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the restaurant scene(which looks abysmal here) also has kind of got me down. I'm a foodie, and about once a week at least I like to try a good independent restaurant. Not usually fine dining, but at least upscale. And let's just say the choices in Jacksonville look.....disturbing. The shoppes at Avondale complex had some eateries, but didn't look like it had anything that I would give more than a C+/B-. I love great steaks as well....I'm sure Jville has a couple of the usual chain steakhouses(Ruths chris, Mortons, Flemings, etc), but those are everywhere, they get boring, and the sides aren't up to par.
I went to the website of what you mention above, however, and it looks promising so I may have to check it out.
My husband and I were "foodies" before the word existed (like starting in the 70's) - and the restaurant scene here is pretty bad. OTOH - it's bad in most of Florida. For example - you'll find more restaurants in the Miami metro area that are "sleeker" and more "trendy" - but that pretty much gets you mediocre food served in nice surroundings with a side of attitude.
There are at least 2 bright lights about eating here. First - it's not hard to keep at your "fighting weight" because of the lack of temptation . Second - the scarcity of really good restaurants encourages one to learn how to cook (something I pretty much didn't know how to do before I moved here). And - in contrast to the restaurant scene - the food shopping scene is actually pretty good. Regular places on our food shopping circuit include staples like Publix - Fresh Market - Whole Foods - and Costco (Trader Joe's - which I'm not familiar with - will be opening this year). And then there are the specialty stores ranging from the large oriental grocery market (near Whole Foods) to Penzeys Spices. I wanted to whip up some tempura sauce the other day - and had no difficulty finding kelp - bonito flakes and mirin imported from Japan. And - for the few things you can't find here (like the foie gras I wanted for New Year's) - there's always mail order (from places like D'Artagnan).
My husband and I don't eat much beef/steaks. When we do - we buy prime rib eyes from Costco and grill them ourselves. They're delicious. Note that if you like to grill - you may not be able to in mid to high rise residential buildings as a result of fire regs. [to be continued]
There are some good ones here. Nothing world class but good. I'm really bored with some - like bb's and Biscotti's (their menus haven't changed in like forever) - but some newer ones like Black Sheep (Riverside) - Moxie (Town Center) and Azurea (Atlantic Beach) are good. One problem is that things are spread out over the metro area. We live at the Beaches - and a place like Black Sheep is perhaps a 35-45 minute drive for us (depending on traffic). Also - there are lots of DUI checkpoints (especially at the Beaches) - so drives for dinner at places like this are out (neither my husband nor I is ready to be a "designated driver"). As a result - we do lunches at the places that serve lunch. That means we have to skip places like Orsay that don't serve lunch - but such is life. One option I recommend for younger single people is getting together with friends and splitting cab costs to and from these places. May cost a few more bucks - but just about anything is cheaper than a DUI ticket in Florida.
Also - one thing that JAX does have is a good microbrew/craft beer scene. Some of the places that make the stuff are bars only. But some serve food too (e.g., Seven Bridges - the food is quite acceptable and my husband is on its IPA). Also - the local beers are increasingly served at local restaurants and available at local stores (including places like Publix).
One thing we do do in terms of eating is we travel. It's pretty easy to get to various places in the south with better food scenes. Like Atlanta (which I like a lot in terms of its new southern cuisine) and Charleston. We'll be taking a short trip to Houston this year to check out what's new there. Also - Delta has really expanded its international service out of its Atlanta hub (the JAX ---> ATL flight is < 1 hour). So travel abroad now is a lot easier. E.g., We did JAX/Atlanta/Tokyo last year (our second trip to Japan). We'll be going to Singapore this year - but will hub through Chicago because we're burning up UA FF miles on that trip. FWIW - the JAX airport is really easy on passengers (it's less crowded the day before Thanksgiving than EWR is on a normal day).
IOW - all is not lost if you move here . We've learned and adapted and are reasonably content. Robyn
I think the resturant scene here is great...............although you need to be Sherlock Holmes in the largest city (land wise) to find them............they are not in close proximity to one another and they are not heavily advertised.
While not elegant coat and tie resturants.....TRays and Chowder Teds are two places that are not really well known but are off the charts......I just picked those two as I know many people that have been in this area (Amelia) for awhile that don't know of their existence.
