Avenues Mall

Jacksonville, FL 32256

www.sees.com

It was almost 15 years ago that I was introduced to wonderful candy known as See’s Candy. See’s is a legendary candy that has almost a century of history behind them. Ok, so you may be wondering why a restaurant reviewer is doing a write up on a candy company, and honestly it is because I want everyone to know the wonder that is See’s Candy. For those of us on the east coast we do not have See’s available to us (at least not in store form) on a daily basis. But, not to fear because here in Jacksonville, Florida we have a See’s Candy store for the holidays inside of The Avenues Mall, but only till December 26.   See’s is based on the West Coast in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In years past they have set up and also offer samples to let you know just how great their candies are. It is the holidays and everyone loves candy during the holiday season, and See’s is accommodating  to all kinds of taste.  If you cannot have sugar you must try the sugar free items at See’s. You see the sugar free peanut brittle is absolutely fantastic, as is the sugar free chocolate. If you can have sugar and are looking for a lasting taste, then you should grab a box of the Gourmet Lollypops. 

Mama See

There are other candy options in north Florida including some local places that have lines out the door. But, you should know that quite possibly the best chocolate and candies that are available are in the form of See’s Candy. If you are looking for a great candy, you should grab a box of See’s, either the Nuts and Chews, Assorted, Truffles, or even a single candy bar that is known as an Awesome Bar. For any of these items you can spend as little as ONE BUCK! And less than $20 for a box of Truffles! The Assorted Candies are less than $17 a box, so you have many options at different price points.

 If you are not able to make it to The Avenues Mall right off of Southside and US 1 before December 26th then you can order online (I would recommend that you at least log on to order a catalog from them)

850 Lane Ave South
Jacksonville, FL 32205-4705
(904) 783-9579 

Cross Creek

We were hungry for something a little different.  We were driving around and decided we wanted some steak, something grilled and meaty.  We came across Cross Creek Steakhouse.  The place doesn’t look like much from the outside.  Wooden building made to look like it was made out of barn wood with a screened in porch.  We entered the restaurant and I was surprised at the décor.  Lots of cool, old and unusual stuff to look at.  There was a corner display of scarecrows and pumpkins for fall.  We were seated way in the back of the restaurant.  This place is huge!  Like I said, it didn’t look like much from the outside, but inside…the place seemed to go on and on forever. 

View of the Bar From the Lobby

Our waitress quickly came over and went over the specials with us and took our drink order.  She came back just as fast with our drinks and we ordered some sweet potato fries for an appetizer.  We were going over the menu and decided on what we wanted to order.  Our waitress came with a huge plate of sweet potato fries and took our dinner order.  I was having the barbecue sampler plate with chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket and ribs with a side of coleslaw and steamed broccoli.  Pie got the endless plate of grilled shrimp with a side of steamed broccoli and a baked potato.  Now that our dinner order was in, we got back to our appetizer.  Let me tell you, these sweet potato fries were amazing!  They didn’t taste greasy even though they were fried.  They were crinklecut and cooked crispy, but not hard and crunchy.  We dipped them in some honey mustard and before we knew it, they were gone.  As we were looking at the empty plate wishing for more, our dinner order came to our table.  Perfect timing! 

Sweet Potato Fries

Our waitress asked if we needed extra napkins, ketchup, more drinks and basically made sure that we had everything that we needed for our dinner.  The dinner was fabulous.  The ribs were to die for and the chicken was done to perfection.  The pork was pulled and not shredded into a pulp like many restaurants do.  I wasn’t thrilled with the brisket, but only because I am not a fan of that cut of meat…it kind of reminds me of corned beef and corned beef freaks me out.  It’s a texture thing I think.  Pie got 2 more plates of the shrimp.  Our waitress made sure that the next plate was right there when he finished the first one.  Many times when there is all you can eat shrimp, they aren’t that quick to bring you the next plate.  Not here!  He wasn’t a fan of the broccoli, it was seasoned with some spices and it just wasn’t his taste.  I put it with mine and finished it up.  When our dinner was finished, our waitress asked if we would like some dessert.  We settled on sharing a piece of cheese cake.  Great cheesecake!  I ate the top of it to avoid the crust and Pie got to eat all the crust and what was left over.  

