Pele's Wood Fire - Park and King

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I didn't know there were so many beef experts on the board.... 

I specifically said 'tenderloin', it is the leanest cut of beef that you can get from a cow and therefore has the least amount of marbling / fat content of any other cut.  Had I said rib-eye or prime rib, then we are definitely talking a different ball game, but I didn't. 

If you pulled a tenderloin from the walk-in at Longhorn and served it at a Ruth's Chris, RC style, I'm willing to wager that 95% of the people eating wouldn't know the difference.  I'm pretty positive that it would probably work the other way, too. 

[cline]

Forth, the prices compared to the portions are a bit steep. I'll admit that I was a bit sticker-shocked when I saw the prices of the food. However, one has to keep in mind that they are not trying to be the Olive Garden. The goal of this restaurant is to be a destination restaurant akin to Orsay, Bistro Aix, or Matthew's. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh down to the freshly pulled mozzarella makes it even more worth the price. Not to mention that the atmosphere and decor are definitely on par with the best restaurants in the city and even some I have been to in more cosmopolitan cities like Dallas, San Francisco, and New York City.

When you phrase it this way, I agree, kinda nice to have an upscale, big-city, authentic and delicious neighborhood Italian eatery. Along those lines, I guess I'm just a little shocked that's what Pele's is going for. Just always assumed this was going to be a neighborhood pizzeria, competition to Carmine's, and not so much a date-night spot. I welcome it, don't get me wrong. Just a little surprised...or maybe, misinformed.

I think it is actually for the best that it is not going to be competing with Carmine's.  I want to see both succeed and since Pele's is a different format than Carmine's they really won't be in competition with each other-hopefully allowing both of them to thrive.  Besides, we already have quite a few neighborhood pizzerias.

The owners of Pele's have no intention of pushing anyone out in the neighborhood, in fact they want to help make Riverside and Jacksonville a destination city, bringing more $ and employment...I see nothing wrong with that. They want everyone to succeed and do well.

I wasn't inferring that they were trying to push anyone out.  Quite the opposite actually.  My comment was in response to the previous poster saying that he thought they were going to be more of a competitor to Carmine's- which is not the case.  I agree with you and think we are all on the same page when we say we want to see everyone in the area succeed.  That can only bring good things.

[ben says]

I didn't know there were so many beef experts on the board.... 

I specifically said 'tenderloin', it is the leanest cut of beef that you can get from a cow and therefore has the least amount of marbling / fat content of any other cut.  Had I said rib-eye or prime rib, then we are definitely talking a different ball game, but I didn't. 

If you pulled a tenderloin from the walk-in at Longhorn and served it at a Ruth's Chris, RC style, I'm willing to wager that 95% of the people eating wouldn't know the difference.  I'm pretty positive that it would probably work the other way, too.

I'd say 99.99% of the people eating it wouldn't know the difference 

[tufsu1]

I heard a few months back that Pele's would also be open for Italian style breakfast and espresso bar. Is this true?

I believe that is the plan...our server told us they plan to be open from 7am to 3am

[iluvolives]

I heard a few months back that Pele's would also be open for Italian style breakfast and espresso bar. Is this true?

I believe that is the plan...our server told us they plan to be open from 7am to 3am

Here is what one of the yelp reviews said:

"Pele's offers Italy's premium coffee, Segafredo, and has in-house espresso machines. Upon opening, it will offer 7-day-a-week (starting at 7 a.m.!) coffee and fresh pastries, made by Pele's pastry chef, who is also the wife of one of the owners and chefs."

[Captain Zissou]

This from a man who is an affirmed beer snob and frequently enjoys the pricier brews on the menu at Kickback's, Engine 15, and beer establishments far and wide. The line-up Pele's has is quality all the way. I have talked with Matt frequently about his beer selection and even helped by providing a wish list to him -- at his request -- for the beers he would be serving.

-Wow.  I hope my gut instinct is proven wrong tonight.

[Dog Walker]

I didn't know there were so many beef experts on the board.... 

I specifically said 'tenderloin', it is the leanest cut of beef that you can get from a cow and therefore has the least amount of marbling / fat content of any other cut.  Had I said rib-eye or prime rib, then we are definitely talking a different ball game, but I didn't. 

If you pulled a tenderloin from the walk-in at Longhorn and served it at a Ruth's Chris, RC style, I'm willing to wager that 95% of the people eating wouldn't know the difference.  I'm pretty positive that it would probably work the other way, too.

I'd say 99.99% of the people eating it wouldn't know the difference 

Ben, It's not just the grade, it's the kind of cow and how they are fed and how the beef is aged after it is slaughtered.  The way each is cooked makes the final difference.