I maybe going out on a limb here (my opinion) but I think most people tend to flock to the franchise type resturants over the mom and pop types here in Jacksonville. I could be wrong but it sure seems that way.
Coming from the smallest state in the US (Rhode Island) my wife and I could visit a great mom and pop resturant every Saturday for a year and still not visit a place twice.....plenty of ethnic diversity also among all the resturants.
I look at all the franchises that have sprung up at River City Marketplace and maybe that is the way things are going..........not for us though win or lose we will continue to try those local mom and pops wherever we travel to
On another note.....are there any real Chinese resturants left that are not buffet types or are operating out of a retail plaza? I miss the old school types where the decor of the resturants and the food was a great representation of the food I was eating!
I used to think like you do (both at home and when traveling) but don't anymore. The problem with the vast majority of these "mom and pop" places is they tend to resemble places you'd find on Kitchen Nightmares and Restaurant Impossible as opposed to being "undiscovered diamonds in the rough". The food is often what we could buy ourselves at Costco (i.e. pre-prepared frozen) - cooked by people who don't have much of a clue what they're doing in the kitchen - served by indifferent untrained people. E.g., we tried The Speckled Hen (now closed) a couple of times. It was promising the first time. The second time it was basically out of half the things on the menu (including the fish I wanted). It forgot to put the crab (or maybe it was shrimp) in the crab/shrimp salad my husband ordered and - when we pointed out the omission - we were presented with a little cup of crab/shrimp obviously right out of a can. And the chicken I substituted for the missing fish was a dry overcooked breast seasoned with a "special sauce" that seemed like salsa spooned from a jar. We had a similar experience at another (higher priced) restaurant that's still open (so I won't name it). When you have 6 lunch items on your menu - it's a real turn-off to find 2-3 unavailable.
In contrast - a chain place like Seasons 52 is very professional - the food is tasty - and the product is consistent. Consistency is very important. I don't want my fish overcooked one day - undercooked the next day - and unavailable the third!
The places you mentioned - TRays and Chowder Ted's - are basically the kind of places that make people here swoon. Burgers and fries and fried shrimp served in pretty dumpy surroundings. There are other restaurants in this category - like Beachside Seafood. I don't know what attracts people to these places - maybe watching Diners Drive-Ins and Dives? - but I don't find them appealing. Then there are their less dumpy counterparts - like M Shack. Again - I don't understand the fascination/fixation when it comes to burgers and fries places. Perhaps this is what the generation that grew up on McDonalds thinks of when it comes to higher end dining - but it really isn't my cup of tea. YMMV.
Just FWIW - I have never found a Chinese restaurant in the metro area with decent food. These days - we only eat Chinese food we make at home (when we're in the mood to do lots of chopping) or Chinese food out of town (we were in Toronto last year and the Chinese food we had there was ). Robyn
There was one place there that at least started out as condos. Perhaps it's the one on the east side of the Town Center (I pay more attention to the restaurants than the residential places).
...
FWIW - we went to Moxie for the first time on 12/31 for lunch. We really liked it. We've know Chef Gray for almost as long as we've lived here (first spent "quality time" with him at a Ritz Carlton Amelia Island food event perhaps 12-13 years ago). He's done a bang-up job on this place IMO in terms of everything from the quality of the building to the quality of the food. And the food is priced accordingly. I've read some negative reviews from people who don't care for the less than Golden Corral size all you can eat portions - and the food that isn't overly salted. Just hope he can make it in this market. He's one of the few bright lights in the culinary scene here IMO. Robyn
Yeah, the first residential built at the town center are condos (the esplanade). And I really like moxie so far...although to be honest I never really enjoyed bistro aix that much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tacosman
the restaurant scene(which looks abysmal here) also has kind of got me down. I'm a foodie, and about once a week at least I like to try a good independent restaurant. Not usually fine dining, but at least upscale. And let's just say the choices in Jacksonville look.....disturbing. The shoppes at Avondale complex had some eateries, but didn't look like it had anything that I would give more than a C+/B-. I love great steaks as well....I'm sure Jville has a couple of the usual chain steakhouses(Ruths chris, Mortons, Flemings, etc), but those are everywhere, they get boring, and the sides aren't up to par.
I went to the website of what you mention above, however, and it looks promising so I may have to check it out.