Fall Display

We got our check with our dessert and paid our bill.  This was nice since most restaurants can’t get the timing of the check right.  They either bring it without asking about dessert making you feel like they want you out of that table; or they bring it way after you have finished your last bite and just about to slip into nap mode right at the table.  Dinner for both of us was about $35…not bad, not bad at all.  Well worth the money! 

Stuffed Lynx? with a Sucker in it's Mouth

When we were leaving, we asked for a menu to take with us.  They were coming in from the printer the next day the hostess told us.  She went out of her way and asked a couple of the staff if they knew if there were any stashed away somewhere.  They searched high and low to find one and they finally did.  They were so nice and friendly; so was our waitress.  They do have a kid’s menu although I have to admit that we didn’t look it over.  Cross Creek has a great restaurant going on Lane Avenue South.  If you are looking for great food, great service and a great price all at a place that makes you feel right at home and appreciated…go to Cross Creek (but wear some stretchy pants!).

Review by Rhonette, email:  rhonette@piesplate.com

4310 Southside Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32216-5474
(904) 998-4414

www.copelandsjacksonville.com 

We were looking for somewhere to eat late on a Saturday night.  I say late, but it was around 10pm.  Not much was open, but we came across Copeland’s on Southside Boulevard in Jacksonville, FL.  We are not much into chain restaurants, but we decided to give it a try.  The restaurant wasn’t too busy, a few large parties were finishing up and there were a few couples having dinner.  We were seated in the back of the restaurant and our waitress came to take our drink order.  We were looking at the menu and saw that they had quite a variety of food.  A little something for everyone. 

Burger Without a Bun

It’s tough for me to find something to eat sometimes; I have Celiac Disease which is an allergy to gluten found in wheat, barley and rye.  Basically, I’m allergic to flour.  This menu, as diverse as it was, posed quite a challenge for me.  Everything was breaded, battered and fried.  You will usually see me ordering a salad in a pinch, but I was salad-ed out this evening.  I finally decided on a burger minus a bun with an order of fries.  Pie had shrimp scampi on a bed of pasta.  The appetizers were all things I could not eat, so we also ordered an order of fries for a starter.  Luckily, the fries were good.  Our waitress was tough to find once she brought us our dinners.  It seems that they were beginning to close down the dining room and she was running around filling salt and pepper shakers and polishing tables.  We needed ketchup and some extra napkins.  Another waiter was nice enough to bring these to us.  We finished our dinner and were going to order a dessert.  The waitress was nowhere to be found again.  When we finally got her attention, she put down her cleaning supplies and brought us our check with out asking if we wanted dessert.  Oh well.  We paid our bill and headed towards the door. 

Shrimp Scampi

I must say, I was not impressed with their food.  It was ok and that was about it.  I didn’t find anything special about it at all.  Even though their fries were good, I wouldn’t care if I didn’t ever have them again, they were just ok.  The dinner was a little more than we usually spend, coming to about $45 for the both of us.  I thought it was too much given we had French fries for an appetizer and didn’t have any dessert.  All in all, it was a good experience; it was reinforcement as to why we don’t go to chain restaurants.  On our way out, Pie went to use the rest room.  He said there was graffiti on the walls and the bathroom was basically trashed.  This surprised him since Copeland’s seems to try to be more than an average restaurant.  We asked for a menu (we always do this when we leave so we can reference it later) and they didn’t have one for us.  It took some rummaging around for them to find a take out menu to give us.  We noticed they have a kid’s menu.  It has a variety of choices for the kiddies’ palate and all for under $4.00.  

