Chef Tom Gray leaves Bistro Aix, plans new restaurant at St. Johns Town Center

[ben says]

Couple things I noticed here.  One, who spends $300/meal at Aix???  Were you feeding a family of 5?  Second, why go to Aix for a steak?  Hard to imagine spending $170/couple at Aix.

Back when AIX was decent, they used to make one of the best steaks I've ever had. Like...as good as Bern's, Peter Luger's, etc. No longer....

I was surprised at the $170 figure as well. The 2 steaks alone were $90...

[JaxJerry]

Reading this forum over time, I thought the only palaces you guys ate at were Carmines and Kickbacks.   

[ChriswUfGator]

Couple things I noticed here.  One, who spends $300/meal at Aix???  Were you feeding a family of 5?  Second, why go to Aix for a steak?  Hard to imagine spending $170/couple at Aix.

It really isn't as hard as you'd think, they didn't used to be that way. But they are now. At $9 for a cocktail, $40 for a bottle of wine, $30 for a dinner entree, $10 or more for an appetizer, etc., you're up in that territory before you know it. I once ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, it was $14 and sucked. The thing looked like something my stoner cousin made after he ran out of everything but stale bread and kraft singles. I'm surprised this place doesn't have a pay toilet yet, I guess they'd have to move the mops and mop buckets out of the way to accomplish that. Judging by the effort they put into their food, that's probably too much work.

[John P]

I go to Aix once a month. Love just about everything.

[GoldenEst82]

My money is on the restaurant being in the new "Nordstrom Wing".
I stay as far away from that contrivance as I can.

It literally makes me nauseous to see the LV at an glorified outdoor strip mall; And I wonder if any of these "high end" retailers knew that entire buildings downtown were available???
It seems to me that when it comes to "getting buisness" for the city from elsewhere- we know right where its going to end up- lining choice pockets.

[fsquid]

If it made financial sense for those retailers to be downtown, they would be downtown.

[downtownjag]

I go to Aix once a month. Love just about everything.

Finally some sense.  Place is delicious.

[downtownjag]

I'm personally glad there's no high-end restaurant coming Downtown right now, because IMO, it would fail miserably and scare off any other restaurants for many years.  Need more residential DT before that will work.  Otherwise, the restaurant would live and die by the shows at FL Theater & TU Performing Arts.

[PeeJayEss]

No, not the Town Center!  What's wrong with San Marco, St Nicholas, Riverside, Avondale or  Springfield?

If you want me to visit on a regular basis put your new restaurant in one of these areas.  I go to the Town Center only on occasion when I really need some thing from a chain store and only then I may eat at a chain restaurant such as Seasons 52.

Yes!  Because as we've seen from Mellow Mushroom, opening a restaurant in Avondale is a breeze!

touche

I'm personally glad there's no high-end restaurant coming Downtown right now, because IMO, it would fail miserably and scare off any other restaurants for many years.  Need more residential DT before that will work.  Otherwise, the restaurant would live and die by the shows at FL Theater & TU Performing Arts.

I don't believe Aix was surviving based on shows at Jackrabbits or any programming in San Marco. It was doing business based off reputation (which may or may not have been deserved). It was on the radar of people throughout the city, which can't be said for most restaurants in the core.

I, personally, don't see the reason to pass by 13 Gypsies on my way to Aix, particularly if its a date night. Not to go all TC-bashing, but nobody (generalization!) likes going there because of the horrible setup (traffic) and parking difficulties. While it has all the good stores, if people abhor going to it, I highly doubt there will be much loyalty to it when the next big shopping center is developed. And doesn't this guy know the Core is where its at now? With the Black Sheep rooftop, the Core is beating the TC at its own nightlife game. OK I'm done.

Reading this forum over time, I thought the only palaces you guys ate at were Carmines and Kickbacks.   

Hey, you're posting on the forums now, so you're "one of us." It's no longer "you guys" for you, its "us." And what would give you that impression? This would have been funny if you had said Kickbacks and Mellow.

[downtownjag]

No, not the Town Center!  What's wrong with San Marco, St Nicholas, Riverside, Avondale or  Springfield?

If you want me to visit on a regular basis put your new restaurant in one of these areas.  I go to the Town Center only on occasion when I really need some thing from a chain store and only then I may eat at a chain restaurant such as Seasons 52.

Yes!  Because as we've seen from Mellow Mushroom, opening a restaurant in Avondale is a breeze!

touche

I'm personally glad there's no high-end restaurant coming Downtown right now, because IMO, it would fail miserably and scare off any other restaurants for many years.  Need more residential DT before that will work.  Otherwise, the restaurant would live and die by the shows at FL Theater & TU Performing Arts.

I don't believe Aix was surviving based on shows at Jackrabbits or any programming in San Marco. It was doing business based off reputation (which may or may not have been deserved). It was on the radar of people throughout the city, which can't be said for most restaurants in the core.

