The Bakery by OPUS 39

Where are all the good bakeries? Sure, there's the French Pantry but that's not open on the weekend so what's a person got to do to get a good loaf of bread on a Saturday morning? Well, one option is to head down to St Augustine's recently opened Opus 39 Bakery. Some of you more distinguished and wealthy readers out there may be familiar with the Opus 39 restaurant, one of St. Augustine's most notoriously posh dining establishments. Well, now some of us not-so-rich folk can head out back for a bite to eat at their fantastic little bakery.

I'm assuming that the bakery out back initially started to exclusively supply the restaurant with fresh bread. Be that the case or not, it still serves such a purpose as you can see the staff carrying basket loads of the fresh baked loaves across the courtyard. And what a courtyard it is. There are a very small number of places to sit inside which may prove difficult on a rainy day but on beautifully clear mornings like the one we encountered, the perfect place to be is out in the courtyard.

Beyond the loaves of bread and confections you would expect from a bakery, there is also a small variety of ready-made sandwiches to choose from. Considering the quality and size, the price is fairly reasonable with a half sandwich costing $3. Great coffee as well.

All in all, the Opus 39 Bakery is an amazing place to spend a peaceful morning. And there's always the option of grabbing a loaf or two of bread for the days you can't make it.






Update: Tragically, The Bakery is now closed and Opus 39 itself will be shutting its doors later this week. The strain of the economic downturn has proven too much for the owners and their investor, who recently backed out. The baker has vowed to stay on and bread will still be available for wholesale while they try to find someone else who might be interested in taking control of the Bakery and re-opening the cafe. So perhaps there is still a chance for this amazing, albeit short-lived, addition to downtown St. Augustine.

The loss of Opus 39 is a real blow to the city of St. Augustine. Here's hoping that the Bakery will find new ownership and that the sad news might stir up some new investors to save the restaurant before it's too late. You can read more about this misfortune at First Coast News, The Jacksonville Business Journal, Historic City News, and The St. Augustine Record.

The Bakery by Opus 39
39 Cordova St

St Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 824-0402

Cool Moose Cafe

Let's dispense with the overindulgent introduction and cut straight to the chase. What's the number one quality that the Cool Moose Cafe possesses that sets it apart from all of the other diners around? The coffee.

I'll try to avoid going on yet another diatribe about the paltry quality of typical diner coffee because we all know it's garbage and we all know I'm a whiney coffee snob. The Cool Moose Cafe has a self-serve coffee bar with, if I remember correctly, around five different types on offer. True to my coffee snob nature, I don't indulge in the flavored varieties, so I'll only drink two of those five or six varities, but if flavored coffee is your thing then I'm sure you'll find them quite enjoyable. The regular coffee flavored coffee, particularly the house roast, is smooth in flavor, low in acidity, and doesn't taste like the beans were chargrilled.

For those of you out there that don't get all bent out of shape about coffee, you'll be pleased to hear that the food is also quite delicious; again, some of the best you can find on our diner scene. I definitely recommend the build-your-own omelette option for a superb tailor-made breakfast.

The huevos rancheros, though not quite traditional and more of a breakfast burrito, is also really good; one of the better breakfast burritos I've ever had. Make sure to check out the specials board for some interesting creations in lieu of the standard fare.

Above and beyond the coffee and food, the real reason I keep going back to the Cool Moose cafe is it's unparalleled atmosphere. Based on ambiance alone, Cool Moose is number one on my list for local diners and breakfast joints. So, if you're like I was and have resisted going for a long time due to some preconceived notion that it's just another diner then it's time to rectify that problem. Then again, I might need that table. Forget I said anything.



Cool Moose Cafe
2708 Park St
Jacksonville, FL 32205
(904) 381-4242

Bad Ass Coffee (lives)

The Bad Ass Coffee on Southside became Java Cove and then became a void. Once their franchise agreement ran out, they decided to forgo the renewal costs and the alluring name that went along with them. It's quite a shame really, the coffee was still the same but clever studies consistently prove that quality is no match for brand awareness in the world of consumerism.

Bad Ass Coffee is, as far as I know, the only establishment where you can simultaneously satisfy your craving for a good cup of coffee and infantile sense of humor. I mean, who can pass up an opportunity to walk into a conversation like this:

"Hey champ, whatcha got there?"

"Some Bad Ass Coffee."

See? Awesome. Sitcom-esque hilarity and coffee, two of the finest things in life. But for those who can't appreciate such fantastic humor, then how about some coffee ice cubes? Yes, Bad Ass Coffee makes the ice cubes for their iced coffee out of coffee. Genius. Your drink doesn't get watered down as the ice melts and the caffeine content is amplified to epic proportions.

There is one remaining Bad Ass Coffee in Jax, just a couple doors down from Pho King Noodles on Beach Boulevard. Pho King, Bad Ass, I smell a beautiful marketing partnership in the making.