If you are into overpriced chain restaurants with mediocre food, Copeland’s is the place for you.  However, we won’t be making a return visit any time soon.

 Review by Rhonette, email:  rhonette@piesplate.com

824 Lomax Street

Jacksonville, FL 32204

904.301.1188

Mon. – Thurs. 11am – 10pm
Fri. & Sat. 11am – 11pm
Sun. 12:00 noon – 9pm

www.sakehousejax.com

Sake House

I was in the mood for Sushi and being in Riverside and not wanting to cross the bridge onto the South Bank, the evening found us at the Sake House in the Five Points section of Jacksonville.  I have never been to this location; I always go to the location on the South Bank by my work.  They are owned by the same people and refreshingly, the menus were the same too.  We arrived at the restaurant about 5:15 pm and there was only 1 other customer in the dining room at the time.  

Back Dining Room

If you have never been to the Sake House, there is outdoor seating on the front walk and a back dining room for larger parties.  There is also a sushi bar where you can pull up a stool and watch the chefs create your meal.  We were greeted with a bowl of mushroom soup.  This is such a simple soup, a light, clear broth with thinly sliced mushrooms and sliced green onions.  While eating our soup, we put in our dinner order.  I ordered a Rock n Roll sushi roll and a side of grilled vegetables.  Pie ordered sushi and some fried rice.  They brought the grilled vegetables as an appetizer even though we ordered it as a dinner side dish.  There was zucchini, summer squash, garlic and onions grilled in light oil.  We ate those with chopsticks.  I love the grilled vegetables!  I usually go to the South Bank location for lunch and get their hibachi lunch special.  The lunch special has a small salad, noodles, grilled vegetables, your choice of meat on the grill, and your choice of white or fried rice.  

Sushi Bar

Our sushi came out and we requested some shrimp sauce.  Now I don’t know about you, but I could put that shrimp sauce on just about anything; heck I could probably drink it!  I have noticed lately in restaurants that serve sushi, that the shrimp sauce is tough to get hold of.  Weird, they never bring it out right away, you have to ask for it and when they do bring it out, there isn’t much in the tiny bowl.  Forget trying to get more, it’s like pulling teeth! Don’t know what is up with that.  Any hoo, the sushi was great!  My Rock n Roll had shrimp tempura, imitation crab, cream cheese and cucumber with those little orange fish eggs in it.  Tasty.  Pie put the shrimp sauce on his rice and ate that too. 

Fried Ice Cream

The restaurant began to pick up and was actually beginning to get full.  We were looking for some attention from the waitress to bring us our check and she came out with a complimentary fried ice cream.  It was vanilla ice cream battered in tempura batter, fried and topped with whipped cream and a cherry or two.  What a nice treat!  We paid our bill, grabbed a couple complimentary mints (they have the best!) and headed home. 

The Sake House on the South Bank is one of my favorite lunch time places.  I am glad we finally went to the other one in Five Points and for dinner.  The restaurants are basically the same, good and bad.  The service has a tendency to be slow and not very attentive and they take the longest time getting the bill to the table.  That’s minor because both spots have great food though and are well worth putting up with the service.  They have a great lunch special and a diverse menu variety without getting too complicated like many sushi places do.  The average dinner or lunch is going to be around $15 per person, but you will definitely leave full.  Give Sake House, either location, a try; add a little extra time to your lunch or dinner hour and it will be worth the trip.

Review by Rhonette, email:  rhonette@piesplate.com

St. Augustine, Florida

11/13/09

Friday the 13th is supposed to be a day of ‘bad luck’ or maybe to be cautious with your actions. Well, on November the 13th (a Friday) in 2009 I had luck on my side. With the help of Michele with one L and Rhonette I had a great day. Because of ‘One L’, Rhonette and I were given the opportunity to go and see The Zac Brown Band. If you are not a country music fan then you might not know who they are. But if you are, then you are aware of the great music that these guys make. You might be thinking to yourself at this point… ‘What has this got to do with food?’. Well, I am getting to that… hang with me and be just a lil’ bit patient. Not only did ‘One L’ help us with tickets but also was able to get us into the ‘Meet & Eat’. This was one of the best pre (or post) concert experiences I have ever had.

