Discover Jacksonville 2017

DINING
Left: Located in Unity Plaza, HOBNOB
features a Fried Green Tomatoes appetizer
topped with bacon and sweet onion jam.
(Photo provided by HOBNOB)
Feast on extraordinary fare
By Dan Macdonald
Jacksonville brings a lot to the table.
A
s one of the largest cities land-wise
in the U.S. at 885 square miles,
Jacksonville covers a lot of area. Add
the neighboring tourist destinations of
Amelia Island and St. Augustine, and it
makes for plenty of territory to explore.
The advantage of such massive
acreage is that the greater Jacksonville
area has an ample diversity of dining.
The disadvantage is that it is spread
all over God's green earth. To put it in
perspective, from the Beach to Philips
Highway, J. Turner Butler Boulevard
is the same length of the island of
Manhattan, what some consider the
nation's dining Mecca. That's just a sliver
of Jacksonville.
Considering the state's strict DUI
laws, taxis and ride-sharing services
have become increasingly popular as
Jacksonville has exploded with brew
pubs, draft houses and distilleries. A
beer drinker's paradise is found on King
Street in Avondale. Early entrants in the
craft brew craze, Intuition Ale Works and
Bold City Brewing, have opened, or are
planning to open, downtown locations.
Manifest Distillery just opened near the
Sports and Entertainment complex at the
end of Bay Street and A. Phillip Randolph
Boulevard.
Jacksonville provides a dichotomy of
cuisine. In its older sections of town, it
remains true to the roots of barbecue,
soul food and Southern-style cooking. In
more upscale areas, trained chefs give a
modern take on the traditional.
Clark's and Whitey's fish camps serve
catfish on the bone, the smaller the
sweeter. At the same time, Palm Valley
Fish Camp and North Beach Fish Camp
provide upscale and inventive versions of
this simple food.
Traditional soul food is served
cafeteria style at Potter's House Soul
Food Bistro. Celebrity Chef Kenny Gilbert
has opened his Gilbert's Underground
Kitchen in Fernandina Beach and
his new Gilbert's Social on Southside
Boulevard, serving interesting takes on
soul food and barbecue.
Jacksonville has many large regional
chain barbecue restaurants as well as
locally owned Pig Barbecue, Jenkins
Quality Barbecue, and Monroe's
Smokehouse Bar-B-Q. These compete
with the recently opened Bearded Pig
Barbecue on Kings Street that serves
quality meats and interesting sides,
expertly paired with both wine and craft
beers.
Jacksonville has no Little Italy or
Chinatown. Because of the city's size,
instead, we have restaurant regions
where nearly anything you want can
be found. Look to Tinseltown, St. Johns
Town Center, the Beaches or the city's
newest dining destination, Riverside,
to find a conglomeration of chain and
locally owned restaurants.
In 2017, downtown eagerly awaits a
most ambitious restaurant project when
the Cowford Chophouse opens on East
Bay Street. Owners are assembling the
steakhouse from the shell of the Bostwick
Building, thus preserving one of the city's
oldest structures.
During the 1970s and 1980s, private
dining clubs and country clubs offered
"fine dining" but those days are coming
to an end. Fewer country clubs can
produce a menu to turn heads. The
University Club announced its closing
in 2016. It's an end of an era, but these
days great food is available to the masses
rather than the privileged few.
The end of the recession and a new
beginning in construction is bringing
both new corporate restaurant chains
to our area and opening new venues for
sous chefs ready to branch out on their
own. What was once a wasteland of
drive-throughs and chains, Jacksonville
now has a cuisine that offers appetizing
food for every price point. From chicken
wings to Coq a Vin, diners can find
whatever they desire if they're willing to
travel 10 to 20 miles in any direction.
Dan Macdonald is The Florida Times-Union
Dining Notes columnist.
108 | 2017 DISCOVER JACKSONVILLE