I'm not really sure where to start, so I'll provide just the highlights.
First, I have to mention that I didn't have high hopes for this place. If you call yourself "International Grill" and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there's already a pretty good chance that the restaurant is going to disappoint based on being as generic as possible.
All of the warning signs were there: only one other table of customers, a waitress dressed in dirty tuxedo shirt and bowtie (seriously?), and piles of Sysco boxes in the open kitchen.
After we sat down, the owner greeted us and asked to get us something to drink. My fiancee ordered a glass of white wine--she actually ordered pinot grigio, but he said they had "red" and "white". She ordered the "white". The owner subsequently asked her four separate times whether she ordered red or white. I actually felt kind of bad for him because he could hear fine, he just couldn't remember the order. Then he grabbed a bottle of room temperature white wine off the counter and poured a glass. Because the wine was lukewarm, we asked for some ice. The waitress brought over ice in cubes in a coffee mug!
We looked over the menu, which is very lengthy and disjointed. They have everything from Persian food to Italian to wings and hot dogs. It's pretty much a given that a restaurant that focuses on everything will be good at nothing. Turns out, we didn't have a lot of choices because they did not have 75% of the menu in stock. We thought we played it safe and decided to split an order of lamb kabobs over rice.
Meanwhile, the only other people in the restaurant sat patiently as their pre-made, frozen Sysco food hit their table, plate by plate. Then it got really awkward. The owner wanted to introduce his wheelchair-bound wife to the people at the table. That's fine. But he wheeled her over, introduced her, and then left her at their table!
When we finally got our food, it was, predictably, a fiasco. The lamb was fatty, greasy, and disgusting. The rice had clearly sat in a rice cooker for hours and was burned and also greasy somehow.
It's really unfortunate because I root for neighborhood restaurants, but this place is an unmitigated disaster and will soon be closed.
Sounds like the Dream Cafe on Seinfeld.
Quote from: copperfiend on December 01, 2011, 10:44:56 AM
Sounds like the Dream Cafe on Seinfeld.
;D
Something tells me this place really banked on having a consistent customer base from the nearby hospitals. That being said, common guys, "International Grill"???? Oy. I feel for people who open restaurants in these hard times, but at least
try a little harder!!
Quote from: goldy21 on December 01, 2011, 10:11:29 AM
I'm not really sure where to start, so I'll provide just the highlights.
First, I have to mention that I didn't have high hopes for this place. If you call yourself "International Grill" and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there's already a pretty good chance that the restaurant is going to disappoint based on being as generic as possible.
All of the warning signs were there: only one other table of customers, a waitress dressed in dirty tuxedo shirt and bowtie (seriously?), and piles of Sysco boxes in the open kitchen.
After we sat down, the owner greeted us and asked to get us something to drink. My fiancee ordered a glass of white wine--she actually ordered pinot grigio, but he said they had "red" and "white". She ordered the "white". The owner subsequently asked her four separate times whether she ordered red or white. I actually felt kind of bad for hi because he could hear fine, he just couldn't remember the order. Then he grabbed a bottle of room temperature white wine off the counter and poured a glass. Because the wine was lukewarm, we asked for some ice. The waitress brought over ice in cubes in a coffee mug!
We looked over the menu, which is very lengthy and disjointed. They have everything from Persian food to Italian to wings and hot dogs. It's pretty much a given that a restaurant that focuses on everything will be good at nothing. Turns out, we didn't have a lot of choices because they did not have 75% of the menu in stock. We thought we played it safe and decided to split an order of lamb kabobs over rice.
Meanwhile, the only other people in the restaurant sat patiently as their pre-made, frozen Sysco food hit their table, plate by plate. Then it got really awkward. The owner wanted to introduce his wheelchair-bound wife to the people at the table. That's fine. But he wheeled her over, introduced her, and then left her at their table!
When we finally got our food, it was, predictably, a fiasco. The lamb was fatty, greasy, and disgusting. The rice had clearly sat in a rice cooker for hours and was burned and also greasy somehow.
It's really unfortunate because I root for neighborhood restaurants, but this place is an unmitigated disaster and will soon be closed.
Are you referring to the restaurant on Hogan?
^ I think its on Riverside Ave & Barrs St. Yeah, has anything good ever came to this little building? It seems like it shouldn't even exist. Kinda like they took a strip mall-like building & plopped it in the middle of a historic neighborhood. But not in an area that sees much foot traffic.
Quote from: copperfiend on December 01, 2011, 10:44:56 AM
Sounds like the Dream Cafe on Seinfeld.
Ha! Now I'm picturing the owner slowly shaking his finger at a customer.