 For those of you that have ever been able to go backstage before a concert and meet an artist, then you are aware of awkward kind of feeling that is present there. In my life I have been able to go backstage for Kid Rock, Brad Paisley, Johnny Cash, Martina McBride, Train and many others. Please don’t think this is me being braggadocios. But of all of the artist that I have had the chance to meet, greet, hang with or get pictures made with… none of them can beat the down home and comfortable feel that The Zac Brown Band gives. The whole concept of a meet and greet is tossed out the window with the meet and eat. 

Zac Brown

As we walked into the backstage area that afternoon, you felt like you were at your best friend’s cookout and not a pre concert event. We saw the line for the buffet and decided to get our drinks first. On our way to the drink table we were intercepted by Zac Brown himself. He reached out his hand and asked us if we were having a good time. He then started up a conversation with us. He may very well be the most genuine music artist that I have ever met. The ‘Meet & Eat’ was a concept that he and his fan club put together to get to know the fans. Zac Brown stood there with us for a few minutes and even gave me an idea of a few of the songs they would play for the show. 

Zac Brown Band

After Zac moved from us he proceeded to ask some people at a table if they needed anything… Really he did. We grabbed our drinks and moved to the buffet. While in line, we got to meet a young lady named T-Bird. She happens to be the president of the fan club. We raved to her about the set up and manner of this event. Both Rhonette and I had nothing but good things to say about the whole experience. T-Bird had traveled down from Atlanta earlier that day for the show, and was going to see ZBB for the next 2 shows on this weekend. While talking to T-Bird she told us to be prepared for a great meal, boy was she right. My first thought was, ‘Who in St Augustine catered this incredible spread?’. That is when I was told by T-Bird that they eat like this every night. See, ZBB have ‘Chef Rusty’ that travels with the guys. Chef Rusty also has Josh who is his souse chef that is there to help. These guys are not only chefs but they appear to be good friends. After talking to them for a few minutes I asked if we could get a picture with them. They we cool and more than happy to do so. We stepped around the corner and took the picture. There is a request not to take pictures of and with ZBB at the Meet & Eat to keep it more of a family and not a fan feel. When we returned to the tables we saw Zac walking around with his little girl on his shoulders. They looked happy, and we all felt like a family.

 Now to mention the buffet! There was cole slaw, salad, various breads, green beans, potatoes, mixed veggies, grouper, pork tenderloin, and brownies and and and… uh, oh it was just wonderful. The cool thing about chef Rusty was that he was around and asking everyone around if they liked the food. He also was giving away his secrets on the preparation of the meal. Everything was so fresh and seasoned perfectly. At one point after I was finished with my plate I gingerly walked back to the buffet, grabbed a roll, tore it open and had them place a piece of beef tenderloin in it. That is something I have done before… There was no one item on the buffet that I was unhappy with, not a one.  Go to the video link at the end of this review, click on it and you will see the great food!

Zac Brown Band

Some may not know that Zac himself is a chef. Well known with his friends for various homemade sauces and spice mixtures. He has been a restaurant owner and manager. If there is anyone who knows good food it is Zac Brown. He also knows how to treat his fans. In the past I have met some real jerks that are stars on stage but Zac Brown is a real great guy. He likes to have fun, make good music, and treat his fans like gold. Thank you ZBB! And thank you One L. 

Check out the video here

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

140 NE Yellow Pine Ave
Madison, FL 32340-6176
(850) 973-2098

Madison, FL

On a Tuesday afternoon as I was driving through Madison Florida near the panhandle I saw a simple metal one room building that advertised home-style cooking. Naturally I was interested. Located right off of US 90 in between a former drive in to the East and the city of Madison to the West. You pull into a gravel parking lot and find a spot to park. Don’t worry if there is not a spot near the front… keep driving, there is parking all the way around the building.

