Foo Dog, Tony D's, Dos Vatos, Prati Italia: Jacksonville restaurant recommendations
May kicked off with an Italian feast at Tony D’s New York Pizza. I hadn’t been to this Baymeadows spot in years. I went with a Greek salad and a bacon-and-artichoke pizza, while my husband devoured a chicken Caesar salad and fried mozzarella sticks.
Moving into Riverside, I enjoyed a solo post-work dinner of savory green curry and crispy cod atop rice at Foo Dog Curry Traders. By the steady stream of to go orders, it’s safe to say this is the "it" to-go spot in the neighborhood. Sweet goes best with savory, so I detoured at the new San Marco Dreamette (in the old Bold Bean Coffee space) for a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone.
Stopping in nearby Avondale, I was pleased to see a few new menu items at Mediterranean-inspired Falafel x Bar — I tried the shawarma salad and took a requisite ($3) trip to the toppings bar for feta crumbles, roasted eggplant, cucumbers, pickled vegetables, tahini and chickpea salad.
We crossed the ditch (aka the Intracoastal Waterway) three times this month! First to travel back in time to my UNF college days for Angie’s Subs. The chicken salad with grapes and Peruvian sauce, and the sweet tea still taste the same after all these years. A trip to nearby Southern Swells for a round of craft beers followed our nostalgic sub stop.
The second time was a Saturday date night. My husband and I headed for Neptune Beach, where I snagged a dirty martini at One Ocean’s Azurea, before making our way over to Doro for dinner and bubbly. The burrata with tomato jam never gets old, and I’m still dreaming about the crudo and schnitzel appetizers we devoured.
The final trip was for Dos Vatos tacos. The scallop with bacon jam is my reigning go-to, but I switched it up this visit and tried the Korean short rib with spicy cucumbers.
The center of town beckoned for Mother’s Day as Mom chose Prati Italia. We feasted upon a salumi and cheese platter, mussels in a savory shallot and white wine bath, and managed to save room for a Roman-style pizza topped with local mushrooms, truffle oil, garlic cream and chives.
Swung into Springfield’s locally owned 1748 Bakehouse for a lunch meeting. Tried the tarragon chicken salad with lemon tahini dressing, added local kimchi and pickles, then topped it off with a sweet galette from the pastry case. I also enjoyed a local Pura Bean cappuccino.
A business meeting downtown took me to Ground Level Coffee, inside the Bank of America tower. It serves local Bold Bean coffee, plus an assortment of 1748 Bakehouse treats and Donut Shoppe donuts.
I also hit up Mandarin’s Le Petit Paris for brunch: a scrambled egg and prosciutto breakfast croissant and cappuccino. Aside from its drool-worthy menu offerings, I adore this shop’s Parisian vibe.
Parlor Doughnuts has made its way to Northeast Florida! I was eager to pop into the new shop in Fruit Cove (formerly Twisted Compass Coffee) for a layered doughnut. With more than a dozen flavors, I landed on a coconut cream filled doughnut and drip coffee. The doughnut was warm, not too sweet, and the layers are just like a buttery, flaky croissant. Heaven!
Caron Streibich is an avid food-lover who reviews restaurants in the Life section. Follow her dining adventures at facebook.com/caroneats and #caroneats on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville dining recommendations: Foo Dog, Dos Vatos, Prati Italia
