When I can spare the time for lunch, one of my favorite downtown spots is Olio Market. They have an impressive list of creative sandwiches (my favorite food) with fresh ingredients that aren’t hard on the wallet. I’ve visited a number of times in an attempt to eat my way around the menu–I find it a good sign that there are still things I want to try.

Olio is usually only open for breakfast and lunch, but I got to try them for the first time during their special extended hours for Jacksonville’s Downtown Art Walk.

I opted for the pork Cuban (smoked pork, ham, dijonaise, swiss, house pickles, Cuban bread), and Mario decided to try the burger + cheese, bacon, and fried egg:

Cuban

Burger

I found the bite of Mario’s burger that I tried a tad greasy (as I have felt about a sandwich or two since), but he loved it. My Cuban was delicious, and had the multiple flavors and textures I love in these sandwiches. Olio’s fries and basil aioli are quite unique. I wish the fries were a thinner cut (they’re kind of a waffled steak fry, but–personal preference) but they are freshly cut and fried to order. I didn’t think I would like what is basically a basil-flavored mayo as a dipping sauce for fries, but it has a great fresh taste and is good match for the fries.

On my visits since the first, I’ve tried Olio’s steak & cheese sandwich (mushrooms, aged Gouda cheese sauce, mayo) lamb gyro (arugula, onion, tomato, cucumber, yogurt, and mint on naan, not pictured), and fried oyster sandwich (lemon Tabasco aioli, fried shoestring onions):

Steak & Cheese

Oyster Sandwich

I really, really liked both the steak & cheese and lamb gyro (craveable!). The oyster sandwich was a little perplexing to me though. While I wanted some crunchy, poppable oysters like you’d find on a po’boy, these were thickly breaded into a rectangular fish stick-like form. I wish they’d change this.

Olio serves bottled beers and wine by the glass at lunch (and dinner on Art Walk evenings), cooks up daily specials (pot pies in winter, now quiches for spring), and serves breakfast daily. Lastly, some great news for Olio–their Duck Grilled Cheese (which I have yet to try) is a finalist for America’s Best Sandwich on Travel Channel! If you’ve tried it and loved it, you can vote for them here.

www.oliomarket.com

I’m feeling excited for Jacksonville. Food trucks are starting to pop up here and there despite some currently restrictive laws–something I think is a sign of a thriving metropolis. Corner Taco is one of these new trucks, and I was so impressed by my lunch there that I’m typing this with some carnitas possibly still stuck in my teeth.

Mario and I tracked down Corner Taco’s Airstream trailer today for lunch:

Corner Taco

Mario’s order was easy–1 of each type of chicken on the menu (marinated and dijon buttermilk fried). I went back and forth over my order (disappointed the shrimp tacos weren’t being offered )and finally settled on the carnitas and espresso-blackened mahi-mahi:

Taco Arrangement

Mario was a little worried about his fried chicken taco, since he is not a fan of mustard (though how anyone doesn’t like Dijon is beyond me). However, he found the mustard taste sufficiently understated while still adding good flavor. The other chicken taco, which like most other items is marinated in Corner Taco’s housemade Fresh Thyme Vinaigrette (which is also apparently good enough for them to bottle and sell ) also earned a thumbs-up from Mario. My mahi taco was decent, but I have to qualify this by saying that I tried the carnitas taco first. Oh. My. Goodness. The pork was tender and juicy (but not messy) and super flavorful. All the tacos were topped with red cabbage and a sweet chili + lemon sauce. Mario surprised me again by saying he actually liked the cabbage crunch; he usually picks off anything even remotely vegetable-like. The best part was that they were quite generous with the protein portions (never change!). AND their tortillas are made fresh daily–you can tell!