 As I got in Shelby’s I grabbed the first opened table I could find. They were busy so I was near the back of the building. The place was clean except for a few tables that needed to be bused. Now for the most negative aspect of Shelby’s…. I had to wait for almost 3 maybe 4 minutes before I was acknowledged. 

The servers kinda shared the responsibilities of my table. Even though I am a Coke fan (which they serve) I decided to get the tea (when in the country towns in the South, tea is the way to go). After (one) of the servers brought me my tea she needed to look around for a menu. Of course the menu is printed out daily on a piece of white paper (that is old school and awesome). 

So now I placed my order: hamburger steak w/brown gravy, cabbage, rice and corn. The ladies forgot my cornbread but it was ok with me though. The hamburger steak was great, by most people’s standards the cabbage was bland (I added pepper and seasoned to my taste). The corn was yummy (that’s right yummy). And the rice was…. rice (not bad especially with the gravy on it). They did surprise me with a piece of yellow cake topped with sliced peaches which was moist and sweet and a perfect ending to a great li’l lunch. 

Overall Shelby’s is now on my list of places to visit and revisit when in ‘The Big Bend’ area of Florida. The guests and the wait staff of Shelby’s make you feel as if you belong there. So much so it makes me consider living in Madison Florida. No…really, I’m serious but not so serious that I am about to move.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

9802 Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32256-7917
(904) 646-1370

www.thegiulianosjax.net

 One of my favorite things to do is to visit a good lunch buffet. Going to Giuliano’s in Jacksonville, Florida is a real treat. I must admit that I am a regular to Giuliano’s before I start this review. My first experience was with the lunch buffet in the spring of 2009. Since then I have ordered pizza as a take out and have had the buffet many times. Now on the last visit to Giuliano’s in October of 09 I once again had the lunch buffet. On this day they offered a fresh salad with iceburg lettuce, small tomatoes, peppers, cheeses, and various dressings. There are always two options for pizza (this day was pepperoni and tomato and cheese). There is something different that they do to the pizza there, something that makes their pizza one of the best you will have.

 On the main part of the buffet you will find different options each day. This particular day was chicken marsala, chicken parmesan, lasagna, and a crab fettuccini. The wait staff was very helpful and kept our drinks filled. So much to the point I had to let them know that I was done with my drink. The reason that I say them is that the staff seemed to share the duties and we did not have one server only. They (the servers) also kept us stocked with fresh bread and oil for the dipping.

 Giuliano’s is a wonderful and quaint restaurant that is tucked away in a strip mall. The restaurant offers a little bar that is not actually in the dining area. Then to the other side of the bar is a little wine and gourmet shop. The lighting is dark and some may say romantic in the dining side of Giuliano’s. There is always great Italian music playing softly and the smell of the great things to come out of the kitchen. The men’s room is clean and large. The rest of the restaurant is also clean and again, the staff is wonderful. Do not be surprised if the manager comes to your table to ask if everything is going well.

So, if you find yourself traveling on I-95 in Jacksonville, Florida you need to exit off of onto Baymeadows then go East to the corner of Baymeadows and Southside. You will find Giuliano’s in the in the corner of the shopping center on the right, before Southside. They are open 11 am until 10 pm. They do offer take out, catering as well as delivery. You can also check them out on the web www.thegiulianosjax.net

Reviewed by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com

1367 Cassat Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32205-7084
(904) 387-6866

 It sometimes seems as if there are more hole in the wall sandwich shops in Jacksonville than there are cars, or sushi places. Okay, so maybe that is an exaggeration. But with that said, there are a lot of them. Jacksonville seems to pride themselves in quick, blue-collar, mom n pops style places to grab a quick ‘grinder’ or burger. All of these shops offer your basic breakfast and lunch. Most of these places close by 4 and are not opened on the weekends. Gators Deli on the west side of Jacksonville is no exception to this rule. They offer good basic food from 7 am till 3 pm on Monday thru Friday.

