Pele's Wood Fire - Park and King

[Tacachale]

Wow, some people around here are hypercritical. $5 is not a good price for a glass of a Bold City beer, but it's hardly a ridiculous price. As Steve says you'd get a similar price at several other places including Kickbacks. Sometimes that's just how it is. Hell, Intuition sells some of their own beers for five bucks. I and many others are still happy to visit their taproom.

This is also a new joint that has some of the new joint kinks to work out. Ill give it the benefit of the doubt until trying it myself.

[RockStar]

The erroneous thought is that since it's made locally, it's going to be less expensive. In fact, because they are small, start up breweries their keg prices are actually as much or more expensive than more established breweries (not talking about the big 3). A keg of BC or IAW costs the same as a keg of Guinness; that's the reality. When you break it down and price it out, you really have to charge $5 to make your margin on it. So when you see it for $4 be happy, when you see it for $5, you've paid the right price. Sometimes supporting local means supporting local.  However, at the taproom, I think all beers should be $3 at least if you fill a growler to go...maybe a good promo idea for them...

Either way, it's nice that the local breweries are turning out good product. I prefer Intuition personally, esp their 1-10IPA (which they were out of on today's delivery ;(

Looking forward to trying Pele's. As a rule, I usually wait 3-4 weeks before trying a new restaurant. So don't be too hard on them, especially since it's a limited menu. Can't really judge the horse til it's been allowed to get up to a full gallop.

[acme54321]

unless you believe that the tenderloin from Longhorn ($21) comes from a different cow than a tenderloin from Ruth Chris ($48)....

That's a pretty bad example.  It may come from the "same" cow, but what happens after that is probably very different.

[tufsu1]

acme, that's my point exactly.....sure Pele's is charging more than other nearby establishments....but considering the decor and the fact that the food is handmade with all natural ingredients, it probably makes sense....heck, maybe they're paying their staff above minimum wage and/or offering benefits too.

bottom line (and forgive the political soapbox)....the mentality of cheaper at all costs (I call it the Wal Mart effect) is ruining this country!

[acme54321]

I thought most of the prices were reasonable for what it was, the pizzas are the only thing that seemed off.   $16 for a 10" cheese pizza with 5 tomatoes?  Meh.  $7 (or 8?) for the lemonciello wings... winning, they were awesome.

[fsujax]

Drove by last night. It looked packed. What a great addition to that corner.

[Gonzo]

Since I just discovered this thread this morning, and having read all the way through it, I figured I'd throw my two cents in. I have known Matt, one of the owners, for over a year. I have talked to him about the restaurant and what his vision for it is. Something he is not going for is a cheap Olive Garden knock-off. His vision is for Pele's to be an innovative, exciting, and dynamic restaurant using only the best ingredients and providing top quality experiences.

That said, I have also read some of the reviews on Yelp, Urban Spoon, and here. The people who wrote them last week were, in my opinion, woefully uneducated in the way a restaurant is opened.  First, since it was their soft-opening last week and they were definitely still working out a lot of the kinks, their food was comped. The only thing the restaurant asked was for you to pay for your drinks and to tip the staff as they learned their stations. To me that is more than reasonable. And if you are basing your opinion on last week or even this past weekend, you are being truly unfair to the restaurant.

Second, the reviewer on Yelp goes on and on about the pizza, to quote, "When it arrived it was a simple cheese pizza the size of a paper plate with six halves of  grape tomatoes, six see through thin shavings of prosciutto ham and five sprigs of arugula." Its obvious this person knows nothing about true Neapolitan pizza and probably has never seen one before. The pizzas I had in Italy looked nearly identical to the pizzas served at Pele's, its not about the Pizza Hut mentality of more is better, its about the fresh ingredients and authentic flavors.

Third, the service at the restaurant is still working out the routines. Sure, there were a lot of people wandering around in there seemingly lost -- and to be fair, they probably were -- but, that is what the first few weeks of a new restaurant are for -- to figure out the best way to do things. While I was there with my date last week we experienced several gaffes including a long wait for drinks, the delivery of someone else's food to our table, and a seating issue. All were handled and none were so egregious that it would deter me from eating there again.

Forth, the prices compared to the portions are a bit steep. I'll admit that I was a bit sticker-shocked when I saw the prices of the food. However, one has to keep in mind that they are not trying to be the Olive Garden. The goal of this restaurant is to be a destination restaurant akin to Orsay, Bistro Aix, or Matthew's. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh down to the freshly pulled mozzarella makes it even more worth the price. Not to mention that the atmosphere and decor are definitely on par with the best restaurants in the city and even some I have been to in more cosmopolitan cities like Dallas, San Francisco, and New York City.

