Any idea what will be taking place of the pharmacy that moved from the corner of King and Park?
1) Any credible rumors circulating?
2) What would you want to go there? (let's be realistic)
A number of restaurant users have approached the owner but the space needs way too much work for one. Their is no grease trap or rear access.
The place has a very retro and art deco vibe already, so I'd love something that could compliment that look. A couple bar ideas have been tossed around. Depending on the size of the space, I'd like to see a few uses that play off the retro vibe. A vintage/ high end clothing store, record store, and eclectic bar all side by side.
MM would really be able to make that space into something unique and a flagship location for their brand. I imagine they have already considered this site, but found the antique shop to be more condusive to their plans.
All in all, if it's a well done business that adds to the neighborhood, I don't care what goes in there.
One thing though, If it is a restaurant, that is going to stress the already limited parking supply in the area. I hate to say it, but they are going to have to add auxiliary parking until the streetcar is up and running. Maybe they could build a ParkKing (get it?) garage.
What is the square footage of the available space?
It's about 4,000 sq ft.
Has Mellow Mushroom confirmed they are interested in the old antique space, or is this just a rumor that has blossomed into an almost-truth...?
QuoteFrom today's TU.
QuoteMellow expansion?
John Valentino is exploring expansion plans for the wildly-successful Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers.
The chain’s Tinseltown location has defied the struggles other restaurants have experienced in that area and Valentino has expanded to Jacksonville Beach and Fleming Island. He’s now considering adding spots in the Riverside area and in the St. Johns Town Center. The company is also weighing a partnership with Burrito Gallery at one or more of the possible new locations.
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/401574/abel-harding/2011-02-21/coworking-space-debuting-downtown-jacksonville
I posted this yesterday in the Carmine's thread. It's more than a rumor, but it's not fact.
excelllleenntt....
let's hope this comes to fruition.
^ That's some pretty slick investigative work Stephen. Nice Job.
I hope that RAP and the Park & King Association will be helpful in bringing them to the neighborhood, should they decide to do so. People will complain day and night about chains, but having them in the neighborhood helps lend a bit of credibility to the area it and indicates that it's business friendly..... Also, as far as chains go, MM is ok with me.
Notice how there are so few chains in downtown.
Mellow Mushroom would be a great addition. I like the one at the beach.
And people complain about the number of sushi restaurants we have in Riverside! Have you ever counted how many pizza places there are? Good grief!
Quote from: Dog Walker on February 22, 2011, 02:04:02 PM
And people complain about the number of sushi restaurants we have in Riverside! Have you ever counted how many pizza places there are? Good grief!
Try the number of sandwich shops, it doubles pizza places. I don't think an overabundance of restaurants is a bad thing. I'd like a solid burrito place, a thai place closer to 5 points, and a solid wing place, but I'm not starving by any means. Heck, most of the time I'm full with leftovers in the fridge.
Yes, we all have to remember that a plethora of businesses is a GOOD thing....
........unless it's a sushi place ;)
Love the idea of restaurant but the idea of a parking garage in that area is the last thing that needs to happen...there is plenty of parking in that area..people are just too lazy to walk a bit..
Quote from: Captain Zissou on February 22, 2011, 09:08:09 AM
The place has a very retro and art deco vibe already, so I'd love something that could compliment that look. A couple bar ideas have been tossed around. Depending on the size of the space, I'd like to see a few uses that play off the retro vibe. A vintage/ high end clothing store, record store, and eclectic bar all side by side.
MM would really be able to make that space into something unique and a flagship location for their brand. I imagine they have already considered this site, but found the antique shop to be more condusive to their plans.
All in all, if it's a well done business that adds to the neighborhood, I don't care what goes in there.
One thing though, If it is a restaurant, that is going to stress the already limited parking supply in the area. I hate to say it, but they are going to have to add auxiliary parking until the streetcar is up and running. Maybe they could build a ParkKing (get it?) garage.
What is the square footage of the available space?
I'd love to see some nice places open in the park and king area..not just jeans and tshirts...we deserve a little fancy food to.
Quote from: Garden guy on February 22, 2011, 02:43:21 PM
Love the idea of restaurant but the idea of a parking garage in that area is the last thing that needs to happen...there is plenty of parking in that area..people are just too lazy to walk a bit..
Agree 100%. I don't think a parking garage is either necessary or desirable--the whole neighborhood is one big grid of free streetside parking spots already. You may need to park and walk a few blocks to get to your destination, but that's actually one of the positives of Riverside/Avondale--it's a real walkable neighborhood, not SJTC. Let's not become a victim of success and destroy what's so appealing about it in the first place by building for automobiles rather than human beings. Besides, on-street parking has a traffic calming effect so even if he wants to, Mr. SUV driver
can't go 80 mph down a narrow 2 way street lined on both sides with parked cars without some collateral damage. Let's leave the parking garages where they belong: at Jax International, the malls, and of course, downtown.
Streetcar on the other hand, can't get here soon enough as far as I'm concerned.
Quote from: Garden guy on February 22, 2011, 02:45:09 PM
I'd love to see some nice places open in the park and king area..not just jeans and tshirts...we deserve a little fancy food to.
My food never comes out in jeans and t-shirts. ;) Maybe you could wear a suit & tie next time you're at KBs ;D
I'd love to see an Indian restaurant open around here--Cozy Tea does Indian dinners on First Fridays but we need something open full time!
There is plenty of on street parking in the King Street area. Right now on the weekends College west of King sees a lot of parking, and Post east of King, but there is still a lot of street to park around.
I live a block west of King on Post and there really aren't many people parked down that way on a regular basis or on the weekends. As LP said, it also helps control the speed of people driving through.
Hopefully the area will continue to attract even more businesses. I welcome a problem of people parked along the streets because there is enough business to draw them there.
QuoteLove the idea of restaurant but the idea of a parking garage in that area is the last thing that needs to happen...there is plenty of parking in that area..people are just too lazy to walk a bit..
Hey GG, while I did say the words Parking and garage in the same sentence (except I didn't, I said
ParkKing, which I think is hilarious, and reason enough to build a garage right there), the overall tone of the sentence does not indicate that I am a huge fan of parking lots. The tone actually conveys that I am dismayed that more parking would be the temporary solution until the streetcar shows up. I'm in Big Brother's Big Sister, my little brother is learning about context clues, I'll forward you some reference material.
My point was, in the Park & King area, there are less than 300 parking spaces (This excludes the bnk, burger king, and Walgreen's dedicated parking spots). Already, those numbers are stressed in the evenings. The addition of MM and something with a significant draw at the Carter's pharmacy location will stress that further. Also, my numbers included all spaces from Riverside Ave to College street going N/S, and Acosta to James street going E/W. I agree that people could walk, but no one will ever walk from James and Park (The Caribbean place) to College and King (Kickbacks), roughly 2/3 of a mile.
You could have maybe sensed that I'm a conservative from my ridiculous post, which might have caused you to believe I am a huge fan of Applebee's, the CMT channel, and Wal-mart, but I assure you that's not the case. Last time I try to make a pun on this website.....
QuoteYou could have maybe sensed that I'm a conservative from my ridiculous post, which might have caused you to believe I am a huge fan of Applebee's, the CMT channel, and Wal-mart, but I assure you that's not the case
LOL!
Even when parking is hard to come by, I ultimately do not mind walking a block from and to my car. I usually park on either College or Post with no problem.
Does the church school one block away from Carters effect what kind of place that can go in there?
I just want good Indian food without having to drive to freakin' Baymeadows. :-[
Quote from: L.P. Hovercraft on February 22, 2011, 04:20:30 PM
I'd love to see an Indian restaurant open around here--Cozy Tea does Indian dinners on First Fridays but we need something open full time!
When I spoke with the lady last week she mentioned they are no longer doing the dinners.
That being said, the warm lemon glaze cookie there is out of this world!
QuoteInsert Quote
I just want good Indian food without having to drive to freakin' Baymeadows.
Some place where I could get a dosa and a place where I could get some pho... and I might just quit my Southside job and never leave the neighborhood!
i second the indian food!
Simple solution to parking: Move to post and king. I never have trouble finding a spot on my 5 house walk. Actually there's plenty of places available on College off King and even more on Green
Cozy Tea better still be doing those dinners! I went to the one before Valentine's Day. Some of the best, most authentic Indian food I've had in awhile. Outstanding...
Quote from: PeeJayEss on February 23, 2011, 03:23:19 PM
Simple solution to parking: Move to post and king. I never have trouble finding a spot on my 5 house walk. Actually there's plenty of places available on College off King and even more on Green
I agree. My walk up Post and stumble home is much easier than finding a place to park.
