Bowl of Pho Vietnamese Resaurant

There has been a lot of talk recently about Bowl of Pho Vietnamese Restaurant on Old Baymeadows Rd. on Jacksonville’s southside, so when a friend suggested we give it a try, I had to see what all the hype was about. Now I still have not fully gotten over the preconceived notion that good restaurants and strip malls go together, so there was part of me that lowered my expectations prior to walking in – but I certainly did not need to.

We were greeted warmly shortly after arriving and shown to a comfortable booth. Our server came next to take our drink orders and asked if we had any questions about the menu since I mentioned neither of us had been there before. She happily explained the concept and a couple of the more popular dishes, then left us to decide.

I opted for the appetizer of Grilled Pork Spring Rolls and the Noodle Soup with Crab, Shrimp, and Pork. My friend chose the Vietnamese Egg Rolls, the Bowl of Pho Special Fried Rice, and the Bowl of Pho Special Soup. Our appetizers came out very quickly, and we were both very happy with our choices. The Grilled Pork Spring Rolls rolled in rice paper were very light, and paired perfectly with the nuoc mam sauce (a sweet fish sauce with lime and lemon juices) to give it an exceptional flavor. If I had to criticize the roll at all, my only suggestion would be to add just a little more of the grilled pork – it was excellent and would have liked that flavor to come out slightly more than it did, but overall I was very happy with the spring roll. The Vietnamese Egg Rolls were so good that my friend refused to share, but assured me the blend of ground pork, chicken, shrimp, and crabmeat with lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, and served with the same nuoc mam sauce as with the Spring Rolls were exceptional. Now I need to go back to try those!

Our entrées were brought out quicker than I might have liked as I was still working on my appetizer, but the product was certainly worth the minor inconvenience of having to finish my Spring Roll quickly. We learned very quickly that you had better be hungry when eating at Bowl of Pho, because leaving with any appetite left is just not an option. The portion size for my noodle soup could have easily fed two, but I wasn’t complaining because the flavors that paired so well with the pork, shrimp, and crab were out of this world. After trying a few bites, I went for the platter of optional ingredients to add and found myself loving the soup even more as I squeezed a lime over the soup and added jalapenos, fresh basil and cilantro. My only frustration with my bowl was that the large rice noodles were difficult to pick up with the spoon that was provided, so I had to use my fork to get many of these. Overall, that was minor compared to the wonderful flavors!

I also tried a little of my friend’s Bowl of Pho Special soup, and it was every bit as good as mine! It featured several cuts of beef over small rice noodles with fresh basil, cilantro, green onions and bean sprouts, and became even tastier with the addition of fresh squeezed lime juice. The Bowl of Pho Special Fried Rice was even better, neither of us would hesitate to order this again – as long as we are really hungry! Generous amounts of chicken, beef, pork, and shrimp made this rice seem more like a meal rather than a side order, but there was more than enough left over to take home and enjoy the next day.

I am thrilled to see new and diverse restaurants coming to Jacksonville, and Bowl of Pho is a perfect example of a newer restaurant making exceptional food at a very reasonable price. If you’re looking for something different that will surely fill you up without breaking the bank, but will also offer wonderful flavors and combinations you may not have tried before, then I highly recommend Bowl of Pho. I am already looking forward to going back and trying more of what they have to offer!

Mitchell's Fish Market at St. John's Town Center

Every time I’ve talked to others about whether they would recommend Mitchell’s Fish Market, I heard a very similar response: “It’s good, but be prepared to pay.” And who wouldn’t expect to pay more when the food is flown in fresh each day from destinations far and wide? So when my date, who is a pescatarian (a vegetarian who eats seafood), asked me to choose a restaurant for the evening, I was slightly hesitant to suggest Mitchell’s until I looked at their menu online. What I found was a wide array of choices in seafood, as well as several great alternatives in poultry and steak, all in very reasonable prices that were comparable to any other restaurant I would see fit for such an occasion. When I called ahead to make a reservation, I was told that while it wasn’t required, it was a good idea in case the restaurant got very busy and was assisted very politely and professionally.

Upon arriving, I found that the restaurant was indeed popular, but not so much that we needed to wait to be accommodated, and was immediately impressed with the décor and atmosphere. We were led to a cozy booth and were greeted by our server shortly afterwards, who was very pleasant in bringing us our water and bread as he gave us time to choose a bottle of wine from the extensive wine list and look over the menu.

After settling on a nice bottle of Pinot Noir (I know it doesn’t necessarily go with seafood, but we were in the mood for a nice red), we went back and forth over what to order – there were that many excellent choices. Having looked over the menu online, I was reasonably certain I would order the blue crab and shrimp in an alfredo sauce over penne pasta – until I learned of the prix fixe menu. Both my date and I elected to go with this option, but went different routes to have the option to share. She ordered the Summer Broiled Shrimp and Scallops over a summer vegetable succotash and garlic-herb red skin potatoes, while I chose the Lobster and Shrimp over Pappardelle pasta with asparagus and summer tomatoes in a white wine sauce.

