Cinda’s Cellar
Look Back, Move Forward
Blue Bamboo is an oasis of calm and tranquility . . . a respite from the traffic’s din and the mish-mash of strip malls that define much of Jacksonville’s Southside Boulevard.
read morebb’s ~ a groovy place to b
Check any list of Jacksonville’s top restaurants and you’re bound to see perennial favorite bb’s. Their cuisine is self described as American Continental, but pan-Asian and classic European influences have entered the repertoire over the years, creating an amalgam of flavor and style that co-owner Barbara Bredehoeft calls “One World Cuisine.”
read moreProvençal Dining Flourishes at San Marco’s Bistro Aix
In its sixteenth year of operation, Bistro Aix is reclaiming its rightful place as the elegant, yet vibrant doyenne of the San Marco dining set.
read moreThe Story of Simi Winery
In 1849 the world, all in a rush, discovered California. Among the fortune seekers were two brothers —Giuseppe and Pietro Simi. They didn’t find gold in the New World, but they did find the Alexander Valley where they established a winery and planted vineyards. When the Simi brothers both died unexpectedly during the flu epidemic of 1904, Giuseppe’s 18-year-old beauty queen daughter, Isabelle, took over. She proved more than capable of successfully running the business. By the 1920s, wines made by the Simi family were highly sought after in...
read moreRiverside Liquors
Wine ~ Spirits ~ Food “Matching Wine with People for Over 40 Years” If you’ve been to Royal Palm Village Wine & Tapas in Atlantic Beach, and wished there was something like it in Riverside, you’re in luck! The force behind Royal Palm and Riverside Liquors, David Joudi recently relocated his Riverside operation from its Five Points location to 6,700 square feet of space at 1251 King Street. The new location is significantly larger, and the additional space has allowed Joudi the opportunity to begin offering food, as is done at Royal Palm...
read moreMoxie Kitchen + Cocktails
Bold Beginnings at St. Johns Town Center When your reputation precedes you, how do you reinvent yourself? That was the challenge that lay before Chef Tom Gray and Sarah Marie Johnston, his wife and business partner, in 2012, when they left Bistro Aix, the San Marco eatery they started in 1999, and set out to create a multi-million dollar signature restaurant at the St Johns Town Center. Now in its fifth month of operation at the St Johns Town Center, Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails is still very much a work in progress. A bold new destination in...
read moreJulington Creek Fish Camp
Casual elegance. These two words sum up the dining experience at Julington Creek Fish Camp. The Mandarin area restaurant is the newest addition to a growing network of “fish-camps” – including Palm Valley and North Beach eateries – run by Jacksonville old guard restaurateurs Ben and Liza Groshell. Each has a distinct yet similar character, and each features an abundance of impeccably fresh, simply prepared fish and seafood. The Groshells also operate Marker 32, an award-winning fine dining restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway near...
read moreFlying Iguana Taqueria and Tequila
It has been nearly a year since Al Mansur and his Al’s Pizza Partners restaurant group’s $2.1 million transformation of the Neptune Beach space that had been occupied by Sun Dog for nearly a quarter of a century. The result, Flying Iguana Taqueria and Tequila Bar is a feast for the eyes–a rustic stew of earthy brick, solid knotty-pine tables, hand-painted tiles, and retro-chic Edison-bulb lighting. A mosaic tribute to the iconic Sun Dog adorns the rear wall. Behind the bar, a bold image of agave being harvested is flanked by a colorful...
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