Quote from: ben says on February 23, 2011, 03:39:14 PM
Cozy Tea better still be doing those dinners! I went to the one before Valentine's Day. Some of the best, most authentic Indian food I've had in awhile. Outstanding...
Was it this valentines day? Because I was told they aren't doing them anymore. It was too much work since it was just the mother who was doing all the cooking. I would LOVE if they offered it again- although you had to make a reservation 6 months in advance, unless you walked up the day of and a table happened to have canceled last minute.
QuoteI left a message for the Valentino's who are the local franchise owners and will report back dutifully when I speak with them.
That has to be the MOST ludicrous thing I have ever heard, anyone who knows Jacksonville knows you can find John Valentino at Intuition where he and a large group of budding young capitalists are members of the Mug Club. Save yourself from your calling, and go see him there at INTUITION, it's on King Street before the railroad tracks, if you get to Roselle, you have gone too far.
Quote from: iluvolives on February 23, 2011, 05:32:01 PM
Quote from: ben says on February 23, 2011, 03:39:14 PM
Cozy Tea better still be doing those dinners! I went to the one before Valentine's Day. Some of the best, most authentic Indian food I've had in awhile. Outstanding...
Was it this valentines day? Because I was told they aren't doing them anymore. It was too much work since it was just the mother who was doing all the cooking. I would LOVE if they offered it again- although you had to make a reservation 6 months in advance, unless you walked up the day of and a table happened to have canceled last minute.
Yes, this was the Valentine's Day dinner. I didn't see a mother in the kitchen cooking , but I admit, I do not really pay too much attention to those things...That being said, I
did see at least four/five people working in the back, meaning she may have gotten help recently...Let's hope so, those dinners are fantastic and add much to the neighborhood.
We barely support the restaurants and bars that we have now. Mellow Mushroom would legitimize the area, but it would certainly siphon customers away from our non-chain restaurants. Can't we come up with something ELSE to go in there? A start-up company that creates jobs? Obama 2012 North Florida Headquarters? How about an Apple Store?
Quote from: stephendare on February 24, 2011, 08:52:21 AM
If there are five places, each with fifty people a night and you add a sixth place, then each will start having 60 people per night. If you add a seventh place, it will go up to 80 people per night.....
that...can't be a rule
Quote from: mtraininjax on February 24, 2011, 06:05:15 AM
QuoteI left a message for the Valentino's who are the local franchise owners and will report back dutifully when I speak with them.
That has to be the MOST ludicrous thing I have ever heard, anyone who knows Jacksonville knows you can find John Valentino at Intuition where he and a large group of budding young capitalists are members of the Mug Club. Save yourself from your calling, and go see him there at INTUITION, it's on King Street before the railroad tracks, if you get to Roselle, you have gone too far.
Hmmm. John sounds like a man after my own heart. Mug club member and young capitalist. Maybe he'd be interested in opening something not associated with the MM chain.... I'll have to make his acquaintance and see what we can come up with.
In the mean time, Ubben, if a MM opened, it would create just as many, if not more, jobs for the area. I also don't see how an Apple store would be any different. They have only 300 stores in the country, so 2 stores in Jax would be highly unlikely. Stephen's right. Very few people attended the King St and Bay St bars when they only had 1 or 2 venues, but as the number of option grew, the number of people at each place grew. I'm sure there have been dozens of articles on here mentioning this.
To be brief, A concentration of complementing use venues create a synergy between them that results in an overall destination that is greater than the sum of its parts. At some point, it ceases to be any one particular establishment, but a larger destination that draws people in. People don't worry about which bar or restaurant they're going to until they actually get to the larger district.
Now it we could only create some more walkability to Intution.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on February 24, 2011, 09:09:32 AM
Now it we could only create some more walkability to Intution.
I believe the term is stumblability. I agree. If there was a sight-line between intuition and kickbacks, that would be a different story. As it is, it's a 4 block hike through no mans land on poorly lit streets.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on February 24, 2011, 09:04:33 AM
Hmmm. John sounds like a man after my own heart. Mug club member and young capitalist. Maybe he'd be interested in opening something not associated with the MM chain.... I'll have to make his acquaintance and see what we can come up with.
Hey, run my ice cream bar by him!
For walkability to Intuition, Ben should install Jaguar paw stickers on the sidewalk from Post and King all the way to Intuition. Then more from there to Bold City.
QuoteFor walkability to Intuition, Ben should install Jaguar paw stickers on the sidewalk from Post and King all the way to Intuition. Then more from there to Bold City.
Problem solved. They did that down Bay St and look how many people walk that on a Sunday!! This will probably work even better.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on February 24, 2011, 09:18:32 AM
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on February 24, 2011, 09:09:32 AM
Now it we could only create some more walkability to Intution.
I believe the term is stumblability. I agree. If there was a sight-line between intuition and kickbacks, that would be a different story. As it is, it's a 4 block hike through no mans land on poorly lit streets.
There may not be a sight-line, but there's definitely a smell-line - straight to Pele's.
I was there last weekend, and it was a different place with the warehouse area opened up.
maybe someone should start a little rickshaw business to service the area.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on February 24, 2011, 09:32:58 AM
Problem solved. They did that down Bay St and look how many people walk that on a Sunday!! This will probably work even better.
Did they actually do that? How far is that?
Quote from: iluvolives on February 24, 2011, 10:14:15 AM
maybe someone should start a little rickshaw business to service the area.
+1
The paws go from Berkman to the Stadium. Maybe all the way from Ocean, but I'm not positive.
I don't know how to connect IAW to the rest of King Street, but I do have a few ideas for beautifying and some place-making initiatives that could really unite and grow the district.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on February 24, 2011, 11:48:14 AM
The paws go from Berkman to the Stadium. Maybe all the way from Ocean, but I'm not positive.
I don't know how to connect IAW to the rest of King Street, but I do have a few ideas for beautifying and some place-making initiatives that could really unite and grow the district.
Since it doesn't appear that FL is getting HSR, maybe we could at least get HSW from Walkers to Bold City...
Quote(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Parisian_high-speed_walkway.jpg)
Experimental 185 metre long high speed moving walkway on the Parisian Métro station Montparnasse - Bienvenüe (métro de Paris). At first it operated at 12km/h but too many people were falling over so the speed was reduced to 9km/h. It has been estimated that commuters using a walkway such as this twice a day would save 11.5 hours a year.
That's 11.5 more hours of drinking time! ;D
I think to stay within the retro style how about a 50s style kind of diner? Would also just like to add I moved to the Riverside / Avondale area and love it.
An online sweepstakes is going into the space next to the dry cleaner and it looks like a pizza parlor will be going into the pharmacy space (not mellow mushroom from what I have been told).
Did someone tell the "internet cafe" guys that someone already tried this in the area and it failed miserably?
Wow, I need to call and verify this.
Thats ashame if one of those dirty (quasi-legal b/c 'leaders' in this city didnt have the balls to ban them permanently) filtholes opens up again in the neighborhood.
Quote from: MLRSJax on March 04, 2011, 11:15:46 AM
An online sweepstakes is going into the space next to the dry cleaner and it looks like a pizza parlor will be going into the pharmacy space (not mellow mushroom from what I have been told).
sounds great ::) online sweepstakes? wth is that? and another pizza place? how many per square inch does the neighborhood need?
Quote from: futurejax on March 04, 2011, 08:46:06 PM
sounds great ::) online sweepstakes? wth is that? and another pizza place? how many per square inch does the neighborhood need?
Exactly! I like how originally developers think. The only pizza place on King Street closes because no one went there, so obviously the thing to do is open 3 within a 2 block stretch.
Riverside is severely lacking in historic pharmacy themed ice cream parlor bars.
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 07, 2011, 01:43:40 PM
Quote from: futurejax on March 04, 2011, 08:46:06 PM
sounds great ::) online sweepstakes? wth is that? and another pizza place? how many per square inch does the neighborhood need?
Exactly! I like how originally developers think. The only pizza place on King Street closes because no one went there, so obviously the thing to do is open 3 within a 2 block stretch.
Riverside is severely lacking in historic pharmacy themed ice cream parlor bars.
Whatever lack of creativity a pizza parlor or lack of legality a sweepstakes place has, at least they had the gumption to go ahead with their business. Meanwhile, aspiring historic pharmacy themed ice cream parlor bar owners sit idly by........
Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 07, 2011, 01:47:14 PM
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 07, 2011, 01:43:40 PM
Quote from: futurejax on March 04, 2011, 08:46:06 PM
sounds great ::) online sweepstakes? wth is that? and another pizza place? how many per square inch does the neighborhood need?
Exactly! I like how originally developers think. The only pizza place on King Street closes because no one went there, so obviously the thing to do is open 3 within a 2 block stretch.
Riverside is severely lacking in historic pharmacy themed ice cream parlor bars.
Whatever lack of creativity a pizza parlor or lack of legality a sweepstakes place has, at least they had the gumption to go ahead with their business. Meanwhile, aspiring historic pharmacy themed ice cream parlor bar owners sit idly by........
I'm pretty sure Riverside had its fair share of those. They have all long since closed.
Hey you know this is the kind of place that a Apple store would do great in i think
Quote from: letters and numbers on March 07, 2011, 02:13:29 PM
Hey you know this is the kind of place that a Apple store would get robbed a hundred times in i think
Fixed that for you.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 07, 2011, 01:47:14 PM
historic pharmacy themed ice cream parlor bar
Kinda catchy, right?
QuoteI'm pretty sure Riverside had its fair share of those. They have all long since closed.
Could you elaborate??
Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 07, 2011, 03:38:14 PM
QuoteI'm pretty sure Riverside had its fair share of those. They have all long since closed.
Could you elaborate??
I know for a fact that Avondale Pharmacy had this soda fountain bar you speak of. The Carter's Pharmacy in Ortega had something similar as well. Not sure if the location of Park/King had one. It probably did back in the day.
These were your standard soda fountain joints. If you are referring to an actual bar (serving alcohol) and ice cream--then you could be onto something :)
QuoteThese were your standard soda fountain joints. If you are referring to an actual bar (serving alcohol) and ice --then you could be onto something Smiley
Bingo.
QuoteI know for a fact that Avondale Pharmacy had this soda fountain bar you speak of. The Carter's Pharmacy in Ortega had something similar as well. Not sure if the location of Park/King had one. It probably did back in the day.
These were your standard soda fountain joints. If you are referring to an actual bar (serving alcohol) and ice cream--then you could be onto something
As did the pharmacy(whose name is escaping me at the moment) on Herschel. In fact, I have vivid memories of going there with my dad as a child and getting banana splits and looking underneath the counter at his initials(and gum) carved from when he was a kid.
Now, if we could get something in Riverside that serves a Lemon Freeze like they do at Lemon Bar... I'm all in!
The Rexall Drug Store at the corner in Venetia Village had a great fountain... I ought to know! I think the one at 8th and Main also had one, as did Woolworth Stores downtown and Roosevelt Mall. Woolworth had a KILLER BLACK COW, Rexall was great for shakes and flavored colas.
OCKLAWAHA
The Carters Pharmacy in Ortega still has a very active soda fountain type Restaurant ...although Ortega residents are doing their best to close it down along with the pharmacy.
Carter's in Ortega is featured prominently or NOT in the Local Resident newspaper. Apparently they are close to becoming a pill mill with cars coming from many states for their "legal prescriptions". Rumor has it that earlier this week someone who was spotted at Carter's earlier in the day forced their way into a house, held the owners hostage for a while looking for more "pills" and then escaped, so the area was locked down including St. Marks day school. That should make for a fun time at Carter's over the next few weeks!!!!
Quoteit's a 4 block hike through no mans land on poorly lit streets.
How long has Michael Corrigan been the councilperson for District 14? Perhaps he did not know that his district goes north of College Street on King Street? He could have easily done something with his slush fund money to help brighten up the area, I agree, it is dark and scary and you do NOT want to walk from IAW to Kickbacks.
Quote from: mtraininjax on March 11, 2011, 01:06:51 AM
Carter's in Ortega is featured prominently or NOT in the Local Resident newspaper. Apparently they are close to becoming a pill mill with cars coming from many states for their "legal prescriptions". Rumor has it that earlier this week someone who was spotted at Carter's earlier in the day forced their way into a house, held the owners hostage for a while looking for more "pills" and then escaped, so the area was locked down including St. Marks day school. That should make for a fun time at Carter's over the next few weeks!!!!
Quoteit's a 4 block hike through no mans land on poorly lit streets.
How long has Michael Corrigan been the councilperson for District 14? Perhaps he did not know that his district goes north of College Street on King Street? He could have easily done something with his slush fund money to help brighten up the area, I agree, it is dark and scary and you do NOT want to walk from IAW to Kickbacks.
The area that you are referring to is actually in Warren Jones' district.
QuoteThe area that you are referring to is actually in Warren Jones' district.
You are correct, thanks for the update. Sorry about that!
Quote from: iluvolives on February 24, 2011, 10:14:15 AM
maybe someone should start a little rickshaw business to service the area.
'Riverside Rickshaw'
Quote from: grrly on March 11, 2011, 08:14:08 PM
Quote from: iluvolives on February 24, 2011, 10:14:15 AM
maybe someone should start a little rickshaw business to service the area.
'Riverside Rickshaw'
HOW ABOUT MINE?
(http://scenicrailexcursions.com/sites/tdefranco/_files/Image/Excelsior%20TrolleyMn.jpg)
Do you guys think there is enough foot traffic in the area for a rickshaw service?
Feedback would be appreciated, as I'm genuinely looking into starting a business like that. Honest answers needed...
Quote from: ben says on March 12, 2011, 07:22:59 AM
Do you guys think there is enough foot traffic in the area for a rickshaw service?
Feedback would be appreciated, as I'm genuinely looking into starting a business like that. Honest answers needed...
I don't see why not....what a cool party night...there are bars close enough to take a richshaw and leave the car put...i saw some being used to transport a wedding to a restaurant...it was cool....good luck.
Atlanta is getting a streetcare, real one at that, along Auburn Avenue, along Martin Luther King's former church. All for I think it was, 9 million.
From what I understand (rumor from a friend) there is a gaming store going in at the pharmacy location. It could be complete bs or completely wrong since I don't see that type of space being used for something of that nature. It's supposed to be called Warhammer or something like that.
Quote from: ben says on March 12, 2011, 07:22:59 AM
Do you guys think there is enough foot traffic in the area for a rickshaw service?
Feedback would be appreciated, as I'm genuinely looking into starting a business like that. Honest answers needed...
I'd say so. Post and King gets pretty bumping as does Intuition. The hours of Intuition probably aren't enough to keep you in business, however. But ferrying people between 5 points and Post/King would certainly be a valuable service. I go back and forth between those spots pretty regularly on nights out. You could even do Saturday afternoon RAM service. Either with certain stops and run it like a bunch of little trolleys, or personal door to door service.
I'd think there would be decent enough foot traffice for it. Also, you could set up a number so local residents within 1/2 mile to mile could call in and get picked up from their house and brought to the bars. In one of the articles in The Resident about Mojo's the owner there talked about enlisting ricksaw help with the limited parking in Avondale so depending on how large an area you serviced maybe you do do multiple districts.
Rickshaw service would work great in Avondale, especially when Mojo opens up. Not so much in King/Park. Not enough traffic density or people complaining about having to park down Forbes to get somewhere.
Quote from: JaxDiablo on March 16, 2011, 11:12:45 AM
From what I understand (rumor from a friend) there is a gaming store going in at the pharmacy location. It could be complete bs or completely wrong since I don't see that type of space being used for something of that nature. It's supposed to be called Warhammer or something like that.
I've heard the same thing from my son. A friend of his at school is the brother of the guy wanting to open the store.
Burrito Gallery should open up a store here. We really don't need any more pizza places in Riverside. Speaking of pizza, Carmines is pretty freaking good. Try it out if you haven't already.
I would kill for a decent Indian restaurant in the area. I'm getting pretty tired of pizza, chinese, and sushi.
Isn't there a green space median on King Street? If we already own the land then we should apply for HIGH SPEED RAIL funding..."because it's fun" and "because we already own the right-of-way." I bet we'd get 1,000,000 passengers a year using "Orlando Math." ;)
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: riverside_mail on March 19, 2011, 10:05:56 AM
Quote from: JaxDiablo on March 16, 2011, 11:12:45 AM
From what I understand (rumor from a friend) there is a gaming store going in at the pharmacy location. It could be complete bs or completely wrong since I don't see that type of space being used for something of that nature. It's supposed to be called Warhammer or something like that.
I've heard the same thing from my son. A friend of his at school is the brother of the guy wanting to open the store.
This is not opening in the pharmacy location but a few doors down next to the laundry mat. There is a sign up about it coming soon. It is going to be for magic the gathering and RPG games of that sort.