 The two visits that I have made to Gators have both been during breakfast. It just so happens that the location that I get my oil changes done for my car are in walking distance of Gators. Apparently this cafe is popular with the mothers and fathers to grab something for their kids on the way to school. Its location is on a very busy road full of car dealerships, car washes and a few garages. When you sit in the Deli and ‘people watch’ you will notice a pattern of pick-up trucks, work vans and the hard workers that have made America great. You won’t see any $3,000 suits here.

 The gentleman that is the owner of Gators is also the one who will take your order. He also will tell you when the order is up and ready. This gentleman is an Asian man who introduces himself as Sam. Sam told me that he bought the business 11 yrs ago. One thing you can tell the very second you walk in is that he is a major University of Florida fan. Not just the Gators football team, but softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball. There are posters that literally wallpaper this establishment dating back to the 80’s. When I was at the counter ready to place my order, I noticed on the menu that breakfast is served till 10:46. Naturally I asked Sam about the odd time of 10:46. He let me know that customers would ask for one more minute…just one more minute. So, he gave them the one more minute. This little place is full of character between the Gator stuff on the wall, to Sam and to the people that stop by for their food.

 With my belly growling for some breakfast I decide to get the 2 eggs (scrambled), bacon and the grits. When asked the kind of toast I would like I asked if I could get a bagel, Sam said sure, and called it bagel toast. I heard him call the order back to the kitchen and even then he said ‘bagel toast’. After sitting in the front of the restaurant for a few minutes I hear Sam at the counter. He yells out ‘Eggs, Bacon, Grits and Bagel Toast’ to let me know the order is ready. I grabbed my food and sat back down. The eggs, bacon and the ‘bagel toast’ were perfect nourishment for what I was needing. The flavor was good and the eggs were not over cooked. Now the grits were another story. They were watery and obviously not made by a Southerner. For those of you who are not from the South you probably would not care, but for those of us who are…we do! If grits are not your thing they do offer what they call ‘chunky hashbrowns’.

 Gators Deli offers a daily lunch special that cost $7.39. They vary from a turkey sub to an Oriental Special of fried rice and egg rolls. All lunch specials are served with fries and a drink. They serve Coke products and I would recommend that instead of the tea. At least on the day that I stopped in the tea was very bitter. 

Before I left I wanted to stop by the men’s room to wash my hands. The restroom is a one room with a toilet and a urinal. No divider walls in between either. After washing my hands I realized that actually locking the door to the bathroom was nearly impossible. Of the whole place the bathroom was the least clean of anywhere in the place.

When it comes down to it and you are looking for a good meal, you should give Sam and his Gators Deli a try. Just don’t wear a UGA or FSU shirt in there!

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

St. Augustine, FL

 Late on a Sunday night in the tourist town of St. Augustine, Florida is a difficult time to find a quality restaurant. Typically the reviews that we will be doing with Pie’s Plate are going to be either more of an independent style restaurant and not a chain…unlike in this review. (For this review, we aren’t even going to list the addresses; just know that these are the only restaurants by their name in St. Augustine)  However, finding ourselves in St. Augustine on a Sunday night after a concert, we were hungry.  Like most small southern towns, St. Augustine is one of those that closes down early. This left us with the option of the Village Inn to grab a meal.

