You Gotta Try This: Italian beef, taco pizza at J&K’s Lounge in Rockford
By Kevin Haas and Chelsea Meyer
Rock River Current
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You Gotta Try This is the Rock River Current’s dining feature focused on signature dishes at your favorite local restaurants. Want to see one of your favorites here? Email news@rockrivercurrent.com to suggest a local staple.
Where: J&K’s Lounge
Address: 505-507 E. State St., Rockford
Owners: Ky Rankin and John Jones
Opened: October 2021
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday (closed Monday and Tuesday)
You have to try: Taco pizza and Italian beef
Related: New downtown lounge aims to foster Rockford’s creative community
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What’s in it: The Italian beef is served with provolone cheese, onions, green peppers and mushrooms.
The seven-inch personal size taco pizza has a light base that’s a combination of taco sauce and refried beans. It’s served with seasoned ground beef, a four-cheese mix, light sour cream, lettuce and crushed Doritos and tortilla chips.
Why you should try it: Taco bout eating something phenomenal! The thing I love most about this taco pizza is that it’s a personal-sized pizza, so you can actually enjoy the whole thing without feeling guilty. It combines regular tortilla and Doritos chips with their taco sauce and all the fixings to create this unbeatable flavor. Hands down, one of my favorite taco pizzas that I have had in the area. — Chelsea Meyer
The Italian beef has its roots in Deli Italia, the restaurant the preceded J&K Lounge. The Italian bread the sandwich is served on comes freshly baked from Deli Italia’s site on North Main, and it’s lightly toasted and served with provolone cheese melting over the top of the beef. The onions and green peppers provide a nice burst of flavor without overpowering the sandwich. — Kevin Haas
The taco pizza and Italian beef have been best-sellers at J&K.
For more information: facebook.com/JandKsLounge; 779-210-7154
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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.