O! to be young, foolish, and carefree again! The "good ol' days" staying up all hours of the night playing D&D, Star Fleet Battles, and Battletech. That was back when kids still had imaginations, mind you.
Quote from: RiversideLoki on March 19, 2011, 12:19:55 PM
I would kill for a decent Indian restaurant in the area. I'm getting pretty tired of pizza, chinese, and sushi.
I understand that the owners of Cozy Tea will be opening an Indian restaurant next door to their current establishment (where part of Whalebone/Raglands/Deco Bistro was located). We couldn't get any details on when they would be opening but hopefully very soon. I've been saying for years if we could get an Indian restaurant in the 'hood, I wouldn't have to leave my bubble AT ALL. Looking forward to not having to drive to freakin' baymeadows road to get my Indian fix.
That is REALLY good news. Her food is awesome!
Amazing !!!!!
Quote from: riverside_mail on March 19, 2011, 09:58:17 PM
That was back when kids still had imaginations, mind you.
Kids still have healthy imaginations. The games are just better now.
+1 for Indian food in 5 points!
Does anyone have any more info on the game place? Is it James and Tim's deal or some other owner? I can only imagine it will mean good business for Universe of Superheroes. Because they sell figs and cards and such.
As someone who used to go to Wardogs religiously when I was younger (back when it was on Atlantic), it will be nice to see this in the area. Gaming centers give despondent geek youths a safe environment and outlet for their imagination and passions.
Speaking from experience, places like Wardogs and Suncoast kept me from doing stupid stuff, because I was there playing games until 2AM instead of out causing trouble.
Big thumbs up here!
Is suncoast still around?
Quote from: John P on March 23, 2011, 10:27:40 AM
Is suncoast still around?
Yes, indeedy.. They just moved to Roosevelt and Timiquana in the old Blockbuster by the costume shop and the Dunkin Donuts that used to be Popeyes.
http://jacksonville.com/business/2011-03-23/story/works-progress-updates-park-and-king-tulsa-welding-and-more
wow thats news. but another italian place? thats a little bit of a bummer. How many more sushi and italian-pizza joints do we need.
I am glad that something is going in there, and its the same pizza from RAM and Intuition which is good. However, there is a lot of pizza/Italian joints in the neighborhood.
-Carmines, Pizza Italian, Al's, Pizza Palace, Primi Piatti, Papa Johns
If the rumors are true about Mellow Mushroom, I would think this would discourage them. Which I don't think is a big deal as long as these other places stay around.
Quote from: Lucasjj on March 24, 2011, 11:39:28 AM
-Carmines, Pizza Italian, Al's, Pizza Palace, Primi Piatti, Papa Johns
http://www.youtube.com/v/0WhuikFY1Pg?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
That is a lot of pizza around there, but Pele's Fire is very tasty, so they may be able to survive. Does Primi Patti do a strong business? What percent of people who go there go for the pizza??
I don't see this place really competing much with Carmines. The two appeal to a different crowd, in my opinion. What the area really needs is a solid grill. A place for burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish...etc. I'd like to see something like that with outdoor seating go in somewhere nearby. Basically a Harpoon Louie's in 5 points or park/king.
Never thought I'd be happy for another pizza place in Riverside, but if the pizza served at the old pharmacy is anything like the wood-fired pizza from the Riverside Arts Market, count me a fan....(forget the name...Pete's? Pele's?)
Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 24, 2011, 11:45:13 AM
That is a lot of pizza around there, but Pele's Fire is very tasty, so they may be able to survive. Does Primi Patti do a strong business? What percent of people who go there go for the pizza??
I don't think they do much in the way of pizza. Its more nicer Italian fare.
Quote from: floridaforester on March 19, 2011, 11:54:08 PM
Quote from: RiversideLoki on March 19, 2011, 12:19:55 PM
I would kill for a decent Indian restaurant in the area. I'm getting pretty tired of pizza, chinese, and sushi.
I understand that the owners of Cozy Tea will be opening an Indian restaurant next door to their current establishment (where part of Whalebone/Raglands/Deco Bistro was located). We couldn't get any details on when they would be opening but hopefully very soon. I've been saying for years if we could get an Indian restaurant in the 'hood, I wouldn't have to leave my bubble AT ALL. Looking forward to not having to drive to freakin' baymeadows road to get my Indian fix.
I just spoke with the owner of Cozy Tea and was told most firmly that they are NOT going to open another, larger restaurant. Darn!
God, it smelled good in there and was busy at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Well I hope its something that really packs a zing. And I hope they stay open until a decent hour. It would add the atmosphere and could generate that food entertainment district that downtown can never get right...
...Downer in Cozy Tea not going indian stylee.
QuoteIf the rumors are true about Mellow Mushroom, I would think this would discourage them. Which I don't think is a big deal as long as these other places stay around.
Mellow Mushroom would crush them all when and if John brings it to our neighborhood!
Much rather have a Tijuana Flats or a Burrito Gallery, that would have been great. Even the idea a solid grill style restaurant was good. How much pizza do we need? I know it's flat bread or whatever but even Kickbacks has pizza on the menu.
Quote from: mtraininjax on March 24, 2011, 05:26:19 PM
Mellow Mushroom would crush them all when and if John brings it to our neighborhood!
Have you been to Carmine's? Its delicious. And always packed. I'm not even sure they close at night, they have a crowd at 11 regularly.
Quote from: mtraininjax on March 24, 2011, 05:26:19 PM
QuoteIf the rumors are true about Mellow Mushroom, I would think this would discourage them. Which I don't think is a big deal as long as these other places stay around.
Mellow Mushroom would crush them all when and if John brings it to our neighborhood!
Mellow Mushroom's food is pretty good, I'll give you that. However, their pizzas bake for 25 minutes (this is standard procedure that they will confirm, not my opinion). Not everyone has time for that.
I'd rather stop into Carmines or Pele's Fire for 10 minutes for a slice. The idea that Mellow Mushroom will crush any and all comers is absurd. There's room in the market for all of them. Will they all snipe some of each others customers?? Of course. Will Mellow shut down everyone else? Fat chance.
I have to agree with you somewhat CZ, but if Pele's is opening up on Park, Carmines is doing well would it be in their best interest to open up in the area? Maybe if they went down the street a little into the Avondale strip? But even there, I don't think that crowd would relate well, maybe an Al's - since we're on pizza.
I would have to say that the best idea that I've read so far would be a Tijuana Flats or maybe a Hurricane's Grille. Something different, that still has that laid back vibe to it.
The one thing, whoever opens up, that is going to be judged the hardest in this area is going to be the beer selection, over the food, even. We're getting spoiled now, and if all you have on tap is AB products, you're not going to do well.
So is Pele's the same wood-fired pizza that runs a stall at RAM?
Yeah, the one with the wood fired oven trailer.
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on March 25, 2011, 09:55:09 AM
The one thing, whoever opens up, that is going to be judged the hardest in this area is going to be the beer selection, over the food, even. We're getting spoiled now, and if all you have on tap is AB products, you're not going to do well.
What an awesome commentary on Riverside though!
Quote from: Lucasjj on March 25, 2011, 10:27:50 AM
Yeah, the one with the wood fired oven trailer.
And, excuse me for being slow...but they've confirmed that they will install a location at Park & King?
If so, that's excellent...some of their pizza is just as good as many I've had in Italy, and handmade from my Sicilian mother-in-law...
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 25, 2011, 11:05:40 AM
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on March 25, 2011, 09:55:09 AM
The one thing, whoever opens up, that is going to be judged the hardest in this area is going to be the beer selection, over the food, even. We're getting spoiled now, and if all you have on tap is AB products, you're not going to do well.
What an awesome commentary on Riverside though!
Great commentary on Riverside...turning out to be quite the spot! Let's get some boutique hotels, a half dozen more restaurants, and damn, I won't care if we're known for pizza and micro-brew!
In the future, this area could turn out to be a nice regional destination for travelers and foodies alike!
Quote from: ben says on March 25, 2011, 11:25:01 AM
Quote from: Lucasjj on March 25, 2011, 10:27:50 AM
Yeah, the one with the wood fired oven trailer.
And, excuse me for being slow...but they've confirmed that they will install a location at Park & King?
If so, that's excellent...some of their pizza is just as good as many I've had in Italy, and handmade from my Sicilian mother-in-law...
With all the Pizza/Italian places we have now we might as well change the name to "Little Riverside Italy".
The same could be said about sushi.
As long as each sushi and/or pizza place is unique & delicious, I don't mind a plethora of sushi/pizza.
from the horse's mouth, compounding lab will remain in its current location while DEA works the pill mill relocation sting.
