Jacksonville Jazz Festival

The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is quickly approaching (April 11th-13th), so mark your calendars. This is one of our favorite annual events, so you know we will be in attendance.

Click Here to check out this years performers. We are super stoked to see Dave Koz on the program!

Unfortunately it looks like this years festival will be a scaled down version of previous years and will have more local acts than national. Not that having more local acts is a bad thing (its actually a good thing). The unfortunate part of it is the number of national acts and the pretty lackluster marketing for the festival by the City's Office of Special Events.

We will certainly make the best of it none-the-less. As long as theres Jazz and Beer we'll be OK!

The House That Soon Built

Do you guys know that eyesore of a dark brown/beige house that has been abandoned, gated, and closed off for years next to Mossfire Grill? Well, it is an eyesore no more! Yesterday Soon Hills (Marks Mom) house was finally leveled, paving the way for MORE CONDOS!!!!

(Photo Submitted by Mark, Details by Joe(y))

OH MA GA!

Our favorite little (pequena) friend is back with her/his/its rendition of Amy Winehouse's Rehab. PLEASE ENJOY!

(Submitted by Mark - The News Room Chief)

Cafe 331 - Review

As you guys already know, we tried out Cafe 331 (331 W Forsyth St.) Wednesday night before the ArtWalk and we had a wonderful time. First of all, we must say that we were really mesmerized when we walked into the place. It was freaking HUGE!!!!

The weather was absolutely perfect, so we decided to sit outside and enjoy the two-for-one drafts while we waited for a few people to arrive. Once everyone was in place, we ordered some Calamari to start out with (yes, we love calamari).

The Calamari had marinara with it and the tubes were nice big pieces, the only complaint we had was that there were no tentacles. We love tentacles!

We chugged a few more beers and then decided to order some sandwiches, so we went inside and placed our orders (you can either order at the deli counter or with the bartender).

Jason and Emily both had the BLT.

The double decker BLT's were delicious, just enough bacon, a ton of mayo, shredded lettuce, and a perfectly thin-sliced tomato.

Robin had the Patty Melt.

He said it was awesome (and it looked it, cheese oozing out of the grilled bread....) and he finished every last crumb.

Mark had the Grilled Ham & Cheese

Though they delivered him a grilled cheese initially (mistakes happen, no big whoop) they quickly corrected his order. It was great, lots of cheese. Mark pretty much inhaled it.

Joe(y) had the Turkey Club.

As you guys know, Joe(y) is a man of few words and just said that it was "good". It was pretty much your basic club, so its pretty hard to really mess one up.

Patrick had the Fish & Chips.

and it must've been like the best thing he's ever eaten because the plate was cleaned by the time we sat down from taking the picture (above).

Last, but not least, Junior Staff Member PJ had some Onion Rings...

Unlike everything else, which was amazing, PJ said that the onion rings, "taste like sh*t!"...but he's a kid so who really cared what the eff he thought about them anyway. We all had a taste and thought they were just fine.

Owners Milton and Judith were very gracious hosts and took care of everything we needed. Milton also informed us that they are going to try out a Mediterranean night sometime in the future featuring Greek/Arabic foods and music. We will definitely check that out.

HOPA!!!! At the end of our meal Milton bought us all a round of Ouzo and we did a traditional Greek toast.

Be sure to check out Cafe 331 located in Downtown Jacksonville at 331 West Forsyth Street. They have a great menu and the prices are unbeatable. The place is huge and has some of our favorite local Artists' works displayed. We had a wonderful time. Thanks again Milton and Judith.

Metro Diner Brunch - Review

A few of the Jacksonville Confidential staff members joined up at Metro Diner (3302 Hendricks Ave.) yesterday, Sunday March 2nd, for breakfast/brunch. Unfortunately only half of our group made it because the other half had a previous engagement. Anyway, here's our review...

Metro Diner was, expectedly, packed when we arrived for breakfast, but our wait time for 6 people was just under 10 minutes. We were shuffled to the very back of the tightly packed eatery and immediately helped by our adorable server, whose name we totally forgot to get.

We had a choice of either the Breakfast Menu or the Lunch Menu. Jason, Robin, Mark, and Patrick all chose items off the breakfast menu and Emily chose a lunch item.