Finally, the beer pricing is quite fair in my opinion. This from a man who is an affirmed beer snob and frequently enjoys the pricier brews on the menu at Kickback's, Engine 15, and beer establishments far and wide. The line-up Pele's has is quality all the way. I have talked with Matt frequently about his beer selection and even helped by providing a wish list to him -- at his request -- for the beers he would be serving. The pricing on the beers he is serving, as Steve pointed out in his post, is appropriate and fair. Sure, you can get a pint of Bold City beer at the brewery a mile up the road for $4, but you aren't at the brewery, you are at a fine restaurant and because of that, you should expect to pay a small premium.

OK, enough said. If you are interested in reading more about my experience at Pele's, you can go to my blog where I posted a review yesterday.

http://sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com

[acme54321]

But something just sticks out here that I wanted to comment on. The way you avoid being an olive garden isn't by jacking up the prices, it's by concentrating on delivering a better product. Some of these comments are getting pigeonholed as complaining solely about pricing when I think what they were actually saying is that the product wasn't worth the price.

This.  It's pretty obvious that Pele's is no Olive Garden (bleh). 

[BridgeTroll]

Since I just discovered this thread this morning, and having read all the way through it, I figured I'd throw my two cents in. I have known Matt, one of the owners, for over a year. I have talked to him about the restaurant and what his vision for it is. Something he is not going for is a cheap Olive Garden knock-off. His vision is for Pele's to be an innovative, exciting, and dynamic restaurant using only the best ingredients and providing top quality experiences.

That said, I have also read some of the reviews on Yelp, Urban Spoon, and here. The people who wrote them last week were, in my opinion, woefully uneducated in the way a restaurant is opened.  First, since it was their soft-opening last week and they were definitely still working out a lot of the kinks, their food was comped. The only thing the restaurant asked was for you to pay for your drinks and to tip the staff as they learned their stations. To me that is more than reasonable. And if you are basing your opinion on last week or even this past weekend, you are being truly unfair to the restaurant.

Second, the reviewer on Yelp goes on and on about the pizza, to quote, "When it arrived it was a simple cheese pizza the size of a paper plate with six halves of  grape tomatoes, six see through thin shavings of prosciutto ham and five sprigs of arugula." Its obvious this person knows nothing about true Neapolitan pizza and probably has never seen one before. The pizzas I had in Italy looked nearly identical to the pizzas served at Pele's, its not about the Pizza Hut mentality of more is better, its about the fresh ingredients and authentic flavors.

Third, the service at the restaurant is still working out the routines. Sure, there were a lot of people wandering around in there seemingly lost -- and to be fair, they probably were -- but, that is what the first few weeks of a new restaurant are for -- to figure out the best way to do things. While I was there with my date last week we experienced several gaffes including a long wait for drinks, the delivery of someone else's food to our table, and a seating issue. All were handled and none were so egregious that it would deter me from eating there again.

Forth, the prices compared to the portions are a bit steep. I'll admit that I was a bit sticker-shocked when I saw the prices of the food. However, one has to keep in mind that they are not trying to be the Olive Garden. The goal of this restaurant is to be a destination restaurant akin to Orsay, Bistro Aix, or Matthew's. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh down to the freshly pulled mozzarella makes it even more worth the price. Not to mention that the atmosphere and decor are definitely on par with the best restaurants in the city and even some I have been to in more cosmopolitan cities like Dallas, San Francisco, and New York City.

Finally, the beer pricing is quite fair in my opinion. This from a man who is an affirmed beer snob and frequently enjoys the pricier brews on the menu at Kickback's, Engine 15, and beer establishments far and wide. The line-up Pele's has is quality all the way. I have talked with Matt frequently about his beer selection and even helped by providing a wish list to him -- at his request -- for the beers he would be serving. The pricing on the beers he is serving, as Steve pointed out in his post, is appropriate and fair. Sure, you can get a pint of Bold City beer at the brewery a mile up the road for $4, but you aren't at the brewery, you are at a fine restaurant and because of that, you should expect to pay a small premium.

OK, enough said. If you are interested in reading more about my experience at Pele's, you can go to my blog where I posted a review yesterday.

http://sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com

Thanks Gonzo...