Speaking of the plethora of pizza/sushi joints can one area have anymore NAIL SALONS?!?! Feels like there is one every other block. And I know it's a chain but some altruistic soul with cash please put a Chipotle in one of the Riverside vacancies. Need my fix. Also does anyone have any idea what might be in store for the corner lot near Mossfire Grill? Seems like prime commercial r.e. if there is such a thing anymore.
A mixed used development is scheduled to break ground in June - restaurant, office and residential - 3 stories plus roof top dining. It is being developed by Jonathan Insetta - he of Orsay.
Speaking of Mossfire, went there last night...has anyone ever told them they are extremely overpriced, and they kinda suck? Sure, they have a few OK dishes, but damn...got a 'steak burrito'...literally had to tear the thing open looking for steak. Stuff came out cold. Charged me for an appetizer of chips/salsa because I asked for a little more salsa to finish my chips with...what gives???????
Quote from: ben says on March 30, 2011, 08:20:06 AM
Speaking of Mossfire, went there last night...has anyone ever told them they are extremely overpriced, and they kinda suck? Sure, they have a few OK dishes, but damn...got a 'steak burrito'...literally had to tear the thing open looking for steak. Stuff came out cold. Charged me for an appetizer of chips/salsa because I asked for a little more salsa to finish my chips with...what gives???????
Well that place is delicious so I feel I must defend it. Have you had the tuna tacos?!?@! And do you know how much you'd normally have to pay for something like that at an actually expensive place? Did you "tear" the burrito open with your teeth? Sounds like you had a bad draw, or they just didn't like you (based on the tone of this comment, were you rude to them? Since they gave you the original chips and salsa for free, I don't know how I feel about you demanding MORE salsa for free). I loves me some Mossfire. Also, hot waitresses.
Also, on the corner of Herschel and King (former site of the mini Pizza Palace) there is a place called Soup's On opening in May. This will be their second store (original is in Baltimore, which is interesting). The frontpage of their website (http://www.soupsonbalto.com/home.html) is what they have posted on the door, and right now there is a truck parked out front. Checked out the menu, a crazy amount of soups (which makes sense I suppose). Anyway, that's something that isn't a pizza or sushi establishment for ya!
^^
Looked at their menu!!! Wow, that's a lot of soup to keep on hand - I'm assuming they make a batch and keep them in the freezer.
The other thing that I noticed - there is no 'Pizza Soup' or 'Sushi Soup', so it seems to me like they're walking on thin ice. ;D
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on March 30, 2011, 08:59:50 AM
The other thing that I noticed - there is no 'Pizza Soup' or 'Sushi Soup', so it seems to me like they're walking on thin ice. ;D
hahahahaha~!
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 30, 2011, 08:32:51 AM
Also, on the corner of Herschel and King (former site of the mini Pizza Palace) there is a place called Soup's On opening in May. This will be their second store (original is in Baltimore, which is interesting). The frontpage of their website (http://www.soupsonbalto.com/home.html) is what they have posted on the door, and right now there is a truck parked out front. Checked out the menu, a crazy amount of soups (which makes sense I suppose). Anyway, that's something that isn't a pizza or sushi establishment for ya!
I saw this when out for a walk with the family last night. The menu looks interesting and I do love a good soup! Looks like they have a rotating menu of soups each day to keep things fresh and interesting.
This is awesome!! I love soup!!!
Quote from: Kay on March 30, 2011, 07:48:37 AM
A mixed used development is scheduled to break ground in June - restaurant, office and residential - 3 stories plus roof top dining. It is being developed by Jonathan Insetta - he of Orsay.
That's awesome. More reason to love my new neighborhood.
^
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,9434.0.html
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 30, 2011, 08:32:51 AM
Quote from: ben says on March 30, 2011, 08:20:06 AM
Speaking of Mossfire, went there last night...has anyone ever told them they are extremely overpriced, and they kinda suck? Sure, they have a few OK dishes, but damn...got a 'steak burrito'...literally had to tear the thing open looking for steak. Stuff came out cold. Charged me for an appetizer of chips/salsa because I asked for a little more salsa to finish my chips with...what gives???????
Well that place is delicious so I feel I must defend it. Have you had the tuna tacos?!?@! And do you know how much you'd normally have to pay for something like that at an actually expensive place? Did you "tear" the burrito open with your teeth? Sounds like you had a bad draw, or they just didn't like you (based on the tone of this comment, were you rude to them? Since they gave you the original chips and salsa for free, I don't know how I feel about you demanding MORE salsa for free). I loves me some Mossfire. Also, hot waitresses.
Also, on the corner of Herschel and King (former site of the mini Pizza Palace) there is a place called Soup's On opening in May. This will be their second store (original is in Baltimore, which is interesting). The frontpage of their website (http://www.soupsonbalto.com/home.html) is what they have posted on the door, and right now there is a truck parked out front. Checked out the menu, a crazy amount of soups (which makes sense I suppose). Anyway, that's something that isn't a pizza or sushi establishment for ya!
Wasn't rude to them...never talk down to waitstaff...don't really see that as the problem unless the waitress was having a bad day. I guess I'm just used to Burrito Gallery's burritos? The one at Mossfire was 80% white rice, 10% cheese and sour cream, 5% salsa, and I guess 5% meat....listen, I don't like bashing restaurants either. I really want a solid Mexican place to go to near my house that isn't BG. I guess it was just an off night....
On another note, that Soup place looks good! Something completely different. Anybody else think about the Soup Nazi when they see that menu?
Quote from: futurejax on March 30, 2011, 09:27:26 AM
Quote from: Kay on March 30, 2011, 07:48:37 AM
A mixed used development is scheduled to break ground in June - restaurant, office and residential - 3 stories plus roof top dining. It is being developed by Jonathan Insetta - he of Orsay.
That's awesome. More reason to love my new neighborhood.
Is this for sure still on track?? I heard it was running into some difficulty.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 30, 2011, 09:44:03 AM
Quote from: futurejax on March 30, 2011, 09:27:26 AM
Quote from: Kay on March 30, 2011, 07:48:37 AM
A mixed used development is scheduled to break ground in June - restaurant, office and residential - 3 stories plus roof top dining. It is being developed by Jonathan Insetta - he of Orsay.
That's awesome. More reason to love my new neighborhood.
Is this for sure still on track?? I heard it was running into some difficulty.
Can someone give some info/update on this project?
Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 30, 2011, 09:44:03 AM
Quote from: futurejax on March 30, 2011, 09:27:26 AM
Quote from: Kay on March 30, 2011, 07:48:37 AM
A mixed used development is scheduled to break ground in June - restaurant, office and residential - 3 stories plus roof top dining. It is being developed by Jonathan Insetta - he of Orsay.
That's awesome. More reason to love my new neighborhood.
Is this for sure still on track?? I heard it was running into some difficulty.
Yes it is for sure. Jonathan Insetta told me this past Saturday they plan to break ground in June.
Quote from: ben says on March 30, 2011, 09:39:41 AM
On another note, that Soup place looks good! Something completely different. Anybody else think about the Soup Nazi when they see that menu?
that would be awesome! I would love to have a place that was so delicious I was willing to deal with abuse from its proprietor. Also, my response to your Mossfire comment was a bit much.
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 30, 2011, 11:05:39 AM
Quote from: ben says on March 30, 2011, 09:39:41 AM
On another note, that Soup place looks good! Something completely different. Anybody else think about the Soup Nazi when they see that menu?
that would be awesome! I would love to have a place that was so delicious I was willing to deal with abuse from its proprietor. Also, my response to your Mossfire comment was a bit much.
Eh, don't worry about it. If I thought someone was even close to bashing one of my favorite go-to restaurants, I'd probably overreact as well....
Latest rumor says that Mellow Mushroom is not coming to Harris Taylor Antiques Bldg on King near Post. Too many enviornmental issues came up during inspections...... Of course that is a rumour, anyone out there have anything definative??????
Pele's Fire will open at Park and King providing last few details are negotiated.
Quote from: MusicMan on April 13, 2011, 11:33:49 PM
Latest rumor says that Mellow Mushroom is not coming to Harris Taylor Antiques Bldg on King near Post. Too many enviornmental issues came up during inspections...... Of course that is a rumour, anyone out there have anything definative??????
Pele's Fire will open at Park and King providing last few details are negotiated.
Do you know any more about these environmental issues? Was Walker's once a gas station and leaked fuel, or what?