While it's nice to know they're still around, the distance makes it a little hard to justify a quick mid-afternoon excursion to refuel for a long evening of work. So, if anyone out there wants to open another branch, I know of a perfect location. But be it Bad Ass or Flippin' Awesome, I'll be there as long as you've got the coffee ice cubes.

Bad Ass Coffee
11925 Beach Blvd. Ste #201
Jacksonville, FL 32246
(904) 620-0000

The Casbah

Jacksonville needs more Middle Eastern restaurants or maybe The Casbah just needs to open up a location a bit closer to my place because if it weren't for the distance I'd frequent this place on a regular basis.

Elements of Middle Eastern cuisine have made their way into Western foods with many restaurants using hummus and tabouleh in selected menu items or offering pita bread as an alternative to sandwich bread. Unfortunately the influence doesn't go much further so I find it's a treat to visit a restaurant serving authentic Middle Eastern food items. I had to make a tough decision between the strange and unique or a familiar favorite so, being that it my first visit and I wanted my critique to be uninfluenced by unknowns, I opted for the tried-and-true shwarma platter rather than explore uncharted territory with the swordfish kebabs. I was not disappointed with my choice as the shwarma (marinated lamb served with salad, humus, and pita bread) was tasty, filling, and on par with the best of my past experiences with the dish.

In addition to being a restaurant, The Casbah serves as a bar, cafe, and hookah lounge. The dim lights and foreign decor make for a nice place to retreat for a pint of beer or a cup of coffee. Happy Hour is 3-7pm everyday with $2.50 draft beer (and they have a good selection, I really enjoyed the Rogue Dead Guy I ordered), $2 bottles, $3 house wine, and half price hookahs. I don't smoke but everybody else I was with seemed to be enjoying sucking down their flavored tobacco. Being a raging coffee addict I ordered a Yemen mocha and finished off the night with some Turkish coffee. The Yemen mocha wasn't too impressive but I love a good Turkish coffee and would make my own if I didn't fear for the safety of my stomach lining.

Another one of The Casbah's many unique offerings is, according to their website, Jacksonville's only dinner cabaret with belly dancing performances every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. So if the great selection of food, beer, coffee, and tobacco aren't enough to persuade you to go, perhaps the belly dancers will change your mind. With so much to offer, I know I'll find myself back at The Casbah... no doubt double fisting a pint of Dead Guy and a pot of Turkish coffee... and hopefully taking some better pictures.

The Casbah
3628 Saint Johns Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32205
904-981-9966

The Coffee Grinder

The Coffee Grinder is one of the few independent coffee shops around Jacksonville and is unique in its more European approach to the bitter black nectar of life. This, as I found through a bit of pre-write-up research, is almost certainly due to the Bosnian origins of its owners.

Even the latte tasted like the coffee I fell in love with on my backpacking trip around the European continent which I would find myself consuming in lieu of actual food. It was also significantly cheaper than all of the other coffee shops I've visited around town; high quality at low prices is always a plus. We showed up on a Sunday afternoon so not much was going on but the nights typically feature DJs spinning a variety of electronic music.

Coffee shops, unlike restaurants and bars, rarely warrant a long excursion but I just might find myself heading out to this area just to visit the Coffee Grinder. But regardless of whether or not it is my target destination, I'll definitely stop in when in the neighborhood.

The Coffee Grinder
9834 Old Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, FL
904-642-7600

Bad Ass Coffee

If a name alone made a place then Bad Ass Coffee would be the ultimate in all coffee shops. Fortunately, the Bad Ass Franchise has a lot more going for them than the marketable name. With two locations in Jacksonville, one on Southside across the street from the Tinseltown Plaza and the other on Beach Boulevard between 9A and Kernan, Bad Ass is a nice corporate alternative to some of the bigger chains.

The Bad Ass name comes from the legend of the "Bad Ass Ones" or Kona Nightingales, donkeys used to carry loads of coffee up and down the mountainsides on the Hawaiian island of Kona. Regardless of the legend's validity, Bad Ass has adopted the donkey as their mascot and uses the story as an excuse to use the "Bad Ass" name.

Decorated in exaggerated Hawaiian themes and lined with all sorts of branded merchandise, Bad Ass Coffee is an almost cartoonish satire of the modern coffee franchise that I would more expect to encounter in some bizarre video game than down the street from my house. But despite the weirdness of it all, Bad Ass is a comfortable place to relax with one of the many varieties of coffee or tea.

I'm quite fond of the 100% Kona coffee brew (which is very reasonably priced compared to standard coffee shop fare) and the latte. The flavored drinks, of which there are an abundance, are typically a bit too sweet for my tastes and are made with syrups, as is the standard. One of the many unique approaches Bad Ass takes to the coffee experience is that the ice cubes in the iced coffee are actually made from brewed coffee themselves so, as they melt, your iced coffee does not become watered down and when you're done you'll have some extra doses of caffeine to suck on.

