Five New Restaurants Opening In Jax Area

[stjr]

Spread across town.  One on the Northside too at the end though not noted in the headline.

Restaurants now open near Avenues, Mandarin, Five Points, Ponte Vedra Beach

Submitted by Gary Mills on August 4, 2010 - 2:49pm

The Speckled Hen soon to be a secret no more

Other than politics and celebrity gossip, nothing gets more internet buzz than a new restaurant â€" especially if it’s located in the urban core or at the Beaches.

But Google “Speckled Hen” and all you’ll find is an address.

That should change with this week’s opening of Speckled Hen Tavern & Grille on Jacksonville’s Southside, just north of The Avenues mall.

One step inside the 150-seat restaurant and you’re likely to forget that you just parked at another nondescript strip mall dotting Philips Highway â€" especially if you’re seated facing away from the windows in one of the big, comfortable booths.

Billed as a “Southern gastropub,” the ambitious menu offers a surprise from typical tavern and grill fare, such as King Crab Mac N’ Cheese ($12), Duck Fries ($6), Southern Fried Veal Sweetbreads ($9). And that’s just from the appetizer menu.

Dinner entrees include Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($12), Root Beer Glazed Bone-In Pork Chop ($16), Shrimp and Grits ($18), Basil Cavatelli ($11) and more.

And here’s an item from the dessert menu I’m looking forward to returning for: Chocolate Trio â€" Red velvet whoopie pie filled with a chocolate mousse and served with a shot of frothed chocolate milk and a rim of cypress sea salt.

Manager Sunny McCain said the Speckled Hen is all about bringing the European tradition of pairing food and beer (or wine) to the kitchen and to your table. And she’s brought in Chef Nick Robson and Sous Chef Blake Burnett, both formerly of 11 South in Jacksonville Beach, to do just that.

Among the 10 beers on tap is Bold City Brewery’s Duke’s Cold Nose Brown Ale. Wine and more than 25 bottled beers are also available. A full liquor license is expected within the next several weeks, McCain said.

The Speckled Hen is located at 9475-16 Philips Highway near Regal The Avenues Stadium 20 theaters. It opens at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday; and 1 p.m. on Sundays.



5 Points adds another sushi spot in Fu Hao space

Yoshi Sushi has opened in part of the space recently vacated by Fu Hao Bistro in Five Points.

The Japanse restaurant at 1003-5 Park St. is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.



Aw Shucks opens for food and fun in Mandarin

Aw Shucks, an oyster bar, grill and arcade is now open in Mandarin.

The 200-plus seat restaurant, located in the former Roadhouse Grill location at 9743 Old St. Augustine Road, offers a large menu of seafood and typical grill fare of chicken, beef, sandwiches, salads and appetizers.

From the sea, menu selections include Shrimp and Stone Ground Grits ($12.99), Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp ($17.99), Lump Crab Cakes ($17.99) and Low Country Boil ($15.99). There's also lunch-sized ($5.99-$9.99) and dinner-sized ($9.99-$15.99) portions of oysters, shrimp, scallops, flounder, salmon and more. From the appetizer menu, make your own meal of Oyster Rockefeller ($9.95), Crab Stuffed Mushrooms ($6.49) and Tomatoes and Feta ($5.99).

The raw bar offers shrimp ($9.99 per 1/2 pound), crab legs ($14.99 per pound) and oysters, crawfish, and clams at market prices.

For entertainment, there's more than two dozen arcade games (including Skee ball!) and nearly that many flat-screen TVs in the bar and surrounding areas.

Aw Shucks is open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday.



Karma opens in former PV Twisted Martini spot

Karma, a new restaurant in Ponte Vedra Beach, is officially open.

Specializing in "global eats and cool vibes," the restaurant, located at 822 A1A N Suite 105 in the former Twisted Martini location, celebrate its grand opening tonight.

Karma's international offerings include Chicken Vindaloo ($11.95), Carribean Mahi ($16.95) and Parisian Mussel Pot en fritte ($12.95) and closer-to-home favorites Baby Back Ribs ($17.95), Fish Tacos ($9.95) and Grilled Rib Eye ($23.95). Also available on the late-night menu are Sliders ($7.95 for meatloaf, fried chicken or buffalo shrimp), Hickory Burger ($9.95), Veggie Portobello ($8.95) and more. More than a dozen appetizers and desserts also are available late-night.

The restaurant opens at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 11 a.m. on weekends. Food is available until close at midnight Sunday through Tuesday and until 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday.



River City Marketplace adds another restaurant

Recently opened at the River City Marketplace is A&D Buffalo's, a small restaurant that offers a wide variety of grill items.

Located between Salsaritas Fresh Cantina and Wasabi, A&D's menu includes wings (buffalo, parmesan cheese, lemon pepper, or terriyaki), burgers, Philly cheese steak, chicken tenders, gyro wraps and more. Most items sell for $4.99 to $6.99.

It joins a strip of eateries at 840 Nautica Drive including Orange Tree, Renna's Pizza, Subway, Cold Stone Creamery and Starbucks.