Support local food! Track down Corner Taco via their Twitter or Facebook page. They also apparently have a semi-permanent location at the beach next to Lemon Bar, if you’re not one to hunt for your food

www.cornertaco.com

We’ve spent another few weekends in Riverside, which means we found another new (very literally) restaurant to try. Pele’s Wood Fire opened its doors just before the new year, though they were known to the public previously as a catering company and Riverside Arts Market vendor. I was invited to a media dinner around that time, and proceeded to visit twice more on my own to see if they were really cookin’ with grease–or super, super hot ovens, as it were. I was also intrigued by the curiously low ratings on public review forums. I wanted to see if my media food was a fluke (possible), or if other diners’ expectations were just wildly off. Repeated negative-sounding declarations of “This is foodie pizza” (what does that even mean?) had me leaning toward the latter.

Pele's Logo

Margherita ingredients at the ready

Pele’s pizzaiolo makes certified Neapolitan pizzas, which is kind of a big deal when you consider that the certification requires special flour, bufala mozzarella, San Gennaro tomatoes from Italy, and wood fired pizzas cooked in a 1400 degree oven–which means they’re done in only 90 seconds.

My first visit for the media dinner was a fantastic 7-course feast; I practically waddled out afterward. And of course, the battery on my camera died after the second course You can, however, see some great photos and reviews on some other local blogs. We started with some wood oven-baked bread, and you could really taste the smokiness in it. The two dishes I did get shots of were the seafood platter and Limoncello wings (also fired in the ovens):

Seafood Platter

Limoncello Wings

The chilled seafood platter was excellent and came with local huge shrimp and some plump, briny oysters (I wish I’d had a whole plate of those!). I’ve never been a big fan of lemon-pepper wings, which is the closest thing I can compare these to, but these were great. They are marinated in limoncello so you can taste the tangy liqueur all the way to the bone.

The courses I didn’t get photos of are as follows:
3rd: Chicken Caesar Salad, Arugula & Brie salad – The Caesar had a slight twist–the anchovies were left out of the dressing & distributed throughout the salad so you could adjust the saltiness to your taste. Yum! The arugula & brie salad was something special: Sweetgrass Dairy brie, red pepper, roasted onion vinaigrette, truffle honey, and pistachios. Truffle honey?! Word.
4th: Margherita Pizza, Mushroom Formaggi Pizza – I felt the margherita could have used a little more cheese and a slightly thicker sauce. The crust on both was great–both crisp and chewy with a few spots of char, but I prefer my crust a little thicker (Atlantans, think Varasano’s and not Antico). The mushroom pizza was just…wow. Great flavors in great proportions. I ordered it again on my next visit (see photo below).
5th: Black Pepper Spaghetti Carbonara – Getting full yet? Pele’s housemade pasta was generouslymixed with smoked pork belly, Parmesan, tomato, and an egg yolk cream. The black pepper was actually in the pasta–very cool! I could see the sauce potentially getting gummy as the bowl cools, but we ate it so quickly it didn’t happen.
6th: Coal-fired Manhattan Ribeye – By this time, even though I had been meting out my bites, I could barely manage more than a slice or two of my ribeye. Those who could still eat enjoyed theirs.
7th: Tiramisu, Zeppole, White Chocolate Cheesecake – Dessert! Always more room in the tummy for sweets My hands-down favorite was the white chocolate cheesecake. It was super thick and rich and just plain delicious. I can’t recommend it enough. The tiramisu was a tiramisu; it stayed true to the classic. The zeppole (Italian doughnut holes) were HUGE, and came with an interesting variety of dipping sauces–hazelnut-chocolate, orange sea salt caramel (favorite!), and lemon custard.

Phew! As previously stated, following this huge meal I rolled out the door and immediately went to sleep upon returning home

My next two visits were for dinner and lunch; during the former we tried pizzas (pepperoni and mushroom formaggi), and at the latter Mario had the previously pictured limoncello wings while I tried a half-order of the roast prime rib sandwich & Tuscan tomato soup:

Pepperoni pizza

Mushroom Formaggi pizza

Roasted Prime Rib Sandwich

My sandwich had its highs and lows. The bread was good and I LOVE peppadews (the contents of that cute glass jar) and the spicy/sweet crunch they gave the sandwich. However, I thought that it was a little too saucy and that they skimped on the meat (or it was all piled in one place, which is still a no-no). Mario happens to try to convince me to let him grill chicken wings at least once a week, so the limoncello wings were a hit with him.

