Lemongrass (Jacksonville, FL)

Restaurant Name: Lemongrass


City: Jacksonville, Florida
Visit Date: 06/05/12
Food Type: Thai
Meal: Lunch

Address: 9846 Old Baymeadows Rd, Jacksonville FL 32256 


Food Rating: 8/10
Environment Rating: 6/10
Price: 4/10
Service Rating: 1/10
Overall Rating: 19/40 (Would Not Recommend)


tl;dr: I'm tempted to try this place again at a later time for a meal other than lunch to see if I simply had a bad experience, but the service quality was so off putting that I never want to step foot into this restaurant again.


To open. June 5th, the visit date was my 23rd birthday. And while I had been hoping for a much more enjoyable experience, I was sadly mistaken in the fact and thusly was quite irked by the experience I had. Expectations were high and a meal with my family should have been a better affair. 


Lemongrass Thai is located on Southside in Jacksonville, Fl. It's not exactly a place that would pop out at you if you weren't specifically looking for it. Inside, the restaurant has a upper-class bar feel. Abstract art and contrasting colors line the walls and if it wasn't for the Buddha statue on the reception table and the wooden dragon designs near the kitchen area; I wouldn't have guessed this was and Asian joint in the slightest.  


At the time of my visit, I arrived during their lunch rush; Well not so much a rush I suppose since there were still several open tables present. The clientele of this restaurant appeared to be middle aged tech types. The location is in a part of town that caters to various business offices in say a 20 mile radius.  


The first thing that I noticed upon walking into the restaurant was the noise. Tables are crowded together quite tightly and as much as I didn't want to, I ended up hearing about the office drama of the table of techies behind me. 


Our server was a male gentleman, I'd reckon around mid to 30s. Tan complexion and and accent that made me believe he was from South-East Asia. 

Coconut Shrimp - So not worth $8

For an appetizer, my guest and I decided on sharing their Coconut Shrimp. Let me first say that it was foolish for either of us to have thought that a restaurant such as this would actually have reasonable serving sizes. 


And while I was expecting a normal sized eggroll or I suppose "shrimp roll" as this case would be; the picture on the right was what I got. Please note that when the menu uses the phrase "jumbo shrimp: At most 1/4 of the shrimp is inside of each roll. The coconut that the menu item refers to, is a generic shredded variant that the pounded shrimp meat is rolled in before before being wrapped in the rice paper wrapper and deep fried. The spicy ketchup-like sauce that accompanies it is far too strong to be of practical use with this dish as it covers and drowns out the flavor of the coconut. 


As for the shrimp itself, while properly seasoned so as to remain sweet, the deep-frying and presence of coconut makes the dish lose it's seafood appeal and in turn becomes simply another fried appetizer; nothing special. The garnish of carrot threads was excessive in my opinion and because of the similarities in color, added little to the overall appeal of the plate and could be considered more of a space filler than an actual reason to enjoy them.


At this point I should go into detail as to how the staff made my lunch experience horrible. The waiter present was not only MIA for a good 3/4 of our lunch, my previous dining experiences in various restaurants have obviously caused me to become too vulnerable to poor service. I seriously waited 30 minutes to get a refill of water. Now had this been the case with say wine or something of the like; I could suspect a reasonable issue with the server having to find us a suitable refill and or bottle. However as this was for a cup of water; you can guess why I was so irked. 


Not only that. After 45 minutes of waiting for our food; my guest finally was able to flag down our server and inquire as to where our food was. She being on her lunch break wasn't expecting the meal to take so long. I likewise had a similar expectation for the expedience of our food. Our server seriously had the nerve to tell us: "If you want your food to come out fast, you have to ask for it." Because I seriously enjoy waiting an hour for my food... (If you can't read the sarcasm in my writing, shame on you). I've never been in a restaurant where this was the policy but I suppose there's a first time for everything.

Panang Curry from Lemongrass

For this lunch affair, I ordered Panang Curry with Beef. Panang curry in most forms exists as a mix of various South-East Asian spices cooked with coconut milk and the addition of peanut sauces. The resulting sauce should have a creamy consistency with a light spice after-note. 