Jason and Patrick both had the Huevos Rancheros - Your choice of eggs served on top of fried tortilla shells, black beans, onions peppers and chorizo sausage topped with melted cheese, salsa, sour cream and jalepenos. They were fantastic and "new" to the menu.

Robin had the Yo Hala on the Square - A thick slice of Challah bread stuffed with bananas that have been sautéed in Frangelica and blended with cream cheese, Then prepared like French toast and topped with a delicious blueberry strawberry compote!! It was GIGANTIC, sweet, and amazing!

Mark had the Eggs Benedict - Two poached eggs and Canadian bacon served on an English muffin, topped with creamy hollandaise sauce, complete with hash browns. He enjoyed every single bite.

Emily had the Meatloaf Plate - Our famous meatloaf with mashed garlic red skinned potatoes, gravy & veggies, and fresh bread. It looked really good, but she didn't even eat half of it and said it was just "okay".

Overall it was a really nice experience, the seating, service, and delivery were super fast and the employees were all awesome. We will be back some day!

Update: Just wanted to say that this place is like Beach Road Chicken awesome...okay? get it?!

Mitchell's Fish Market - Review

Jason, Robin, and Mark checked out the new Mitchell's Fish Market at the Town Center (5099 Big Island Dr.) on Saturday, it was pretty darn good.

When we first entered the restaurant we were a little taken back by the ambiance, it looks very posh and expensive. We were there for lunch and didn't really want to spend too much on food (we were shopping after all), but we were pleasantly surprised by the menu prices (ranging from approximately $8-$15 per app/entree).

Our server Hayley started us off with some Iced Teas and Bread. One thing we totally dig is that they brew the iced tea fresh for your table and give you a carafe on the side with the extra. Many kudos for that grand idea.

We ordered some Fried Calamari ($9.95) to start out with, it came with "peanuts, and a zesty dipping sauce" (which was basically Sweet Chili Sauce with some crushed peanuts added to it) and a few fried green beans. It was very good and the chili sauce was a great dipping choice for the calamari, we're used marinara or some sort of aioli.

For their entree's, Robin and Mark both ordered the special of the day, Pasta Louise ($12.95), penne pasta with shrimp, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and fresh spinach. It was absolutely delicious. Mark mentioned that he specifically liked how they laid the fresh spinach on top and allowed it to wilt slowly with the heat of the finished dish instead of cooking it at the same time. The portion was pretty generous too.

Jason had the Fish & Chips ($11.95), fried pacific cod, cole slaw, sea salt french fries, and hushpuppies - all excellent and a huge serving. The cod was fried to perfection (as were the hushpuppies).

Our total bill was just over $50 for the three of us, the total dining experience was very pleasant and we will surely return. We checked out the dinner menu and did want to note that the prices for dinner are a tad pricier (approx. $12 - $23)....we hope that the portions reflect the hike in price.

Al's Pizza - Review

Al's Pizza (1620 Margaret Street) was totally the perfect place to kick-off the perfect night. There were about 16 of us in attendance and though Al's does not take reservations the staff was more than helpful setting up a large table for us. We had to wait a little while for the dining room to clear out, so we sat at the bar and had a few drinks to warm us up.

We were seated and promptly helped by our FANTASTIC server Lindsey. Heres what we had....

First to arrive at the table were the salads and appetizers (Italian Sausage & Peppers and Cheese Garlic Bread). The house balsamic dressing is delicious and both of the appetizers were tasty as well. We quickly devoured our first course and as soon as our plates were taken our entrees arrived.

Emily, Rusty, and David all had slices of pizza pie and all agreed that they were wonderful. The slices were pretty big too! Emily had a little trouble eating 2 slices and ended up just picking all of the toppings off of her second one.

Joe(y) and Amber both had a Chicken Caesar Salad. Joe(y) said his Chicken Caesar was "really good and was a substantial portion." Amber agreed saying, "one of the best caesar salads I have ever had, the tomato makes it!". Yeah, she added tomato.