Overall, I like Pele’s Wood Fire. They have both an impressive selection of local beers on tap and an impressive espresso machine for their morning coffee and pastry service (or after-dinner coffee). The pizza prices are really no higher than, say, local chain Al’s or Mellow Mushroom, and Pele’s is far better. The space can get loud at night, and I think they need to find some balance in the communal bar/high-top table area–diners don’t necessarily want loud bar patrons at their backs. Pele’s is a great unique addition to Jacksonville.

www.peleswoodfire.com

I’m starting to think Mario and I should just pick up and move to Riverside/Avondale, since we seem to end up in one of the hip little ‘hoods every weekend. Although it’s further from my dream of a beachfront condo, apparently it’s where much of the good food in Jacksonville is hiding. One of our new favorites is ‘town, one of Jacksonville’s subscribers to the farm-to-table movement. I love the open design of the restaurant, which allows you to watch your food being prepared at the kitchen bar.

'town

Our first experience there was for brunch one unseasonably warm & sunny December morning. Mario decided to try the buttermilk pancakes (with raspberry sauce & orange-scented whipped cream), and I couldn’t pass up the lobster benedict (jumbo lobster meat, grit cakes, lemon hollandaise):

Buttermilk Pancakes

Lobster Benedict

Mario thought the pancakes were the best he’d ever tasted. This is a bold statement from him–pancakes are arguably his favorite breakfast food, and he LOVES breakfast. They were good–fluffy with a light crunch around the edges, and almost cake-like. I ordered them myself on our next brunch visit. The lobster benedict was heavenly. I liked the textural contrast of the creamy/crunchy grit cakes since everything else on the plate was fairly soft. And really, how could you be mad at that much lobster?

After 2 brunches, we decided we needed to get back to ‘town for dinner. The bread at ‘town is worth a mention–the small roll topped with coarse salt and rosemary came a with cranberry/Marcona Almond butter accompaniment. Both were fantastic. I was jonesing for some oysters, so we ordered the fried oyster appetizer (black pepper aioli and seasonal pickles) and for entrees, settled on the steak frites (not pictured) for Mario, and the seasonal fish (tilefish) for me (asparagus, mushrooms, golden potato, shallot confit, Verjus sauce):

Bread & 'town Butter

Fried Oysters

Roasted Tilefish

The fried oysters were great, and the black pepper aioli was an interesting accompaniment. I liked the addition of the pickles, which added a welcome bit of acid to the oyster and creamy sauce. I absolutely loved my entree, though more for the sides than for the fish. The fish was touted as having “a taste likened to crab or lobster, since it feeds on crustaceans,” and it was buttery, but nothing special. The mushrooms and potatoes in Verjus sauce, however, were outstanding. The salty/sour Verjus sauce was SO good and I worked to sop up every bit of it with the veggies. I also liked that the asparagus was crisp, not limp. Yum! Mario quickly demolished his steak frites and particularly enjoyed the obviously fresh-made fries.

We’ve experienced nothing but friendly service on our visits to ‘town, and I only wish it were closer so we could dine there more often.

www.town3611.com

I was recently invited to a tasting of the new winter menu at Seasons 52 in the Town Center. I have visited one of the Atlanta outposts of this chain before (see post here) and really enjoyed their seasonal, low-cal food. The menu changes quarterly (hence “Seasons”) with a “Chef’s specials” menu that changes weekly (there’s the “52″). We were provided with a number of this season’s new appetizers, entree of our choice, and a selection of those wonderful dessert shooters (mini indulgences). Since I’ve already done a review of Seasons 52, I’ll just give a play-by-play of this winter tasting.