Restaurant scene in Jax is actually pretty decent, very much in line with a city its size. Doesn't punch above its weight, so to speak, but it's not below average either. Whenever there are national cooking awards/honors/ratings i take a peek to see how Jax does, and usually we are represented by a similar percentage as our percentage of the nation's population. Cities like Myrtle Beach will rate way above their populations, as well as a Chicago and places in Northern Cali, while Jax falls about where it should, imo.
Off the top of my head the most acclaimed local restaurants that you can check out while you're here (But I'm not personally endorsing many of these ) are:
Orsay
Bistro Aix
Matthew's
Biscottis
Bbs
The Brick
Taverna
13 Gypsies
Cafe Nola
Nippers
Pom's
Black Sheep
Blind Fig
Ovinte
Flying Iguana
Blue Bamboo
Marker 32
The Grotto
Wine Cellar
Azurea
Blue Fish
Corner Bistro
Juliette's
Moxie (Very new but I think it belongs on here)
What Robyn said about things being spread out is right on the money. But there are places worth checking out. Ditto her comment about breweries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBtwinz
On another note.....are there any real Chinese resturants left that are not buffet types or are operating out of a retail plaza? I miss the old school types where the decor of the resturants and the food was a great representation of the food I was eating!
Hate to say it but my answer is not really. Peony was the one recent shining star in my book, but I've heard things aren't great anymore ever since management let the chef go. Chef Chan is supposedly the most authentic place we have left, but I don't think it's all that good. Will be trying Dim Sum at Silver Star tomorrow (I haven't been there in years and never thought it was good) but as always Im optimistic that it's changed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
Just FWIW - I have never found a Chinese restaurant in the metro area with decent food. These days - we only eat Chinese food we make at home (when we're in the mood to do lots of chopping) or Chinese food out of town (we were in Toronto last year and the Chinese food we had there was ). Robyn
Toronto Chinese food is arguably the best in the world. I mean, its obviously subjective and theres also MANY styles of "Chinese cuisine" but yeah, many reasonable people debate whether the Cantonese food in Toronto is better than it is in Hong Kong! You can't go wrong with Toronto (although I'd strongly suggest going to Markham in the suburbs over the downtown Chinatown)
Yeah, the first residential built at the town center are condos (the esplanade). And I really like moxie so far...although to be honest I never really enjoyed bistro aix that much.
I know where the Esplanade is (in back of Dick's) - but I'm thinking of one of the smaller (in terms of footprint) newer places. Perhaps I'm getting forgetful as I get older . In any event - the OP is looking for a rental - and Uptown is a rental.
Quote:
Restaurant scene in Jax is actually pretty decent, very much in line with a city its size. Doesn't punch above its weight, so to speak, but it's not below average either. Whenever there are national cooking awards/honors/ratings i take a peek to see how Jax does, and usually we are represented by a similar percentage as our percentage of the nation's population. Cities like Myrtle Beach will rate way above their populations, as well as a Chicago and places in Northern Cali, while Jax falls about where it should, imo.
Off the top of my head the most acclaimed local restaurants that you can check out while you're here (But I'm not personally endorsing many of these ) are:
Orsay
Bistro Aix
Matthew's
Biscottis
Bbs
The Brick
Taverna
13 Gypsies
Cafe Nola
Nippers
Pom's
Black Sheep
Blind Fig
Ovinte
Flying Iguana
Blue Bamboo
Marker 32
The Grotto
Wine Cellar
Azurea
Blue Fish
Corner Bistro
Juliette's
Moxie (Very new but I think it belongs on here)
Decent list. I wouldn't personally endorse many either. But peoples' tastes vary - and I don't like to impose my personal taste on others. For example - I hate over-salting (common here). But other people like it. So I'll let people choose the flavors/restaurants they like.
FWIW - I would add to your list places like Seven Bridges and Seasons 52 (even though the latter is a chain restaurant). They're certainly not "fine dining" - but a fair number of places on your list aren't fine dining either. I really like the southern fried chicken salad at Seven Bridges and the trout at Seasons 52.
Quote:
...Peony was the one recent shining star in my book, but I've heard things aren't great anymore ever since management let the chef go. Chef Chan is supposedly the most authentic place we have left, but I don't think it's all that good. Will be trying Dim Sum at Silver Star tomorrow (I haven't been there in years and never thought it was good) but as always Im optimistic that it's changed.
