Nothing brings us closer and nothing divides us more than restaurant opinions. Which restaurant is the first place a Jacksonville transplant or visitor should eat?
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Probably to Safe Harbor Seafood Restaurant for some real Mayport shrimp and fresh seafood at the beach in Florida. They came all this way, right?
Metro Diner. Honorable mention to 13 Gypsies.
Depends on the visitor and what their preferences may be. I've taken visitors to a range of places.....from Jenkins BBQ and Soul Food Bistro to 13 Gypsies, Bold Bean Coffee and Al's Pizza. Heck, had one childhood friend come to visit, who's still hooked on video games, so I directed him to Dave & Busters.
I just visited Maple Street for the first time and I enjoyed it. I know it's ridiculous to say but I don't "feel" like it's unhealthy. The food is so rich and filling I had to took half my biscuit home. I'd take someone there.
Bold Bean for sure.
Chomp Chomp, probably.
Jenkins...never. It's one of the most disappointing cultural relics of our city.
Metro Diner, Kickbacks & Fox Diner all fall into a category of "if we have to."
Safe Harbor, though I have been there many times to buy seafood I have never ordered a meal. So funny to me, that we live on the Ocean and most of our seafood comes from China.
Bold Bean for coffee, French Pantry for lunch, Orsay for happy hour, 13 Gypsies for food, Black Sheep for rooftop after-dinner drinks.
I don't think this town has a single breakfast joint that blows me away.
Quote from: TheCat on March 27, 2013, 08:52:02 AMJenkins...never. It's one of the most disappointing cultural relics of our city.
It's not for everyone, especially some of the foodies here. However, when you're coming from across the tracks and decor, atmosphere, and presentation don't mean much, it's okay. I deal with a pretty diverse crowd, so for me, it simply boils down to who I'm entertaining and what their preferences may be.
With that said, I've always thought Jenkins could have larger across the board appeal if they developed a "flagship" location with a decent atmosphere, decor and service.
Too hard to nail down just one place... so here's my list ;D
Breakfast: Metro Diner
Lunch: Mojo #4
Drink before dinner: Blacksheep Rooftop
Dinner: Orsay (Salty Fig - close 2nd)
Post dinner cocktails: Dos Gatos
2am gluttony: Hot Dog lady on King St.
What?? I love Jenkins, the rib sandwich! oh yes. When I lived in Atlanta, I worked with people who knew about Jenkins in Jax.
Speaking of Jenkins and who you're entertaining, I threw a family reunion in downtown a few years back and I had Beach Road Chicken cater the weekend's opening night. Some complained that they could cook a better meal and make better bread pudding. However, what they really wanted was locally caught garlic crabs. We ended up going to a hole in the wall garlic crab spot in Brentwood and buying enough crabs for a boil to feed 75 people. They couldn't have been more happier.
i have made mention to Jenkins that they could upgrade their restaurants a little and make it more of an attraction, but then again that may take away from the experience for some.
I've always thought they could keep their existing restaurants just like they are but consider opening a "flagship" location in a place like the Landing, which would have more appeal and visibility to segments of the population that don't hit. However, it's their business and I guess how it operates works for them. After all, how long have they been around now?
La Nopalera
Quote from: ben says on March 27, 2013, 09:40:52 AM
Quote from: MEGATRON on March 27, 2013, 09:39:57 AM
La Nopalera
really?!
Yeah, unless the visitor did not like mexican, then maybe I'd take them to Longhorn if the line is not too long.
The old Underbelly was always my go-to 'cool' place.
13 Gypsies, without a doubt. Coolest restaurant in the city, in my opinion.
If it is anywhere within an hour, probably Cap's.
Everybody that drinks beer loves Kickbacks.
Something quick: BG or Chomp Chomp
Big Spender: Orsay (delicious and upscale without being stuffy or baby portioned)
For the view: Skyline (lunch), RCBC (warm weekend/night), Foxy Lady (hope to try within the next couple weeks).
