The Floridian

Saint Augustine lost an icon when Opus 39 closed their doors last year. Regrettably, I only ever walked past the restaurant, never stopping in to sample the famously delicious food at infamously high prices. But no sooner had Opus 39 succumbed to the blight of our recession than the Floridian rose like a phoenix out of the ashes. Focusing their energies on creating healthy and hearty dishes from locally sourced ingredients, The Floridian rode the wave of the Locavore and Slow Food Movements to become a new iconic establishment in the changing culinary landscape.

Although you will find many regulars on the menu, The Floridian has a revolving lineup of seasonal dishes. Most entrees are available in various forms; either as a vegetarian dish or with some sort of locally sourced meat. All references to fish are placeholders for whatever the catch of the day may be. There's a distinctive Southern flair to the cuisine but you'll probably find your meal to be on the lighter and healthier side than what you're used to with such dishes.

Being unable to resist a good fish wrap or sandwich, I've tried both the Pescado Fresco Burrito: fresh catch with quinoa, greens, our citrus sweet potato salsa, and datil-chipotle mayo in a whole wheat tortilla; and the Spicy Melt: blackened local Fish with a datil-chipotle mayo, flamed bell peppers, tomato and fresh spinach on whole wheat bread with Wainwright Dairy's cheeses. Both of these I would highly recommended, especially the melt if you're looking for something a little more decadent. I also have it on good authority that the Dixie Burger, in either the beef or vegetarian-friendly black bean and sweet potato varieties, is exquisite. I keep meaning to order that myself but am usually dissuaded at the last second by the white bread bun (which is undoubtedly quite good, as is all the bread here).

The drink situation is a little confusing at first. The bar is in the back and has an excellent selection of Florida craft beers and a good number of wines. However, across the small doorway that leads from the bar area to the dining room there is an invisible barrier: the County Line. See, the Floridian is directly across the street from one of downtown Saint Augustine's picturesque churches and a country ordinance prevents them from serving alcohol beyond that point. But worry not, there is a loophole of sorts. You may purchase beer and wine in the bottle from the bar and bring it back to your table to consume. However, draft beer must be consumed back in the bar area, beyond the range of temptation.

Adding to the fulfilling food and choice drinks is the great atmosphere. With water served in mason jars on rustic furniture, there's a quaint farmhouse type feel to the place. This isn't a meal you'll feel like rushing. The downside is that you're likely to wait if you don't get there early. The Floridian has amassed a large number of devotees among the local populace and it's not hard to imagine why. Consider it a must-do in downtown Saint Augustine. You might find it hard to justify ever going anywhere else.




The Floridian
39 Cordova St.

St Augustine, FL 32084

(904) 829-0655

Delicomb

The Locavore Movement is gaining a lot of strength and momentum around these parts. More than mere fashion, it represents a fundamental shift in the way we eat, live, and do business. While this movement may not live up the hype and save the world, it will undoubtedly give us a more vibrant, varied, and creative local culture and economy.

Over the past couple years we've seen Jacksonville businesses eagerly supporting the local microbreweries and coffee roasters but the local sourcing of ingredients has been undertaken predominantly by the more trendy and expensive restaurants around town. There are, however, a few smaller restaurants that have dedicated themselves to supporting their neighbors. One such place is the top breakfast and lunch spot among the foodies and locavores in Jacksonville Beach: Delicomb.

Practically Everything at Delicomb is made fresh using organic ingredients; from the sandwiches and wraps to the soups and all-day breakfast fare. The ingredients in my not-quite-vegan wrap (a vegan wrap with chicken added) hadn't even had time to mingle between construction and consumption and the side of chickpea salad was crisp and crunchy. Even with the freshness constraint and the diminutive size of the restaurant, there's an overwhelming number of delicious sounding items to choose from.

Delicomb serves up some killer espresso drinks using single origin beans. Being unable to restrain myself in the face of over-caffeinated beverages, I couldn't pass up the speed bomb: a coffee with added espresso shots. While it still tasted quite nice, I think I'll just go with a regular old latte next time; if not for the flavor then for the sake of my kidneys.