They have just opened & not even officially yet. Takes a little while for a new restaurant to shake down especially if the owner is new to the business. Give them a chance to get their feet under them.
The menu struck me as being overambitious too.
I've heard from a few coworkers at SV's that the food and service isn't so great, especially at lunch time. I hope they can pull it together- when I leave at 6am, I drive by and can see one or two people in there working and cooking in the kitchen, so it's not that they aren't trying but like everyone else is saying- they're doing too much with too little. I don't like the location either. Gibbs didn't work there, that's because a ton of people at SV's are really loyal to Michael's right behind there. Rightfully so, I say. They've been there for a long time and they've never done wrong by me- I ate there every day for almost 2 years until my hours got later.
I was just surprised to see them open now.... They had a sign saying coming soon for like the past year or so. I had given up on them a long time ago.
International Grill
In spite of the bumps new restaurants go through, my evening meal was quite pleasant. Service was excellent and the restaurant was very clean. After some discussion w/ the proprietor, AJ, it does appear he is revamping the menu, paring down items, and focusing on more traditional fare. So in response to earlier negative comments, I suggest they give owner a break & visit again.
My friend and I decided to try dinner @ this new grill. She chose the eggplant Parmesan (she prefers Vegan) which was prepared fresh & not on the routine menu. I selected the house Gyro w/ fresh Greek yogurt. My gyro was HUGE! Freshly prepared w/ large portions of lamb, and well seasoned lettuce, cucumber & tomatoes to enhance the presentation. + a side of tabbouleh. The tabbouleh, was light, w/ crisp cucumbers & hint of lime. My drink of choice was strongly brewed Turkish coffee. Coffee was Excellent!
Dessert was ordered to go for spouse ;-). The most chocolate item in the house. Excellent choice, dark moist chocolate cake. I shall return, next time bringing spouse. Thank you AJ, for your kind hospitality & greetings.
My husband and I have eaten at the International Grill 5 times now and have no complaints about the food; it was delicious and healthy. A.J., the owner, has been gracious and very accommodating. The one time we went when he was not there, the wait staff was inattentive, but I notice that person no longer works there. The atmosphere is very pleasant, and we like watching the news as we eat. Give this restaurant a chance; it's as good or better than any in Avondale (Town, excluded) and much more reasonably priced. -JRP
Wow, two expert reviews from people that have never posted on this forum before! Truly reliable. As good as or better than any restaurant in Avondale? How about Riverside, where the place is located? Is it even as good as or better than the other restaurants on Barrs? If you're going to post fake reviews of a restaurant, at least make it somewhat believable. It might be great, but better than 13 Gypsies, Brick, Biscottis, Pine Grove, Kickbacks, Whiteway, Orsay, etc? Come on now.
I've been trying to get there to test it out. The reviews I've heard from co-workers have been largely negative, however, but I won't let that stop me until I know for sure. And I will update accordingly. But I'd take the two reviews above with a grain of salt.
Gibbs was delicious and seemed to be doing great business. It was always packed at least. The only reason I can think that it shut down (aside from something ridiculous, which I've heard may be the actual case) is "the rent is too damn high."
Quote from: JRP on December 20, 2011, 02:54:07 PM
My husband and I have eaten at the International Grill 5 times now and have no complaints about the food; it was delicious and healthy. A.J., the owner, has been gracious and very accommodating. The one time we went when he was not there, the wait staff was inattentive, but I notice that person no longer works there. The atmosphere is very pleasant, and we like watching the news as we eat. Give this restaurant a chance; it's as good or better than any in Avondale (Town, excluded) and much more reasonably priced. -JRP
:o
Gotta trust those expert 1 post reviewers with nothing but glowing reviews of a questionable establishment...
Is this in the space of former Dr. Acosta-Rua's building? I am amazed that Judson's is still open after so long, but its a SV crowd that will swear by it or curse it.
Quote from: JRP on December 20, 2011, 02:54:07 PM
My husband and I have eaten at the International Grill 5 times now and have no complaints about the food; it was delicious and healthy. A.J., the owner, has been gracious and very accommodating. The one time we went when he was not there, the wait staff was inattentive, but I notice that person no longer works there. The atmosphere is very pleasant, and we like watching the news as we eat. Give this restaurant a chance; it's as good or better than any in Avondale (Town, excluded) and much more reasonably priced. -JRP
Quote from: BTM on December 14, 2011, 01:08:42 AM
International Grill
In spite of the bumps new restaurants go through, my evening meal was quite pleasant. Service was excellent and the restaurant was very clean. After some discussion w/ the proprietor, AJ, it does appear he is revamping the menu, paring down items, and focusing on more traditional fare. So in response to earlier negative comments, I suggest they give owner a break & visit again.
