Jasper is one of those hit or miss restaurants. I have eaten here on and off since I was little because my grandparents, before they passed, lived in Ishpeming. Now I currently live fairly close, but I still have only eaten here about once a year.
If you do find yourself stopping here while in town, there are a few suggestions that I would definitely make. First of all, it's a brewery so even if you aren't a huge fan of beer, like myself, you still need to try the blueberry beer. It has a great fruity flavor and they actually float fresh blueberries in the glass.
The soups here are fantastic. Beer Cheese soup is my favorite, but a close second is the French Onion. If you get a batch that isn't way overly salty, the broth is always packed with caramelized onions, loads of bread and lots of gooey cheese on top.
Some decent choices for appetizers and meals in my onion would be the homemade mac and cheese wedges, and the taco salad. Although the mac and cheese wedges don't look really spectacular when you receive them, they are the perfect greasy and cheesy bite to go along with that beer or sports game you came to watch. The mozzarella sticks are also pretty decent, as long as they get cooked through to the center. Although I don't have a picture, the taco salad has been my favorite here since I was little. If the shell isn't burnt, and the waitress actually writes down the correct toppings, it is absolutely delicious.
Although the pictures probably make this sandwich look amazing (and it was so underwhelming I can't even remember what it was called), that is only because I take pretty good pictures after rearranging things on the plate sometimes. What you probably cannot see in the picture is that the sandwich is literally sitting in a pile of grease. I have no problem with the fact that they butter and toast the bread on the flat top, or maybe just use oil. Personally, I would rather not have extra grease added onto the sandwich, but every sandwich I have ever ordered here is swimming in grease. On top of the saturated bread issue, the chicken when I get it in a sandwich, is nine times out of ten as fatty as it gets. I have a downfall when it comes to chicken fat, one bite of it and I'm done. After the first bite I continued on hoping that was the only piece with a large chewy fatty area... but unfortunately that didn't end up being the case.
To sum up my opinion of Jasper, come here for the sports bar ambiance, for the brewery, and for some delicious soup. Leave the rest of the menu to be. It isn't worth it.
Jasper Ridge Brewery, Website
