ISO Dining in Jacksonville

[drpny]

Does anyone have any recommendations for decent dining options in Jacksonville? I'm planning a trip for 3 nights in April and am lookig for several places for dinner. Interested in food quality vs. atmosphere or cost.

[robyn]

Where will you be staying (the metro area is very large - some places are worth a long drive - some - although ok - aren't)? Robyn (I live out at the beaches)

[drpny]

Robyn, will probably be staying downtown at the Hyatt if that helps.

[robyn]

Well that's pretty central. Good. I assume you're talking about non-chain places (no Morton's and the like - both Morton's and Ruth's Chris have downtown places).

My favorite places near downtown (they are across the river in San Marco) are 1) Bistro Aix and 2) bb's (in that order). bb's has a sister restaurant - Biscotti's - about the same level - but it is a somewhat longer drive. They are two of the best restaurants in Jacksonville (keep in mind that Jacksonville isn't exactly New York or London or Tokyo). Not walking distance - just a short drive or cab ride. Don't know if you'll be traveling alone - but - if you are - both have nice bars where you can order dinner. I'm pretty sure both have web sites so you can look them up. They are both pretty crowded a lot of the time. I know Bistro Aix doesn't take reservations for a party smaller than 6 and I'm not sure about bb's.

The Jacksonville Landing (walking distance from your hotel) has a bar I like - Twisted Martini. It's a popular bar for "happy hour" after work for lawyers and other people who work in the high rise buildings downtown. The Landing is supposed to get a new Fuddrucker's soon (I know it's a chain - but it's an uncommon chain and I recall their burgers as being excellent). The Landing is in general a kid's hangout with a good view. Not a dining destination for an adult.

If you're a beer drinker - there's a microbrewery/restaurant right across the river from the Landing. River City Brewing. The restaurant is no big deal (it's ok to good - nothing great - except for Sunday brunch - its homemade cold smoked salmon served at brunch is terrific) - but the brews are very good - and you can get appetizers/small plates to go with your beer. If there are fresh local fried shrimp - they're a must (we have a shrimp fleet here). You can take a "river taxi" from the Landing across the river to River City Brewing (the river taxi might also stop at the Hyatt - I don't know).

The best restaurant in the metro area in my opinion is Opus 39 in St. Augustine - about an hour south of downtown. It is a different class of restaurant than those mentioned above - and worth the drive. You can take a look at the web site - and I've written it up here in another thread. If you have a couple of free hours - St. Augustine has some good sightseeing (it really is "The Oldest City"). The Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island has a new restaurant (Salt) with a famous chef (Jordi Valles). Haven't tried it yet. So if I had to pick one destination restaurant for one dinner - I'd pick Opus 39.

I assume that you are coming here for a convention or a business trip - because you're staying downtown. If you were playing golf - you'd be staying somewhere else. If you have some nights free - check out what's going on downtown in terms of entertainment. We are one of the last smaller cities in the US to have a symphony orchestra (and it's good) - and we get plenty of big name acts/shows in our downtown entertainment venues (which are relatively new and very attractive). You will be too late for football season but April is baseball season. We have a great minor league team (Jacksonville Suns) with a beautiful new ballpark downtown. There are worse ways to spend an evening in April in Jacksonville than seeing a game - eating a hot dog - and washing it down with a beer. Apart from these entertainment venues - there isn't a heck of a lot to do or see downtown - and the streets can be dangerous at night. It's not exactly a place to stroll around most evenings. If you'd like to get together for dinner - or a round of golf - PM or email me. Robyn