My friend and I decided to try dinner @ this new grill. She chose the eggplant Parmesan (she prefers Vegan) which was prepared fresh & not on the routine menu. I selected the house Gyro w/ fresh Greek yogurt. My gyro was HUGE! Freshly prepared w/ large portions of lamb, and well seasoned lettuce, cucumber & tomatoes to enhance the presentation. + a side of tabbouleh. The tabbouleh, was light, w/ crisp cucumbers & hint of lime. My drink of choice was strongly brewed Turkish coffee. Coffee was Excellent!
Dessert was ordered to go for spouse ;-). The most chocolate item in the house. Excellent choice, dark moist chocolate cake. I shall return, next time bringing spouse. Thank you AJ, for your kind hospitality & greetings.
LMFAO...
You seriously chose the wrong forum for this B.S.
Quote from: BTM on December 14, 2011, 01:08:42 AM
International Grill
In spite of the bumps new restaurants go through, my evening meal was quite pleasant. Service was excellent and the restaurant was very clean. After some discussion w/ the proprietor, AJ, it does appear he is revamping the menu, paring down items, and focusing on more traditional fare. So in response to earlier negative comments, I suggest they give owner a break & visit again.
My friend and I decided to try dinner @ this new grill. She chose the eggplant Parmesan (she prefers Vegan) which was prepared fresh & not on the routine menu. I selected the house Gyro w/ fresh Greek yogurt. My gyro was HUGE! Freshly prepared w/ large portions of lamb, and well seasoned lettuce, cucumber & tomatoes to enhance the presentation. + a side of tabbouleh. The tabbouleh, was light, w/ crisp cucumbers & hint of lime. My drink of choice was strongly brewed Turkish coffee. Coffee was Excellent!
Dessert was ordered to go for spouse ;-). The most chocolate item in the house. Excellent choice, dark moist chocolate cake. I shall return, next time bringing spouse. Thank you AJ, for your kind hospitality & greetings.
(http://gifsforum.com/images/gif/did%20not%20read/grand/didnt_read_midget_gif.gif)
Everyone's a newbie at first.
Maybe this place is worth giving another chance.
I would like to see a success story at that location.
Starting to feel bad for these guys....
Unfortunately this place doesn't look like it will make it. A quick search shows that in November they received 17 Restaurant Inspection Violations several of them critical. http://data.gainesville.com/restaurant-inspections/duval/international-grill/sea2614664/4417938/
The two "reviews" posted as responses in this thread are hilarious.
Is there something like a darwin award for managing bad publicity?
The best meals are at home. Eat in often, save the neighborhood.
Actually got to go into this place and try it out. The food's not bad, but I can't say that I plan on rushing back. It's a very bad experience from a service standpoint. They have an expansive menu that I am pretty certain they don't have the kitchen to make half of (horrible sentence, sorry). There were two guys there, the cook and a guy that I can only assume is the owner. The "owner" basically rattled off a couple of specials (gyro, chicken, pork, beef or whatever), walked away, and came back asking what we wanted. I asked if it was possible to get a menu and he brought 1, noting that they are in the process of shrinking the menu (its not that hard to print a couple sheets of paper with what you actually serve and what its costs, is it?). Menu didn't help much, as I had no idea what on it was available, so I just asked if I could have some kind of tabouli-related sandwich (wrap, rider). He said yes and walked away. Nothing about what I might want on it or sides or anything. Just a very strange experience altogether.
Also, the HUGE flat screen TV they have mounted on the wall that is situated so that it is basically only convenient to view for the cook was turned up so loud that we moved our seats from under it. Not a deal-breaker in itself, but it was pretty flippin' loud (and I'm not at the point in life where i am particularly bothered by loud things). Its just a symptom of the poor way in which the joint is run. This place could be decent if they tighten up the operation and maybe do a little marketing. But I can't see it lasting without major changes. But again, the food I and my coworker had was pretty good (though criminally over-priced, which is not apparent given the condition of the menu).
So there you go, a fairly negative review from someone who is incredibly easy to please.
This place to survive must talk to their new customers so they can fine Tune the place.
Trying to juggle too much menu is a death sentence.
I agree, the TV is waaaaaay too loud. Why is the sound even on anyway? It's a distraction. Turn it off, please!
The whole experience screams restaurant-amateur-wannabees. I agree with Peejay that the food is not bad. The seating looked like cobbled together tables and chairs with bad varnish jobs. The waiter was obviously new and kept apologizing about not having items on the menu. At least he was attentive.
But when the lunch came, one small green salad and one grilled chicken wrap, the bill was $22. Last meal I will eat here.
