Pele's on King Street Becomes Il Desco

[aaapolito]

I will certainly give this place a shot, but will temper my expectations because there really are no good Italian restaurants in Jax, unfortunately.

Oh geez! There's always someone that doesn't think any restaurant can live up to the nostalgia of their mother's (or grandmother's) Old World cooking.

And if you come from a Mediterranean family, you would know it to be the absolute truth.

Glad I didn't even have to respond since others obviously feel the same way.  Like I said, I'll try it for sure. 

And I hope that this place is good!

[Adam White]

I will certainly give this place a shot, but will temper my expectations because there really are no good Italian restaurants in Jax, unfortunately.

Oh geez! There's always someone that doesn't think any restaurant can live up to the nostalgia of their mother's (or grandmother's) Old World cooking.

And if you come from a Mediterranean family, you would know it to be the absolute truth.

I think it's a load of tosh, really. I'm not saying Jacksonville has good Italian restaurants, but what qualifies as "good" is quite subjective. As is what qualifies as "Italian," apparently. And every Tony out there who is distantly "Italian" has an opinion.

[mtraininjax]

It will be nice to have some competition as compared to Prima Piatti.

[Sentient]

Curious to see how they do...  I think the big problem Pele had was price/volume combo...  Westsiders are not keen on $18 small pizzas.

http://www.ildescojax.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ildesco-dinner-web-v2.pdf

Menu looks tasty but you are looking at $60 a head for app, mid point main or pizza and a drink, tax, tip...  a higher price than similar in NYC or SFO...

[aaapolito]

I went to Il Desco with a group of 12 last night.  The food was good and so was the service (except for a few minor bumps, which are totally understandable given that it's only been open for less than one week).

The burrata was good as far as what we can all expect from burrata here in the US.  My linguine with clams was a really good version of this dish.  The pasta was fresh and the clam sauce was nice and simple.  Plus, I got a very good number of clams.  Some places skimp on the clams, but this place did not.

The design on the inside is pretty well done too. 

I'll definitely go back to try more things on the menu.

Best of luck to this new place.

[camarocane]

Good news, we certainly will try this place in the near future.

[mtraininjax]

Place was bustling Saturday night. One word of advice, use the Reservation system online at OpenTable on weekends here, for a while. They were turning away anyone Sat night without a reservation until 9:30 pm.

[InnerCityPressure]

I will certainly give this place a shot, but will temper my expectations because there really are no good Italian restaurants in Jax, unfortunately.

Oh geez! There's always someone that doesn't think any restaurant can live up to the nostalgia of their mother's (or grandmother's) Old World cooking.

And if you come from a Mediterranean family, you would know it to be the absolute truth.

I think it's a load of tosh, really. I'm not saying Jacksonville has good Italian restaurants, but what qualifies as "good" is quite subjective. As is what qualifies as "Italian," apparently. And every Tony out there who is distantly "Italian" has an opinion.

I wouldn't expect a "White" to have any clue what I am talking about   

[Adam White]

I will certainly give this place a shot, but will temper my expectations because there really are no good Italian restaurants in Jax, unfortunately.

Oh geez! There's always someone that doesn't think any restaurant can live up to the nostalgia of their mother's (or grandmother's) Old World cooking.

And if you come from a Mediterranean family, you would know it to be the absolute truth.

I think it's a load of tosh, really. I'm not saying Jacksonville has good Italian restaurants, but what qualifies as "good" is quite subjective. As is what qualifies as "Italian," apparently. And every Tony out there who is distantly "Italian" has an opinion.

I wouldn't expect a "White" to have any clue what I am talking about   

Sure thing, "Goldie"

[BridgeTroll]

Next up... Two Dudes Seafood Restaurant...  Good luck dudes...

[wanderson91]

Oh wow, they're expanding? That's awesome for them, I really enjoy their food!

[RiversideRambler]

I'm not familiar with their other locations so I don't how well they fit with the neighborhood. This is a prime location in Riverside and I'd hate to see it become cursed with regular turnover.

[BridgeTroll]

http://www.twodudesrestaurant.com/

[Crabernacle]

Maybe it's because I'm on mobile, but that website is... something.

[acme54321]

Maybe it's because I'm on mobile, but that website is... something.

It's something on a PC too