Has anyone been to 'Town, located in Avondale? Also, do you know of a website? I have from friends coming into town from Toronto this weekend and I'd like to take them there.
I haven't eaten there but stopped in on Saturday on the way to Casbah. Very nice decor and interesting (if somewhat limited) menu. We plan to try Town soon.
Quote from: konstantconsumer on May 18, 2010, 12:59:56 AM
Has anyone been to 'Town, located in Avondale? Also, do you know of a website? I have from friends coming into town from Toronto this weekend and I'd like to take them there.
Funny, I did a google search but turned up nothing because the generic nature of the restaurant name.
it's Benham Purcell's place along with Megan Purcell (formally Benham Howard). The shoe store is Emly.
The restaurant is 'Town
www.town3611.com
Just clicked on the web address and it appears the site is not yet up and running.
Its pretty good. Price points compare with Orsay, Bistro Aix, etc. I undersant Liz Grenamayer helped out on the menu. Liz is the same as Catering by Liz, if you've ever been to an event catered by her or stopped into Bella Sera you'll know of her quality.
B/c of the price points I've only gotten the opportunity to eat there once, but the experience was good... especially for a new restaurant. New places generally have the typical growing pains, but I was impressed b/c there weren't any major complaints.
You can sit at the open kitchen counter which is pretty cool.
'Town is quite good - a great addition to Avondale (and Jacksonville, for that matter, not that the vast majority of Duval will ever find it...) A very smart wine list with a carafe option (which amounts to two small-ish glasses). The Chardonnay section is heavy on white Burgundy and light on California. The menu is broken down by price. Portions are moderate, but so are the prices, which is cool with me - means you can order more dishes and experience more flavors before you hit the wall. Prices run from like four dollars (come on, FOUR BUCKS!) to fifteen or eighteen for entree style selections (I think - I end up drinking a good amount of wine when I'm there, so my memory might be a bit fogged...) Crystal & I have been several times and here are the dishes I found most memorable... Truffled tater tots with sweet onion puree in the bar bites section - house made and delicious. Good country pate and a nice selection of cheeses from Sweet Grass Dairy. Mussels in a variety of preparations (get the Thai style). Really well made gnocchi, ethereally tender. Seared scallops with fennel & orange. Grilled warm water lobster - briny, rich, buttery, super delicious. House made donuts. Boylan's root beer float.
The food is really good. Technique driven, well seasoned, using good ingredients, presented elegantly. The bread is made in house, it's salty, and the butter is served soft - ask for bread & butter as soon as you sit down, because it's really excellent. The people running the place are really nice. And they're open on Monday nights (unlike Orsay - I'm holding onto that night off for the time being). This is a real restaurant. You need to go.
Thanks for the review Brian... Can some one post the street or address?
Town is on St. John's Avenue in Avondale, between Underwood's Jewelers and The Brick.
Thanks for providing the excellent review, Brian - I plan to check it out next Monday night!
Quote from: JC on May 18, 2010, 07:55:31 AM
Quote from: konstantconsumer on May 18, 2010, 12:59:56 AM
Has anyone been to 'Town, located in Avondale? Also, do you know of a website? I have from friends coming into town from Toronto this weekend and I'd like to take them there.
Funny, I did a google search but turned up nothing because the generic nature of the restaurant name.
if it isnt found on google, it must not be real
Thanks Brian. I'm going Saturday night. Hopefully it will impress my foodie friends from Toronto. They loved Chew and Orsay.
As you head west on St. Johns, it is right across from the 2nd light, Ingleside, you can't miss it. They do valet parking there on weekends in the empty gas lot, so if you drive past West Inn (Monty's), you've gone too far.
We ate there for one of the openings, very good food, and the staff is very attractive as well! One of our friends has been eating there quite a bit, said for his taste buds, the chefs use a bit too much salt, but check it out for yourself. As Brian said, great addition, and open Mondays, but we all hope Brian and John decide on either Monday or Sunday for Orsay.
That's an increasingly frequent trend, I really hate it when people oversalt everything. Don't know why they do it.
Well I had dinner there last night. Overall, it was really really great. My friends and I sat at the kitchen "bar", which was fun because we could watch the food going out. I'll agree that a few dishes had a bit too much salt, but nothing insane. Also, the price was great. we had 6 dishes, then ordered 3 more, then two desserts. All that plus a bottle of wine was just over $150 for three people. Great food, great service, and it looks great in there. doesn't hurt that the bartender is really cute.
Three of us went for a bite to eat. First off, they use water that is poured into clear glass bottles. No ice in our glass, and it was luke warm. I know it is a trendy thing to do, but come on, who likes to drink tepid tap water. The prices started at 4 bucks, basically these offerings were two bites of food. By the time we left we spent over 150 bucks for 2 burgers, a tiny lobster, more like a large shrimp, which was entirely to salty, as were the burgers, a crispy duck, almost raw desert donuts and 3 glasses of wine. The wine selection is out there (where did they get this list?) and expensive for the amount you get. The bartender reminded me of the Fuel groupies who used to hang out on the sidewalk in 5 Points, very 5 years ago with the tattoos up his neck and arms...not very appetizing to look at while you are eating. Young and loud was the crowd. A pricey place for those who want to pretend they're not in Jacksonville anymore. As to the interior design... brick and glass just like everywhere else.
Tried this new restaurant/bistro in Jacksonville (Avondale?) last week when I was making a weekly visit for business â€" recommended by a friend who lives there. From the outside, it was really impressive, with a lot of stonework and glass. Kind of a weird entrance, through some double doors, with a closed shoe store on one side (apparently it is somehow connected to the restaurant, but I don’t get it) Really nice interior décor but LOUD. I was by myself, so I sat at the back kitchen/counter.
After looking at the menu, I was kind of confused â€" it is arranged by PRICES, not by type of food. Generally, the food was good, although the portions were, to say the least, parsimonious. The biggest surprise was when I got the bill â€" it was over $50 and I felt like I was still expecting the main course, even after I had “dessert.â€
This place needs to worry less about looking trendy, and more about providing good food with reasonable portions. I wasn’t surprised to hear a couple beside me discussing how they were having some financial woes. I don’t think I will be back.
FWIW, I've heard from several people now that this place is way overpriced and has tiny portions. The few I've talked to that have eaten there say that the food / menu is comparable to the old Cafe Carmon, except with 1/3'rd the portion size and 2X higher prices. I'll be holding out until they get the issues fixed to try it out. Not in a real big rush to drop $100 on dinner and then still have to go to Kickback's later for my actual dinner when I'm still hungry.
From my experience eating there I actually thought the pricing was very good. It's not really my goal to get 2000 calories every time I eat out. When I was there, 3 of us at enough to be pleasently full and also had a $50 bottle of wine. With a total of $150 I think that's a good price.