The Floridian, St. Augustine

Bottom line: It was good enough I bought the t-shirt.

vintage lamp on the bar

The Floridian does have its peculiarities: beer and wine isn't served in the main dining area, but it is served in the tiny bar in the back, aptly named The County Line. It has something to do with booze licensing in Old Town. Basically you have to buy a bottle of beer or wine and then take it into the dining room after settling up. No individual glasses of wine or mugs of beers can cross "the county line" into the dining room. We got around it by simply sitting at one of the three high-top tables available within the Floridian's County Line bar. They serve up local brew here. Jacksonville's own Bold City and Intuition Ale feature on their craft-heavy beer menu.

some of their kitsch

You will be surrounded by well-curated Florida kitsch and served by contented hipsters who seem super-happy to work there. Like the Columbia House, it's touristy enough for out-of-towners. But I think it does more than its share of local trade.

As I am a big fan of shrimp 'n grits, that's what I decided to order. It was a great decision. But it wasn't easy, because there wasn't a single menu item that didn't appeal to me. I will, of course, be going back. Their 'N Grits menu item comes with your choice of tofu, shrimp or fish. I went with the classic shrimp and chose the remoulade instead of the blackened or grilled based on the server's recommendation. The unlikely flavor combination of salsa, feta and remoulade more than worked-- it soared beautifully over my delighted taste buds. This place definitely follows the localvore trend with farm providers such as the CartWheel Ranch out of St. Johns County and Wainwright Dairy, from Live Oak, Florida.

The menu is seasonal, so it can change. Check out their site to drool current selections.
over the

The Floridian 39 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, FL (904)829-0655

Things to Know: The weird bar rules. They're closed on Tuesdays Lunch is 11 am-3 pm everyday they're open except Sunday, when they open at noon Dinner is 5 pm- 9 pm going to 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays They don't take reservations, but you can call them for "priority seating."

Growing Lemongrass in Jacksonville

I bought some lemongrass at local Oriental market recently. They were selling it in clumps of three or four stalks. I had planned to use it in cooking, but I didn't end up getting a chance to use it. I'd heard from several people that it grows quite well here in North Florida, so I decided to try it.

Lemongrass likes tropical weather and lots of sun, making it the perfect summertime crop. I've been recently demoralized in the garden department, since nearly everything I've planted is wilting and dying.

If you're worried about the winter killing it off once it gets cold, well, stop worrying. It will die off a bit, but it's hardy enough to rally most of the time. Even if it does die a cold death, it's not difficult to replace and plant.

Most gardening guides say you should place the stalks in a clear vase with water at the bottom. Change the water every couple of days and plant them when you get 1/2 long. As an experiment, I skipped that step on one of my stalks, just to see how it would do. I made sure to keep it moist in a sunny place. The experimental stalk already has new growth, about a week after I put it in the pot. It sprouted at the same time as the rest of the lemongrass, which I planted later.

As for the rest of the lemongrass, it was in the vase for about a week before I planted them. Once in the pot, it was only two days before it sprouted new growth.

My lemongrass is planted in a pot with potting soil, but I may decide to fertilize (probably organically) because these guys like rich soil (though I've heard they don't absolutely need it). I'm looking forward to cooking with fresh lemongrass from my garden.

Pepper Palace, St. Augustine

Whenever I'm in St. Augustine, I always pop into the Pepper Palace to freshen my supply of datil pepper. Of course that's not the only form of hotness they carry. For the real pepper-heads, they carry some of the hottest hot sauces you can find. The folks who work there are knowledgeable and eager to spread the datil gospel.

While there I also picked up some of Pepper Palace's spice blends. So far I've tried the tequila seasoning (sea salt, chili powder, tequila, rosemary, lime, citric acid...) which is gangbusters on any kind of whitefish.

I like to toss veggies in the Old St. Augustine Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce (sweet peppers and onions) and roast them in the oven.

I've still got two more spice blends to try out. When I do, I'll post recipes for them!

For those of you who can't make the trip to St. Augustine, don't worry, there are multiple locations and, best of all, a website.