If you're looking for a good cup of coffee from an atypical source or just want to transport yourself to a strange caffeinated cartoon world, head to Bad Ass Coffee.

Bad Ass Coffee
4352-1 Southside Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32216
904-645-7160

11925 Beach Blvd. Ste #201
Jacksonville, FL 32246
904-620-0000

Starbucks, Downtown Jacksonville

I think I've already insulted Starbucks a good number of times in the limited run of this blog. After all it's an easy target. Super-saturation, declining standards, and high prices; Starbucks is rapidly becoming the new McDonald's, symbol of all things evil in the eyes of the fist pumping, mouth foaming hordes of anti-capitalists activists. But here I'll have to admit that, despite my many gripes, I actually like this company and their [exorbitantly priced] coffee and I applaud their success. Like McDonald's, you know what you're going to get and that you can probably find a store within a half-mile radius.

Up until recently, however, there was no Starbucks in downtown Jacksonville and since most of downtown resembles the set of a post-apocalyptic movie on nights and weekends (very few signs of life, no commerce, lack of food, and zombies) this meant that you couldn't get your caffeine fix when you needed it (unless you're willing to drink the runoff from the Maxwell House factory). Well, worry no more:

There is now one Starbucks in downtown Jacksonville and the interior is pretty nice.

End.

Crap... I just found out there's one at the Landing but I'm not going to count that one because the Landing sucks. Please, avoid the Landing at all costs unless you're looking to lose a few IQ points and completely ruin your outlook on humanity/Jacksonville/water/food. Thank you.

Starbucks Forsyth & Main
11 E. Forsyth St.
Suite 104
Jacksonville, FL 32202
904-358-1404

Jacksonville Beaches / Ragtime Tavern

Florida beaches have, with few exceptions, left me disappointed and nostalgically yearning for the majestic shores of my youth in a far off land. When I moved to Florida in 1996 after a five year stint in waterless Colorado I was beyond thrilled at the prospect of once again indulging in the pleasures of the oceanside but the brown waters, dirty looking sand, and tiny waves quickly drowned my enthusiasm. That said, being by the ocean is better than being landlocked and there is a definite atmosphere permeating the shoreside communities that can't be found elsewhere.

On the morning Saturday, April 19 we took a trip out To Jax Beach for a mini-expedition as neither of us have ever really explored the area much. Being relatively early in the day, the streets weren't too crowded but there were still plenty of patrons engaging in all manner of sun, sand, and surf related activities down by the pier. Preferring more solitary environs (and because our flesh tones range from ivory to egg shell), we didn't spend much time weaving through the sun bathers and rugby players and instead chose to wander the lonely alleys among the closed bars and shops, marveling at the little plants growing out of the cracks in the concrete. However, if you're single, confident, and on the prowl then the beach front is the perfect place to parade your goods and cast your net. Perhaps we'll make it a point to visit the area again in the evening/nighttime to experience and assess the infamous nightlife that attracts people from all over the North East Florida region.

With growing hunger we headed back to the car and drove a few miles north to the Atlantic Beach area for lunch. One of our favorite restaurants in the Southside area is Seven Bridges and Atlantic Beach is the home to one of its two sisters, The Ragtime Tavern. The menu at The Ragtime Tavern is basically the same as Seven Bridges but with more seafood dishes and fewer chicken or beef alternatives. Being a sharing couple, we split the Sesame Tuna (I got the tuna, Kateri the sides and a salad) which was utterly fantastic by my standards. We don't drink often but enjoy a good beer or wine on occasion, particularly from microbreweries like The Ragtime Tavern and Seven Bridges, so we shared a glass of the Westbury Wheat. We're both rather fond of wheat beers and, while not the best wheat beer I've had, the Westbury Wheat had a good flavor. Weighing in around 3-4% alcohol, it's definitely not a brew you'd settle on if you're looking to get drunk but a good choice for those who really do drink for the taste (really!).

Wanting to experience more of the area, we wandered around the shops a bit and grabbed a cup of iced coffee from Shelby's Coffee Shoppe. There's a cute outside area where you can sit and sip your coffee whilst watching the sparrows engage in their mating and scavenging activities, all quite pleasant but slightly cheapened by the plastic container our coffee came in (it's an anti-disposable goods sentiment, not purely snobbery). The coffee itself wasn't very good either. It didn't taste bad but, then again, it also didn't taste like coffee. But here I must admit that I am a coffee snob yet typically forgiving.

All in all, it was an interesting few hours of wandering around the Jacksonville Beaches but I still find them to be rather overrated. Maybe a few more visits will change my mind and I'm open to any suggestions that will help brighten my opinion.

The Ragtime Tavern
207 Atlantic Blvd.,
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
904-241-7877

Shelby's Coffee Shoppe
200 First Street,
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
904-249-2922