We actually had a very good nice looking dim sum place in Tinseltown perhaps 4-5 years ago or so. Complete with carts. For perhaps a year or so. Don't know if anyone remembers it. It went out of business not as a result of lack of business - but due to a partner disagreement. The partner who wound up with the business reopened in an inferior Baymeadows location. The food wasn't good - and the place looked crummy. It didn't last long. I'm sorry to hear the place you'll be trying is on Blanding/in the Orange Park area. It would have to be totally great for us to drive from the Beaches to Blanding for a meal.
Quote:
Toronto Chinese food is arguably the best in the world. I mean, its obviously subjective and theres also MANY styles of "Chinese cuisine" but yeah, many reasonable people debate whether the Cantonese food in Toronto is better than it is in Hong Kong! You can't go wrong with Toronto (although I'd strongly suggest going to Markham in the suburbs over the downtown Chinatown)
We've had Chinese food on the west coast (US/Canada) too. The meals have been so far apart in years that I honestly can't compare them. But Toronto was excellent. We wound up in Toronto because we had a family wedding in a pretty dull suburban area of Michigan about 3 hours south of Toronto and I'm not going to waste the air fare to that part of the world without seeing/doing/eating interesting things! On that trip - we also tried 2 new David Chang places in Toronto (Shoto and Noodle Bar). They're very different - but I can recommend both.
Note that I'd read about the suburbs/Markham - but we were staying in Yorkville and didn't have a rental car. And my favorite dim sum place was this one (close to Yorkville - a reasonable walk even for us old folks - but not in Markham or Chinatown):
Anyway - I love to explore when I'm out of town - and always keep the same frame of mind when at home. I'll try just about anything once. Note that I pretty much agree with you about Bistro Aix. You didn't give your reason for your opinion. Mine is that it - like bb's and Biscottis - seems to have had the same menu forever. I'm all for keeping "signature dishes" on a menu - but changes on the periphery (especially seasonal ones) are good. Robyn
I live in Riverside. On my street(Lydia) you have soup to nuts - million dollar Victorian to 1920's bungalow. Some are rehab some are not. Unless you are looking to live in a gated community, any neighbourhood in Jville with character will also have "characters". I am walking distance to multiple restaurants and bars as well as tattoo landlord and "sketchy" convenience stores. The only thing commercial near me is Walgreen and Burger King. People in this neighbourhood come from all walks if life and incomes. There is no real distinction between Riverside and Avondale which is why they are generally listed together. Avondale has just as many sketchy homes as Riverside you just have to walk a little further to get to the restaurants. Ortega also has the exact same mix of homes and people just much less night life/restaurants. There are really three types if young and hip here. Riverside/Avondale hipsters; Downtown hipsters/upscale urban and jax beach which has a vibe all its own. If you are looking for the country club set then head to Ponta Vedra. Amelia Island will be too old and rural for you.
I know where the Esplanade is (in back of Dick's) - but I'm thinking of one of the smaller (in terms of footprint) newer places. Perhaps I'm getting forgetful as I get older . In any event - the OP is looking for a rental - and Uptown is a rental.
Yeah, 5000 Town is the only other new residential that is within the context of the town center, and they're both rentals. I also agree with your earlier comment about the construction process not appearing very impressive. The finished product does look nice enough though, especially for rent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
FWIW - I would add to your list places like Seven Bridges and Seasons 52 (even though the latter is a chain restaurant). They're certainly not "fine dining" - but a fair number of places on your list aren't fine dining either. I really like the southern fried chicken salad at Seven Bridges and the trout at Seasons 52.
Yeah, it was by no means a comprehensive list so I know I missed a few, but I do think I got most of the usual suspects. I was exclusively targeting fine dining (not necessarily upscale) and non-chain establishments, however.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
We actually had a very good nice looking dim sum place in Tinseltown perhaps 4-5 years ago or so. Complete with carts. For perhaps a year or so. Don't know if anyone remembers it. It went out of business not as a result of lack of business - but due to a partner disagreement. The partner who wound up with the business reopened in an inferior Baymeadows location. The food wasn't good - and the place looked crummy. It didn't last long. I'm sorry to hear the place you'll be trying is on Blanding/in the Orange Park area. It would have to be totally great for us to drive from the Beaches to Blanding for a meal.