BBQ: If I don't want to speak with them or it's late, Mojo #4. I'd probably go Fred Cotton over Jenkins for ambiance. Plus its friendly and not too crowded. And you get more food. My palate is not refined enough to tell the difference, however.
Breakfast: Maple Street as long as they don't have a heart problem, Cool Moose has always been my first, Biscottis (the Fox is all hype!), Uptown, Crazy Egg, Metro if we get up real early (never)
All you can eat lunch: Crazy Egg, Checkers BBQ (if we don't mind going to the hospital after)
Mexicans: Mr Taco or Pepe's (ambiance)
Cocktails: Dos (as if there were any doubt)
Hammertime: Monty's, Yesterdays, Sherwoods, King St (if already hammered)
At the beach: Culhane's, Salt Life,
It does seem like Jenkins is doing very good business. You certainly have to wait long enough for the food.
Quote from: PeeJayEss on March 27, 2013, 09:44:39 AM
It does seem like Jenkins is doing very good business. You certainly have to wait long enough for the food.
Maybe downtown. I can't remember the last time I saw more than 1-2 cares at the Emerson location.
The last time I went to Emerson, there was a line of 6 waiting. During my wait, there probably were no more than 2-3 cars in the parking lot at one time. It seems that most only pick up at that location.
Jenkins: I don't mind the atmosphere I mind the food. I think it's terrible. Hole in the wall shops that sell crabs, I'm all in.
No place is for everyone.
Yeah, it depends on who you're entertaining. I guess it depends on how you'd like to balance local color and quality of food and atmosphere. If you want to give them something they probably would only get in Jax I'd do Checkers BBQ on Old St. Augustine on a weekend when the chef does North Florida cracker cooking. Otherwise, local BBQ (yes like Jenkins), good seafood like Safe Harbor or Two Dudes, or any place that serves a camel rider would be good local color options. If you're looking for high quality food I'd go with Black Sheep or Orsay if they want fancy, or Chomp Chomp or Burrito Gallery if they don't. If they're more interested in beer then Kickbacks is the place, or any of our breweries.
Sitting upstairs/outside @ Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in St. Augustine or in the trees @ Conch House (since we seem to have expanded the radius a little) - can't say the food is great at either, but the vibe is nice.
Quote from: ben says on March 27, 2013, 09:04:06 AM
I don't think this town has a single breakfast joint that blows me away.
Well, it's hard to screw up bacon, eggs and toast. There's to magic to using a toaster so I can see what you mean. However, I would highly recommend Grinders Cafe on Atlantic. They make some GREAT omelets and they're reasonably priced on just about everything.
http://www.grinderscafejax.com/
Quote from: coredumped on March 27, 2013, 02:29:19 PM
Quote from: ben says on March 27, 2013, 09:04:06 AM
I don't think this town has a single breakfast joint that blows me away.
Well, it's hard to screw up bacon, eggs and toast. There's to magic to using a toaster so I can see what you mean. However, I would highly recommend Grinders Cafe on Atlantic. They make some GREAT omelets and they're reasonably priced on just about everything.
http://www.grinderscafejax.com/
I agree: it's hard to screw up bacon, eggs, and toast. That being said, there's a difference in not screwing something up, and doing something truly exceptional/inventive. Exceptional: nobody does grits better than Insetta. I wish he was open 7 days a week for breakfast. Inventive: had a great trip up to Asheville last week...talk about breakfast! Tupelo Honey..wow. Sweet potato pancakes, all sorts of hashes, homemade poptarts!
Also, the thread is called "The one place you would..." On food alone, I guess 13 Gypsies. Everyone I've brought there, from New Orleans, San Fran, NYC, all say the same thing: this place could succeed in any major city in world. Really great Spanish food, and the less-than-Spanish items, like the risotto, even blew my Sicilian mother-in-law away.