Delicomb also specializes in making their own kimchi: a traditional Korean dish of fermented vegetables and various spices. The recipes aren't quite conventional but they are pretty delicious. The kimchis are featured in a few of the sandwiches and wraps and you can buy jars to take home.

But the kimchis aren't the only thing you can get to go. True to the deli name, you can stop by to pick up some cheese, deli meat, hummus, and various sides along with the premium coffee beans and some goodies from local artisans (like Claude's Chocoloates). This is definitely a place that requires multiple visits to sample the great quality and variety, as is evidenced by their many hardcore regulars.

The tiny little building off 3rd Street is easy to miss but hard to pass up. Whether you're a fanatic about organic and local food or just appreciate a good, fresh meal; Delicomb won't disappoint. If I were closer then I'd happily join the ranks of the regulars but I'll just have to be satisfied with the occasional journey to grab a good lunch and another jar of kimchi.




Delicomb
1131 3rd St N
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
(904) 372-4192

Brewer's Pizza

Orange Park doesn't get any love. At times it can be the very pinnacle of suburban nightmare; impossible traffic, big box stores, and boring chain restaurants ad nauseum. But there is hope. One small pizzeria with big goals arrived late last year to challenge the entrenched chain restaurants and capture the hearts of the local patrons. And from the looks of it, they just might pull it off.

Blanding is usually the last place I'd want to be on a Friday night but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. Beyond the delight in taking my allowed one-day-a-week break from a diet to indulge in food and drink that was denied me during the other six, all that I had been reading about Brewer's Pizza led me to believe that a real treat was in store. Even when not following a food regimen, pizza is seldom a food I choose to consume except in extraordinary cases involving super thin crusts. But Brewer's Pizza, with its flagship "Florida Smacker" deep dish pizza, was rumored to be qutie an extraordinary case itself. How the pizza fared was yet to be determined but there was one thing that was absolutely certain: the quality of the beer was going to be amazing.

While their on-premises brewing operation has yet to start, Brewer's Pizza offers more than 20 outstanding American craft brews on tap; a decent number of which come from Florida's best microbrews which, of course, includes Jacksonville's very own Bold City Brewery and Intuition Ale Works. We were very fortunate to visit while they still had some Hopslam, a highly regarded and widely coveted Double India Pale Ale brewed with six different varieties of hops and a bit of honey by Bell's Brewery in Michigan. This beer currently sits at #7 on Beer Advocate's list of the "Top Beers On Planet Earth" and wholly deserves that honor. This is one legendary beer and one of the few such masterpieces available in our region. The rest of the beer menu may not be quite as epic but they're all quality choices, making Brewer's Pizza the only place to go in the Westside/Orange Park area for a good pint.

Alas, not everyone is so blown away by the prospect of occasionally indulging in a good fermented beverage. Fortunately, Brewer's Pizza brings as much attention to quality and detail to their pizza craft as they do their beer. Their signature pie, The Florida Smacker, is a deep dish, pan pizza made with beer dough and baked until the corners are crispy to the point of being lightly charred. Even for those of us who outright dismiss deep dish pizzas as a rule, giving this one a try is a definite must. The dough is exemplary, without parallel among local pizzerias.

But perhaps its unfair to make such comparisons when, as far as I know, there really aren't any other pizzerias in town doing deep dish pizzas. However, for regular thick crust pizza there are many competitors with whom to draw comparisons. Again, Brewer's Pizza are the unequivocal champions of this craft. It's primarily the dough which earns them such honors but the generous slathering of savory sauce and fresh topping certainly help tip the scales in their favor.

Just a block down from the Orange Park Mall, the location may be less than ideal and the converted strip mall store interior may be a touch awkward but Brewer's Pizza has a lot to offer. Much to my delight, the place was quite busy so, I'd say the local patrons appreciate all they're doing. Even though they might not single-handedly change the Orange Park dining landscape, there's a good chance that their success will result in the appearance of some more quality places to eat and drink. Above all, they've given those of us scattered around the other parts of town a great reason to visit Orange Park.