Probably too much pizza smell in the air around there! :D
I have heard differently in regards to MM. I also heard that another current business owner on the street is looking to expand. This is very preliminary, so I have almost zero details, but it is exciting none the less. This is not the announcement that was made earlier in the week. This is something else entirely. In order for this deal to go through, a couple of real estate transactions must be made.
Quote from: Dog Walker on April 14, 2011, 07:59:12 AM
Probably too much pizza smell in the air around there! :D
They should named the street to "The Pizza and Beer Stenchin' Street" because its full of so good pizza and beer that you could sworn that you were floating into the area, craving for pizza after being drunk.
-Josh
There's a little cafe getting ready to open up a couple doors down King from Carters. "little" is actually being generous. Not sure if that's one of the super-secret places you guys are mentioning, but it seems like progress. They had a table for two set up on the sidewalk outside. Didn't say exactly when it would open...
I understand that Pele's, Moon River, and Carmine's are three entirely different types of pizza. We've discussed these plenty of times on this forum....
BUT, even though Pele's and Carmine's are night/day, do you guys think they'll both hold their own? The market seems a tad sated, no matter how good. Personally, I love them both, but even I don't know which I'd pick and when....
Yesterday at 10:30 am a guy from some firm in Lake City was doing an enviornmental study on the parking area around Taylor Harris and said that MM was definately still in the picture.
Quote from: ben says on March 30, 2011, 09:39:41 AM
Wasn't rude to them...never talk down to waitstaff...don't really see that as the problem unless the waitress was having a bad day. I guess I'm just used to Burrito Gallery's burritos? The one at Mossfire was 80% white rice, 10% cheese and sour cream, 5% salsa, and I guess 5% meat....listen, I don't like bashing restaurants either. I really want a solid Mexican place to go to near my house that isn't BG. I guess it was just an off night....
On another note, that Soup place looks good! Something completely different. Anybody else think about the Soup Nazi when they see that menu?
It’s not your fault. Burrito Gallery is arguably the best mexican place in Jacksonville. To compare it to any other is to compare the divine light of the heavens to a dim and dirty lamp.
Quote from: Bewler on April 15, 2011, 04:03:47 PM
Quote from: ben says on March 30, 2011, 09:39:41 AM
Wasn't rude to them...never talk down to waitstaff...don't really see that as the problem unless the waitress was having a bad day. I guess I'm just used to Burrito Gallery's burritos? The one at Mossfire was 80% white rice, 10% cheese and sour cream, 5% salsa, and I guess 5% meat....listen, I don't like bashing restaurants either. I really want a solid Mexican place to go to near my house that isn't BG. I guess it was just an off night....
On another note, that Soup place looks good! Something completely different. Anybody else think about the Soup Nazi when they see that menu?
It’s not your fault. Burrito Gallery is arguably the best mexican place in Jacksonville. To compare it to any other is to compare the divine light of the heavens to a dim and dirty lamp.
-GASP- You mean La Napolera is not included? I think I am going to cry over there now...
-Josh
Ok ok, notable exceptions are La Nops and Tiajuana flats. Though they’re still not quite as good.
Have you been to Hightide in San Marco?
They do a pretty good burrito.
Burrito Gallery over La Nop any day of the week....!
You can find a La Nop in any metro area in this country. It's beyond 'typical Mexican food'...
Burrito Gallery is truly something unique. That damn green sauce alone is worth the trip there. I've offered to buy a few bottles of it numerous times and they always say no. They're really missing out there!
Where do the BG boys go for Mexican?
La Nap!
I know cuz I've seen em over and over!
Totally different and equally delicious!
Settled...right!
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on April 15, 2011, 05:11:59 PM
Have you been to Hightide in San Marco?
They do a pretty good burrito.
Hightide is awesome! I usually split my time between there and BG (though I believe Hightide closes earlier which doesn't help, because I rarely think to eat before 9).
I would give Hightide a B, Burrito Gallery an A+. However, I think both are better than Taco Lu, they get a C+.
Quote from: PeeJayEss on April 18, 2011, 02:11:42 PM
Quote from: Captain Zissou on April 18, 2011, 12:36:17 PM
Taco Lu, they get a C+.
blasphemy!
I was pretty let down at my last visit. The tuna one was ok, but the other one wasn't that good. The highlight was the chips. The highlight of a taco place shouldn't be the chips. I like the Luchador theme, but that place is way over hyped and not worth the wait. I'd rather go to Tijuana at the beach.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on April 18, 2011, 12:36:17 PM
I would give Hightide a B, Burrito Gallery an A+. However, I think both are better than Taco Lu, they get a C+.
High Tide is kind of Meh, I'd put it on par with or just below Taco Lu. BG is by far my favorite. The shrimp tacos are the bomb. Taco Lu has tacos that sound cool on paper, but in practice they aren't was exciting.
If I could get the cocktails from Restaurant Orsay, tacos from Burrito Gallery and chips/salsa from Mossfire I would be a millionaire (in my mind)
QuoteTaco Lu has tacos that sound cool on paper, but in practice they aren't was exciting.
+1,000,000,000,000
This was my exact sentiment. Don't call a dot of flavorless runny white sauce 'chipotle crema'. On paper the place sounds amazing. In practice, not so much.
Amen...
I was so excited to go to Taco Lu....heard tons of rave reviews about it. Brisket tacos, mahi tacos (so sick of tilapia as a go-to fish....), tempeh, etc...
Outside of the Mexican street corn, I was very, and I mean VERY under impressed. Everything was bland. Tacos were runny. Cilantro rice was cold. Mahi wasn't flavorful.
Ugh...part of me wants to go back because the menu sounds so damn good. Part of me wants to throw them the finger every time I drive by.
OK UGG, it's not Orsay, but make one of these on your next Taco night at the house....
I was bored the other night and just made a drink with what I had on hand.
Muddle 1/2 Lime, 3-4 slices raw Jalepeno (sans seeds) & a few sprigs of cilantro leaves
Add 1 oz Simple Syrup
Add 3.5 oz Silver Tequila (You can use the good stuff)
Shake over ice and strain into a Martini Glass
Think of it as a semi-savory mojito with tequila.
Quote from: undergroundgourmet on April 18, 2011, 02:51:14 PM
If I could get the cocktails from Restaurant Orsay, tacos from Burrito Gallery and chips/salsa from Mossfire I would be a millionaire (in my mind)
Perfect! My thoughts exactly!
QuoteIf I could get the cocktails from Restaurant Orsay, tacos from Burrito Gallery and chips/salsa from Mossfire I would be a millionaire (in my mind)
It does happen once a year, for the annual Orsay 4th of July blast. Big tent in the parking lot, great music, even better food and wonderful drinks. It is a GREAT time!
Quote from: mtraininjax on April 19, 2011, 06:39:49 PM
QuoteIf I could get the cocktails from Restaurant Orsay, tacos from Burrito Gallery and chips/salsa from Mossfire I would be a millionaire (in my mind)
It does happen once a year, for the annual Orsay 4th of July blast. Big tent in the parking lot, great music, even better food and wonderful drinks. It is a GREAT time!
+1. Always a GREAT time.
They are doing oysters this year I believe.
BTW, those saying Burrito Gallery over Taco Lu... do you guys actually have taste buds???
Quote from: fieldafm on April 20, 2011, 02:24:56 PM
BTW, those saying Burrito Gallery over Taco Lu... do you guys actually have taste buds???
Field, Please clarify. My opinion of you is tanking right now. Please tell me you don't think the quality of food is better at Taco Lu.
Listen buddy, I wish the food was better at Taco Lu....Really! Frankly, the menu is the best aspect of the restaurant...
BG's menu may be limited, but at least it's quality.
My pallet is just fine, thank you.
I have been going to each establishment pretty much weekly since they both opened(BG for the Super Bowl, Lu over two years ago).
If you had a bad meal at the Lu, ask for Debbie. She will take care of you.
Taco Lu is not La Nop, its true baja-style food, so perhaps you've been fed La Nop garbage all of your life and think that is what Mexican food is supposed to taste like.
BTW, Tijuana Flats is very close to coming downtown. Not a huge fan, but I'll support them if they do come. Please show them your support by emailing/calling them. Downtown needs allllll the help it can get.
I'd rather not have La Nop style food at other places than La Nop. I have to be in the right mood to go home smelling like mexican and on my way towards a massive La Nop hangover headache.
My issue with 'the Lu' is that what the menu says they will serve you and what actually shows up on your table are vastly different. I may go back this weekend to make sure I didn't catch them on an off night, but I was extremely excited when I ordered my food last time, far less so when the food arrived.