In this effect, Lemongrass succeeded in my expectations. the slices of beef were tender and had soaked up enough of the curry flavor to leave an enjoyable flavor. The vegetables present were crisp but fully cooked and were salt-balanced. Likewise the fragrant jasmine rice that paired with the dish was enjoyable.


The only thing that I had an issue with was portion. Because seriously a quarter of a bowl of rice isn't enough to adequately enjoy this (or any other) dish.


Not to mention the excessive garnishes this place uses. I'll be upfront and say that I don't enjoy carrots. They're orange and often cooked to a distasteful mush. As a garnish, they should add a nice pizzazz of color. On top of my rice; not so much. Instead I have what appears to be orange hair randomly strewn on top of an already small portion. The fact that the garnish isn't neat and orderly only makes the underlying rice appear all the smaller. 


I do apologize for ranting; how unprofessional of me. Nonetheless. Don't eat here. There are far better options if you simply have to have your curry fix. Not to mention your wallet will thank you. 

And as I said before; I probably will not come back here. I believe in second chances but my stomach believes in a decent meal with reasonable sized portions. 

The Conch House (Saint Augustine, FL)

Resturant Name: The Conch House

City: Saint Augustine, Florida

Visit Date: 3/23/12

Food Type:  Seafood + American

Meal: Lunch

Address: 57 Comares Avenue  St. Augustine, FL 32080

Food Rating: 9/10

Environment Rating: 8/10

Price: 7/10

Service Rating: 10/10

Overall Rating: 34/40 (Excellent)

tl;dr Great location to grab lunch or dinner. Friendly staff and lovely view. Slightly more expensive than I would have liked and could do without the random birds walking around.

A good friend from out of town drove up to Saint Augustine for the day and wanted to have lunch. I of course scrambled online to check out a location nearby that wasn’t too far away and that would be tasty.

Google tossed me this recommendation as one of its top 5 listings for the Saint Augustine. And so as it stands I didn’t have much reason not to at least try it out.

First of all I have to say that the out of the way location is great for having a meal. Now I do realize that out of the way means a tad bit of a drive. But going over the Bridge of Lions is a lovely view if you aren’t stopped one side of it or another because of bad traffic or a boat crossing.

Anyway parking was plentiful and today wasn’t that unbearably hot. The hostess area had no wait when we arrived at 12:30. Apparently there’s 3 seating zones. One outside with umbrella coverage, another set under tiki style thatched roofing and the final set that is indoors but with large glass doors that can be moved to allow the breeze in.

Interestingly enough there weren’t traditional cloth napkins that I had originally expected. Instead there are what appears to be wash cloths wrapped around the cutlery. Not necessarily a detraction from the appeal of the place but that’s just because I’m too used to standard cloth napkins. Anyway these were perfect for the intended purpose of keeping one’s hands clean.

The biggest draw for me in deciding this particular location was the fact that it was near the water front yet offered a slightly out of the way feel. Situated next door to the marina the Conch Restaurant offers its guests a charming view of the Saint Augustine salt-grass that fits well with the seafood theme of the location.

Our server was a lovely gentleman named Erik. Friendly and polite, he was by far one of the best waiters I’ve ever had in ANY establishment. He offered us just amount of time between getting our appetizers situated and then asking for our main orders as well as being able to crack jokes and in general being a welcoming host to keep the meal enjoyable.

Conch Fritters

For an Appetizer we decided on the Conch Fritters. For the price I would have liked a few more of the delicious morsels but I feel it’s acceptable for the 6 balls of deliciousness that we received. At the Conch House, their fritters are made with what I can assume is Atlantic-caught conch. The meat is sliced and mixed with an interesting but delicious blend of red peppers, cornmeal and a few spices as well as something that leaves a refreshingly sweet afternote. These fritters are deep fried until a delightful shade of golden and served with a side of key lime mustard. As I would like to note, the perfect beginning to a delightful meal.

