Bamboo Creek

Next to Tinseltown there once was an Asian buffet of questionable quality. Perhaps it was the garish fluorescent lights and the general atmosphere of a thrift store hastily converted into a restaurant that earned it a bad reputation. The food wasn't terrible and the price was reasonable but in leaving the place one was apt to feel a slight disgust beyond the usual buffet-inspired self-loathing for having eaten so much.

But now this place has become Bamboo Creek Asian Bistro and I'm ashamed to admit that my former negative feelings had tainted my views and prevented me from stopping in for so long. So one Sunday we headed over to indulge in some dim sum.

Bamboo Creek is a lot nicer inside than its predecessor; they really reworked the space for this one. While I pride myself on being fairly cultured, I'm ashamed to admit that this was my first dim sum experience. Sure, I've had many of the items previously but I hadn't participated in the whole affair. For those not familiar with the concept, it's similar to what the Spanish call tapas; you order multiple small plates of items instead of one big meal, like ordering solely from the appetizer menu except that there aren't any onion rings and mozzarella sticks.

There's a lot to choose from so it can be the luck of the draw if you're not familiar with a lot of the items but want to try something new. I don't remember what it was called but I got the stuffed rice rolls wrapped in a lotus leaf. Interesting, but not enough stuffing and too heavy on the rice for my tastes. The shrimp and eggplant was pretty good though. The fried sesame rolls are delicious but will turn your blood into syrup. I think next time I'll go for some healthier options.

I was fairly surprised to find bad reviews when searching for information about the place on the internet. The prices of the plates (which typically contain four of the item that you ordered) hover around the $3-4 mark so I really wasn't expecting anything too fancy. I guess I'll have to compare and contrast with the only other dim sum place in Jacksonville that people seemingly held in higher regard.

There was one slightly negative aspect to my visit. Like the buffet that came before, I left Bamboo Creek completely stuffed. My fault entirely and at least I didn't have to eat for the rest of the day.

Bamboo Creek

MOVED TO:

8532 Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32256
(904) 733-1188

Cozy Tea

Scouring the pages of the newly revamped Jacksonville.com (huge improvement) and looking for things to do, I came across an article about Cozy Tea, a newly opened tea house in Five Points.

According to the article, Cozy Tea's creator and owner, Shika Patel, had been planning to open a tea house for years and finally did so on November 21, 2008... right in the midst of an economic recession. Being a great appreciator of both tea and local entrepreneurship, I put Cozy Tea on the agenda for the following day.

My preconceptions about the place were completely shattered upon walking through the door. Five points has been undergoing a slight metamorphosis over the past couple years from shabby chic to just plain chic and this place is far more elegant than I had anticipated. Up front there is a store where you can purchase a wide variety of teas, tea accessories, and gourmet chocolates from Vermont's Lake Champlain Chocolates. In the back there is a cute dining room where you can go to sit and drink tea by the pot or indulge in some gorgeous looking sandwiches and deserts.

Looking over the picture I took of the tea menu, there are 41 teas on offer, all of which you can be sniffed from little vials in the shop prior to purchasing. Tea enjoyed at the store is purchased by the pot for $3.25. Sharing a pot will cost you an extra $1.50 but there are free refills and one pot is quite a lot of tea anyway. Based on the descriptions in the menu I had narrowed my choice down to two varieties but upon exploring the aromas of the teas I changed my mind completely and instead went with the Lady Londonderry, an aromatic and citrusy black tea that is listed among the English Favorites. I had never encountered it before, not even in the UK, but being that Ms. Patel moved to the US from England, I'll take her word for it.

We weren't too hungry so we didn't indulge in any of the amazing looking sandwiches served for lunch daily from 11am to 2pm. There are tea sandwiches, hot paninis, pastries, and more; all of which sounded delicious based on the descriptions and looked even more enticing when being carried to the tables of other patrons. I definitely plan on going back multiple times to sample some of the food as well as other varieties of tea. I'm not a big fan of deserts but the couple bites I had of the carrot cake were quite nice and it got the enthusiastic seal of approval from my wife.

The one unfortunate downside to Cozy Tea are the hours: 11am to 5pm. There was apparently a Sunday brunch offered early on but due to limited interest it was discontinued but I was told that plans are in the works to return with something smaller in the future. Still, it would be nice to stop in for a cup of tea during these chilly early mornings we're having or even to relax with a couple pots after a hard day of work. Here's hoping the place will be as successful as it deserves and subsequently expand their hours of operation so that I may stop by during the week some time.

Cozy Tea
1029 Park St,
Jacksonville, FL 32204
(904) 329-3964

Crazy Sushi

It had been over six months since I last went out for sushi; the two most recent experiences so lackluster that it put me off the stuff for a while and made me question why I liked it so much in the first place. So despite living within walking distance of Crazy Sushi (as walking-distance as it gets in Jacksonville), the place never really piqued my interest. Sure it was close but I had become jaded towards my past love for sushi. And even though I was fully aware that it is a consistent winner in Folio Weekly's "Best Of Jax" listings I couldn't bring myself to stop by.