[ben says]

Forth, the prices compared to the portions are a bit steep. I'll admit that I was a bit sticker-shocked when I saw the prices of the food. However, one has to keep in mind that they are not trying to be the Olive Garden. The goal of this restaurant is to be a destination restaurant akin to Orsay, Bistro Aix, or Matthew's. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh down to the freshly pulled mozzarella makes it even more worth the price. Not to mention that the atmosphere and decor are definitely on par with the best restaurants in the city and even some I have been to in more cosmopolitan cities like Dallas, San Francisco, and New York City.

When you phrase it this way, I agree, kinda nice to have an upscale, big-city, authentic and delicious neighborhood Italian eatery. Along those lines, I guess I'm just a little shocked that's what Pele's is going for. Just always assumed this was going to be a neighborhood pizzeria, competition to Carmine's, and not so much a date-night spot. I welcome it, don't get me wrong. Just a little surprised...or maybe, misinformed.

[Dog Walker]

unless you believe that the tenderloin from Longhorn ($21) comes from a different cow than a tenderloin from Ruth Chris ($48)....

That's a pretty bad example.  It may come from the "same" cow, but what happens after that is probably very different.

If you think that Ruth Chris's and Longhorn are serving you the same grade of beef, I've got a bridge to sell you! 

[cline]

Forth, the prices compared to the portions are a bit steep. I'll admit that I was a bit sticker-shocked when I saw the prices of the food. However, one has to keep in mind that they are not trying to be the Olive Garden. The goal of this restaurant is to be a destination restaurant akin to Orsay, Bistro Aix, or Matthew's. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh down to the freshly pulled mozzarella makes it even more worth the price. Not to mention that the atmosphere and decor are definitely on par with the best restaurants in the city and even some I have been to in more cosmopolitan cities like Dallas, San Francisco, and New York City.

When you phrase it this way, I agree, kinda nice to have an upscale, big-city, authentic and delicious neighborhood Italian eatery. Along those lines, I guess I'm just a little shocked that's what Pele's is going for. Just always assumed this was going to be a neighborhood pizzeria, competition to Carmine's, and not so much a date-night spot. I welcome it, don't get me wrong. Just a little surprised...or maybe, misinformed.

I think it is actually for the best that it is not going to be competing with Carmine's.  I want to see both succeed and since Pele's is a different format than Carmine's they really won't be in competition with each other-hopefully allowing both of them to thrive.  Besides, we already have quite a few neighborhood pizzerias.

[Live_Oak]

unless you believe that the tenderloin from Longhorn ($21) comes from a different cow than a tenderloin from Ruth Chris ($48)....

That's a pretty bad example.  It may come from the "same" cow, but what happens after that is probably very different.

If you think that Ruth Chris's and Longhorn are serving you the same grade of beef, I've got a bridge to sell you! 

Seriously, one is usda prime and one is usda choice.  Definitely not the same.

[ben says]

I heard a few months back that Pele's would also be open for Italian style breakfast and espresso bar. Is this true?

[sherapop]

Forth, the prices compared to the portions are a bit steep. I'll admit that I was a bit sticker-shocked when I saw the prices of the food. However, one has to keep in mind that they are not trying to be the Olive Garden. The goal of this restaurant is to be a destination restaurant akin to Orsay, Bistro Aix, or Matthew's. The fact that all of their ingredients are fresh down to the freshly pulled mozzarella makes it even more worth the price. Not to mention that the atmosphere and decor are definitely on par with the best restaurants in the city and even some I have been to in more cosmopolitan cities like Dallas, San Francisco, and New York City.

When you phrase it this way, I agree, kinda nice to have an upscale, big-city, authentic and delicious neighborhood Italian eatery. Along those lines, I guess I'm just a little shocked that's what Pele's is going for. Just always assumed this was going to be a neighborhood pizzeria, competition to Carmine's, and not so much a date-night spot. I welcome it, don't get me wrong. Just a little surprised...or maybe, misinformed.

I think it is actually for the best that it is not going to be competing with Carmine's.  I want to see both succeed and since Pele's is a different format than Carmine's they really won't be in competition with each other-hopefully allowing both of them to thrive.  Besides, we already have quite a few neighborhood pizzerias.

The owners of Pele's have no intention of pushing anyone out in the neighborhood, in fact they want to help make Riverside and Jacksonville a destination city, bringing more $ and employment...I see nothing wrong with that. They want everyone to succeed and do well.