Amelia Island Updates

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Le Clos- menu has changed recently. Still very good. The meat pie should be avoided but the rest is still fine and the best on the island.

Joe's 2 nd St Bistro- continued slippage. not at all of the quality it used to be. Now it is a tourist place at best.

Horizons- a newish place on A1A. Nice wines by the glass or bottle. Menu is a nice mix of fish and meat. good wait staff. This place deserves more attention. # 2 after Le Clos.

Beech St Grille- Better than in the recent past. Still a serious place with good food and staff. Great wine list.

Salt at the Ritz- very pricey not that good/

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More...

29 South- in Fernandina, a modern bistro sort of place. Some of the food is playful eg a lobster corn dog, but all is very good. It can get a bit noisy, as can LeClos for that matter. Close tie for 2nd on the island with Horizons.

Thyme- An oddly decorated restaurant just as you come on the island on A1A. Looks a bit like a victoirian bordello to me (however I must confess that I have never actually visited an victorian bordello). Food is Italian-ish and merely adequately prepared. Its OK.

Barbara Jean's is a Southern cuisine place with home cooking-type dishes (if home is somewhere on the Georgia coast). Good food.

JDs Chophouse- On A1A just before the island, JDs is as close to a steakhouse as Amelia gets. Food is very good as is the service.

Jade's Bistro - A noisy "asian fusion" place with mostly american-chinese dishes. General Tso, Peking Duck. Nothing special.

Brett's Waterway Cafe- downtown Fernandina with great views of the river/harbor. This is your grandfather's restaurant. Food is OK, nothing special or particularly well done, and very pricey.

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An update...

JDs Chophouse has closed and is now a Mexican chain joint. Bad location doomed them.

Le Clos & Horizons are still at their best. Beech Street is reliable too.

New place in Fernandina..Philly Boyz Cheesesteaks. Not bad at all for FL. The rolls, though imported from Philly (Amoroso's), are a bit soft for a steak sandwich but probably the best that can be done down here. Plenty of righteous Philly attitude too.

Bonito- a sushi/fish restaurant in Fernandina. Faint fishy smell, indifferent service, sushi/rolls were just OK, cooked fish dishes were uninspired and overcooked. No reason to go there at all.

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An update...

Thyme has closed. Probably for the best.

Baxter's, a bar and "steakhouse" on A1A on the island, has been around for years. The crowd is older eg 70s and seems to be regulars. The place, though friendly, really isn't very good. Atmosphere is lacking and decor is similar to a motel restaurant. Food and service are so-so. Cheesesteak sandwich is not properly made(since this is a Philly-area restaurant I expect better) and small for the price. Ribeye was a bit tough and ill-seasoned. Vegetable stir-fry was just odd, more like a stew.

Philly Boyz has had success and is moving a few blocks to a renovated gas station on the outskirts of downtown Fernandina. I'm worried for them. Low traffic, higher rent (by a lot I'd bet!), no walk-ins. Will success kill the Boyz?

Summer menu at Le Clos is lovely, as always.

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Pizza on Amelia is a fairly sparse affair.

There's a Pizza Hut...but who cares!

Moon River is the local favorite. Thin crusted decent pizza. All are a bit greasy (even for pizza) for my taste and the crust has no bite to it. Crust is a bit limp as well...difficult to eat neatly.

A new place, "Ops" has pizza more to my taste. It is hiding behind the Applebees on Sadler. It isn't perfect pizza, but it aint bad either. Decent crust (though bordering on too thick) and sauce (could be a bit more seasoned though) and the right amount of cheese.

My second choice on Amelia is actually freezer pizza! Home Run Inn brand (from the Harris Teeter) is an acceptable approximation of pizza. Certainly better than Domino's or any of the chains.

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I left out Merge, a year old place on 8th sort of near Beech St. Chef was at the Ritz Carlton and set out on his own. Good bistro-ish food. In my top two on the island along with Le Clos.

There's no website, no Open Table. Gotta call 411 to get the number. Its worth it.

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PLaE- I've avoided this place for the probably foolish reason that the nae is an acronym for People Laughing and Eating. It is actually a good place. Not cheap, but the portions are gigantic and the food is pretty darn good. A couple of dishes are mis-steps, like fried green tomatoes with hollandaise (needs some acid to cut the heaviness), but overall good food.

LeClos- still a great bistro. Best on AI.

Beech St Grill- An AI veteran w a great wine list and excellent food. Entrees come now with soup and salad, making this a real value for a good restaurant.

Merge- still great. Still needs a website and open table.

Barbara Jean's- Same old low country cooking. Could be cleaner.

Murray's Island Grill- just OK. Better than the Shoney's that was in that space.

Thyme, long gone was followed by a crab and steak place that didn't last a year. The location may be jinxed. Or perhaps just too large to make money.

Philly Boyz died quick. No more cheesesteaks on AI.