A&D Buffalo's is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2010-08-04/restaurants-now-open-near-avenues-mandarin-five-points

[rjp2008]

The Speckled Hen sounds fantastic - real attempt to develop a regional food identity. Can't wait to try it.

[floridaforester]

Really?  Another sushi restaurant in Riverside.  Enough already.  Can we just get an Indian place for God's sake?  I would be forever grateful and it makes more sense than having every one in the city located off of Baymeadows road. Although the Friday night dinners at cozy tea are FANTASTIC, its not quite enough.  I really think that a small Indian restaurant would do spectacularly well based on my conversations with many folks in the 'hood. I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for bearing with me.

[RockStar]

Really?  Another sushi restaurant in Riverside.  Enough already.  Can we just get an Indian place for God's sake?  I would be forever grateful and it makes more sense than having every one in the city located off of Baymeadows road. Although the Friday night dinners at cozy tea are FANTASTIC, its not quite enough.  I really think that a small Indian restaurant would do spectacularly well based on my conversations with many folks in the 'hood. I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for bearing with me.

I refer to the Baymeadows area as Little Bombay...can we brand it? lol

[ben says]

Agree w/ all who say "Indian! Indian!"

I think even the pro-Indian people would be amazed at the traffic that would come through the five points area for that kind of restaurant...

[copperfiend]

I would be forever grateful and it makes more sense than having every one in the city located off of Baymeadows road.

The Indian restaurants are all near Baymeadows because that is where a large percentage of the Indian population in Jacksonville lives.

[blizz01]

I refer to the Baymeadows area as Little Bombay

& Little Sarajevo!

[danno]

I have a frined that called Baymeadows the Eliis island of Jacksonville.  In years past all new commers had to reside there for a short time.

[Bativac]

I am eager to try some of these new joints (not the sushi place, uck). Speckled Hen in particular sounds great.

I also wanted to point out one of the comments on the T-U article... only in Jacksonville would someone complain that there are TOO MANY restaurants.

[Captain Zissou]

Is Speckled Hen a chain?? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere for a bar or restaurant.  Aw Shucks sounds like an in-town fish camp, which is great. I, for one, am excited about the sushi place in 5 points.  If it's good, it may up the standard for sushi in the neighborhood, as Sumo Sushi did initially.  Just like Baymeadows has all the Indian restaurants, why can't 5 points have all the sushi?  I think it would be fun for Jax to have a few dining districts.

[Julian]

I dont think the Speckled Hen is a chain, there's no references to the restaurant online, however the name might be familiar as there's a delicious English beer called Old Speckled Hen.

[ben says]

Is Speckled Hen a chain?? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere for a bar or restaurant.  Aw Shucks sounds like an in-town fish camp, which is great. I, for one, am excited about the sushi place in 5 points.  If it's good, it may up the standard for sushi in the neighborhood, as Sumo Sushi did initially.  Just like Baymeadows has all the Indian restaurants, why can't 5 points have all the sushi?  I think it would be fun for Jax to have a few dining districts.

I wouldn't mind a "Sushi district", but when all the sushi is middle-of-the-road, blase American rice-rolls, I get a little turned off. How many places do we need that specialize in California Rolls and American-Japanese stir-fry items...

If we had some specialized sushi places, or even authentic sushi places (gasp!), a la San Fransisco, New York, or....wait for it, wait for it...Japan, then I would wholeheartedly support a "sushi district".

Also, my problem with food districts in JACKSONVILLE is that everything is so damn spread out. I hate having company in town, them requesting indian, and then having to drive 20+ minutes to a, quite frankly, suburban hell-hole like Baymeadows off a major highway like I-95 (sorry Baymeadows people....I'm biased towards this kind of city set-up).

If we want a diverse range of food districts, it would be nice, and add something to the city if we started clustering them around an Urban core...Sushi in five points, middle eastern in X, soul food in Y, etc...

As for people interested in AW Shucks, it is a Charleston based, family-owned company. I actually lived with some family of the owners in peninsular Charleston for four years...It's just OKAY. Another greasy seafood place. Would actually be kind of surprised if it lasted in the area it's opening in.

http://www.a-w-shucks.com/cms_pages/index.php

[ben says]

BTW, don't mean to be a hater on the way jacksonville is set up....

I mean, i'm from here, and my problems w/ the city are everyone's problems w/ the city. It's a love/hate, labor-of-love type deal.

Just really wish this city could hold it's own in the food category. We have the population, we have the open store fronts, and we have the immigrant population to really make some great food enclaves.

Now if only 5 points could lower it's f'ing rent! Hell, I'd open an indian place there if i had the means....

[copperfiend]

I wonder if Speckled Hen is opening in the old Beef O'Brady's. That area is pretty depressing to me. In the 10 years or so since the strip malls opened near the theater, the turnover rate is high. I don't really know of anything that has really thrived over there.

[subro]

I wonder if Speckled Hen is opening in the old Beef O'Brady's. That area is pretty depressing to me. In the 10 years or so since the strip malls opened near the theater, the turnover rate is high. I don't really know of anything that has really thrived over there.

Benito's, the italian restaurant, next to the former Beef O'Brady's is a pretty decent restaurant and has been there for a while.