This review also appeared in the Florida Times-Union

It is generally hard to get me to go try a new barbecue restaurant. Barbecue is very subjective (let’s not even get into the Texas vs. Kansas City vs. Memphis vs. Carolinas battle) and can even vary from day to day at a particular restaurant. To try and mitigate these factors, I made a few visits to new restaurant 4 Bones Barbecue and convinced some coworkers to accompany me to lunch to get a range of opinions. For the most part, they were positive.

Upon our arrival to the strip mall on the corner of Beach Boulevard and San Pablo Road (anchored by Hobby Lobby), we noticed a long line inside (due to lunch counter-style ordering), which included a group of police officers — a good sign — and a tantalizing smoky aroma wafting around outside.

Ordering is a la carte: pick your meat and amount (¼ pound to 1 pound); bread type (two slices of Texas toast, which we found delightfully buttery, or two cornbread muffins, which were a little dry; the breads are included in the price) and then add as many or as few sides as you’d like for $2.49 each. I liked this better than the typical barbecue “meal” of meat with two sides included, as I will eat whatever starches are placed in front of me, but can easily limit myself to ordering just one. “What a silly complaint, just order the vegetable,” you say? For this reviewer, if it comes down to mac and cheese vs. green beans, the Jolly Green Giant will lose every time.

I went with the brisket cheese steak ($9.99: brisket, roasted onions and bell peppers, provolone) from the “Specialty Sandwiches” section of the menu, and chose corn nuggets as my side. Pick brisket as your a la carte meat (starting at $4.99) and 4 Bones allows you to select the cut: lean, fatty, or a mix. I thought the brisket might have been sliced too thick (making the fatty cuts a little too fatty) and only average-tasting but, honestly, I have yet to find really great brisket in Jacksonville (any one have any suggestions on this?).

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a quick touch on things I’ve been doing/eating lately…warm weather means fun food events!

PHiNS Club of Jacksonville Gumbo Festival:

The PHiNS, a group of philanthropic Jimmy Buffett fans, put on their 7th annual Gumbo Festival at the Jacksonville Landing. The event brought together nearly 20 teams–some professional, some just fun-loving friends–to vie for the gumbo cook-off title and raise money for a local nonprofit. Mario and I won tickets via Twitter from the folks at Jax Landing and had a great time sampling gumbo. I am VERY picky about gumbo (it’s hard to live up to my mom’s), so it’s worth noting that my favorite group also won both the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice awards.

Jax Truckies Food Truck Competition:

Jax Truckies brought together a number of Jacksonville’s food trucks (who knew we even had “a number” of them?) for some friendly competition. Participants (and their Twitter pages, so you can track them) included Monroe’s on the Go, Mother Fletcher, On the Fly Sandwiches & Stuff, Driftwood BBQ, Mike B’s, Brucci’s Mobile Pizzeria, and Comfort Zone Foods. Although the day started out in a deluge, host Bold City Brewery was nice enough to set up tables inside until the weather cleared up. We loved our pulled pork & cheeseburger sliders from Monroe’s BBQ, and whatever the sauce is that On the Fly uses to top their items, it needs to be bottled. The chicken soft taco I tried was excellent, and I hear their ahi tuna was divine.

Sonny’s BBQ Blogger Dinner:

I was recently invited to check out some new menu items at Sonny’s BBQ, including their new dry rub wing & ribs (try saying either of those 3 times fast). I enjoyed both, and their baby back ribs ain’t too shabby either. We tried a number of appetizers too–the fried okra needs serious improvement. Sliminess is not a good quality for okra However, there is just something about those yummy corn nuggets…

And finally…ITALY!! Mario and I took a “we’ve got no kids, let’s do what we want” trip to Rome and Florence (my most favorite city I’ve ever visited). On my last trip to Italy during a semester abroad, my travel buddies and I were pounding 2-a-day gelatos (no change there) and lots of cafe sandwiches for the cheap. I got to eat a little better this time around. So if you need to know where the best gelato is in Rome or Florence, or where Fiorentini stop for wine and crostini on a warm evening, I’m your girl.

Read the rest of this entry »