Hawkers Asian Street Fare Turns the Corner with Summer Menu Upgrades
Central Florida-based Hawkers Asian Street Fare has rolled out its summer rotation of new menu items, a seasonal ritual that changes out 10 percent of the menu with a fresh lineup of pan-Asian creativity. Seeing as I hadn’t been back to Hawkers since my review of the then-new Jacksonville location for the Florida Times-Union in […]
The BBQ of My Youth, Revisited: Sonny’s BBQ
In an increasingly crowded smokehouse of up-and-coming flashy barbecue joints, the nearly 50-year-old Sonny’s BBQ is evolving in tasty ways.
Candy Apple stands up new summer menu, craft cocktails
When it comes to finding an upscale-yet-approachable dining experience in downtown Jacksonville, you literally have to peer near the heart of downtown, or darn near it, to find the sweet spot. I’m talking about Candy Apple Café and Sweet Pete’s, joined at the hip in the historic Seminole Club on Hogan Street. Here you’ll find […]
New Winn-Dixie means business with bright lights, prepared foods
Winn-Dixie has a bold vision brewing in its hometown, to go after a decidedly more upscale market. To do it, it’s rebuilt one of its own from the inside out. A previously underperforming WD shuttered in 2010 at 10915 Baymeadows Road on Jacksonville’s Southside sprang back to life Feb. 4 following a rebuilding project. With […]
Random acts of ‘free food’ Tuesday in Mandarin
Skewered as they’ve been of late with pink slime, Red China’s screams of tainted beef and dire earnings reports, McDonald’s recently scored a W in a game global brands love to play: Super Bowl advertising buzz. By broadcasting its new “Lovin’” form of random-act-of-kindness payment during the big game, Mickey D’s unearthed a smidge of much-needed Coke-like feelgood currency. […]
Cabana Grill freshens up Mex options in Mandarin
From greasy-spoon old-school to nouveau gourmet, it’s not hard to find Mexican food on the First Coast that meets just about any timeframe, budget or appetite. Somewhere in the middle, fast-casual Mex outlets like Moe’s Southwest Grill, Tijuana Flats and Chipotle promote smaller menus, fresh ingredients, salsa and hot sauce bars, modern, artsy and almost […]
Papi Chulo’s Salsa Goes Under the Microscope Once Again
Papi Chulo’s had to put up with me a second time around when I visited recently with Jax Restaurant Reviews. Did they finally turn around that salsa?
Blast from the past to back to the future: Grotto’s menu all grown up
The Grotto’s grown up in San Marco Square, in the form of a new, ready-for-prime-dine-time menu. Let’s take a look…
Wine flights, arriving daily: Vino Volo debuts at JIA
As longer connection times, late arrivals and a host of other hassles have tarnished the once-friendly skies, airports have stepped in to provide weary travelers with more terrestrial delights between their flights. Massage stations, rock-climbing walls and libraries are some of the many amenities you’ll find in 21st century air terminals. And so it goes […]
Firehouse Subs puts out the calories on new menu choices
Subway has made healthy eating a plank in its marketing foundation since they trotted out Jared Fogle’s “Subway diet” in 2000. These days, it’s business as usual for the world’s largest fast food chain. Fat and calorie counts decorate napkins, paper cups, sneeze guards and more, espousing healthy lifestyles at every location. Now, Jacksonville-based Firehouse […]
Follow Me … to the Promised Land
Here’s where Jay lives on the social Web. Pop in and say hi.