Fresh Food Perspectives

The Best St. Augustine Restaurants {According to Me}

I really love where I live. Maybe I shouldn't be so vocal about it because I like St. Aug the way it is, but I'm not great at keeping my feelings to myself. People, St. Augustine is a great town and it just keeps getting better.

In my 9 years of living here I've watched some really cool restaurants, boutiques and shops, and great music come to town. I have to be honest that I'm not a super arts and culture person, but this is mostly due to my lifestyle right now (little to no social life during football season and parenting 2 little boys). BUT, when I can, and most certainly in the future, I try to take full advantage of what this amazing city has to offer.

I often get asked for my list of favorite St. Augustine restaurants. I am really happy to report that I sort of have a hard time keeping up with all the new places coming to town! Again, between lifestyle or budget challenges, I just don't eat out enough to visit every new place I've heard about.

So here we go with the places I think are the best in town. Most of the places offer healthy eaters an array of delicious options. But you’ll find a few indulgences too.

• The Floridian - This is hands down my favorite place in The Aug. The Floridian is Southern Trendy (my interpretation) with something for all types of eaters from meat lovers to vegetarians. They have great seafood always on the menu with some seriously good shrimp and grits. My favorite menu item is the Cornbread Panzanella Salad with shrimp and the Fried Green Tomatoes. (For a longer old review, see this post.) Local beers are always on tap in their quaint, tiny bar. The decor is very cool and you feel like you are eating in someone's renovated Southern dining room. Alligators frequent many of the pieces of art and is even on their t-shirt, which I own. Just go. Price: $$

• The Raintree - The ambiance at Raintree is hard to beat. It's an old historic house with a beautiful garden seating area, covered in white lights. The food is wonderful and the dessert crepes our one of our favorite desserts in town. We have celebrated several anniversaries here and will always go back. Price: $$

• Blackfly, The Restaurant - I've only eaten at Blackfly a couple of times but it is amazing seafood. I think I had the best piece of fish I've ever had there (aside from being in the Keys). The place is the brainchild of artist Vaughn Cochran so it is decked out in colorful artwork. There's a brick oven pizza station next the bar where you can watch the pizza chef creating his/her masterpieces. If you are looking for a really nice dinner but in a casual setting, this is the place. Price: $$-$$$

• Ice Plant - This is a new restaurant to the area and it lives up to all the hype that surrounded it’s opening. The restaurant decor is Prohibition area and they want to be known for their extremely well crafted drinks. The menu is small, but again, very well crafted. We loved our experience and will be back for sure. There’s no reservations so be prepared to wait for 45-60 minutes, but it’s worth it. Price: $$ PS - next door is the newly opened St. Augustine Distillery, which offers free tours.

• Mango Mangos - With delicious Caribbean food and only steps from the ocean, this is one of our favorite beach restaurants. It’s very casual so you can literally go straight from the beach. We’ve been eating here for years and the menu keeps getting better. My usual choice is there shrimp tacos. Price: $

• Barnacle Bill’s - When you are looking for a straightforward, local seafood restaurant, this is our go-to place. It has all the familiar dishes you expect at a seafood place and it’s always good. This is a locally run, St. Augustine staple with friendly service. You won’t be disappointed. Their cococonut shrimp is my favorite in town and they are always willing to accommodate my healthy requests. Price: $$

• The Present Moment Cafe - This organic, vegetarian restaurant has been around for a while but they always seem to be on the cutting edge of innovative food. This is a must visit for any vegetarian but it will amaze anyone. Their kale salad was the inspiration for my Avocado Rubbed Kale Salad. Price: $

• Cafe 11 - This is a great brunch spot close to the beach. It has a cool vibe and yummy foods with lots of healthy options. They often have live music at night on the weekends. Price: $-$$

• The Kookkaburra - An awesome little coffee shop on the plaza in downtown. Locally owned by a very cool couple. Price: $

Here are some other great restaurants that I would recommend but won’t take the time to fully describe (because I could go on and on and on).

• A1A Ale Works

• Salt Life Food Shack

• Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille

• The Chocolate Turtle

• OC White’s

• The Hyppo

• 95 Cordova

And lastly, these are restaurants I have not made it to yet, but am dying to go to.

