemen's I can see what I'm eating, don't have people standing next to me waiting for a table, can get free refills on my soda, and free refills on the bread basket. BUT...NOW I CAN SAY I'VE EATEN AT JACKS!!! :0)