TSI

I am not a club person. There's typically very little beyond the noise, the smoke, the plastic cups, and the chest thumping that would actually make me want to go, particularly at such a late hour. However, as with all things in life, there are bound to be some exceptions to your general rules.

TSI is not your typical club. First and foremost, for an aspiring snob like myself, they have an impeccable draft beer selection. While not as great in quantity as you would find in a good pub (I think they number in the teens), those that get valuable tap space are top notch. There's a handful of great wheats too, a favorite style of mine, which definitely earns them bonus points on my imaginary scoreboard.

Not only are the beers good, they're also served in actual glasses, not plastic cups. Anybody who appreciates the quality of a good fermented beverage; anybody who values the flavor, feel, and overall craftsmanship far more than the buzz, will tell you that glassware matters. As part of my aspiring snobbery, I've decided to refuse to drink at places when they're serving out of plastic cups. A man needs to have principles.

Another of TSI's pleasant qualities is the abundance of music that doesn't turn my stomach and make my ears bleed. My beer snobbery may be a relatively recent phenomenon but my music elitism goes back years. You don't come to this place to drink Bud Light and listen to Top 40 hits, you come for Erdinger Weissbier and indie dance mixes. Before you call me biased for having my tastes pandered to, they definitely don't play "my kind" of music. However, they do at least play music that I can respect and enjoy.

Overall, in terms of the night club scene, TSI is just a unique and fairly classy place. Does it get smoky, is it loud? Sure, but that just goes with the territory. If you're looking for a late night with drinks and perhaps some dancing, consider it a welcome deviation from the standard bro-fests. Did I mention they have an excellent beer selection?



Club TSI
333 East Bay St
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 424-3531

JJ's Liberty Bistro

Having enjoyed such an incredible lunch at The French Pantry, it was only logical that we seek out an authentic French experience (as in owned and operated by a French expatriate) in hopes of another amazing experience (besides, it was a weekend and The French Pantry was closed). This quest lead us to JJ's Liberty Bistro in Ponte Vedra. Although we'd passed JJ's Bistro de Paris on Gate Parkway many times and had wanted to try it for a while, we though it better to visit the Ponte Vedra restaurant first because it is the original and is where owner-operator JJ himself works.

JJ's Bistro, which is far cuter on the inside than its strip mall location implies, goes beyond the scope of a regular restaurant. It doubles as a wine, cheese, and baked goods store and you'd be hard pressed to find as much variety and quality elsewhere (especially in the cheese department). For some reason or another, I wasn't feeling up to having a drink on the day of our visit but I wish I had been in the mood for wine at the time because they have an incredible selection and I'd love to go back and give a few a try.

As you would expect in all cultured restaurants (at least those that represent cultures where it is customary) we were given some bread to nosh on before the meal. My expectations for bread have been exceedingly high lately and, much to my relief, I was not disappointed.

The salad nicoise: sping mix with tomato, hard boiled egg, fresh tuna, green beans, red potatoes. kalamata olives, and anchovies, was beyond wonderful. Light yet filling and incredibly delicious. The anchovies are optional but I'd highly recommend their inclusion. Their saltiness and pungency compliment the crispness of the other ingredients. The sliver of quiche I was given to try was good and the mere fact that I was given only a small portion to try speaks volumes. I can't vouch for the onion soup although I take it on good authority that it too was delicious. I did, however, get to try the cheese that stuck to the outside of the bowl and I'd gladly embarrass my wife again to pick away at that delicious glue.

Breaking with convention, we actually indulged in a dessert: a macaroon. I must say, even as a habitual dessert avoider, it was quite divine and I can imagine it would please even the most notorious confection snob.

As an added bonus, JJ himself came and talked to us (he seems to chat up much of the clientele) for a bit about some upcoming wine dinner events. He's a stand up guy; passionate, knowledgeable and engaging.

The wine dinners sound fascinating and I'd definitely like to try one in the near future. I'll be sure to post about upcoming events in case any of you are likewise interested in attending.



JJ's Liberty Bistro
330 SR A1A N
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
(904) 273-7980

North Beach Bistro

I think the voluntary period of silence has run out on this one so here we go. The lady was lucky enough to score a couple tickets to the most recent Bite Club event at the North Beach Bistro in Atlantic Beach. This meant an awesome sampling dinner (minus drinks) for no monetary cost to us at all. Before the announcement of this place as the venue for the Bite Club outing I'd never even heard of it so this was essentially a double score: get introduced to an amazing restaurant and get an amazing free meal.

One thing to note about the North Beach Bistro is its immense size. There's a bar area, a main dining room, and the gallery where we were seated. I think the gallery, with its art lined walls and large round tables, is typically used for gatherings and special occasions. But even ignoring this extra space, the North Beach Bistro is much bigger inside than one would expect.

Much to my dismay, the draught lines were down so no beer for me. That however, was the only personal disappointment for me throughout the night. First we started with appetizers. Unfortunately we missed out on the Vegetarian Spring Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce, a shame because that was the only vegetarian dish among the appetizers. However, I did quite enjoy the Marinated Ahi Tuna on Wonton Chips with Ginger Aioli and even more so the Teriyaki Beef Satay with Siracha which was tender and flavorful; marinated and cooked to absolute perfection.

Dinner started with Lobster Ravioli with Mushroom Pesto Sauce. I enjoyed the innards while donating the surrounding, meatless parts to my dear, starving companion. Just as well, I'm not a big pasta fan. I was, however, a huge fan of the salad that came next: Organic Greens, Granny Apples, Spiced Walnuts, Goat Cheese, and Cranberry Vinaigrette. If there's one thing I learned in Vietnam, it's that it's always a great idea to put fresh, grated fruit and nuts in a salad (or to just put those two things together and call it a salad).

Next was the Shrimp with Chorizo, Rosemary, Soft Polenta and Gorgonzola Fondue. I donated most of the polenta but I liked the few tastes I managed to scrape together. Several people remarked that the Chorizo, minced and marinated as it was, gave the dish a taco-salad-esque flavor and, I'm ashamed to admit, I can see what they were talking about. Following the shrimp was my absolute favorite dish of the night: Calypso Crusted Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa and Tamarind Drizzle. I will go back to the North Beach Bistro and this is what I will order. "Island" flavored dishes can easily go horribly wrong. You can't just throw tropical fruit on top of a pork chop and expect it to work. The component tastes of this dish were exquisitely balanced and resulted in a divine overall flavor.

Although I could have happily stopped after the Mahi Mahi and savored the lingering flavor for the rest of the night, there was one more main course to try: Applewood Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Wilted Spinach and Apricot Bordelaise. Its mild yet rich flavor made it a nice dish to close out the main course. But that wasn't the end of it. The night was rounded out with the general crowd favorite: Tony's Hazelnut Crunch Bar and Vanilla Anglaise. Pretty good stuff, but I again was compelled to donate it to my starving companion.

We had a great time and would like to thank Ashlee, The Folio, and The North Beach Bistro for the tremendous meal. I'm looking forward to my next encounter with the Calypso Crusted Mahi Mahi and also hope to end up at one of the future Bite Club events.



North Beach Bistro
725 Atlantic Blvd
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
(904) 372-4105