Jason had the Spaghetti & Meatballs and cleaned his plate, so you know it was awesome.
Robin had the Eggplant Parmigiana and was very pleased. He did mention that the eggplant was a little soggy, but the taste was spot on and the sogginess wasn't enough to taint the dish.
Linda had the Chicken Parmigiana and mentioned that she orders it quite often and loves it.
Mark had the Baked Ziti. His opinion, "Tasty".
Last, but certainly not least, Becky had the Chicken Fingers and YES we all ragged on her for it, but she said she gets them quite often and they are her favorites. They actually did look quite good.

We totally give Al's a 10 out of 10 stars for hosting us last night. All of the food was magnificent, reasonably priced, and served super-fast by the most awesome server EVER!!! Thanks again to Lindsey for really taking care of us and ensuring that we had a spectacular time. WE WILL BE BACK!

Tento Churrascaria - Brazilian Steakhouse

Mark - The News Room Chief paid a visit to the sort-of-new (it's been around for maybe a year?) Tento Churrascaria - Brazilian Steakhouse out at the beach (528 North First Street) over the weekend and reported back that it was fantastic! We plan on doing a full-fledged review of the venue real soon, but in the meantime you can check out a review from Taste Memory and another from Jacksonville Magazine. Below is a pretty thorough description of the steakhouse:

Churrasco is the open-flame cooking style developed by the Gauchos (South American cowboys) of the southern plains of Brazil. Traditionally, various types of meat are slow roasted on huge swordlike skewers. The skewers are then brought to each table and carved for our guests.

Unlike at most restaurants, you are not presented with a dinner menu at Tento. Here, aside from drinks and dessert, this is a one-price meal - $39 adults, $33 seniors (before 6pm), $18 children 5-12. Included is a trip to the central buffet table, which offers a selection of soup, salad, starters, and vegetables such as beautiful haricots verts alongside tender hearts of palm, mixed olives, broccoli, asparagus, potato salad, couscous, a side of salmon that finished with a slight spice of pepper, Caesar salad and mixed green salad. Warm sides are also available to accompany your dinner, such as creamy rich Parmesan mashed potatoes and the ubiquitous South American white rice and beans.

We also have a couple of (blurry) pictures.

The Red & Green Paddles in the last picture are used to alert your server as to whether or not you need assistance.

Burrito Gallery - Review

This review may be a little different than most of the others we've done because we have been to Burrito Gallery (21 E Adams St.) many, many times. So, although it may not have a "fresh" perspective, the review will be based on a culmination of visits with the main focus on our meal last night. This is a good thing.

We showed up at Burrito around 5:30PM and it turned out to be perfect timing. There was a small line (that always moves quickly) and plenty of empty tables (but not for long). So we all ordered and the food was delivered super fast, as always.

Heres the breakdown....

Jason had the Yellow Curry Chicken Burrito and said, "It was pretty good; the yellow curry had a really good flavor, but honestly I usually get the Ginger Teriyaki Tofu Burrito and find it to be much tastier."

Robin had the Curry Walnut Chicken Salad Wrap and was a bit disappointed, claiming , "Too much lettuce and tomato, barely any chicken. The flavor was good, but the lettuce didn't seem to have been dried and it was wet inside. I was expecting more of a chicken salad not a salad with chicken on it. Also there were about 3 walnuts and no golden raisins."

Another Robyn had the Avocado-Tuna Salad and she said it was GREAT! and totally cleaned her plate.

Emily had one measly Steak Taco (and a TON of sour cream) that couldn't have possibly filled her up, but she did say it was delicious and she always gets the same thing, so we'll take her word for it. It did look good.

Mark had the Tuna Salad Wrap, his most favorite item on the menu. Always good and always sprout free!

Lastly, Joe(y) had the Chicken Tacos....."They were awesome, I usually get the chicken buritto, but these were much better."

As you can see from the menu posted above, the prices are incredibly reasonable. Burrito Gallery has a comfortable atmosphere and they change their art frequently. The place does get a bit loud, but we usually go during the ArtWalks so the place is, as you would expect, packed. They've also got a bar in the back and an outside "urban" patio past that.

So, finally, there's our quick review of Burrito Gallery. If you haven't been, you should really try it out...enjoy Downtown!