The Claim Jumper

The Claim Jumper is a newer resaurant chain that has recently come to Oregon.  Cody loved going there when he was stationed in California, so he was awfully excited when they opened the doors to their new location in Clackamas.  The decor is very North-West/Mountain with exposed beams and a giant stone fireplace in the center of the restaurant.  The atmosphere is relaxed, although still has an air of sophistication about it. 

Menu
The menu is huge, serving a smattering of upscale “comfort” food, including salads, burgers, pasta and main dishes (including meatloaf!).  As always, I’ve tried their meatloaf, and I have always been pleasantly surprised by how good it is. (For other meatloaf lovers out there, you know how excellent a good meatloaf can be, and how horrible a bad meatloaf can be!)  Their garlic cheese bread is amazing – warm, soft and chewy (and oh, so yummy!).  Cody has declared their clam chowder “decent” (which after translation means it’s really good).  The only negative thing I would say about the restaurant is that their portions are so large, they are almost obscene.  This could be a positive thing though, because at least you know that when you go there, you will have a couple of meals!  An example of how large their portions are is a menu item entitled “The Oar Cart”.  This includes quite possibly every type of red meat available in gigantic portions.  A friend of ours ordered this once, and it came out on 2 giant platters.  Needless to say, he had enough food for about 4 meals.  Finally, the important part….the desserts!  They are ginormous as well.  Cody ordered the “I Declair” (an eclair) which even though we were told it was large, it didn’t register to us how large it really was.  When it came out, it was about the size of a 4 – 6 person cake (seriously).  Cody, who hates sweets, deemed it good (which after translation means it’s excellent) and proceed to eat all the filling out of the center.  I highly recommend the “Chocolate Chip Calazone”.  It takes about 15 minutes to prepare, but it is worth it.  Yummy milk & white chocolate goodness is stuffed inside warm, soft, pillowy pizza dough, cooked to perfection and then drizzled with chocolate sauce and toped with a bit of whipped cream.  It’s a wonderfully concoction, that I highly recommend.  It’s also just as tasty re-heated the next day! 

Rating 
While I don’t gives this a “Run, don’t walk” rating, I would highly recommend this restaurant for a night out with friends.  The outing will run you about $50 per couple.  Overall though, you get an incredible amount of food for the money and fantastic service.

 4 of 5 yummy goodness