Eat here: Blue Bamboo

Five reasons why you should be eating at Jacksonville's Blue Bamboo:


1- It's a locally owned and operated restaurant on the Southside. In the commercial bustle of Southside, it's sometimes hard to remember that there are locally owned businesses that do a wonderful job. Blue Bamboo is one of those businesses.

2- There isn't anything like it in Jacksonville. This is Asian fusion at its finest, in a beautiful setting, with innovative cocktails and a great staff. Check out their menu to learn more!

3- It's a classier way to end or begin a night at the movies. Just down the road from Tinseltown, it's a way to get out of your dining rut.

4-Dim Sum Sundays. Once a month, they offer Dim Sum on Sundays. If you've had good dim sum, you're already making plans. If not, well, this needs to be part of your life.

5-Dennis Chan is part of Jacksonville's food legacy. His family has run about dozen restaurants in the past 60 years.

For more on what Blue Bamboo is all about, check out this interview at metrojacksonville.com

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.

Top Pot Donuts Seattle and Maurice's BBQ South Carolina

So I've been a bit busy. In the past two months, I've been to Seattle, drove to North Carolina and I've had three different sets of house guests. But I've been able to taste some really great food.

In Seattle, Top Pot Donuts was recommended to me by local Jacksonville Chef Dennis Chan. It was worthwhile because they were really good donuts. First, a bit of lore about the name. When Top Pot first opened, the owner was on a shoestring budget, so he bought a secondhand sign that said Top Spot. The S in spot wasn't quite operational, so he took it off. Hence, Top Spot Donuts became Top Pot Donuts, even though pots are not involved.

There are basically two different styles of donuts. The one pictured above is the "cake style" donut. The texture inside is almost like a slightly dry cup cake, perfect for dunking! The other style is the old school donut, aptly named the old-fashioned. We got a dozen. choosing as many different types as we could. It wasn't hard since they have about 40 varieties of donuts. They're really filling and they taste amazing. There's no scarfing down of five donuts because they're huge and decadent.

My other great dining experience was in South Carolina. You may have heard of Maurice's BBQ. We stopped there by chance on our way to North Carolina. We indulged in the buffet, where I discovered ribs so tender and soaked with flavor that I had to close my eyes to better experience them. South Carolina loves their sauces, and the mustard-based sauce on my ribs was amply dramatic and savory. I didn't take a picture because the camera was packed away and because, quite honestly, barbecue often isn't beautiful. It tasted beautiful, but it certainly didn't look it.

St. Augustine's Casablanca Inn and Eco Tour

For Jacksonvillians, St. Augustine is a popular spot for a short getaway. Their B&Bs have competitive rates, and some even have great last-minute or weekday rates. We opted to go on the weekend.

We stayed at the Casablanca Inn. Most people recognize this iconic hotel upon seeing a picture, because the white pillars and frontage on Avenida Menendez is eye-catching. A stay at the Casablanca includes a hearty breakfast served by a great staff, a parking spot close to the hotel (dear indeed in historic St. Augustine) and a $15 credit at their Tini Martini bar, over looking the bay.

They've got quite a few packages worth looking at— stay for two nights till November 4th and you get a free Eco Tour for Two complete with a bottle of champagne. There are lots of other romance packages to choose from as well.

The Inn has three buildings on its grounds, the Main House, the Coach House and the Secret Garden. The main house faces Charlotte Street. We were in the Coach House. While people most often request the Main House, perhaps because many of the rooms have an excellent view of the bay, I loved the Coach House. Not as many cars go by on Charlotte, so it feels restful and romantic. We relaxed on our small porch facing the quiet brick street. The Secret Garden Suites are better for longer stays, as they have kitchenettes and dining areas. As the name says, the suites are in a secret tropical garden tucked away in a side street you would never find without direction.

We enjoyed drinks at the Tini Martini bar, in the front of the Main House, people watching as horses trotted by, carriages and tourists in tow.

Zach McKenna has a passion for conserving wildlife and it shows. He runs St. Augustine Eco Tours in the marina next to the Bridge of Lions. You can, of course, book a tour outside of the Casablanca Inn's deal (free eco tour for two with two nights stay). They have many different tours you can take on various vessels. You can kayak, go on on a gorgeous catamaran or, like we did, hop aboard one of their rugged little research vessels. Unlike most boats I've been on, it's not a struggle to hear the guide, because the research vessel's engines are quieter and the ride fairly smooth, even when we ventured toward the sea waves.

While the main draw of the tour is the dolphins that frolic in the Matanzas, there's no guarantee that dolphins will appear. Most of the time they do, but you can't force nature. We got very lucky and saw several pods, including some tiny, just-born babies that were still learning how to swim properly. The baby dolphins were awkward, unlike the graceful adults that sliced through the water with ease. I always thought that dolphins knew how to swim by instinct, but Zach told us that it's actually a learned behavior, like walking is for humans. Once we learned what dolphins looked like after we spotted the first pod, everyone on board was on the lookout for dolphins.

