This past weekend I was in my hometown. I delighted with the warm welcome of all of my friends and family wanting to spend time with me. Sometimes the love is overwhelming but as aunt Heather put it, "At least people give a shit about you."
As you may know by now, my family is not together in a marriage sense. My mom and dad separated when I was younger and mom lives out in Jacksonville while dad is in Glen. The traveling back and forth in between their houses and trying to divide equal time with everyone can be exhausting. I always feel really bad if someone gets left out, but I suppose they realize that I am just one person. Nobody has disowned me yet so I am probably doing a good job with this balancing act.
This "weekend" for me (it really wasn't a weekend but any days off from work are considered my weekend), I had the distinct pleasure of indulging in an all out eat, pray, love experience in Jacksonville. Except for the fact that it was just eat, eat, eat, with a little prayer on the side. Seriously, everyone in my family wanted to take my brother Tyler and I out for a meal. After three weeks of cooking for myself and countless Jimmy John's runs, my appetite for something non-college cuisine-ish refused to let me even consider turning down an option.
I love to eat at different places. Although I have my favorites that I return to time and time again, I am an adventurous in finding new places to dine. If there is one thing I know in the world, it is a good place to get a great bite. With that said, each time I have a meal somewhere new or just have a particular dish at an eating establishment that totally blows my socks off, I am going to write a review of it on this blog! I am no food expert from Hell's Kitchen or Master Chef but I know what tastes good and you might find something on here you want to try for yourself.
Here is a recap of the places I went this weekend:
1) The French Pantry: Located off Powers Street in Jacksonville, this quaint little hole in the wall is exquisitely delicious. When I say hole in the wall, I mean it almost literally. If you aren't looking for the green roof with the white printed name, you will miss it. I've been there several times now and still somehow manage to skip over it while driving. The restaurant is only open on weekdays from 11 to 2 pm. When my brother first told me about this place, I couldn't fathom how they made enough money to stay afloat with those hours in this economy. A little drive by the French Pantry on any given weekday around 10:30 let me know they were doing just fine. A long line wrapped around the front of the building will have already formed by about 35 minutes until opening. I recommend arriving good and hungry around 10:30 at the very latest. You will be glad you did.
Once inside, the restaurant is a combination of cute mismatched tables and chairs with two all glass dessert displays on the register wall and the back wall. We will get to what treasure lies behind the glass in a moment. The walls are decorated with old picture frames and tin canisters and other rustic looking antiques. There are a few people who run the restaurant. There is sweet lady who always works the register. I think she owns the place. A few other quiet, hardworking ladies and one or two men are all that it takes to make The French Pantry what it is. It is always the same people working, and they are so welcoming and accommodating. The moment you walk in your senses will be sent into a tantalizing dance of the aromas of warm fresh baked bread, cheese, and brewing coffee and tea. There are two large menu boards with chalk writing to allow the guests to decide what they want as they wait in line. You order at the cash register rather than the table.
As you approach the registers, be prepared to have a complete food-gasm. What lies behind the glass of those dessert displays can only be described as several slices of heaven. Oh my goodness at the cakes and tarts and macaroons, the eclairs and pastries and fresh chocolate croissants, and the boxes of all sorts of cookies just waiting to be devoured. I have never seen such desserts in my entire life. It looks like something out of a magazine set up by professionals, except this is anything but posing and lighting. The hardest part about the meal? Deciding which one of these babies you will be inhaling later on.
My personal recommendations for a meal at the French Pantry are:
1) The Chicken, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
2) The Raspberry Salad
3) The Turkey, Pesto, and Goat Cheese Sandwich
(Literally, every single thing I have tried here is absolutely fantastic, so I could go on and on).
And for dessert!:
1) The Wedding Cake
2) The Farmer's Cheese Tart (seriously, yum)
3) The Chocolate Chip Cookies
4) The Carrot Cake
I have never tried anything here that I didn't OMG over. I have eaten stuff here that I would never have eaten before and really loved it. Everything is extremely fresh, a quality you can taste in the food at first bite, or first sniff really. I am pretty sure they buy local produce and everything is made that day. I encourage you all to branch out and order something you probably wouldn't and order it how it comes. I typically don't care for bleu cheese, but it really brings out the flavor in the Raspberry Salad. I can't stand onions, but they compliment the Turkey sandwich quite nicely. Every meal is served with fresh warm bread and their wonderful oil and vinegar dip. Also, the bread with the goat cheese and tomatoes is a fan favorite with Mom and Tyler. No matter what you order here, you will be very very happy that you made a trip to the French Pantry. There is very little that will drag me out of bed in the morning before 10, but one mention of this and I could be up with the roosters.
2) Ruth's Chris- My Nanny and Papa go here once in a blue moon, but I hadn't been until this weekend with my mom, brother and stepdad. Everything is super fancy pants and ooh la la as soon as you walk in the door. Everything on the menu is a la carte so it is kind of expensive. But when ordering sides, keep in mind the sides are served family style and are meant for sharing. Besides, it is the entree that is really the main event. My filet was one of the best I have ever had. It was melt in your mouth tender and simply delish! I browsed through the menu and was baffled by some of the stuff I saw. I couldn't pronounce some of it, but when there is a bottle of wine that cost 529 dollars, I guess that is to be expected. Like seriously, I better pee a golden puddle of excellence for a drink that costs half of a grand. I did, however, indulge in a blackberry sidecar. All my 21 and up readers, if you ever go to a Ruth Chris (or I suppose other places have them as well) order a blackberry sidecar. It is an exquisite cognac cocktail with my favorite berry, plum bitters, something else, all encircled by a sugar rim. Best 12 dollar drink I ever had. All in all it was a total experience all well worth the money that I didn't have to pay (thankfully might I add).
3) Nippers- So this is where we celebrated Destiny's big 21st at. It is a little beach cabana restaurant right off the highway heading towards Jacksonville beach. Nippers sits right on a cute little marina with huge yachts that I like to picture myself topless on the front deck of while my sexy (and imaginary) captain boyfriend feeds me grapes out of his hand, all while eating my favorite strawberry salad. I actually sit there and just drool over the boats. Did I mention how much in love I am with boats? And possibly men who can work them? Yep. Hot. Besides the sexy boats, there is an outside deck that usually hosts a band for live music, which I am decidedly a fan of. Between the great food, inexpensive drinks, and daydreaming points, it is a must eat at place while on the way home from the beach.
So was this an eat, eat, eat weekend? Nah, it was an eating with the people I love, praying thanks to the good Lord upstairs for being able to sit down for a hearty meal, and loving every minute of it.
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