Olio restaurant review

August 15, 2012
by
2 mins read

by DAVE MCDONALD
Ever find yourself downtown, thinking to yourself, “What do I want to eat”? Well, I have a place for you to try out. Located on the corner of Market and Bay Streets, right across from the old courthouse, is Olio Market (www.oliomarket.com). I had heard from many of my friends about how good this place was, and that I just had to try the Duck Grilled Cheese (Menu description: duck confit, green tomato, gruyere, american cheese on sourdough bread $7).
So, now that my mouth was watering, I was out the door heading to Olio Market to try this thing out, and to see if it lived up to its reputation. Once I parked (tons of on-street parking since the courthouse has moved) and made my way in, I knew this place was going to be different. All over the walls are works of art from local artists that you can purchase right then and there, if you see something that strikes your fancy. Another thing I noticed was the open kitchen right in front of you. I like that; it shows me a level of trust. They know there will be tons of eyes on them, but they aren’t scared. Bravo! I knew I was going to order the Duck Grilled Cheese, but I needed to order a side too, so I went with the Bacon Cheese Fries (Menu description: None given. It’s bacon, cheese and fries; what else do you need? $4) and a soda. The whole order was $13.91. Kind of pricey for a quick lunch, but I did order something with duck in it though.
After placing the order, you head to your seat, fill up your glass with your drink of choice, and then sit down and wait till you hear your name. Once my name came up twice (apparently my mom wasn’t original enough when naming me), I grabbed my grub and headed back to my table. As you can see from the pictures, the fries looked amazing and, lucky me, they tasted amazing too! The bacon was cooked perfectly, and there was a healthy portion of it on the fries. I couldn’t tell what kind of cheese it was, but it wasn’t your typical “nacho” cheese you get sometimes. This was much better and was white in color. The fries have a seasoned coating on them too, which helped keep them crisp as the liquid goodness soaked into them while I was eating my sandwich. That brings me to the Duck Grilled Cheese—all kinds of awesome. Two for two so far with this meal. I see why everyone recommends this sandwich; it was great. The sourdough bread was nice and fresh and had the crispy crust that I love, and the mixture of cheeses that surround the tasty duck was a perfect balance.
While the courthouse has moved to their new location, I feel that Olio has a reputation that will still bring people to their side of Downtown. It was recently announced that they will open for dinner service in August too (August 11, from 5-10 pm)! Another great option for dinner while enjoying the nightlife Downtown.
Oh, afterwards, I heard someone talking about how awesome their lemonade is, so if you go, report back and let me know what you thought of it—that is, if I haven’t beaten you to it already!

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

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