For what it's worth, my brother and I cook far better Mexican food than I have found in any restaurant. For 3 years, Sunday night meant Mexican night. We were usually cooking for 8+ people. I can and have made every type of Mexican dish under the sun. I know what the dishes that the menu described should taste like.
Good news about Tijuana. I'm a big fan of Taco Tuesday. Two Tacos, chips, and a drink for $4.55
I like it all, but some would say I'm easy to please. I love BG, La Nop, and TacoLu (Also, High Tide, Paco's, Sierra Grill, even the 'dob, chipotle, and Moe's). Have not had Black Bean (though this is Cuban?) but I've heard its good. Haven't had Tijuana Flats either, but they should come to my office in Riverside. They would have at least 2 customers a day.
The Black Bean in San Marco has closed.
I wishe there was a Sierra Grill here in town. They were a block away from my office for years. I hate having to go all the way to JTB and A1A.
Quotesome would say I'm easy to please.
That's an understatement.
This thread has been 100% hijacked, but I could talk about mexican food all day. I love Sierra Grill. Cheap. Simple. Well Executed. I'll take that any day over a place that talks a big game, but fails to deliver.
We need a cheap fast taco place in Riverside. Sierra Grill, BG, or even Chipotle would be great options. I've mentioned to a few people my plans for creating something like this in the area, but as of now I'm not able to implement my plans
Quote from: danno on April 20, 2011, 04:03:19 PM
I wish there was a Sierra Grill here in town. They were a block away from my office for years. I hate having to go all the way to JTB and A1A.
We make a once a month pilgrimage from my office in the Southside to the beach location.
Lake, has anything signed on to go in that location? Shame that they closed. Solid food. I especially enjoyed the island fries with aioli. They were fairly pricey and the food was slow. They had at most 2 cooks on duty, so any sort of crowd would cause your food to take 20 minutes or more.
Nothing on the horizon for the former BB location in San Marco. That I know for sure.
Sierra is ok. It's basically Chipotle with worse salsa. I lived in Marsh Landing for awhile and would frequent it once/twice a month.
Put your money where your mouth is for Mexican night. I perfected making the Kogi BBQ-style tacos awhile ago. If it wasn't so difficult to operate food trucks in this town, I would have opened that style of taco truck about a year ago. I flirted very seriously with the idea.
Field?? Are you challenging me to a Bobby Flay style Throw Down??
I'm game.
La nop and BG are completely different styles. Both are good for what they do, I prefer BG for fresh, tasty, "light" food. I prefer La Nop for heavy, cheesy, artery clogging indulgence when I'm in a bad mood or want something to line my stomach when I'm guzzling margaritas.
Now, as for this taco off I can't cook, but if you want a judge I'll happily bribe my way in with beer. Lots of it. :-D
Jeez...I hardly even remember what this thread was originally about!
::)
Quote from: danno on April 20, 2011, 04:03:19 PM
I wishe there was a Sierra Grill here in town. They were a block away from my office for years. I hate having to go all the way to JTB and A1A.
I believe there is a Sierra Grill on the corner of Baymeadows and Southside (same shopping center as the soon to be closed Blockbuster video).
Quote from: Captain Zissou on April 20, 2011, 04:36:07 PM
Field?? Are you challenging me to a Bobby Flay style Throw Down??
I'm game.
Screw the throwdown, you two should be the chefs at the new downtown restaurant "Dueling Gringos Cocina y Cantina." Every meal is a throwdown: Whatever you order is prepared two ways. You get half a meal from one chef, half from the other. Then they vote.
Quote from: ben says on April 20, 2011, 04:42:57 PM
Jeez...I hardly even remember what this thread was originally about!
::)
Agreed, but Mexican (or quasi-Mexican) food is soooo good.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on April 20, 2011, 04:07:59 PM
Quotesome would say I'm easy to please.
That's an understatement.
you b-word.
Quote from: thelakelander on April 20, 2011, 04:48:48 PM
Quote from: danno on April 20, 2011, 04:03:19 PM
I wishe there was a Sierra Grill here in town. They were a block away from my office for years. I hate having to go all the way to JTB and A1A.
I believe there is a Sierra Grill on the corner of Baymeadows and Southside (same shopping center as the soon to be closed Blockbuster video).
That one closed last year about this time. Such a shame. From what used to be 5 locations, they are down to just the one.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on April 20, 2011, 04:57:09 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on April 20, 2011, 04:48:48 PM
Quote from: danno on April 20, 2011, 04:03:19 PM
I wishe there was a Sierra Grill here in town. They were a block away from my office for years. I hate having to go all the way to JTB and A1A.
I believe there is a Sierra Grill on the corner of Baymeadows and Southside (same shopping center as the soon to be closed Blockbuster video).
That one closed last year about this time. Such a shame. From what used to be 5 locations, they are down to just the one.
That spot is now a Black Bean.... Or it least it was. I never understood why the one across from St Lukes closed. It was always packed with the crowds from South Pointe and the Hospital.
Quote
We need a cheap fast taco place in Riverside.
If I told you that serious talks are in the works I wouldn't be lying.
There is a lot of chatter about tacos in a thread about a location that won't be serving tacos. What's the latest about the corner of park and king? I heard from a local riverside friend that there is plans for not one but 2 wood fired ovens! Will this place be serving liquor?
I talked for a while with Matt from Pele's at Intuition a few weeks ago - he's still in the planning stage, but I know he's looking at a pretty serious draft beer program. Not sure about liquor - that will come down to whether or not he's got enough space to fit the (arbitrary and non-sensical) 150 seats that are required in order to serve liquor.
And if you guys want to do a taco throwdown sometime soon, I'm in. The last time I made tacos was as a guest gig for the Lagunitas beer dinner @ Kickbacks - beef cheeks - come on...
Quote from: thelakelander on April 20, 2011, 04:48:48 PM
Quote from: danno on April 20, 2011, 04:03:19 PM
I wishe there was a Sierra Grill here in town. They were a block away from my office for years. I hate having to go all the way to JTB and A1A.
I believe there is a Sierra Grill on the corner of Baymeadows and Southside (same shopping center as the soon to be closed Blockbuster video).
That would be a WAS. Closed about 6 months , at least, ago and now has Black Bean in that location.. Pretty decent food !
Quote from: 33taps on April 20, 2011, 06:21:39 PM
There is a lot of chatter about tacos in a thread about a location that won't be serving tacos. What's the latest about the corner of park and king? I heard from a local riverside friend that there is plans for not one but 2 wood fired ovens! Will this place be serving liquor?
Can they serve liquor being so close to two churches?
QuoteThat spot is now a Black Bean
Yep, owned by none other than Nelson Cuba.
QuoteIf I told you that serious talks are in the works I wouldn't be lying.
If you're talking about who I think you're talking about... it would be one of two proposed locations, and I think a lot of the chatter has been generated to get certain landlords to move off prices at three seperate locations.
Quotehmm,
Im in on the taco throwdown as well, would love to match skills with the three of you.
I was actually considering doing a backyard taco night at my house soon... but now that a throwdown has been proposed we may have to put some plans together for something cool. This is a great idea!
How nice would it be to have a Chipotle in one of the vacant 5 Points spots...
Quote from: AmyLynne on April 21, 2011, 12:42:36 AM
Quote from: 33taps on April 20, 2011, 06:21:39 PM
There is a lot of chatter about tacos in a thread about a location that won't be serving tacos. What's the latest about the corner of park and king? I heard from a local riverside friend that there is plans for not one but 2 wood fired ovens! Will this place be serving liquor?
Can they serve liquor being so close to two churches?
I believe to serve liquor, Pele's would have to meet a few criteria:
1) Totals sales be at least 51% food
2)Seat at least 150 people
3)and most importantly, get the written permission of the churches within 500 feet of their establishment.
Thats it! I hope they pull that off. I would love to get a cocktail with my pizza of choice.
Someone also told me that First Guarantee Bank has some say so and will deny any new liquor in the area...
Quote from: 33taps on April 20, 2011, 06:21:39 PM
There is a lot of chatter about tacos in a thread about a location that won't be serving tacos. What's the latest about the corner of park and king? I heard from a local riverside friend that there is plans for not one but 2 wood fired ovens! Will this place be serving liquor?
You're totally right taps. We're so irresponsible for letting the thread deviate so much from the initial topic. Thank you so much for using your first post ever to get us back on track. I'm sure Pele's is grateful to have a troll like you on this forum. [/sarcasm]
I'm fine with throwing down against Mike, but Brian and Stephen...... Getting 2nd in a two person competition is a little different than getting decimated by two of the best chefs in town.