We started with a special scallop ceviche amuse, PEI Mussels (steamed in a zesty marinara sauce and served with grilled ciabatta), and Tandoori Chicken Skewers (with mango chutney and cucumber herb raita):

Scallop Ceviche

PEI Mussels

Tandoori Chicken Skewers

We also tried the Maple Leaf Farms sesame duck chop salad (not pictured, apples, mint, cranberries, butternut squash and toasted pecans) and the organic tomato stack salad (blue cheese, crispy chopped bacon, arugula and balsamic glaze), an impressive-looking (and tasty) spin on a caprese salad:

Tomato Stack Salad

For dinner, I unknowingly chose basically the same thing I had on my first visit–stuffed shrimp–though this time with a roasted artichoke stuffing and a different selection of veggies, along with a side of spinach & Parmesan-stuffed mushrooms:

Roasted Artichoke-Stuffed Shrimp

Stuffed Mushrooms

The finale was a selection of mini indulgences. It was hard to pick a favorite, but I have to go with their lighter version of red velvet cake:

Mini Indulgences

Red Velvet Mini

Seasons 52 at the Town Center already seems to be a popular destination. Not surprising–Jax residents have to be beach-ready all year long!

www.seasons52.com

The latest venture of Jacksonville’s Medure Brothers (the minds behind Matthew’s Restaurant and Restaurant Medure), M Shack, is working to establish itself as the place to visit for creative burgers at the beach. The airy space includes a full bar and fits well with the beach location. The menu is displayed on large chalkboards on the wall–but FYI, you don’t have to stand back from the counter to decide on your order, there are smaller printed menus there too.

M Shack

M Shack interior

With promises of competitively-priced, high quality burgers, I had to go see what they had to offer. And once I caught wind of their menu a few weeks before opening, I knew what I’d be ordering: The Medurable, an M burger (fairly standard cheeseburger) topped with foie gras and bacon onion compote, $18. Mario had the much more affordably priced The Sunrise Burger (bacon, farm egg, American cheese and Shack Sauce):

The Medurable

The Sunrise Burger

I was shocked to see such a HUGE slice of foie gras on the burger. Though there’s little to complain about when foie gras is involved in any dish, my only hang-up was the lack of a nice sear on the outside of the slice. However, judging from other photos of the gourmet burger I’ve seen popping up around the web, M Shack has rectified that issue. If you’re wondering about the taste, the foie is thick enough to get the earthy, buttery texture and flavor, but still acts much as a “sauce” for the burger with its rich fattiness. I know that was not at all confusing.

I thought the house-ground “Black Angus blend” patty was delicious. Cooked to medium (unless otherwise specified–but you really shouldn’t get much more cooked than that), the juicy burger is a tad small, but its freshness makes it one of the better burgers I’ve had in Jax. Mario was satisfied with his burger, but not overly impressed. I think it was missing foie gras

The fries were a major disappointment. Though M Shack says everything is made in-house, the fries tasted no better than frozen. We didn’t go for any of the gourmet options (truffle parm, queso cheddar, “Ultimate” [Queso, Prosciutto, Cheddar, White Truffle Oil and Fried Farm Egg]), but with the fries we had as a base, we felt any of the dressings would be wasted. I hear nearly unanimous praise about M Shack’s milk shakes, but didn’t try one on our visit.

I enjoyed the food (aside from the fries, which need improving) and community atmosphere at M Shack, and look forward to more visits. The majority of the menu is quite reasonably priced for such a quality burger.

www.mshackburgers.com

I thought it wise to finally get around to writing this post before Chew Restaurant closes its [downtown] doors permanently. Following their New Year’s Eve celebration, the Urban Core fixture will be moving a few miles southwest over to Five Points.

I first visited Chew during Jacksonville’s Downtown Restaurant Week with some co-workers. On that visit, I thought that conceptually everything was good–fresh, local ingredients in creative dishes–but that it just didn’t all pan out (for example: tough, dried-out pork belly chicharrones). I chalked this up to it being restaurant week, during which time the place was churning out the same dishes over & over and maybe not paying as much attention to detail. Since I was still convinced that those details could make something good, Mario and I gave it another try more recently. This visit made for much more exciting dining.

