ON THE ROAD

If you go to Austin, take a short trip to Driftwood to the Salt Lick. Best damn barbecue I ever had, and great atmosphere.

 

If you can't get to the original, you can also get Salt Lick BBQ at the Austin airport. Clearly not the same atmosphere, but it beas the hell out of McDonald's at the airport.

 

Anyone with knowledge of the restaurant scene in Jacksonville? I have to there for some football game early next month, and I'll be on the lookout for upscale feedbags. Any help is appreciated.

 

In Jacksonville, Olive Garden might be the tops.

 

I love this restaurant, Durant's. They say mobsters love it, and the food is great. You have to walk in through the kitchen. Too bad it's got to be in freaking Phoenix.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2005-01-06/news/feature.html

 

Thanks to those who recommended Mother's - we went for po-boys, which were excellent, and then returned for a damn good breakfast. We also tried Johnny's and the Acme Oyster House, both of which we enjoyed.

We also went nuts and had breakfast at Brennan's, which was worth it. On the other end of the cost spectrum, we had more than one meal at a place called the Market Cafe, on Decatur where the road splits. Good, basic New Orleans eats while sitting outside listening to live jazz at apparently any hour.

As for Jacksonville, there is a place way up 95 (I think it might be in St. Augustine) called the Outback Crab Shack that I have gone to a bunch of times. It's in the middle of nowhere, right on the water, and completely low-key - we eat outside on picnic tables. But the seafood is great - we've always ordered it fried, although there are other options. The portions are huge - they pretty much dump a tray filled with food on the table. Beer was also served in an ice-filled bucket, if I recall.

For me, it's worth the lengthy drive from downtown Jax.

 

All right, I know I mentioned it before, but I'll do it again, since I went back yesterday. In Portland check out Typhoon on Broadway, just down from Washington. I love thai food (even if my bunghole doesn't), and they had Phad Thai served with lump crabmeat that was simply marvelous.

Stay away from the garden salad though. The dressing is waaaaaaaaaaaaay too sweet.

Oh, and the VIP room at Barracuda > jOO

 

Don't listen to the haters, people. Jacksonville is a great town -- just don't expect it to be New York or New Orleans or whatever when it comes to good eats.

And if you're staying downtown, be prepared to drive a ways to get to most decent restaurants -- it's a pretty far-flung town, and the city center's not much to speak of.

Jerseygirl's recommendation of the Outback Crab Shack is spot-on -- it's on County Road 13 in St. Augustine, which is a decent drive, but won't kill you. It's entirely worth it.

The Chart House on the river, once J-ville's signature quality restaurant, has fallen on hard times after an ownership switch, and isn't as good as it once was. But it still beats Chili's, or whatever other chain you were thinking about visiting. There's also a decent little microbrewery restaurant on the south side of the river whose name escapes me -- quite good, right by the I-95/I-10 interchange.

Rumor has it that Gordo's, a tasty Cuban place downtown that was only open for lunch, has now closed. The world is a sadder place.

At the beach, Mezzaluna on 3rd street in Atlantic Beach is pretty solid Northern Italian fare -- again, keeping in mind that you're not in New York, much less Rome. Tra Vini in Ponte Vedra, just a little ways down A1A, is also good.

If you're staying in the Southside/Baymeadows/Mandarin area, there's a big new development on Southside Boulevard south of Atlantic Blvd. If you're looking for chain-type restaurants, that's the place to go -- decent Japanese steakhouse-y place, a couple of good seafood restaurants, and some burger/sandwich joints. Another good place to get similar fare is around the Avenues mall, near the I-95/I-295 interchange -- there's an Applebees, an Olive Garden, etc.

Oh, and for those of you working for generous companies with enormous expense accounts -- not that such a thing exists -- I should point out that Jacksonville has two Ruth's Chris steakhouses (the one in Ponte Vedra's better than the one downtown) and a Morton's downtown.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, and try not to hate overmuch on the town.

 

Thanks, MW. Glad to hear there's a Ruth's Chris. Guess I'll be heading to Ponte Vedra!

 

if anyone has more dining recommendations for jacksonville, that would be cool.

 

I know this sounds stupid, but any for Alaska... anywhere in Alaska?

l'm going there soon...

 

Don't eat the yellow snow.