Brewer's Pizza
14B Blanding Blvd
Orange Park, FL 32073
(904) 276-5159

Mr Taco

Driving past the tiny strip mall on Bowden shortly after the opening of Mr Taco, I audibly scoffed and flippantly proclaimed that I wouldn't be eating there. But after a few more passes over the following months, my curiosity about this little taquiera started to grow. Then the recommendations from trusted sources started trickling in. My initial prejudice was certainly out of order considering that most of my favorite restaurants are hole-in-the-walls with almost equally ridiculous names. So Mr Taco became a top priority, if only to clear my conscience for dismissing it so easily.

This particular strip mall on Bowden isn't particularly inviting. There's a small grocery store, which is essentially a cheap beer and wine depot with some snacks, and the parking lot is usually pretty empty. The Mr Taco logo above the restaurant's facade, with its sombrero wearing, mustachioed Mexicano might strike one as being a bit derogatory but as soon as you step through the door it becomes apparent that the owners and operators of the place are only engaging in some self caricaturization. Betraying his tough appearance, the guy who jumped up to take our order (who I believe may be the owner) couldn't have been any nicer or more welcoming. If warm service is one of your top priorities, they don't come much friendlier than Mr Taco.

Picking a representative menu item was a bit of a challenge. Despite feeling compelled to try the tacos because of the name, we both settled on burritos (I can't resist the allure of a good burrito) but resolved to go back and try the multitude of tacos, tortas, and quesadillas. We'd barely settled into our seats after raiding the salsa bar when our food came out. I'd imagine it might take a little longer when they're busy but that was still a lot faster than expected.

What can I say about the Chicken Fajita Burrito? I've had some amazing burritos and this ranks up among the best. While not taking the crown, there's certainly a lot of flavor and the chicken was sauteed in an absolutely delicious sauce. Definitely better than I had anticipated and enough to warrant repeat visits. Akin to really great street food you might get when traveling in distant lands and similarly priced.

Once again the best restaurants are found in the most surprising locations (with the most surprising names). Those who like authentic Mexican cuisine or even Mexican inspired food are doing themselves a disservice by not stopping in. And while I doubt Mr Taco will ever become as astonishingly popular as a similarly named local taquiera, I hope they'll at least get the appreciation they deserve.




Mr Taco
6426 Bowden Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32216

Indochine

Indochine is the latest in Jacksonville's rapidly expanding number of Thai Restaurants. Each new opening seems to up the ante on food and setting. It wasn't too long ago that Lime Leaf opened and blew away the competition with its exquisite food and sleek interior. Now Indochine has come along to raise the bar once again.

I've always admired the stairwell next to the Burrito Gallery. The wrought iron window set into a worn brick facade with aging rafters visible above the concrete stairs adorned with their own wrought iron railings. The food at the Burrito Gallery is enough of an attraction to warrant a visit but the stairwell is one of the handful of iconic images that I must take in to complete my trip downtown. Indochine won me over immediately by moving in above the Burrito Gallery and thereby forcing me to ascend this work of art.

The interior lives up to the magnificent entrance. Bare brick walls, natural lighting, and abundant greenery make for a very relaxing and aesthetically pleasing setting. We were lucky enough to be given a windown seat and enjoyed watching the world go by below.

The Chicken Red Curry, my go to meal and measuring stick of sorts at Thai restaurants, was the best I've had so far and that's considering some incredibly impressive competition. The vegetables were still fairly snappy, the chicken precisely cooked, and (most important of all) the curry sauce perfectly balanced. Despite the over-abundance of food, I was unable to stop myself from scoffing the entire plate and left myself nothing to eat for the following lunch. Luckily I was given leftovers from the Mixed Vegetables plate, an assortment of vegetables wok fried in a light brown sauce. The description may seem rather bland but the meal itself was very flavorful.

After recently finding a new favorite in Lime Leaf, I think Indochine has now taken its place at the top. Proximity means I'll happily frequent my former favorite but for recommendations and special occasions, this is a great destination to put on the list. I look forward to seeing what the next challenger will bring to the table but I'm skeptical that anyone can beat Indochine on location alone.