We happened to be famished the evening we stopped in, so I decided an appetizer was in order. Plus, I really wanted to try poutine, a dish I’ve heard much about but never tried. What a great introduction:

Short Rib Poutine

Potato Gnocchi

Seared Chicken Breast

Mac & Cheese

I loved the pillowy gnocchi and was surprisingly pleased by the lemon/olive flavor combination. Mario devoured his chicken breast (which was really nearly half a chicken) and somehow even got through nearly all of that mac & cheese. Maybe we should get him into a treatment program?

After that dinner, I was itching to try some of Chew’s lunch menu, but it’s a bit far for a regular workday trip. So before we left town for Christmas, we decided it would be a perfect lunch before hitting the road. I went for the duck bahn mi (pickled vegetables, jalapenos, cilantro, spicy mayonnaise), while Mario had the grilled chicken sandwich (smoked bacon, tomato, butter lettuce, house made pimento cheese on ciabatta). And we got a bowl of Chew’s housemade chips as a complimentary starter:

Potato Chips

Duck Bahn Mi

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

This was a pretty good bahn mi interpretation. The duck meatballs played well with the spicy mayo, and the pickled veggies (+ lots of cilantro–FYI for you cilantro haters) added a nice crunch and all the right flavor notes. Mario liked his chicken sandwich as well, but thought the cheese flavor was too light (more pimento!).

I’m hoping that Chew’s new location comes with a liquor license, because a hip mixologist is all it needs to become a great Atlanta-like (yep, still doing that) spot. But I’m finding there are more than a few restaurants with excellent chefs using local ingredients in Jax. More to come!

www.chewrestaurant.com

Now nearing its 2 month anniversary, the French Fry Heaven kiosk in the Town Center serves different & delicious varieties of “Angels” (regular fries) and “Saints” (sweet potato fries). Due to a number of restricting regulations in the city, this is about as close to food trucks/street food as we’ll get in Jax for the foreseeable future:

French Fry Heaven

We visited FFH’s soft open and have been back many times since. On our first visit, we tried a flock of three cupid-sized Angels & Saints (you see what they’re doing there?), GarlicParm Angels, French Quarter Angels (Cajun spice & remoulade), and Breakfast Saints (with maple syrup):

GarlicParm Angels

Breakfast Saints & French Quarter Angels

I love the texture of FFH’s Belgian-style fries, which are fried to order in a cool-looking hoodless, ventless auto fryer inside the kiosk. The sweet potato fries are especially nicely done–you won’t end up with any limp or soggy stragglers in your cone. The Breakfast Saints are our favorite Saint variety thus far; the maple topping is really not that sweet and highlights the fries well.

Along with the many sauce/spice combinations that can top your fries, FFH also offers gourmet sea salts for an extra $1. Cowboy Angels (topped with BBQ sauce) with “bonfire” (smoked) salt? GarlicParm Angels with black truffle salt? Yes please. At the soft open we tried that GarlicParm/truffle salt combo, and hit the French Quarter Angels with some ghost pepper salt. Yum! Fun fries + the very friendly staff make for a nice ordering experience.

My only complaint is the apparent transformation the popular GarlicParm topping has gone through. See that creamy garlic parm-y goodness on top of those fries? We’ve ordered those twice since, and the sauce is now more like a ton of minced garlic and grated Parmesan in melted butter (which just ends up pooled in the bottom of the cone). I asked through FFH’s Facebook page why they made the change, but supposedly there was none made. *shrug* There are many more varieties to try and love. Plus, they take suggestions for the flavor of the month. December: Baked Potato (ranch, bacon, & cheese).

www.frenchfryheaven.com

“So, how was that first bite for you guys?” That line from our waitress at Restaurant August in New Orleans sealed my love letter with the restaurant. I made our reservation two weeks in advance, knowing that we had a one night stopover in NOLA before flying out to our Carribbean paradise of a honeymoon. One night in New Orleans. One single meal. After some nerve-wracking research (which included wiping drool from my keyboard while comparing a number of menus), the near-impossible decision was made. We found Restaurant August to be a stellar choice.