I, personally, don't see the reason to pass by 13 Gypsies on my way to Aix, particularly if its a date night. Not to go all TC-bashing, but nobody (generalization!) likes going there because of the horrible setup (traffic) and parking difficulties. While it has all the good stores, if people abhor going to it, I highly doubt there will be much loyalty to it when the next big shopping center is developed. And doesn't this guy know the Core is where its at now? With the Black Sheep rooftop, the Core is beating the TC at its own nightlife game. OK I'm done.

Reading this forum over time, I thought the only palaces you guys ate at were Carmines and Kickbacks.   

Hey, you're posting on the forums now, so you're "one of us." It's no longer "you guys" for you, its "us." And what would give you that impression? This would have been funny if you had said Kickbacks and Mellow.

Although submarket boundary lines can some times be discreet (which this one is not), there's a huge difference between eating DT and eating in San Marco; not to mention the population disparity between the two submarkets.

There isn't much of a draw to DT currently at night, other than for events.  Chew was rarely open at night, and that's not because ownership was lazy.  There wasn't the demand for it.  So it was closed, and Insetta more than "doubled-down" on a submarket with a considerably larger population base.  Put Bistro DT and see how long it lasts.

[chipwich]

Went to Bistro AIX once.  The waiter highly recommended the scallops.

The plate came out with 4 scallops on it with what tasted almost like orange juice drizzled on it on small bed of rice.  It was $27.

That was the end of AIX for me.  No reason to go back.

[CityLife]

I get the filet every time I go and it never dissapoints. Where is there a better filet in town?

[ben says]

Although submarket boundary lines can some times be discreet (which this one is not), there's a huge difference between eating DT and eating in San Marco; not to mention the population disparity between the two submarkets.

There isn't much of a draw to DT currently at night, other than for events.  Chew was rarely open at night, and that's not because ownership was lazy.  There wasn't the demand for it.  So it was closed, and Insetta more than "doubled-down" on a submarket with a considerably larger population base.  Put Bistro DT and see how long it lasts.

Not sure I completely agree. Obviously, San Marco isn't downtown. That being said, when AIX moved into that location, that area was hardly considered San Marco by San Marco residents (I know, I grew up there and lived there for 20+ years). That area was considered grunge, if hardly "up and coming." People went to AIX because the owners were reputable and beacons in the local community. Furthermore, AIX was "new" to the Jacksonville food and nightlife scene. The ambiance, the food, everything. I have no doubt that if AIX opened downtown, it would be killing it still. Opening restaurants, especially in this town, is all about timing. AIX hit the timing mark perfectly.

Also, from what I remember of Chew, while they weren't really killing it weeknights, Thurs/Fri/Saturday at Chew downtown was packed. Also, I think Indochine is doing quite well being open Tues-Sat downtown.

I get the filet every time I go and it never dissapoints. Where is there a better filet in town?

Look up a few comments....completely agree. That filet beats anything I've eaten at Peter Luger's or Bern's or Ruths Chris.

[CityLife]

Although submarket boundary lines can some times be discreet (which this one is not), there's a huge difference between eating DT and eating in San Marco; not to mention the population disparity between the two submarkets.

There isn't much of a draw to DT currently at night, other than for events.  Chew was rarely open at night, and that's not because ownership was lazy.  There wasn't the demand for it.  So it was closed, and Insetta more than "doubled-down" on a submarket with a considerably larger population base.  Put Bistro DT and see how long it lasts.

Not sure I completely agree. Obviously, San Marco isn't downtown. That being said, when AIX moved into that location, that area was hardly considered San Marco by San Marco residents (I know, I grew up there and lived there for 20+ years). That area was considered grunge, if hardly "up and coming." People went to AIX because the owners were reputable and beacons in the local community. Furthermore, AIX was "new" to the Jacksonville food and nightlife scene. The ambiance, the food, everything. I have no doubt that if AIX opened downtown, it would be killing it still. Opening restaurants, especially in this town, is all about timing. AIX hit the timing mark perfectly.

Also, from what I remember of Chew, while they weren't really killing it weeknights, Thurs/Fri/Saturday at Chew downtown was packed. Also, I think Indochine is doing quite well being open Tues-Sat downtown.

I get the filet every time I go and it never dissapoints. Where is there a better filet in town?

Look up a few comments....completely agree. That filet beats anything I've eaten at Peter Luger's or Bern's or Ruths Chris.

Seconded. I'm no steak guru or anything, but I'll take it over Bern's, Ruth's Chris, Morton's too. I've eaten at one of Hubert Keller's places and their filets are pretty similar. Which is pretty darn impressive by Jax standards. Speaking of which, my wife's grandparents are foodies of some sort and lived in NYC most of their life. They were shocked at how good Bistro's filet was.

That said, I've never been all that impressed with their other stuff and service, so I can see where people may be coming from.

[duvalbill]

A foodie wouldn't order the filet; the ribeye being the true steak lover's choice.