Indochine
21 E Adams Street Ste 200
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 598-5303

Urban Flats

For years Urban Flats has been a fixture out in Ponte Vedra, pulling in large crowds for drinks, entertainment, and flat breads. For all these years we'd been meaning to go but were forever being diverted by some other restaurant somewhere along our journey. But then something amazing happened, a new branch of this small-but-growing franchise opened up on the Southside, shortening our trip and thereby minimizing our chances of being distracted.

If there's one constant factor about the newly arrived Urban Flats, it's the buzz. They're constantly busy, even throughout the rainy Saturday lunch hours during which we paid our first visit. Photos of Jacksonville from eras long gone adorn the walls, accenting the clean, low-key atmosphere with a touch of nostalgic and reverence. But, as nice as the ambiance is, this place doesn't get by on its decor alone.

Urban Flats, as the name suggests, specializes in gourmet flatbreads. Made from whole-wheat flour and baked in a stone-hearth, they take their flatbreads very seriously and it is highly recommended to at least try one on your first visit. As intriguing as they sounded, I was a little more curious about their signature salad, The Urban, which I promptly ordered… with a flatbread, of course.

I'm having a hard time formulating a sentence that would aptly describe how much I enjoyed The Urban, made from fresh greens, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, goat cheese, and honey white balsamic vinaigrette. Let's just say that I'm a secret saladophile and it ranks pretty high on my list of favorites.

Before we get to the flatbread, I'd just like to take a moment to call attention to the incredible variety of delicious sounding salads, starters, entrees, and "flatwiches" available at Urban Flats. Most restaurants have a lot of menu items but you're often left with only a handful that sound personally inviting enough to pick from. Perhaps it's just that their style speaks to my tastes but I find myself compelled by most of the menu items at Urban Flats and glancing over the menu as I write this is proving to be quite torturous.

Now, onto the flatbread. There's a striking resemblance to pizza except that the bread isn't very firm. I had actually expected the bread to be a little crispier but I was in no way dissatisfied and would have been more than happy with an unadorned piece of the flatbread; it was that good.

We had the Oven Roasted Vegetable (sun-dried tomato pesto topped with roasted vegetables and parmesan cheese) and the Southwest (Angus beef, tomato chipotle sauce, sweet onion, jalapeno, pepper jack and cheddar cheeses and a sour cream drizzle) which were both tasty and big enough to last for a couple additional meals. There are some fairly conventional options among the 17 different styles as well as some intriguing oddities like the Fig and Prosciutto; the Spicy Shrimp and Chorizo; or the Turkey, Pear, and Brie; all of which I'd love to try at some point.

The wine and beer list is more than extensive and I hear there are some good specials throughout the week so it seems to be a good place to go for an after work drink.

So it looks like the people of the Southside have been able to make Urban Flats as happenin' a place as it is out in Ponte Vedra. I, for one, greatly appreciate the proximity and look forward to many repeat visits.




Urban Flats
9726 Touchton Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32246
(904) 280-5515

'town

Avondale's already impressive dining landscape has been rapidly expanding over the last couple of months and is generating a lot of buzz within the foodie crowd. At the forefront of the excitement is 'town (aka 'town 3611), an intriguing restaurant that sincerely adheres to many of the biggest trends in modern American cuisine.

Using fresh, locally sourced food to create small but flavorful dishes, 'town is one of the newest among the rising number of eco-conscious, gastronomy focused restaurants that both contribute to and provide evidence of Jacksonville's cultural maturation.

As mentioned before, 'town tries to source the bulk of their ingredients from a few local farms and dairies that follow sustainable practices. Everything appears to be selected for maximum flavor as every little bite almost overwhelms the gustatory and olfactory senses. The plates may be far smaller than you'd encounter at a standard box restaurant but the intense and varied flavors work best in smaller portions.

The wine list is quite extensive. On the other hand, the beer list is rather small (three on tap and seven in bottles) but is filled by only high quality, well respected brews. We settled on the Konig Ludwig Weissbier, a flavorful wheat beer that turned out to be quite nice.