Restaurant August

I was also excited to finally dine at one of NOLA darling Chef John Besh‘s restaurants, as August is one of the 8 he owns in and around New Orleans (and 1 in San Antonio). Coincidentally, my dad had reservations for 2 weeks later with some lawyer buddies. When I mentioned where we’d be dining, he said the phrases “absolutely sublime” and “the best restaurant in New Orleans right now” were used to describe it to him. Cue intense anticipation.

My comments on the experience don’t go much further than “wow. wow. wow.” Mario was in full man-swoon by the 2nd course. Complaints: ~15 minute wait between seating and greeting by waitress (but otherwise, service was great). Duck entree didn’t really pack the flavor punch I was expecting (but everything else on the plate was fantastic). So I’ll just stick with a few photos instead of trying to come up with synonyms for “wow”.

First, an amuse-bouche from the kitchen (which I unfortunately don’t have proper descriptors for): Custard in an eggshell topped with caviar.

Amuse

Our appetizer, the chef’s specialty potato gnocchi with blue crab and truffles (and the dish that practically made Mario pass out from happiness):

Potato Gnocchi w/ Blue Crab & Truffle

Entrees: For me, Sugar and spice duckling with McEwen’s stone-ground grits, roasted duck foie gras and Chilton County peaches, & for Mario, La Provence Mangalitsa pork crispy tenderloin, slow cooked shoulder and cheek raviolo with sweet corn, purple plums and chanterelle.

Sugar & Spice Duckling

Pork Three Ways

Finally, a sort of “dessert amuse” of chocolate cups, raspberry gels (not the proper name), and pecan candy (aka pralines):

Dessert Plate

If you’re planning a trip to New Orleans anytime soon, MAKE A RESERVATION HERE. For our one night in NOLA, this meal was perfection. And if Restaurant August needed any more cool points, they display an understanding and appreciation of their host city by offering a $20.11 three-course prix fixe menu (as well as an $80+ 4-course degustation) so residents & visitors from all walks of life can sample some gourmet cuisine.

www.restaurantaugust.com

One of my new favorite places (and apparently, one of EVERYONE’S favorites) in Jax is French Pantry. Yelp, Urbanspoon, Chowhound, even coworkers were telling me I HAD to get out to French Pantry–followed by a run-down of the rules. First, they’re only open from 11-2 M-F. There is ALWAYS a line, so plan accordingly (French Pantry lunches are “extended” lunches). Dine-in if you can for some of their fresh bread. The warehouse-like building can be difficult to identify (though usually, the line gives it away). And finally, dessert is a must.

French Pantry

French Pantry apparently supplies much of the fresh baked bread to restaurants in town. You can also pick up small items like loaves of bread, packages of rolls, or boxes of cookies from their display cart after your lunch. I’ve visited a handful of times now and always end up ordering one of their famed bruschettas, which are not your typical tomato/basil/olive oil-topped bread rounds. These are topped with a cheese and protein and served over salad:

Shrimp, Artichoke, & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Proscuitto & Mozzarella Bruschetta

My favorite bruschetta at French Pantry starts with their fresh baked crusty bread topped with delectable goat cheese: creamy, tangy, and served slightly warm. They then add artichoke and a protein (shrimp is pictured, but I love the chicken too) and arrange them around a simple salad with a mild vinaigrette and juicy tomatoes. The result is a mouthwatering mix of textures and temperatures and most importantly, delicious flavors. The mozzarella and prosciutto combo was also great, but there is something about that goat cheese…mmm!!

And then there are the desserts, of course. I’ve tried two now, the “wedding cake,” a multi-layer white cake with strawberries & cream filling (they don’t use a heavy buttercream frosting, so it’s surprisingly light), and the brown butter tart, pictured below:

Brown Butter Tart

Rich, but not sweet, so it showcases the berries and quality ingredients. Yummm. I’m trying to work my way through their dessert case (in between intense workouts). Next up is likely the white chocolate cheesecake, which some of my coworkers raved about!

I was kind of reluctant to write this post, because while I think everyone should try French Pantry…I don’t want any more of you in line! Follow the unwritten rules of the place (don’t try to grab a table before ordering–rude) and bring your patience along with you, and you’ll soon be plotting how many extended lunch breaks you can work into a week too.

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