Is San Marco going to go up in flames? (economically speaking)

[thekillingwax]

Is the restaurant still open?

Yeah, I think Matthew's is open but I know his brother's place out at the beach folded.

[alta]

SanMarcoMatt  Springfield has a Mediterranean/Greek restaurant, Urban Market, Ice Cream/Sandwich Shop, Jazz/Wine Bar opening in the next three months.  I know the yuppies in San Marco get satisfaction on looking down on the people a few blocks north even though the people moving here are middle and upper class and are working as hard as we can to make this a great community.  "That, and it sounds so much better to say San Marco instead of Springfield when people ask us where we live. Now, just kidding......just a little humor to lighten things up.
However, we are certainly doing our part by exclusively going to our local favorites when we eat out.?"

   

     

[RiversideGator]

Meanwhile, despite the "flames", Jonathan Insetta is opening a new San Marco restaurant soon:

Jonathan Insetta, the owner of Chew and Orsay, is working on expanding his empire. Insetta confirmed he is in the demolition stage with a property in the Southbank area, near Tidbits on Hendricks Avenue.

Insetta, 30, hopes to open his third restaurant within a year. In 2006, he opened his first eatery, the modern downtown cafe Chew. And, last fall, he launched Orsay, a French bistro at 3630 Park St. in the Riverside-Avondale area.

The new restaurant will be an American-style eatery with influences throughout North America, including Canada, the Northeast and the South. Insetta said the concept is "real, family-style food." The restaurant will have similar pricing to his other places, with entrees ranging from $10 to $30, he said.

Insetta said he's confident he can expand even as many restaurants have shuttered in recent months.

"Personally, I feel like with the lessons learned from Chew and Orsay that we can sustain during this period of time," said Insetta, who studied culinary arts at FCCJ and the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

http://jacksonville.com/lifestyles/food/2009-01-22/story/orsay_chew_owner_to_open_3rd_eatery

[thelakelander]

Insetta, Oral Explosions, Kings Avenue Station, Baptist Medical's massive expansion projects and the office tower at 1436 San Marco Blvd. indicate that San Marco is enjoying a boom it has not seen in a while.  Perhaps this is the result of being in a centralized location with a major medical employment base nearby.

[thelakelander]

I agree, that the neighborhood's stability comes from it being both a community of place and interest.  Those are things it has going for it that most areas of Jacksonville continue to lack.  Nevertheless, San Marco is not going up in flames.  Unfortunately, that quote would apply to the Regency area.

[JeffreyS]

I have eaten at Mathews and Mathew's market and did not know they had a lounge bar.

[BridgeTroll]

Very nice place... I cannot eat or drink there often but Jacksonville needs more places like this.

[ChriswUfGator]

Its really quite beautiful.  And they have an affordable bar appetizer menu going on as well.

What's this? "Matthews" and "affordable" all in the same sentence? Whoa...

[thelakelander]

High-end restaurants seek lower-cost recipe for success

JACKSONVILLE â€" The recession that forced restaurateur Matthew Medure to close one of his upscale restaurants and his San Marco market and catering business has inspired him to reopen both with a new focus toward the price-conscious consumer.

Matthew’s Market & Catering in San Marco opened in 2006 and closed in January. It is scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks as the Take Away Gourmet with new options and lower prices.

Restaurant Medure in Ponte Vedra Beach opened in 2001 and closed in late November, but is expected to start renovation work in the coming weeks and could reopen in May.

full article: http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/03/30/story4.html?b=1238385600^1800673

[mtraininjax]

How many people in here have actually dined at Matthews?  (or Medure's or Matthew's Market?)

I have and I love it. But I find Orsay beats them in quality of Food and bar. So why leave the Best Side?

Good luck to Keily and Sam at Cafe Carmon. They are going to Rock it!

[thelakelander]

Couple eager to remake Cafe Carmon into go-to spot

When long-time San Marco staple Cafe Carmon closed its doors for good last month, it could be taken as a bad sign for Jacksonville restaurateurs.

Two former employees of Restaurant Orsay in Avondale look at it differently.

Kiley Wynne Efron and Sam Efron had always dreamed of opening their own restaurant, and they wouldn’t let anything get in the way â€" including a slowing economy.

So when the married couple heard the cafe was closing after nearly a quarter century, they went right to work. And after a short period of negotiations, the Efrons reached their goal.

The restaurateurs had no prior connection with Cafe Carmon, but were able to assume the lease from the property’s landlord, Deco Partnership LLC.

They will be opening a seasonally inspired restaurant with European influences in the space once located by the community favorite. The couple hopes to launch a few soft openings in the late summer, followed by a grand opening in August.

“We want to bring new blood and energy to the square,” Kiley Wynne Efron said.

full article: http://www.jacksonville.com/business/2009-04-13/story/couple_eager_to_remake_cafe_carmon_into_go-to_spot

[blizz01]

Nice to see a little more positive news -

Medure's back in business

Amid rumors that his last remaining restaurant, Matthew's, was going belly up, restaurateur Matthew Medure assured me last February that not only was Matthew's going to survive this economic slump, but also that his market across the street as well as Medure's at the beach was going to reopen as well.

Medure has kept his word.

His gourmet market in San Marco got a new-economy makeover and relaunched in April as Take Away Gourmet, a by-the-pound lunch and dinner place. (Read the review.)

The last piece of the puzzle â€" Medure's in Ponte Vedra Beach â€" reopened last week. The newly reborn Medure's features lower price points and a remodeled bar area. More details to come.

http://www.jacksonville.com/lifestyles/food/2009-08-14/story/dining_notes_medures_back_in_business

[jaxlore]

good spot will have to check it out.