• Collage

• Bistro de Leon

• Spy Global Cuisine

The downtown area of St. Augustine is really coming alive with great new restaurants. Ask a local for a recommendation on these places or visit my friend’s blog, Simply St. Augustine.

So I know I have you hungry now and hankering for a visit to St. Augustine. We are way more than just the Fountain of Youth, although I hear that is a pretty cool place.

If you visited a place I missed or have an opinion on something listed, please leave a comment for me.

Eating & Running My Way Through Charleston South Carolina - Part 2

If you missed my first post on Charleston, click here. I'm picking up on Saturday evening, where I was on my own with the girls of the wedding party because my hubby was at the minor league baseball game for the bachelor party (I was VERY jealous). 

I ended up at a nice Mexican restuarant, which was good but nothing real special. It did have a nice bar and outdoor seating area and I did get to try one of the local brews, Holy City Pluff Mud Porter.  It was a tasty porter with really nice full flavor without the bite. Look for this brewery on draft all over the city. 

On Sunday morning we went back downtown to go for a much needed run. The parking meters are free on Sundays so we easily parked further on down the street (on Rutledge Avenue) from Hominy Grill, where I had planned for us to eat breakfast. Before leaving to run, I put our name in with the restaurant because there was a long wait. The hostess warned us that we shouldn't go far because they only call your name once. Well, a run needed to happen so we took our chances. 

Leaving from Hominy Grill, we ran east on Cannon Street to King Street and took a right. We hadn't been on King Street yet so I was glad to at least see a little bit of this area. Going south on King took us back down by where the farmers market was (which was open but to a smaller scale) so I had a bearing on where we were. We ran down to the corner of Calhoun and King, stopped in the fancy hotel to use the restroom, and then headed back the way we came. It wasn't a long run by any means, which I was itching for, but at least it was something. I broke away from Brian on the last stretch and in an effort to get every stride I could, I ran right into to the hostess area at Hominy. As soon as I entered the courtyard of the restaurant I heard our name being called. Talk about perfect timing! 

I wasn't sure what to expect with Hominy Grill. It was on my list as the THE place to eat breakfast, so I just trusted my sources and knew we had to go. I don't think I looked at the menu prior, which I usually do. The look of the place immediately made me excited. It just welcomes you and speaks "you're going to eat well here." Plus, that long line I mentioned early confirmed we had made the right decision.

I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, again based on the recommendation of the person who said I needed to eat there. It was a fantastic choice. 

Being that I was in The South (not that I don't kind of the live there already), I don't particularly care for some of the more iconic Southern foods, and this seemed like the place to get a good one, I ordered one of their High-Rise Biscuits. Also a fantastic choice. I do NOT like greasy biscuits and this one was just perfect - light and fluffy. Don't leave Hominy without trying a biscuit. 

After a great breakfast, including a nice cup of coffee, I was one happy girl. 

The rest of the afternoon I had to myself as my man had to report for groomsman duty. I treated myself to a pedicure and indulged in a trip to Trader Joe's in Mount Pleasant, which is the area where our hotel was. Yes, this is a treat because I do not have a TJ's in my area. Well, we are getting one in Jacksonville Beach, which is unfortunately about a 45-50 minute drive. Ugh. 

Now on to the wedding. I don't know how much you care to know about it, but I have to share some of the pictures. This was such a beautiful, fun, classy wedding. It was all outdoors on a plantation, on the water, with the sun setting. It felt like a Pinterest wedding (a new term I learned recently.) We had perfect weather (thank you God!) and really, it was just perfect all around. 

Look at this beautiful sunset!

 

I'm not going to share pics of the bride and groom, just to respect their privacy, but I will share a picture of my very handsome husband.

 Overall, we had such an awesome weekend away. Charleston is a great town, and a really short drive (4 hours) north of St. Augustine. We will certainly be back. 

We didn't make it to every suggestion on "the list" so here are a few more ideas that I wish we had time for.

• The Macintosh - Farm to table, southern trendy
• Fuel - Cuban, burgers, casual
• Cru Cafe - Small, intimate restaurant; good lunch
• Coast - Seafood
• Caviar & Bananas - Gourmet market and cafe
• Macaroon Boutique - French bakery
• Firefly Distillery - Sweet tea vodka
• Closed for Business - Casual, trendy bar
• Page's Okra Grill - Great Southern food in Mount Pleasant

It seems like quite a few people out there are planning trips to Charleston this summer. Are you one of the them? I hope this post gives you some ideas of how you can eat (and run) your way this beautiful city.