Quote from: ben says on April 21, 2011, 08:41:13 AM
How nice would it be to have a Chipotle in one of the vacant 5 Points spots...
Very nice. But a place like BG (or <insert favorite here>) would be even better.
Quote from: Garden guy on April 21, 2011, 09:03:26 AM
Someone also told me that First Guarantee Bank has some say so and will deny any new liquor in the area...
If so, they are doing a very poor job.
Quote from: Garden guy on April 21, 2011, 09:03:26 AM
Someone also told me that First Guarantee Bank has some say so and will deny any new liquor in the area...
That is not true at ll. Actually, First Guaranty has been working with potential tenants in the area about shared parking arrangements after bank business hours.
Someone also told me that First Guarantee Bank has some say so and will deny any new liquor in the area...
that was when Art Bar leased their building that now houses Jacksonville Magazine...I heard it wasn't a good relationship
It's very easy to get a license to sell beer and wine.
It's very hard to get a license to sell liquor. There are two ways, and both require a zoning variance called a "Waiver of Liquor Distance" if the property is within 1500 feet of a church and doesn't serve food, or within 500 feet if does serve food. The Waiver is decided by the Planning Commission in a supposedly impartial process, so it (theoretically) shouldn't matter if the churches give permission or not.
A "bona-fide" restaurant can get a license to sell liquor if it has more than 150 seats (or 100 in downtown and 5 Points) and at least 51% of its income comes from food sales (this is how Bennigan's, etc. sell liquor).
There is a very limited number of licenses issued for serving full liquor without being a bona-fide restaurant. You can sign up for a lottery, or buy an existing license (prices are astronomical - well over $100,000).
QuoteThere is a very limited number of licenses issued for serving full liquor without being a bona-fide restaurant. You can sign up for a lottery, or buy an existing license (prices are astronomical - well over $100,000).
Or you could hire a lobbyist and do what John Insetta is proposing at his new building there at Margaret and Oak, where they are lobbying RAP and the CITY to change the zoning to allow him to have the liquor license.
Well to be clear, he's lobbying to allow restaurants in a certain area with under 150ppl(if it's 100 in Rside, I didn't know that) seating to be allowed to sell liquor under the same rules as those over 150seats. Personally, I think all restaurants in Jacksonville should be allowed the option to serve spirits as well. And considering what he's done over at Orsay, I think Riverside will be better off with it. It's not like he's doing $1 well night or $2 margarita night like some restaurants who pretend to be nightclubs who pretend to be restaurants.
For the record, an unrestricted liquor license in Jax (4COP) averages $250,000, if you can get one.
Why should small restaurant owners not be allowed the same tools to compete with the larger shit restaurants we see in this town. Personally, I'd like to be able to have a martini before my dinner at 13 Gypsies, but I can't. I actually can't get a reservation either, so I guess it's moot...lol.
lowlyplanner and rockstar are right on and mtrain, just a little off.
First, if passed, this will apply to the area bound by Margaret Street to the West, Dellwood to the Northwest, I95 to the North and the St. Johns River to the East and South. So, not just us, but the whole neighborhood.
Also, there was never a lobbyist hired because it was never needed. It had only a single detractor through the entire 1 year process (one Council person voted against it and they don't live in the neighborhood). And that's probably the best part about the whole process. You don't need money or lobbyists, but you do need some time.
RAP was on board a year ago - unanimous vote from the Board. The local aides for Sen Wise and Rep McBurney that we met with, sans lobbyist, were on board from the start. The dozens of neighborhood business owners and property owners we contacted were on board from the start. The very helpful Coordinator for the Duval Delegation that we met or talked with many times was on board from the start. City Council had one "no" vote and no comment during the alotted periods. It was sponsored in the House by Rep McBurney and has flown through both Committee meetings with alarming speed and unanimous votes.
So I agree, it should apply to all bona fide restaurants, but I believe seating capacity should not be a criteria of that definition - 13 gypsies is a fantastic example. But, one neighborhood at a time.
Complete community support of a "local bill" that helps economic development by reducing arbitrary regulations on small businesses should be an easy thing to get passed through government.
Amusingly, we spent more man hours and professional fees on the single determination of proper "window trim" with the good people at the Planning Department.
Quote from: mtraininjax on April 21, 2011, 06:05:39 PM
QuoteThere is a very limited number of licenses issued for serving full liquor without being a bona-fide restaurant. You can sign up for a lottery, or buy an existing license (prices are astronomical - well over $100,000).
Or you could hire a lobbyist and do what John Insetta is proposing at his new building there at Margaret and Oak, where they are lobbying RAP and the CITY to change the zoning to allow him to have the liquor license.
Speaking of that... does anyone know what's going on with this new building?
Major interior demo going on at Carter's today. Looks like they won't be going with my Pharmacy-themed so-and-so.
And on the 8th Day, God created Pele's Fire........and put them at Park and King!
Took a walk down park street today and Wow!, the pharmacy is wide open now. Future PELE'S is officially gutted.
They are removing the last vestiges of Carters Pharmacy and two beautiful MADE IN AMERICA wood buring ovens were delivered this week. I hope I am not the only person in MJ-Land who is excited about this eatery coming into the neighborhood.
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire. Pele's Fire. Neapolitan Wood Fired Pizza.
Bringing the amazing flavors of Italy to a neighborhood near you.
Quote from: MusicMan on August 17, 2011, 11:24:51 PM
I hope I am not the only person in MJ-Land who is excited about this eatery coming into the neighborhood.
You aren't!
^Words can't describe how happy I am.
When do they open?
Not sure. The build out has barely started.
Quote from: ben says on August 18, 2011, 01:33:18 PM
When do they open?
He told me November timeframe this weekend.
Anyone have an update on the opening of pele's? It looks like it's gotta be any day now...
QuoteIt looks like it's gotta be any day now...
I heard they had a soft opening last week, so hopefully soon. The sign looks great on the front, if you have not seen it yet!
They had the ovens fired up Friday so the employees could sample the menu. It looks really nice in there. Matt has done a great job with the renovation.
Pictures ? :)
we walked by there last weekend and an employee told us soft opening 12/26 - the place looks awesome.
Agree with everyone, the signage (and lights!) look amazing. Tim, I'll try to snap a picture next time I'm over there at night.
They outlined the art deco swirls at the corner in neon. Really looks nifty.
I really miss the smelly old pharmacy...........................................................NOT.
What a transformation. I am proud to say I introduced Matt to the owner (of the building) and therby facilitated, in some small way, his presence in our neighborhood. Cannot wait to enjoy my first beer and pizza there, it will be the first of many.
Some pics from last night - looking great!
(http://content.screencast.com/users/GeekLawyer/folders/Jing/media/8a5f293c-199c-4dc6-a0ea-cff6d3473271/00000101.png)
(http://content.screencast.com/users/GeekLawyer/folders/Jing/media/862df01b-0420-4e2a-8c09-fde63d0820ec/00000102.png)
(http://content.screencast.com/users/GeekLawyer/folders/Jing/media/f178a996-3557-4719-9c77-c04210e438fa/00000103.png)
Looks outstanding. Wow....
Is it open yet? Out of town until next week, would love to know.
Nice!
We drove by the others night, it looks great and brings life to a once dead corner 8)
Opens January 1
Wow. That looks amazing.
It looks great. I count my days if I were Patti. I dont know theres enough demand to support all these good restaurants but its great to see.
Looks really good.
Great pictures Jimmy, Thank you !!!
Quote from: John P on December 25, 2011, 09:02:28 AM
It looks great. I count my days if I were Patti. I dont know theres enough demand to support all these good restaurants but its great to see.
I hear great things about this place, but
never see a soul inside. Occasionally I'll see one or two tables full, but not nearly enough to keep a restaurant alive. What's the deal???
I was talking about Primi Piatti (sp?).
Quote from: ben says on December 25, 2011, 08:54:40 PM
I was talking about Primi Piatti (sp?).
bad (nonexistent) marketing? Or the fact that its a mob front? It is a delicious restaurant though.
I think restaurant emptiness begets more emptiness.
wow. great looking pictures. I wish other restaurant/store owners in the urban core would get creative with signage and lighting! it really draws attention and looks great.
So.... Is the logo supposed to look like the girl scouts logo??
Quote from: Captain Zissou on December 27, 2011, 02:13:53 PM
So.... Is the logo supposed to look like the girl scouts logo??
Haha, it does look a bit like the girl scouts logo. At least it's better than Alphadogs.