This past weekend we'd seemingly run out of unexplored options so I begrudgingly agreed to travel the mere mile and see what the fuss was all about. First off, the innards of this place are far nicer than I was expecting based on its location. Definitely not fancy but not as haphazardly thrown together as some of the other local establishments. Don't get me wrong, I love holes in the wall but only if they have character. This restaurant takes the character and a bit of class as well making it a place suitable for dinner dates, casual affairs, or a lazy afternoon meal at the tables outside.

Our waitress also happened to be one of the nicest and most chipper individuals in the world. We wanted to take her home and keep her around just to cheer us up. But beyond just putting me in a good mood, our friendly waitress did something far more rewarding: she introduced me to what is now my favorite sushi roll. Being a bit neurotic about nutrition, the one facet of the sushi experience that makes me a little uneasy is the rice. I don't dislike the flavor of rice in the slightest but tend to avoid it in other circumstances when possible. As if sensing this, the waitress recommended the Cold Roll which was packed with tuna, crab meat, and avocado; all things I love. But instead of being wrapped in the typical rice and seaweed combination, the Cold Roll is held together by a long, coiled strip of cucumber; a perfect combination for health nuts and carb cutters.

Wanting to enjoy the authentic Crazy Sushi experience, I also opted for the Crazy Roll: a shrimp tempura roll with salmon on top. Not as healthy as the other roll but very flavorful. For those who don't like fish in the raw or at all, there are plenty of hibachi plates on offer that are stacked with the meat of your choice, vegetables, noodles, and rice.

Prices are comparable to the other sushi places around town. The two rolls with the accompanying complimentary soup and salad more than satisfied my hunger and there was plenty of the hibachi chicken dish left to take home. While I won't kick myself too hard for not going sooner, I'll be sure to make up for my egregious error by heading to Crazy Sushi the next time I have a craving for raw fish.

Crazy Sushi
4320 Deer Wood Lake Pkwy. #202
Jacksonville, FL 32216
(904) 998-9797

Five Guys

The latest installment in our "The economy is so bad I can't afford to eat out" series is Five Guys. With the recent opening of a new location in Five Points, I read a unfavorable review of the place on another Jacksonville-centric blog and felt compelled to chime in with my dissenting opinion.

Five Guys is a burger joint started in Arlington, VA back in 1986. Over the next 15 years they expanded to include five additional restaurants around the DC area. Not wanting to deprive the rest of the country, they started franchising across the nation in 2003 and now have over 300 locations.

Look, you're about to eat a burger and some fries. There's nothing intrinsically healthy about that but, if prepared properly and consumed in moderation, there's nothing necessarily unhealthy about it either. Herein lies the appeal of Five Guys. They're proud of their greasy burgers and fries but boast the following points in their stores and on their website:

• We use only fresh, never frozen, ground beef.


• There are no freezers in Five Guys locations, just coolers. Nothing is ever frozen.


• We use only Peanut oil.


• We use only Idaho potatoes.


• Our menu is trans-fat free.

And believe it or not, you can actually taste the difference. The burgers are thick and tasty and the fries actually taste like fried potatoes should. With fifteen free, fresh toppings (my favorites being tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and jalapenos), you can stack your burger up to immense proportions or try something different each time without incurring any extra cost. There are also boxes of peanuts strewn about the place to hold you over until your order is ready.

Depending on what you typically order at fast food restaurants, the cost can be a little higher but it is justified by the quality. And while its still fast food, the burgers and fries at this place are a few notches above the other comparable establishments.

Oh, and just a friendly tip: the fries come in a container but about the same amount in addition gets dumped into the bottom of your bag (as shown above) so a small is typically enough for any one reasonably sized individual.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

St. Johns Town Center North
4413 Town Center Parkway Unit 401, Jacksonville, FL 32246

Pablo Creek East
3267 Hodges Blvd #6, Jacksonville, FL 32224

Southside of Jacksonville
9039 Southside Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32256

Riverside Square
1620 Margaret St., #105, Jacksonville, FL 32204

Orange Park
1910 Wells Rd., #C02D-5, Orange Park, FL 32073

River City
13249 City Square Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32218

Oakleaf
9630 Apple Cross Rd., Suite 106, Jacksonville, FL 32222

Cobblestone Village
200 CBL Drive, Suite 102, St. Augustine, FL 32086

Whole Foods

In case you haven't heard already, Jacksonville recently took a small step towards modernity with the opening of the region's very first Whole Foods.

A supermarket as a topic of interest? I know, I know, it does seem rather lame in a way but our local grocery stores have a lot of catching up to do in order match all that this place has to offer. Much of what's being peddled is fresh and of exemplary quality. There's also an incredible variety to be seen; a brisk walk past the cheese section will attest to that.

But beyond the produce and groceries, there's also a few other reasons to stop by if you're in the area. A gelato/coffee bar, a chocolate counter, and a healthy selection of wines and microbrew beers are there to help you satisfy all of your [legal] addictions. And for those too busy, lazy, or clumsy to took, there's a whole host of ready made meals and dishes.

Yes, it's a supermarket, but currently it's the most exciting one around.

Whole Foods
10601 San Jose Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32257
904.288.1100