Happy summer!

 

 

Eating My Way Through Charleston South Carolina - Part 1

This past weekend, my hubs and I visited Charleston South Carolina for a wedding. It was my first trip to this gorgeous city and I was thrilled to find out there is an incredible food scene. We had a ton of fun exploring the area and trying several iconic restaurants. One of my priorities when I travel is to try as much of the local food as possible. Thanks to some experienced friends, we had a great list to work from.

Here's a run down of our first 24 hours in Charleston.

Since Brian was in the wedding and had several groomsman responsibilities, Friday night was our one open night for a fancy pants dinner. We had some great suggestions from friends like Slightly North of Broad, Husk & Fig but decided on High Cotton, which was an excellent choice. (FYI - book your reservations early through the restaurant's website. All of these places had very limited reservations even the week of.) The atmosphere of the restaurant was classy but still comfortable. The staff was fantastic and we loved our server, including her sincere knowledge of the menu (always helpful when trying to choose the right entree). 

My first course was an incredible local heirloom tomato with buffalo mozzarella, olive oil and a balsamic reduction. This is a classic combo that you can get a lot of places, but this particular dish was so fresh and flavorful thanks to the local tomatoes. To drink, I chose their house label California chardonnay. I was really surprised by this wine. It was a great choice for the price and paired well with the food I ordered.

 

Brian chose the Bibb Lettuce salad with bacon, small pieces of fried green tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and a buttermilk dressing. It was also really good.

 

I knew that I wanted to get seafood for my entree since we were in Charleston. One of the specials for the evening was fried soft shell crabs. Both Brian and I were intrigued because we've never had it before but always wanted to order it. I decided to go for it and it was an excellent decision. It was served over a zucchini fritter with a green bean and radish salad. SOOOO good. 

For those interested, not pictured is Brian's NY strip steak and french fries. It was the best steak that either of us have had in a really long time. I don't really care for a big thick steak but I would have scarfed down that steak without a second thought.

We concluded our anniversary dinner with the key lime tart, which someone had suggested we try. Key lime pie is my favorite non-chocolate dessert so I usually have high expectations. High Cotton delivered with a tart and sweet, definately made in-house, winner. 

If you're looking for a fun activity to do, book a cooking class at Charleston Cooks, which is right across the street from High Cotton. I discovered this quaint cooking store and classroom as we were walking around before dinner and wish I had known to sign up for a class. 

On Saturday, our wedding activities began. After the morning rehearsal, we had a couple of hours to kill before the rehearsal lunch. We drove around on the west side of Charleston and visited The Citadel (we love visiting colleges) and several very cool neighborhoods. We happened upon the Charleston Farmers Market which I was hoping to visit. We had just the perfect amount of time to park (I suggest parking at the garage by the visitors center) and walk through quickly. If you are in Charleston during farmers market season, YOU MUST GO! Even my hubs and his buddy (another groomsman) were really impressed by all the that this market offered. There were so many farmers, artisans, food vendors and crafts. It was really fun.

My favorite find was local smoked sea salt from Botany Bay. The smokey flavor is so strong and I can't wait to play around with this on grilled meat and seafood this summer. Check them out and support this local business.

I also visited a really cool block print artist, Perla Anne, and bought this print, which is now sitting on my mantle. Check out her fun food related print. I almost bought this one for my kitchen.

After the farmers market, it was time for the rehearsal lunch, which was at Magnolias. I was very excited because this restaurant was also included on our list. The downstairs was absolutely beautiful with magnolia accents everywhere. (This restaurant also has its own parking, which is a plus.) The menu at Magnolias is heavily southern but with a progressive twist. This appeals to me because I don’t love heavy southern food. Our lunch was a fixed menu but I was happy to see a few of our choices were dishes I would’ve ordered anyway. Our appetizer choices were their Boiled Peanut Hummus and Fried Green Tomatoes. The hummus was really interesting and was served with pickled okra. I don’t love boiled peanuts but it was a very cool spin on one of my favorite foods. If you like hummus, I would recommend it. The fried green tomatoes were super crunchy, not greasy, and plated on top of cheesey grits and carmelized onions. Yah, they were good.

