Ranch Dressing
Jacoby’s Does Country for City Folk
November 7, 2014 | Rachel Feit
Just when we all thought that Western-themed restaurants serving big steaks and chops were relics of former days, there’s Jacoby’s. This latest Eastside foodery has taken an old concept – the ranch restaurant – and made it fresh and interesting once more.
First, there’s a great story. Adam Jacoby grew up working on his father’s cattle ranch and in the feed store’s cafe in Melvin, Texas. The cafe became well-known for its terrific steaks and burgers made from the beef the family raised on their ranch. When Adam came to UT’s business school in Austin, he had an idea that he wanted to bring the feed store cafe to the big city. After college he went to work managing and remodeling his parents’ cafe in Melvin. He then returned to Austin to work in a few restaurants here, while he honed his concept for a modernized version back home. Enter a great property. According to Adam, he and his interior designer boyfriend Kris Swift were biking in East Austin when they came across a vacant storefront. As it turned out, the property backed up to the Colorado River. That’s when the concept for Jacoby’s Restaurant & Mercantile really coalesced.