Because it's a research vessel, they do have some interesting equipment. The last two pods of dolphins we encountered began talking to each other underwater, and thanks to the equipment, we got to listen in.

Though dolphins are an exciting part of the tour, Zach McKenna's knowledgeable enough about local flora and fauna that he can tell you about them as you encounter them. We saw several species of birds in our travels. A flock of gorgeously pink spoonbills waded by the shore. He pointed out tiny lady terns waiting on pilings for their suitors to bring them fish.

Post Eco Tour we ate at the White Lion. It wasn't my first choice, but I had a dim childhood memory of eating there. My husband had remarked on several occasions that he'd always wanted to go there and so we did. It is a tourist sort of place, though it's less of a tourist trap than the Santa Maria (which every local is vaguely disgusted by). The White Lion isn't terrible. prices are reasonable, it's casual, they've got an outdoor patio and they fry everything. I got a basket of fried okra.

Revamped: Alhambra

With all the changes at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre, we thought a review of their food and new décor was in order. Dinner has improved, with Matthew Medure on board designing the menu.


The Alhambra has been in a fixture in Jacksonville community for over 40 years. In '84 it was bought by Tod Booth, who continued the proud tradition. By the late 2000s, Booth was relying heavily on out-of-town tickets, mainly from the Red Hat Society and other social clubs. But when the recession hit, this group shrunk considerably.


The Alhambra was close to closing at the end of 2009, but a group of businessmen called the Theatre Partner's Managing group and spread-headed by Craig Smith, came in to the rescue.


While they've always had community support, I think the aim today is to get more locals in their door, locals that may have abandoned the old Alhambra because of the food or the tired décor; and locals that had never been to the Alhambra.


From what I could see, the audience demographic has slightly changed. While dinner theater is still the purview of the blue hairs, there were more people there under the age of 30 who hadn't been dragged there by a well-meaning parent. The age range was wider than I'd seen it at the Alhambra (notwithstanding their yearly Christmas Carole production).


In Craig Smith's intro to the show there were jokes about what a flop High School Musical was, which I gather the Alhambra did to reel in the tween demographic, though they did chat up what a great show it was, despite the lack of audience draw. But 42 Street was a different story. They got their crowd with that one.


High School Musical was a bit of a leap for the Alhambra, off of their usual formula for choosing a show. More “avant-garde” people complain about the mundane choice in shows that some community theatres make and that the Alhambra has made in the past. The truth of the matter is that these places just can't afford to gamble with their choice of shows. Community theatre can, because they have a funding cushion and donors, so from them, you'll see at least one gamble in a season line-up. Otherwise, you get the same musicals or type of musicals in rotation, because that's what people consistently come to see.


It's refreshing to see them trying new things because dinner theatre has such a slim margin of error, financially. Trying to scratch out a profit at any theater is tough-- and then you add the logistics and cost of food, while charging close to what other shows do that don't serve food, just so you can remain competitive. (Some tickets to shows at the major venues in Jax, which will remain nameless, charge as much or more than the Alhambra and you don't get dinner).



Before the food was dramatically rolled out onstage for The Foreigner, I got to look at the most striking changes the Alhambra has made: their remodeling. Outdoors, the fountain area where I went for a pre-show stroll has been brick-paved and landscaped nicely. Inside, the cramped ticket office is now hidden away, replaced by a hostess stand. The cramped buffet room is now a cozy lounge. At gala openings this is where they pass out champagne. It feels like an exclusive little club, perhaps a VIP room tucked away in an expensive restaurant. And there's a full bar in there as well. This is where the Alhambra could royally clean up.


Mainly, they've cleared away the clutter that had built up over the years, stream-lined things and modernized. The stage and dining area is just, well, cool. It has a deliberate retro look (as opposed to their previous outdated look, which was only retro because they hadn't remodeled). Looking around, there's a distinct feeling that Jessica Rabbit might slide on stage at any moment and sing a torch song.


Basically, you feel like you've arrived somewhere very, very cool, where you might just get a show.


They've revamped the menu under the auspices of Matthew Medure, but that doesn't mean that old favorites have gone away. The much-loved chocolate mousse is still a dessert option, though they serve others. I had the delightful strawberry and cream topped scone (which they called a biscuit) instead of their signature mousse. The mousse appears to be as popular as ever.


The main courses have certainly seen improvement. While they still offer a roast carving station, they have other, more sophisticated choices available. The standout was the savory pork loin, served with crispy bacon and mushroom. If you ever stayed away from the Alhambra because of the food, you need to try it now.


It's an interesting year for the Alhambra. I can already see that they've accepted a mix of old and new. They're going to be trying new things, taking new risks, but they're building on what they already know, and that's important.