 As we stood in the entrance of the restaurant and waited to be seated we noticed that they not real busy. But we waited to be seated nonetheless. We waited for a few minutes, which was ok. The manager took us to the very back of the almost empty restaurant to be seated. The tables near the back are also right next to the kitchen. So, that section was very warm with no fans or air circulation of any kind. After asking if we could move to a cooler area, the hostess said to go ahead and pick where we would like to sit. After finally grabbing a booth near the front we were told that our waitress is named April and would be with us soon. After waiting for a few minutes and looking over our shoulders for ‘April’ we were finally recognized. We ordered our drinks and listened to a story about people asking April for her “pie” (yep, we didn’t need to hear that).  We were ready to give our food ordered then, but that would have to wait because April left to get our drinks. April returned a few minutes later with our drinks and with absolutely no exchange of words as she turned and walked away. We finished our drinks and waited. Numerous times we turned to get someone’s attention. Then finally, frustrated, we decided to leave. As we got to the counter the manager/hostess greeted us at the register and asked if there was a problem because she saw us looking for assistance. (Personal note here, if you are a manager and witness such a scene, take the matter into your own hands and speak to the customers before they decide to leave) Even though the manager/hostess told us she would comp our meal, we were not ready to endure the poor service and turned to walk out. On a lighter note as we left, April made sure as we were on our way out the door to tell us thanks for stopping in.

 As we turned out of the parking lot we noticed a Denny’s. We were hungry, so we decided to give it a try. As with most Denny’s we parked in the motel/hotel parking lot. Upon entering we noticed they were very busy, with customers and several dirty tables. The wait for us to get a table was a little longer than you should expect but not too bad. The waitress came by and introduced herself as Jennifer. She came back a few minutes later with our drinks and to take our order. Denny’s is not a restaurant that I visit on a regular basis. As a matter of fact it has been more than five years since I have last been to one of their many restaurants. One of the reasons I do not visit them is the factory theory. You know (for the most part) exactly what meal you are going to get, and to me that gets boring.

 With my lack of recent visits to Denny’s I was not aware of the new menu items. Of course I knew there would be the Grand Slam or the Moons Over My Hammy. What I did not expect was the new ‘Rock Star Menu’. This new menu gives you a little info on when the item was created and to which ‘rock star’ or band it honors. As I read over the new menu I had a challenge to find exactly what I wanted. Would it be the Rascle Flatts Unstoppable Breakfast, Good Charlottes Band of Burrito’s (which I really was thinking about), or Sum 41’s Sumwich. I went with the Sumwich. There was a fourth item on the menu called the Gym Class Heroes After School Special, but I was not in the mood for the onions and peppers on Texas toast. But the Sumwich offered a French toast sandwich with sliced ham eggs and American cheese along with a side of their famous shredded hash browns and syrup for dipping.

 Now I have got to tell you that this meal will make me want to go back to Denny’s again. However the service never picked up to a status that I would call satisfactory. We were never offered a refill on our drinks and Jennifer forgot to bring my syrup. Even after asking her for the syrup a second time it took her a little while to get it to me. One of the things I do want to point out is that she was very sweet, just not as attentive as I would have liked.

 On the way out of Denny’s I picked up a customer survey card. Here are my results of (and from) the Denny’s comment card:

On a scale of 5 to 1. 5 being excellent and 1 being poor

Greeted in a friendly & immediate manner  (4)

Server introduce his/herself                             (5)

Enjoy Food                                                                (4)

Service Timely                                                         (3)

Server Attentive                                                      (2)

Restaurant Clean                                                     (3)

Thanked and Asked to Return                           (4)

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

9902 Old Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32256-8103
(904) 646-4455

 The chain of cheeseburger restaurants known as ‘Cheeburger Cheeburger’ lasted in Jacksonville for only less than 2 years, partially due to the lagging economy. Some might would say it was the lack of advertising or the location. The location might be the reason that I would say that they could not stay opened. Now at this point you may be asking yourself, ‘Why is he talking about a failed cheeseburger place when the review is to be about a Vietnamese restaurant?’. Well, the reason for that is the new restaurant Bowl of Pho has opened in the old location of the former ‘Cheeburger Cheeburger’. This seems to me to be a perfect location for this restaurant.