Yeah, it was called Bamboo Creek and I vaguely recall some dialogue about it on these threads. I might have even been the one who shared that bit of hearsay about the business partner disagreement. As you say, the second location was awful and didnt last long.
As for my experience at Silver Star yesterday, I can happily report that it easily met my low expectations. Not that great at all but definitely fresh and authentic. It's a viable option if you love dim sum. If you dont HAVE TO HAVE IT then just wait til you go travel to Orlando or Atlanta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
We've had Chinese food on the west coast (US/Canada) too. The meals have been so far apart in years that I honestly can't compare them. But Toronto was excellent. We wound up in Toronto because we had a family wedding in a pretty dull suburban area of Michigan about 3 hours south of Toronto and I'm not going to waste the air fare to that part of the world without seeing/doing/eating interesting things! On that trip - we also tried 2 new David Chang places in Toronto (Shoto and Noodle Bar). They're very different - but I can recommend both.
Note that I'd read about the suburbs/Markham - but we were staying in Yorkville and didn't have a rental car. And my favorite dim sum place was this one (close to Yorkville - a reasonable walk even for us old folks - but not in Markham or Chinatown):
Anyway - I love to explore when I'm out of town - and always keep the same frame of mind when at home. I'll try just about anything once. Note that I pretty much agree with you about Bistro Aix. You didn't give your reason for your opinion. Mine is that it - like bb's and Biscottis - seems to have had the same menu forever. I'm all for keeping "signature dishes" on a menu - but changes on the periphery (especially seasonal ones) are good. Robyn
I see. Yeah, Toronto has a startlingly high number of Chinese (IIRC, over 12% of the total population!) so you'll find good stuff everywhere. I only ate at Bistro Aix about three or four times, and I thought it was decent but not worth the price. That is all. The menu issue didnt bother me since I never went often.
Yeah, 5000 Town is the only other new residential that is within the context of the town center, and they're both rentals. I also agree with your earlier comment about the construction process not appearing very impressive. The finished product does look nice enough though, especially for rent.
IIRC - one of these buildings is stick - and the other block. Perhaps I thought the one that was block was a condo because it was block.
Quote:
As for my experience at Silver Star yesterday, I can happily report that it easily met my low expectations. Not that great at all but definitely fresh and authentic. It's a viable option if you love dim sum. If you dont HAVE TO HAVE IT then just wait til you go travel to Orlando or Atlanta.
Perhaps we'll have an errand in that part of town one of these weeks (years?) - and will try it out. OTOH - we have a trip to Singapore planned for later this year. That may well provide us with our "Chinese food fix" for the year . Robyn
IIRC - one of these buildings is stick - and the other block. Perhaps I thought the one that was block was a condo because it was block.
I think you are correct. 5000 Town was definitely stick (there was a fire that set back construction too!) but I think Uptown might have been concrete.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robyn55
Perhaps we'll have an errand in that part of town one of these weeks (years?) - and will try it out. OTOH - we have a trip to Singapore planned for later this year. That may well provide us with our "Chinese food fix" for the year . Robyn
that's my neck of the woods so I'm very partial to the food in Singapore! I'd say it's the best type of cuisine in the world, although being from Penang I also have to say that we do it better. Anyway, that's been an ongoing debate for decades...Penang hawker food vs Singaporean hawker food...at least we all agree that it's the best food in the world. Anthony Bourdain agrees too
Sorry that this has derailed so far off topic!
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. Second - the scarcity of really good restaurants encourages one to learn how to cook (something I pretty much didn't know how to do before I moved here). And - in contrast to the restaurant scene - the food shopping scene is actually pretty good. Regular places on our food shopping circuit include staples like Publix - Fresh Market - Whole Foods - and Costco (Trader Joe's - which I'm not familiar with - will be opening this year). And then there are the specialty stores ranging from the large oriental grocery market (near Whole Foods) to Penzeys Spices. I wanted to whip up some tempura sauce the other day - and had no difficulty finding kelp - bonito flakes and mirin imported from Japan. And - for the few things you can't find here (like the foie gras I wanted for New Year's) - there's always mail order (from places like D'Artagnan).
on its IPA). Also - the local beers are increasingly served at local restaurants and available at local stores (including places like Publix).
. We've learned and adapted and are reasonably content. Robyn
) but I think most people tend to flock to the franchise type resturants over the mom and pop types here in Jacksonville. I could be wrong but it sure seems that way.