Our house salads were delivered promptly, and it was an excellent blend of carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, pine nuts, and dates (what a nice surprise!) with a fantastic poppy-seed vinaigrette – I will now be looking for a similar vinaigrette next time I go to the store, it was that good. The dates added a nice contrast to the rest of the salad, bringing just a little sweetness to balance the acidity of the dressing. Following our salads, our main courses were delivered in a very reasonable timeframe, but hers brought about our only disappointment of the evening – the succotash included bacon (not mentioned on the menu). I know many succotash recipes include bacon, but we both felt this should have been listed in the description, especially at a seafood restaurant. Rather than cause a scene and to alleviate the guilty feeling my date was already feeling, I switched entrees with her and we both happily enjoyed our new meals.

On mine, the shrimp was broiled to perfection on skewers with whole cloves of garlic and laid over the bed of succotash. I enjoyed the bits of bacon in the succotash, which gave an otherwise plain accompaniment a nice twist of flavor, and found the garlic-herb red skin potatoes to be seasoned very appropriately. In the few bites my date was gracious enough to offer of my ‘old’ dish, I found the lobster and shrimp over pasta in white wine sauce to be wonderful. With just the right amount of garlic and herbs, this dish really let the seafood be the star – I only wish I would have gotten more, but was more than happy to be the gentleman to make both of us happy.

Following our entrees, dessert was served to round out our prix fixe menus. I had ordered the strawberry shortcake, while she had ordered the vanilla crème brulee, so we had plenty to share. We both found the crème brulee to be satisfactory, but there wasn’t much that stood out about it. I liked the taste that was somewhat reminiscent of a roasted marshmallow, but it certainly wasn’t the best thing about our meal. The strawberry shortcake was definitely better, with fresh strawberries, a dallop of vanilla ice cream over a shortcake that had a faint lemon flavor – clearly the winner between the two desserts.

Overall, dinner at Mitchell’s was a success and I would not hesitate to go back or to suggest Mitchell’s to a friend. The service was excellent without being overbearing, with the only gaffe being when the waiter delivered another tables to-go box to our table, but this was quickly corrected without incident. I firmly believe Mitchell’s so-called reputation for being overpriced to be incorrect – good food and good service at a reasonable price changed my mind. Anyone looking for a great restaurant for a nice occasion should walk in confidently knowing they will get their moneys worth.

Jamrock Caribbean Bar & Grill

The spirit of Bob Marley is alive and well at Jamrock Caribbean Bar & Grill!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Jamrock, but the immediate and warm welcome I received told me I was in for a good experience. As I walked in, both the bartender and the nearest waitress both shouted welcome over the reggae music and directed me to sit anywhere I would like. Between the music, the bold red, yellow, and green colors, and the mural of Bob Marley and some of his more famous lyrics on the walls, Jamrock has casual fun written all over it.

I settled into a booth next to a window and my waitress arrived promptly and cheerfully to bring me a menu and take my drink order. I opted to go with the Kingston Curry with goat and sides of sweet potato fries and rice and sat back to enjoy the fun vibe and see what others were eating around me. The table immediately to my right was enjoying their Conch Fritters and Island Quesadillas - and I have to admit that both looked fantastic! My wait didn't last too long before my meal was brought to me on a perfectly presented plate and accompanied by the tantalizing smell of the curry and goat.

As I dove in, I was a little surprised by the bones in my meat - it wasn't anything I couldn't get past, but it wouldn't have been my first choice. Regardless, the taste of the goat with the curry sauce was excellent - the garlic and curry flavors worked very well and the meat absolutely fell apart to the touch of my fork. The rice that accompanied the curry was adequate and worked well to sop up some of the juice, but overall wasn't anything special on it's own. As a sucker for anything sweet potato, I definitely enjoyed the fries as well, but like the rice, they didn't stand out on their own at all. I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple plaintain chips on the plate - they provided the perfect finish to cleanse the palate.

I absolutely plan on returning to sample several other items on the menu - their Jerk Chicken looked excellent at another diner's table, and the sound of the Rasta Pasta (Jerk Chicken with peppers, Parmesan cheese, and an Alfredo sauce served over Penne pasta) is enough to draw me back.

Overall, I was pleased with Jamrock - the service was excellent, I was treated like a valued guest, the feel was very casual and upbeat, and the food was very good. I would not hesitate to suggest Jamrock to friends looking for something a little different at the beach and look forward to trying it again!