Queen of Sheba

Queen of Sheba is like the fabled city of Brigadoon, appearing for a short amount of time every few years and then vanishing without a trace. I first heard about the place many years back via word of mouth. Intrigued by the idea of Ethiopian cuisine, I tried numerous times over the years to track it down but could find nothing. The website still lists two former addresses; one on Bowden, one on Emerson, neither of which existed the few times I tried in vain to stop by. As you can imagine, I was quite overjoyed to find out that they had recently re-appeared off Atlantic and I resolved to stop by before the next scheduled vanishing.

Ethiopian cuisine is characterized by abundance of spiced meat and vegetable dishes; most in a thick, stew-like form similar in consistency to many of the heartier, lentil based curries of India. These dishes are eaten using pieces of injera, a unique, sourdough flatbread which is quite like a pancake in its consistency and texture but with a sour, doughy flavor. This is your only utensil.

The Queen of Sheba's location is sketchy enough to scare away more cautious diners and the decor is on par with many of my favorite ethnic dives around town. In these surrounds, it's easy to imagine that you're overseas in a less prosperous place and, for me at least, this is an essential component to the experience.

Being curious and wanting to try as much as I could, I fought the urge to try some amazing sounding dishes and settled on the meat platter. I can't remember the names of the items presented in the sampler but they probably wouldn't mean anything to you anyway. Beef, lamb, chicken were all present and in abundance though they were largely unrecognizable in their spicy, stewed form. Overall the sampler was rather good with a unique array of spices. Some of the dishes were quite unlike anything I'd tried before.

One great thing about the Queen of Sheba and Ethiopian cuisine in general is that there's always lots of vegetarian options. We ordered the Misir Wot: Split red lentils cooked in red pepper sauce. They were really good and pleasantly spicy. Despite being forever tempted by meat and veggie dishes when we dine out, I might not be able to resist this one on a return visit.

My one word of advice to anyone intrigued enough to visit would be to take it easy on the bread; it's very filling and causes a gastric sensation I'm not quite used to which can be unsettling for a first timer.

Our first sampling of Ethiopian food was quite the experience and I'm glad I finally caught up with the ever elusive Queen of Sheba. I love that we have a decent number of small places serving ethnic cuisines and I only wish there were more.




Queen of Sheba
10214 Atlantic Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32225
(904) 721-1001

13 Gypsies

What can be said about 13 Gypsies that hasn't already been said by a plethora of more qualified individuals? Once little known outside of its neighborhood, this tiny tapas restaurant is now perhaps Jacksonville's most famous restaurant thanks to an appearance on a Food Network show. As a result, foodies have been flocking to Riverside with their appetites and expectations and leaving with their opinions; or nothing at all if they neglected to make reservations.

Chef Howard, the heart and mind behind 13 Gypsies, has approached his art with a philosophy akin to that promoted by the slow food movement. Almost everything is prepared fresh daily and by hand if possible. Ingredients are purchased personally from local sources and many of the menu items come and go based on the seasons. So while you can't be sure that your favorite dish will be available upon your next visit, the freshness of your food is guaranteed.

Another alluring aspect of 13 Gypsies is the surprisingly small and fantastically cute dining area. With only a handful of tables inside and a couple out on the sidewalk, you're going to either face a wait or be turned away if you don't make reservations. But once seated, you understand how much more intimate of an experience the smaller dining quarters affords.

There's a noticeable Spanish theme to much of the food here owing to the chef's heritage and one could appropriately describe the place as a tapas bar, albeit with its own unique flair. Loving freshly made bread as much as I do, I was excited to see two types of bread available and promptly ordered both. The Spanish Peasant Bread was lightly toasted and had a pleasantly robust flavor, particularly for a white bread. However, the North African Flatbread was my favorite of the two; earthy with a slight hint of sourness.

Most of the sandwiches come on the peasant bread and are quite exquisite. Most of our party opted to share some tapas but on my next visit I think I'll have to go with a sandwich; the couple bites I had of the Grilled Cheese still beckon me to return.

The tapas we ordered included the Coconut Mango Curry Chicken, the Angry Bull (pan seared beef with pacheco sauce, crushed raw garlic, and peppercorns), and the Shrimp Piri-Piri (shrimp sauteed in a Portuguese ginger-lemon sauce). The Angry Bull had an extremely strong flavor, as you might imagine will all that garlic, but not overbearing in its small portion and was probably the most stand out dish. Those not used to tapas be warned, these are small dishes and one will not suffice for a meal. Regardless, they were all uniquely flavorful and were but a small selection of the wide variety of dishes on offer, all of which I'd love to eventually sample.

Congratulations to 13 Gypsies on their new found fame. And to all of you prospective patrons, I again have one suggestion: make a reservation.



13 Gypsies
887 Stockton St
Jacksonville, FL 32204
(904) 389-0330

Speckled Hen Tavern & Grille

The gastropub is one of the biggest and most welcome trends in the modern culinary landscape. What could be better than paring responsible quantities of quality beer with quality food?

