Bierock: a savory ground beef and sauerkraut mixture baked between two layers of crescent roll dough.

 Beerock: a plain, non-seasoned mixture of ground beef and limp, tasteless sauerkraut baked in a limp whole-wheat dough.

 The difference between these Germanic dishes? The authentic 'bierock' is what your Grandma would make as comfort food. 'Beerock' is what the menu says the "Cookie Jar is famous for." Lemme let you in on a little secret: order anything but the beerock.

I went to the Cookie Jar for the first time with a few of my friends.

Walking in, there's the incredibly tempting bakery case (I had to keep reminding myself that I am on an $8 budget!). On the way to our table, diners are greeted with the same scenery as any bakery-type restaurant: an open seating area, the fading smell of bread baking and clean, crisp table settings. The perfect atmosphere for a nice brunch or lunch. Up on the wall, of course, cookie jars were displayed nicely.

Scanning the menu, I decided to take a risk and order from the "famous for" box on the menu. I asked for the beerock ($5.95), and a cup of chicken dumpling soup ($1.95). My friends ordered bacon cheeseburgers, onion rings, and tuna melts. The soup and onion rings came out and we started to eat. The onion rings were good, the soup was also good, but the dumplings tasted a little too much like wet clumps of flour.

Then comes the main event. The burgers and tuna melts came out, followed by my measly looking beerock. The lonely little offering sat in the middle of an otherwise empty plate. Giving the beerock a chance to cool, I sampled the French fries and had a bite of the bacon cheeseburger. The fries were wonderful, crisp and seasoned, with a soft potato-ey (read: non-greasy) taste. The buns were homemade, like many items on the menu, and looked more than filling.

Returning to my beerock, I took a bite only to realize that immediate rescue attempts needed to be made. I liberally added salt and pepper, to no avail, and had to admit that this was to be tallied up a loss. I ate half and lost interest.

After we had all digested and visited, we decided to tackle dessert—what the Cookie Jar is really famous for. We ordered cherry pie and apple crisp a 'la mode. The pie fillings were of a quality store brand, but the crusts were hand made with love. The scoop of ice cream could be considered spendy or a budget breaker ($1.95 for a scoop of ice cream, the same as a bowl of soup).

Overall, I walked out of the Cookie Jar having a nice dining experience, a wonderful visit with friends, and a plan of action for the next visit: order a sandwich or burger!

 The Cookie Jar

Beerock and a cup of chicken and dumpling soup

What I paid: $7.90

What I would pay: $5.00

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