 The neighborhood on Old Baymeadows Rd is a very culturally eclectic area. With many apartments and a very centralized location, the area has been a favorite for many different ethnic backgrounds. When you look at the different restaurants and shops in the area you will see the influences I speak of. Indian seems to be the main ‘ingredient’ of the neighborhood. Mexican, Asian and Italian also seem to be drawn to the area. Bowl of Pho will be a great addition to this community.

Bowl of Pho

This review is from my second visit to Bowl of Pho. It was a Friday night at almost 9:30 pm when we decided to go for a late dinner. Upon our walking in the door we realized that this place has become an instant hit. With only 2 tables available, the hostess sat us in the back of the restaurant near the restroom entrance. The table itself was fine, however… it was very apparent that they wanted to make the most of the room they had available. We were sitting right behind a wait staff station. The station was clean and well kept. Another plus for us was that the station was not a ‘hang out’ spot for the wait staff. The only complaint about that is that we really felt like we were away from the restaurant, and not in a romantic intimate kind of way.

 Our waiter introduced himself as Leo. He had a very difficult time understanding the English language. So much that we needed to point at items on the menu to place our order. To start with I had ordered a Diet Coke, and Rhonette ordered a hot tea. The hot tea was so good that I sent my Diet Coke back. I also got a water. I decided not to order any appetizers due to the fact almost all of them had cucumbers in them. Yes I do realize that I could order them without the cucumbers in them, but the food here is also of ample portions. Oh yeah, I also wanted to try a dessert this time.

Most of the specialty items at the Bowl of Pho are the Vietnamese soups. This is a traditional food for their culture and the restaurant does make it tasty. Beware though that the portion sizes are large. Even the small is more than enough for most people. Leo brought a plate of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapenos and lime for the soup that my girlfriend had ordered. When you get the soup you add the items to your taste. I decided to go with the Chicken Fried Rice. When our food came it looked wonderful. I was a little disappointed in the amount of food I had received, but realized soon that there was more than enough there. As I always do in Asian places, I ate with the chopsticks. The chopsticks at Bowl of Pho are the best I have ever used. I would never recommend a place due to just their utensils, so it is a good thing that the food is dynamite there.

Chicken Fried Rice

After finishing my wonderful meal I decided to try a dessert. All of the desserts here are served as a crushed ice item. The 2 main choices you have are either a fruit dessert or a bean dessert. I went with the Red Bean Dessert. This was the most unusual culinary experience I have ever had. The bottom of the dish was filled with chilled red beans, then a layer of green jelly, then a layer of ice, finally topped with coconut milk. As I ate this I thought to myself that there is literally no way to explain it. It was just unusual for the flavor and the texture. The only reason I would recommend this dish is for the experience. On my previous visit I ordered one of their ‘Bubble Drinks’. This is a smoothie that is made with large tapioca pearls which they call bubbles in it. That is an item I will get again. But as far as the bean dessert, I was not excited about it.

After my meal I went to the men’s room to wash my hands.  The hallway to the men’s room is a complete contrast to the decor of the rest of the restaurant. But the bathroom itself is amazing!  The bathroom is large and very stylish. It consists of one stall and one urinal. Also has a sink in the stall as well as in the main area of the room.

On the way from leaving Bowl of Pho, there were a few members of the staff sitting outside sharing some beers. Which brought to my attention that the restaurant did not have beer, wine, or liquor on the menu. After asking the guys outside about it, they let me know that there are plans to get a beer and wine license soon. For a nice and almost upscale restaurant I would expect the chance to get either a glass of wine or an ethnic beer.

If you like Asian food and especially Vietnamese food then you really should try Bowl of Pho on Old Baymeadows Rd in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a perfect place for friends or a date. The menu is extensive and not too pricey. For the both of us including one appetizer, one dessert, two meals, and a hot tea our bill was less than $25.00. Bowl of Pho also has a facebook page. Enjoy your visit and enjoy your meal!

Review by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com