Jacksonville's newest gastropub is The Speckled Hen Tavern & Grille and it's already generating quite a buzz despite being open for only a matter of weeks. Situated just north of the movie theaters at the Avenues on US 1 in a spot previously inhabited by a Beef O'Brady's, it's clear that The Speckled Hen intends to rely on much more than location to bring in business. While it may seem like an odd choice of venue, that part of town is sorely lacking in the dinner and drinks department, making this ambitious newcomer the logical choice when either of those are in your plans and you happen to be in the neighborhood.

The draft beer options are a little slim at the moment but they do have some good brews available, including Duke's Cold Nose Brown Ale by Jacksonville's very own Bold City Brewery. I think there were about eight taps up and running when we visited and I can only assume that they plan to expand their collection as the restaurant gains some momentum.

But although this place is a self-proclaimed "Gastropub" (and rightly so), the food really is the centerpiece of the experience. Rather than dabbling in clever variations on typical bar food, the creative minds behind The Speckled Hen have instead taken their influence from the cuisine of the surrounding landscape with an incredible variety of Southern themed dishes. Reading through the menu, it's hard not to order one of everything just to try it all. Among the many appetizers (which we regrettably did not get to try) there are gems like Duck Fries, Wood-grilled Datil Pepper Glazed Chicken Drumettes, King Crab Mac N' Cheese, Beer Braised Short Rib Spring Rolls, and Pickled Shrimp. Out of these items and the rest of the appetizers, there's not a single one I wouldn't love to try.

Moving onto the entrees reveals even more oddly delicious sounding meals like the Root Beer Glazed Bone-In Pork Chop and the Crispy Fried Cornmeal Crusted Catfish. It was a tough decision but I ended up settling on the Wood-grilled Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Breast which was covered in melted goat cheese and sweet red pepper "chow chow" and served over some pieces of their chipotle cornbread. I've had some pretty amazing meals over the past few months, both locally and in distant cities, but this one may just top them all. While one may be tempted to write off some of the quirkier menu items as gimmicks, there's no denying their brilliance after a few glorious mouthfuls.

Be excited, fellow Northeast Floridians. Things are getting interesting around here and The Speckled Hen just upped the game. This is one place I won't have a hard time revisiting in lieu of trying something new.




Speckled Hen Tavern & Grille
9475-16 Phillips Highway
Jacksonville, FL 32256

Eat Up Downtown

This year's Eat Up Downtown event starts today and goes until August 22. So, for two full weeks, 21 of the best restaurants downtown will be offering "specially selected, three-course dinner menus for $25 per person."

For details and a full list of the participating restaurants, please visit the official Eat Up Downtown website.

Picasso's

You might think you're lost. Or maybe you think that you wandered onto the set of one of those post-apocalyptic movies. Perhaps it's just signs of the recession that make this hidden enclave of a strip mall just North of Whole Foods seem so desolate. In these strange surrounds you will find Picasso's, one of Jacksonville's oddest restaurants.

Jacksonville's restaurant scene has its share of strange. There's the amazing yet frightening Clark's Fish Camp, a true redneck utopia; the culture shock of Fu Hing Seafood Restaurant; and the highly disorienting atmosphere of Angie's Diner. Picasso's, despite the images conjured up by its namesake, isn't odd in such an overt way but a quick perusal of the menu sheds some light on its uniqueness.

Picasso's is a restaurant without culinary borders where Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Pot Pie sit together on the menu as do Shrimp and Grits and Fish and Chips. There's also three different styles of pizza: St. Louis, New York, and Mediterranean; with almost 60 available toppings. Rather than decide to stick to a particular style of cuisine or dabble in a few creative meals, the minds behind Picasso's have devoted themselves to cooking every meal they've ever enjoyed. This is not a bad thing.

Apparently it gets a bit busy much of the time but we managed to avoid the crowds on our lunch time visit. Unfortunately, we didn't bring much of an appetite with us so the breadth of our experience is lacking. One “Da” House Salad and one Kentucky Hot Brown were our sole items, slight in quantity but more than satisfactory in quality.

Da House Salad (romaine and iceberg lettuce, shaved red onions, pimientos, and artichoke hearts with a special, secret dressing)is delightfully balanced salad. Artichoke hearts are becoming more prevalent in salads these days but often they appear out of place amongst the other flavors; here they blended quite well. Juxtaposing the crisp, healthy salad was the Kentucky Hot Brown: an open faced turkey breast sandwich covered in a cheesy Mornay sauce, topped with applewood-smoked bacon and roasted tomato, sprinkled with paprika and fresh parmigiano-reggiano, and then baked until bubbling hot. Despite intending to order a light meal, I somehow ended up with this decadent mountain of calories and thoroughly enjoyed each deliciously waist-expanding bite.

Picasso's, much like the artist, is an oddity; a gathering place for meals that have no obvious connection. But if our little experience has anything to say, there does seem to be one common thread among them: quality. This is one place that bears repeat visits to get a full experience.



Picasso's
10503 San Jose Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32257
(904) 880-0811