Come on guys and get it together. Would like to see you succeed but you have to do better in this town.
In response to your negative 'one post wonder comment', some venue's should receive fair reviews, both negative & positive; The VOLUME of posts/ comments, has nothing to do w/ quality.
Enjoy your own bitterness. maybe IT impacts your own dining experience.
Quote from: BTM on January 04, 2012, 10:09:54 AM
In response to your negative 'one post wonder comment', some venue's should receive fair reviews, both negative & positive; The VOLUME of posts/ comments, has nothing to do w/ quality.
Enjoy your own bitterness. maybe IT impacts your own dining experience.
What? Volume of posts does not indicate quality or a lack thereof in posted content, but a forum account with a single post positively reviewing a retail establishment in an over-the-top way while all the other reviews are negative but helpful is cause for suspicion (particularly when accompanied by another single-post user writing a similar post, seemingly by the same hand). There is no requirement that a restaurant receive positive AND negative reviews, certainly not in balance. Some establishments are not good, some are very good, some are mediocre. Some have potentially good food with a weird setup, awkward service, poor business acumen, and no discernible marketing strategy. Reviews should reflect that truth, whatever it may be.
And "one post wonder" would indicate that your first post was, in fact, a "wonder," which it was not. Please continue posting on these forums, whether you are a shill or not, as they are a great resource for knowledge about the city. If you are a shill and involved some way with this restaurant, I think we've given you pretty fair reviews. I recommend you take them to heart and improve accordingly. Additionally, I'd stop doing dumb things like posting bogus reviews of your own establishment and assuming that the readers on this site are not intelligent enough to tell the difference. Its insulting, lame, and ineffective (That is, of course, IF you are a shill. If you just have bad taste, that's not a big deal. We've got plenty of them on the site too!) No one would like for this place to succeed more than me (I'd dare say including the owner, given the above discussion).
Whoops... (http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2012-04-17/orange-park-riverside-restaurants-temporarily-close)
QuoteIn Riverside, an inspector ordered International Grill to close Thursday after finding no water pressure in the restaurant’s kitchen sinks and bathrooms.
International Grill
Address: 2545 Riverside Ave.
Closed: 2:47 p.m., Thursday, April 12
Opened: 8:25 a.m., Friday, April 13
Violations: 1 total, 1 critical:
No running water to handsinks, 3-comparment sink and bathrooms due to a broken water pipe.
Inspection history: In three inspections dating to the restaurant’s opening in November, two required follow-up visits.
Only a matter of time before something like this happened. Probably couldn't afford to fix the pipes.
Why is it Ben Says is always the first with a less than positive response. Its obvious that the operator of the International Grill is a tenant and not the building's owner. So, why would the plumbing be his/her responsibility?
But the tenant has to remember to pay the bill.
Just noticed when I came into work yesterday that the place has been shut down and completely emptied out. The guy that ran it seemed nice enough but nice doesn't make a good place to eat.
This was bound to happen. From what I understand the owners weren't business savvy, in the least. Their last hoorah was at RAM where they showed up with precooked food and one lonesome microwave.
I walked in once and walked out before they had a chance to acknowledge my presence. I'm always a little skeptical of "Mediterranean" restaurants. I have found this genre of restaurant (along with Italian, and especially when a restaurant serves both types) has the distinct ability to over price incredibly bad food. They never got a fair try from me but I was never in the mood to feel ripped off, potentially. I think I made the right decision.
But...I always feel very disappointed with the owners of failed small restaurants. They put so much of their money and energy into an establishment only to serve food that is mediocre at best.
^^ Agree with both sentiments...bound to happen...
Yesterday, I noticed that 7 Eleven is moving into the former International Grill location. Build out has already started.
Quote from: riverside_mail on March 05, 2013, 08:19:07 AM
Yesterday, I noticed that 7 Eleven is moving into the former International Grill location. Build out has already started.
Really? That is an interesting location. I will have to check it out at lunch. Will be good to have some all-day activity going on there. I will take some pics if I remember and there is anything to see.
With the hospital across the street, that's probably a pretty good 24/7 spot for them. I wonder how much the mobility fee issue impacted this decision. My wild market-based supply and demand guess is it didn't. So we get the same amount of jobs created without subsidizing their existence. Sounds good to me.
Great spot!!! Couldn't be happier.
Is the 7 Eleven at the old Pizza Palace still happening?
So wait, does this mean that they aren't going to build out the old Pizza Palace as a 7/11?
I would think that they are far enough apart to both be viable.
Quote from: JeffreyS on March 05, 2013, 09:46:00 AM
I would think that they are far enough apart to both be viable.