The dishes come in various different sizes and categories. There are $5 bar bites and $4 cheese or charcuterie plates. Next you have the $9, $12, and $15 plates that loosely correspond to a small, medium, large concept. For a $33 fixed price you can pick one from each of the categories. Additionally there are a number of more traditionally sized dishes available for various prices as well as an assortment of sides, desserts, and ice creams / sorbets. Dining at 'town certainly doesn't leave one with a lack of options.

All in all we sampled a mere five dishes out of the 30+ available. First I had the Local Tomato Salad with house made ricotta, mixed greens, white balsamic vinaigrette and sampled a bit of the Grilled Eggplant Bruschetta. Bursting with flavor would be an understatement. The tomato salad was essentially two massive slices of some varietal of heirloom tomato served with assorted greens and a dab of ricotta cheese. If all the salads are this good then I might just give them all a try next time. The grilled eggplant bruschetta was a bit surprising in that it was lacking the one ingredient that makes a bruschetta: the bread. Instead the eggplant slices served as the base for the tomato, basil, and goat cheese toppings. It's hard to avoid repeating myself but, again, it was incredibly flavorful.

For my next choice, the Fudge Farm Pork Cheeks were simply too strange to pass up. The flavor is rather akin to that of tongue while being a bit firmer in texture. Very interesting indeed and I wouldn't hesitate to try them again after sampling the other options on the menu.

For my final dish I had the Wild Salmon. The salmon itself was the best I've had. It came with the skin still on which under normal circumstances one would typically discard but it was cooked in such a way to make it not just edible but quite enjoyable. The tasso ham in the succotash was so flavorful that it felt like something exploded in my mouth every time I happened upon a morsel.

Overall the experience was enjoyable. The atmosphere is great, the staff friendly and courteous, and the food was delicious but, I caution once more, the sizes are quite small. Perhaps our only complaint would be the relatively low number of vegetarian options but I'm sure some of the meat based garnishes could be left off if requested. It's exciting to see these modern dining establishments pop up around this expansive city of ours and it's certainly something to be proud of.



'town
3611 St. Johns Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32205
(904) 345-2596

Village Bread Cafe

The Village Bread Cafe appeared out of nowhere just over a year ago, tucked into an industrial park, half a mile north of where US 1 meets University. One wouldn't expect a restaurant located in an area such as this to acquire much of a following but in the relatively short time since opening they've been successful enough to open two more branches; one in Mandarin, the other at downtown Jacksonville's most infamous gathering place: The Landing.

A good loaf of fresh bread is one of the finest, most enjoyable food items in existence. All one needs is to look at the lines outside The French Pantry any weekday lunchtime for evidence to support this claim. However, bread is also one of the easiest things to get wrong and decent bakeries are few and far between, particularly around these parts. I've been burned far too many times by the promise of delicious baked goods only to be met with mediocre or just plain bad results. So in order to prevent myself from being too disappointed, I approach any self-styled bakery with a mixture of hope and trepidation.

Thankfully, the Village Bread Cafe delivers on its promises with some rather good bread. If you order in you'll be treated to some bread and dipping oil which can at times be my favorite part of the meal.

The sandwiches are full of fresh, tasty ingredients and good quality deli meat. They're big too; big enough to eat in two sittings. My only disappointment came when I ended up getting white bread when I was certain that it was supposed to be wheat but it could very well have been my mistake and the bread still tasted great. They have some really great looking salads as well.

This is quite out of character for me, but if there's one recommendation I can make regarding food at the Village Bread Cafe, it's that you should get an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. And when they ask you if you want it warmed up, you should say yes. Then you should take this dinner plate sized cookie back to your table and eat it right away. I can rarely identify when people lustily reminisce about past desserts; most confections don't do anything for me. But if they were all as amazing as this cookie, I wouldn't always be turning my nose up at the dessert menu.

This is a promising place and I'm eager to see how their rapid growth and success is going to play out. I look forward to going back and trying a few more of the enticing menu items. Perhaps I'll pick up a few more cookies while I'm at it.




Village Bread Cafe
5215 Philips Highway
Jacksonville, FL 32207

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