For my entree, I had their Grilled Vegetable Wrap. Normally I probably wouldn't have chosen this at such a restaurant, but the groom (my hubs BF) said he put it on the menu just for me. Fotunately, I was blown away by the eight different veggies, habenero hummus and pecan pesto this bad boy was stuffed with. It was also served with their house made potato chips. Mmm mmm mmm. Or maybe I should say, crunch crunch crunch.

For the meat eaters out there, Brian had the grilled (yes grilled) meatloaf and mashed pototatoes and it was awarded "The best meatloaf I've ever had" award from him. (This is a highly coveted award by the way.)

And now on to dessert. I know you are wondering. Well, I sort of am too. I missed the beginning of the lunch, and thus the viewing of the menu, so I believe dessert was a southern biscuit-style strawberries and vanilla cream. It doesn't really matter what is was called because it was delicious. 

 

I will conclude today's post here as I'm very hungry now and continuing on would mean this post will take forever to publish! So stay tuned and I'll post part 2 including our Sunday morning run, breakfast and the beautiful wedding we attended.

 

Copita in Saulsalito CA

Imagine this: you've just biked about 8 miles over the Golden Gate Bridge and descended into the Mediterranean-esque town of Sausalito. You sit at the outdoor patio of a hip "downtown" tequileria where the sun is shining and the breeze blowing ever so slightly, enjoying the company of wonderful friends. Fresh drinks are brought to the table and mixed right in front of you. You can taste each distinct juice of your refreshing margarita. Ahhhhh...

This was my experience at Copita last Thursday. It was so perfect. 

A couple of weeks ago I read about this new restaurant in Fine Cooking magazine. I knew we would be biking to Sausalito and hoped we could squeeze in a visit.

 Fortunately, the timing was perfect for an afternoon snack and Copita was as delicious as I hoped. We ordered the Copita's Margarita and it was the best one I have ever had. (That might have had something to do with the description in the first paragraph, but what does it matter?)

For munchies, we ordered Chips and Two Seasonal Salsas, Guacamole and 24 Hour Carnitas (with housemade corn tortillas). Holy moly!

If only we had more time and room in our tummies for more from their menu. This was such a great place to hang out and eat. 

To conclude our meal, they brought out Spicey Mexican Wedding Cookies. I gues this is their version of a fortune cookie. What a treat!

Although I probably will not try to recreate any of this meal magic at home, I will think of it very fondly. In fact, right now, I wish I was sitting back on their patio, enjoying the Sausalito life...

 

 

Mustard's Grill in St. Helena

When we decided to return to Napa earlier this year, one of the first decisions my hubby and I made was to dine at Mustard's Grill. It was by far one of our favorite meals from our previous trip to Cali. 

Here's a picture from our 2010 trip.

We were very excited to find ourselves back at this wonderful restaurant and introduce our friends (who were traveling with us) to it . Oddly enough, we sat at the exact same table as 2010 and had the same server. (Must be a great place to work.) Top: 2010. Bottom: Last week 2012

The food was once again, outstanding. If you are wondering how good it really is, consider this: I am not a big meat eater and rarely order it at restaurants. This trip I actually ordered their Grilled Hanger Steak with red wine onion jam, french fries and watercress dip and thoroughly enjoyed it. (I can't tell you the last time I ever ordered a steak at a restaurant!) It was the red wine onion jam that lured me in! Sooo good! Be on the look out for my the recipe version of this wonderful topping.

Brian got their famous pork chop again. Neither of us really care for pork chops but this is the best pork chop you will EVER have. Trust us and just order it. (Sorry the picture isn't great.)

Another highlight of the menu was the Three Greens salad with creamy Maytag Blue cheese and spiced pistachios - another winning combo. (BTW - this was my #SaladADay. Not too shabby!)

The last two reasons why I love Mustard's are:

It's casual and tiny. I like that they set your warm bread right on the table. No plate needed.

Outside the restaurant is their garden which they use for many of their dishes. They've been gardening their own produce for a long time- way before it was popular.