I agree. They're probably about the same distance apart as the two downtown. If downtown's can survive comfortably, Riverside's definitely can.
What's up with the Pizza Palace location? I mean...7-11 is usually pretty quick with build outs.
These are essentially corner stores or small neighborhood markets. They are adding 80 stores in our area by 2015. I think when it's all said and done, we'll see several locations within a few blocks of each other. Heck, if you own a commercial site in the urban core with good visibility, give these guys a call. They generated $77 billion in worldwide sales last year and are aggressively expanding everywhere...
QuoteAfter shattering both its international and domestic store growth records last year, 7-Eleven, Inc. is in line to have an even bigger year in 2012. The world’s largest retailer by units added more than 4,600 stores worldwide in 2011 and plans to continue the company’s accelerated growth.
Some 600 additional stores were built, acquired or transitioned from another business to the 7-Eleven® brand in the United States and Canada alone during 2011. This year, 7-Eleven’s goal is to exceed that number by adding at least 630 new stores to its U.S. and Canada roster by year end.
Since 2003, 7-Eleven has almost doubled its global store count, from 25,000 to more than 46,000. Today, a new 7-Eleven store opens somewhere in the world approximately every two hours.
http://corp.7-eleven.com/Newsroom/2012NewsReleases/7ElevenPlanstoBreakStoreGrowthRecords/tabid/521/Default.aspx
^ Which is why I'm so surprised the Pizza Palace location is taking so long. They have an army of lawyers thousands strong, and better finances than most first world countries. It's rare to see a 7-11 take as long as they have getting in a location.
Who owns that building? I'm sure it has more to do with some other factors as opposed to 7-11's finances. For example, if the new use creates more auto trips than the old use, there maybe a mobility fee involved. That owner, may be waiting on seeing if the council suspends the mobility fee again before moving forward so they can pocket the extra cash.
I think that I saw a 7-11 sign in the window where Gibbs used to be (old news?) - so there will be 2 no-fuel C-stores coming into the area?
Quote from: blizz01 on March 05, 2013, 12:15:01 PM
I think that I saw a 7-11 sign in the window where Gibbs used to be (old news?) - so there will be 2 no-fuel C-stores coming into the area?
The Gibbs space was on the right side of the building (looking from the hospital). The 7-11 is on the left, directly on the corner, but it is taking up two storefronts, International Grille and whatever was next to it.
Let's see if these work.
dumpster in the parking lot behind
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/64095_10100137632724759_606707752_n.jpg)
interior demo
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/480314_10100137632734739_1258087_n.jpg)
construction sign
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/529916_10100137632754699_699982916_n.jpg)
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 05, 2013, 01:27:28 PM
whatever was next to it.
I believe it was some kind of Quest Diagnostics lab type place.
Quote from: ben says on March 05, 2013, 02:21:32 PM
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 05, 2013, 01:27:28 PM
whatever was next to it.
I believe it was some kind of Quest Diagnostics lab type place.
LabCorp, yes. I just went up to the second door that had 7-11, thinking there was another before the old Gibbs space. I thought I saw the LabCorp sign up at the next door, which would indicate they have moved into the Gibbs space since originally opening up in the second front from the left. The location is still listed on LabCorp's website. Looks like I will need to go back and confirm, will update after work. 7-11 and Gibbs together would have filled the entire building.
But it does appear the building will have at least one long-term tenant.
I really, really hope it'll be 24 hours. Working nights across the street, I'd love to be able to get a fresh drink or a snack at 3am.
^ pretty much all 7-11 stores are 24 hours
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 05, 2013, 02:30:51 PM
Quote from: ben says on March 05, 2013, 02:21:32 PM
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 05, 2013, 01:27:28 PM
whatever was next to it.
I believe it was some kind of Quest Diagnostics lab type place.
LabCorp, yes. I just went up to the second door that had 7-11, thinking there was another before the old Gibbs space. I thought I saw the LabCorp sign up at the next door, which would indicate they have moved into the Gibbs space since originally opening up in the second front from the left. The location is still listed on LabCorp's website. Looks like I will need to go back and confirm, will update after work. 7-11 and Gibbs together would have filled the entire building.
But it does appear the building will have at least one long-term tenant.
Okay, here we go:
There are basically 4 storefronts (4 awnings along Riverside). Gibbs had the right two (3 and 4), and LabCorp was planning to move into #2. I'm not sure if they actually did (I thought they did), but they are now occupying both #3 and 4 (either they changed their plans after Gibbs closed, or they moved into #2 and then relocated next door to a bigger space). So now 7-11 will be taking over #1 and 2, making the entire building occupied. Yippee!