If you want any cut of beef done as well as it can be done, go to Bern's Steak House in Tampa.  Makes Ruth Chris look like Longhorn.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

FiletThe most tender cut of corn-fed Midwestern beef.

Petite Filet
A smaller, but equally tender filet.

Ribeye
An outstanding example of USDA Prime at its best. Well marbled for peak flavor, deliciously juicy.

Cowboy Ribeye
A huge bone-in version of this USDA Prime cut.

New York StripThis USDA Prime cut has a full-bodied texture that is slightly firmer than a rib eye.

Porterhouse for Two
This USDA Prime cut combines the rich flavor of a strip with the tenderness of a filet.

T-Bone
A full-flavored, classic cut of Prime beef.

I guess while we're picking nits, this is the Signature Steak Menu from the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  Notice that all of the steaks but the tenderloin have a USDA Prime designation and only the tenderloin describes the diet of the cow.  I guess you could assume that you're getting a Prime tenderloin, but, cleverly/innocently, it's left off of the menu.

No mention is made to aging, whether it be style of aging or time aged, and all things being equal, I would prefer to have a grass fed beef over corn over grain. 

Haven't been to Bern's, but I've heard nothing but great things.

[ben says]

Bern's, oh Bern's...how I dream about you all-day, everyday. Not just counting steakhouses, one of the best restaurants I've ever been to...ever. And yes, makes Ruth's Chris look like sh*t.

[MusicMan]

Differences in price often do not deter buyers. Look at "Best Choice" and "Gate" in Riverside. Gate is almost always cheaper, but Best Choice still sells a lot of beer.

I stopped going to Al's Pizza because (imo) the service sucked, not because of the prices. I love 'town even though it is more expensive than other places. If you go to a place and they make you enjoy the experience then often you will return even if there is a cheaper alternative available.

[tufsu1]

The T-U had a pretty good article about the place yesterday

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2012-01-05/peles-wood-fire-opens-riverside-serving-modern-italian

[ben says]

The T-U had a pretty good article about the place yesterday

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2012-01-05/peles-wood-fire-opens-riverside-serving-modern-italian

Good review. The yelp/Urbanspoon reviews are still making me a little nervous. Still need to try the place myself, though.

[Captain Zissou]

So, i went to Pele's on Wednesday.  Here is my review.

The place is really well designed.  A lot of attention to detail and the end user experience.  Half of the dining floor is elevated, so that it utilizes the raised windows on the side of the building as and it gives diners a better view of the pizza oven and the prep area.  The bar is beautiful, with a scrolling ladder to reach the top shelf.  The floor is broken up well to allow for areas for both high tops and booths.

The food was very tasty.  The pizzas were all well made, well cooked, and very good.  They seemed bigger than 10 inches in diameter to me.  This is a good thing because it allows for sharing, but the price makes it so that you have to get 1 pizza per 2 people.  There were 5 people in our party, so we were able to split 3 pizzas.  They were all very good.  If I had to rank them, I think group consensus was that the goat cheese and pesto was the best, the mushroom second, and the prosciutto third.  While all pizzas were great, I think only the Goat cheese could stand on its own as a meal for two people.  I think the other two would have left you wanting.  I ordered the lemonciello wings which were very good.  The highlight of the meal may have been the tiramisu.

The beer selection was pretty extensive.  On the whole, it was pretty strong.  They departed from some of the more commercial breweries to have beers that are better representations of the style.  However, some of the choices seemed to be reaching too far, and they went for obscurity over quality.  Given that they have 50+ beers, they were do have a really solid 20 beers that I would order any of on any day.  Nice job there.  i was very pleasantly shocked.

So, for me, too pricey to justify for a date, but fantastic to go with a group and split the bill.  HH is probably a blast, and if they do a happy hour menu of small plates that would be even better! 

[Captain Zissou]

As a follow up, the staff was fantastic.

our server was AWESOME.  He was extremely attentive, nice, funny, and very helpful with the menu. 

I sat at the bar before the meal and the bartender (the one with the insane beard) was somehow even better than our server.  He got our beers, asked if we were staying for dinner, asked if we were familiar with the menu, when we said no he asked if he could point out a few things and make some recommendations.  Everything he said was spot on.  if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have had the tiramisu, which was my favorite part of the meal. 

They all spoke very highly of each other, the food, the restaurant, everything.  It reminded me of the staff at Chick fil A, where you feel like you need to be friendlier, because everyone else there is.  Just all around great.

So more so than the Tiramisu, the Goat Cheese and pesto pizza, and the scrolling ladder for the bar... The thing I liked best was the staff.

[TPC]

Thanks for the review Captain Zissou. I'm going there after work with some coworkers and I'll be sure to get the goat cheese and pesto pizza and check out their beer selection.