Visiting Jacksonville, need recs

[Traveling Hound]

I am a stray hound from Boston coming to Jacksonville for work. I will be staying in for a couple of weeks (Mon thru Friday), and would appreciate your help in finding good, interesting places to eat. I like good food of any kind, that is well and cleanly prepared using fresh ingredients, from steak and fries, Italian, French, to seafood, sushi, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, etc., etc. My budget is from $30 to $50 more or less. I like eating at bars, or at least places that serve alcohol, though that's not an absolute necessity.

I will be staying just South of Jacksonville, near I95 and Route 202, so still within the 295 loop. Anywhere within say 20 minutes easy drive would be great. Looking at the map, it looks like I could drive out to the beaches (Ponte Vedra, Jacksonville Beach).

I don't know the area at all, so please as specific as you can with locations.

Thanks in advance,

- TH

[orlwine]

It's not haut cuisine by any means, but Beach Road Chicken has earned legendary status. Their creamed peas are out of this world. Open for 50 years or so now, it is rustic and as authentic as it gets.

[alley4]

Dwights on Penman road is my favorite Italian place out at the beach! Fresh homemade ravioli is amazing. Well with in your $30-$50 range. enjoy!
address is - 1527 Penman Rd Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 next to Sarnelis (sp?)bakery the buliding is nothing special but it is a great place to eat.
A

[mezzrow]

Welcome to Jax, TH. Lots of possiblilties in your area. here are a few.

As you are at I-95 and JTB, you can get almost anywhere on the Southside quickly - here are my best recommendations w/ pointers.

This is a good BBQ town - you can easily get to Mojo's BBQ on University - good pulled pork (carolina style) brisket (a rarity to find brisket this good here), and the best onion rings in town. Six different sauces available on the table, and good service. tTry the smoked corn - a treat.

At the corner of Southside Blvd. and Touchton , look for Sangria House in a strip mall - excellent tapas and specials, good sangria made in house, ask if they have the tres leches for dessert - it's enough for two and delicious.

Next to the Tinseltown movie complex, you'll find Chinese as good as anywhere at Bamboo Creek - HK style dim sum available for lunch or dinner, as well as the regular menu. Highly recommended.

At the corner of San Jose and Baymeadows, you'll find the Stonewood Grille - this is part of a small chain. Grilled meat dishes are outstanding - nice place for a steak, good bar, good service. I like the smoked salmon (in house) appetizer - smoked chunks of salmon with a terrific sauce.

Down San Jose from there, there's an excellent Indian place named Cilantro - good daily buffet for lunch, great menu dishes for dinner. Very good, friendly service. Buffet is a real value.

North on University, you'll see a strip mall w/ good Middle eastern at Hala Cafe (again, good lunch buffet), and Korean BBQ at Sam Won Garden - both quite good and reasonable.

There's more, but this should help get you started. happy chowing - you live in a great chowhound town, and we have one down here as well.

[jangita]

We really loved Bamboo Creek--very fresh Chinese and some dim sum.
It's on Southside, right near TinselTown.

[MishaB]

Hi TH ... my favorite place for seafood ... The Bridge Market & Bistro ... 377 S. Roscoe Blvd in Ponte Vedra ... right on the Intracoastal. Great fresh fish with a Cajun/Greek twist. (sounds strange, but delish!). I hope you enjoy your stay in Jax!

[dizzyblondefla]

*bumping* this thread because I'm moving back to Jax after 7+ years in Miami & I need to know where to go for good eats. :)

[seviya]

Downtown Jax and San Marco have some of the best eateries, IMO.

Bistro Aix - has lovely outdoor seating for when the weather's nice. Their smoked tomato soup and home-made potato chips with blue-cheese drizzle are to *die* for. So is the roast chicken. And many of their signature cocktails are made with Hangar One infused vodkas (yumyumyum). http://www.bistrox.com/index2.html

bb's - try the rock shrimp salad with the tangerine cream. *bliss* Also, their calamari is gorgeously plated and very tender. Really, everything here is good. www.bbsrestaurant.com

Chew - my current fave. Try the ham, brie, and apricot jam pannini. Also, I heartily recommend the fried green tomatoes with gorgonzola. Surprisingly, they also make really great tea! www.chewrestaurant.com

Cafe Nola at MOCA - I haven't been here yet (to my dismay) but everyone I know says it's wonderful. www.mocajax.com/cafe

Matthews - Haven't been, but hear it's fantastic. Italian. Very expensive. www.matthewsrestaurant.com

The owner of Matthews also has a little deli-thingy across the street from the restaurant - you can get prepared foods, breads, sauces, meats, etc., plus lots of weird but excellent sodas and drinks. It's well-priced, too. Great for taking on picnics, or just stopping in to grab lunch.

At the beaches, try 11 South - truly *the* most technically precise and perfect food I've ever had the pleasure to view with my eyes or place in my mouth. I seriously can't say a single bad thing about it. Well, except that it's pretty expensive. I'd go more often if I could afford it. Try the Lobster Mac & Cheese, the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (your server will bring you a sample if you like!), the Sea Bass, the Shrimp & Sausage, and I'm not a dessert person at all BUT their Blueberry and White Chocolate Bread Pudding SERIOUSLY made me almost faint. www.elevensouth.com/index.html

Fuji Sushi at Baymeadows and 9A does a very, very different Dynamite Roll - it's smaller than usual, but fried up very nicely inside a thick, fluffy, clean tasting tempura-esque batter that just ROCKS. Plus they add two really different sauces, and to pair it with ginger and wasabi is to come close to heaven.