Erin Thursby
Seafood-hungry denizens of Downtown Jax now have a new place to dine: Whispers Oyster Bar & Crabs at 331 W. Forsyth Street. Carribean and Southern dishes are on offer with decently priced specials such as their $12.99 junior crab in a bag, $10.99 shrimp pasta, $9.99 jerk pasta, $5 wings and $7 shrimp baskets. Expect southern sides like collards and classic mac & cheese to round out the selections. Those who work in the area will be glad of the 10% discount offered to government employees and Downtown businesses. Open every day 11:30am-11pm, with happy hour 5-9 pm.
Jacksonville showed up in food news nationally this past month. And it wasn’t exactly positive. But, at least it was only a Burger King. Footage of an employee cleaning a table with a floor mop went viral. Burger King, of course, issued a boiler-plate statement about how this was unacceptable. For those who are curious, the Burger King is located in Fruit Cove, and yes, they’ve had some health code violations according to News4Jax, which reported that they were cited for eight health code violations such as dirty freezers and moldy kitchen vents.
Another microbrewery is opening its doors in Jacksonville, this time in Springfield: Strings Sports Brewery. As might be obvious from the name, sports is the theme, so expect memorabilia, large-screen TVs, and less obviously, actual basketball hoops and dart boards! For the less physically inclined, they’ll have Jenga and Connect Four, among other things, in an effort to make it a family-friendly pub space. Round back, there’s a spacious biergarten. They’ll open with at least a couple of their own beers on tap, but they will have a total of about 20 to choose from including their own.
Also in beer news, Jacksonville’s Fishweir Brewing Co. in Murray Hill is set to distribute, having signed an agreement with Champion Brands. Counties included in the distribution area are Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns.
Something new opened last month in Murray Hill, and it’s hidden enough that you might not even know it’s there. It’s a German bar called Buchner’s Bierhalle, and you can get there through Blackhat Vapor or via the back door. They specialize in European beers, especially German ones, and they hand-craft many of their bar bites, utilizing the small space to maximum deliciousness. Expect pickled eggs, specialty roasted nuts, hand-carved charcuterie meats, and house-made sauerkraut, among other things, such as brats and even caviar. They open at 4pm Monday through Saturday, and are closed on Sundays. Food and drinks are served late night, a unique feature to the Murray Hill neighborhood, until 2am.
Just opened this month: Posting House in San Marco at 2018 Hendricks Avenue, where they serve up modern English pub fare. Don’t expect to go to an early lunch there just yet, but aim for a late lunch or dinner, as they open at 2pm each day, excluding Mondays when they are closed. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday they stay open until 10pm, and are open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Mimi’s on Town Center Parkway closed this year, but there’s already plans for a new restaurant to go into the space. The build-out will cost in the neighborhood of $1.8 million to convert it into an Ida Claire. This would be the second Ida Claire in the world, as the first is located in Dallas. Another is slated to open in the fall in San Antonio. The food will be Southern, with a cocktail menu. No word yet on when exactly they will be opening here in Jax, but we will keep you posted.
Blue Bamboo’s Dennis Chan plans to open up another restaurant in the Mandarin neighborhood at 10110 San Jose Boulevard near Haley Road. They’ll be serving alcohol and the more casual items from the Blue Bamboo menu, with a focus on Cantonese Chinese. If you don’t know Blue Bamboo or Chef Chan, you’re missing out–his family has served Jacksonville at local restaurants for over 70 years, and he himself is an award-winning chef, and a vital part of our local food community. We’re eager to see what the new place will be like!
Blue Bamboo isn’t the only Jacksonville restaurant looking to open a new place in Mandarin. The Happy Grilled Cheese will be opening a locale at 9965 San Jose Boulevard, probably very soon (search them out on Facebook and click the Mandarin location for updates). They specialize in exactly what it says on the tin (grilled cheese sandwiches!) and are one of Jacksonville’s food truck success stories. They went to brick Downtown on Hogan Street, and this will be their second locale. The space they will be occupying on San Jose is the former home of another food truck owners gone to brick (Blue Pacific Tacos).
Locals love Angie’s Subs in Jacksonville Beach, but there’s going to be some big changes coming soon, though the sub shop and their delicious subs will continue to be on offer through most of the construction. They’re still in the permitting process, but plans include a three-story distillery, plus the addition of a barbecue restaurant next to the sub shop. The biggest consideration is parking, and if you’ve ever been to Angie’s on a busy day, you’ve probably seen a full lot there. If the city approves, they will be making plans for more parking.
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