I realize that many of you won't be visiting Mustard's anytime soon, but I hope you gain some inspiration from these dishes, as I have. Like I said, check back in for my version of some of these great items.

Oxbow Public Market in Napa and My Green Smoothie Recipe

The Oxbow Market is a landmark in downtown Napa. On this trip, we actually stayed in the city of Napa, and the Market happened to be right down the street from our hotel. I was really inspired by my visit. The Market promotes fresh and local eating and has a very cool vibe. 

The last morning we were there, we went for a run and discovered a wonderful juice bar inside the market.

I was so excited because, as many of you know, I drink a fruit and veggie smoothie almost every morning. I was in desperate need of fruit and veggie power and this place delivered. Look at this great menu.

I ordered the Queen's Greens and it was so good. Every ingredient started as a whole food before being turned into juice. I made a mental note to try and replicate it when I returned home. (More on that in a minute.)

Here's a shot of the market. There were so many cool food vendors!

On Sunday, when we were home, Brian and I began our return to healthy living with a couple of smoothies. I decided to try to recreate the Queen's Greens and it turned out really good! I made this in my Vitamix so if you are using a regular blender, chop everything small and use more liquid if needed to blend smoothly. Also, this recipe is for 2. 

 

The Oxbow Market inspired Green Smoothie

1/4 cup carrot juice

1/4 cup coconut water

1/4 cup chopped cucumber

1 pear, chopped

small bunch of fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh papaya, chopped

1 large handful fresh spinach

1/4" fresh ginger root

1/4" cube fresh lemon

3-4 ice cubes

Add the ingredients in the order that works best for your blender. Add more fluid, water is fine, as needed to blend smoothly. 

Restaurant Review - The Floridian St. Augustine, FL

Here's a short list of a few things I love: Trying new restaurants. Locally owned restaurants. Locally owned restaurants that source their ingredients locally. Locally owned restaurants that have seasonal menus. Locally owned restaurants that have delicious food. 

Get the idea? 

Since these are things that I love, I am going to share my restaurant journeys with you as I have already started to do. Just so you know, I will jump back and forth between my foodie side and dietitian side as I talk about restaurants. There are a lot of reasons to choose a restaurant, and low calorie isn't always the main one (although that is important most of the time).

Today I am going to introduce you to one of my very favorite restaurants in St. Augustine Florida, The Floridian. I love it so much, I bought the t-shirt on my last visit. First, let me show you my pictures of the place.

 


And now, here's a brief look at the food.

The menu at The Floridan has something for everyone. What I love about the offerings is they blend southern comfort with healthy and fresh. Above is pictured the Fried Green Tomato Brushetta and the Cornbread Panzanella with shrimp. I don't usually order salads at restaurants unless they are just something amazing. This salad was amazing. The local cheese and greens and homemade cornbread croutons were a perfect trifecta of flavor. 

The Floridan is a restaurant that speaks to the southern locavore. There are light and healthy options, plenty of veggies to choose from, and indulgent offerings too. I recommend saving some room and calories for their cupcake of the day and taking a visit to The County Line bar in the back of the restaurant. 

All in all, this is a restaurant to enjoy on your next day trip to The Aug. Take your time and enjoy all it has to offer. When your done dining, take a short trip east to the Spice and Tea Exchange to complete your culinary experience. 

Restaurant Review - Ruby Tuesday

This evening we decided to dine at Ruby Tuesday near Brian's work. We had both worked hard to pull off a party for his weight lifting team this afternoon and we were pooped. We were both desiring veggies and the salad bar from Ruby was calling our name.

As we ate tonight, I was reminded by how great Ruby Tuesday has become for the healthy eater. I highly recommend this place as a go-to option for healthy eating. Let me tell you why.

1. The salad bar is amazing. Now it is included with any entree. Therefore you can fill up on veggies first! 
2. They feature "Fit and Trim" menu items that state the total amount of calories for the dish.
3. The have fantastic side item options like fresh tomatoes with balsamic, roasted spaghetti squash (I know, right!), mashed cauliflower, and grilled zucchini. 
4. There happy hour is.... wait. Never mind.

Tonight I enjoyed the grilled salmon with mashed cauliflower and asparagus. It was really delicious. 

So keep Ruby Tuesday on your list of healthy restaurants. It's getting easier to be an empowered eater when eating out.