While we were waiting for our main courses to arrive, I had the opportunity to look around. We ended up deciding to sit inside and enjoy the comforts of air-conditioning. At this point I must make a small note that arguably would be one of my only 2 real negative points as to the restaurant. And while I understand that based on the location as well as the idiocracy of guests there is no possibility of the contrary, I have to make the note. I think it’s slightly unsanitary that more than one pigeon simply walked through the doors and began pecking at my feet before I shoo-ed it away with great gusto.

Yes I’m quite happy that it was a pigeon and not the somewhat aggressive sea-gulls that my time in Florida has exposed me to. But even then a restaurant should realize that animals randomly walking around and pecking at scraps is less than slightly. And while this may be due to location as well as guests who feel inclined to toss scraps at said animals… I would hope something could be done.

But aside from that the rest of my luncheon was a charm. In the middle of the lunch hour there were several other parties of individuals present but the builders and restaurant planners had enough foresight to leave space between tables. Thusly we were able to actually hear each other even with the baby behind us and the random kids (probably staying at the motel) running out of the pool. The thatched roofing, regae music and random tiki-themed statues aren’t over the top and offer diners a pleasant view.

Conversation flowed freely between myself and my friend and likewise the server was EXCELLENT about everything I expected from him. Even before my soda was empty, he rushed back with a refill; he was polite and actually stopped by to check up on us every few minutes and arguably the best part of it was that he knew what was on the menu and made real recommendations as to what he could personally vouch for.

Fried Oysters and Fries - Amazing

As for the main course of the meal, I chose the fried oysters; arguably an odd choice. However I wasn’t in the mood for the fish and my companion had already decided on a burger and I didn’t want to seem too traditional with my visit to a new restaurant.  The plate which I felt was slightly overpriced at $10 consisted of 6 lightly friend oysters accompanied by fries and a Cesar salad.

And I must say these were amazing oysters. Now in the past I’ve had fried oysters. And I was kinda hesitant on that matter because the ones I had previously consumed were almost jerkey like strips of some type of shellfish in a rock hard batter dipping. The ones at the Conch House are near perfect. The batter they use is light enough to make a good shell but taste neutral and amplified the flavor of the meaty oyster within. The oysters themselves had clean crisp flavor of the ocean and were pleasant enough that I wish I had gotten more than 6 of them. Fries were as expected decent and the Cesar could have done without the croutons but I’m ok because the focus of the meal was exactly how they deserved to be.

At the end of our meal, Erik offered to grab us each a slice of key lime or mud-cake but we were both quite stuffed with the luncheon and kindly refused.

I would definitely come back here.  The theme, the feel, the location; all of it proved to be perfect in making me enjoy my luncheon.  Thank You Erik. If you get a chance to read this, you did your job perfectly and I would be honored if you would serve me again if I get the chance to visit your restaurant again :)

Writing Again

I do apologize for my absence in writing. I won't lie and say that I've been busy because while it's true that I am slightly busier, I could easily have taken an hour day off any day to write my reviews in full.

Well a mix of lethargy and general depression over various situations caused me to decide not write.

I'm back though. I've thusly updated a bit of my original criteria for judging restaurants and tonight I'll be done writing my most recent lunch visit.

I hope this is a help to others who decide to purvey their pallets at said restaurants.

Thank You and have a great day :)

Back from California

My red-eye flight dropped me off at JAX yesterday morning. I'm still trying to get over all of the jetlag but as soon as I do, I'll be typing like crazy to put up all of these reviews for places I ended up at.

Overall I'm quite satisfied with my stay in California. I ended up making friends with some pretty awesome people and because I had a native of the area with me this time, I was considerably more comfortable going places and in general nomming on things with people.

But yeah give me a few more hours and I'll start writing again!

Hugs and general well wishes to you and yours!

01/09 Off to California Soon

On Wednesday I'll be flying half way across the country to California. There should be many many delicious nomz there for me to taste. And for anyone I happen to bump into there, a fun time to be had.

01/06 Pho Saigon (Orlando, Fl)

Resturant Name: Pho Saigon


City: Orlando, Florida
Visit Date: 01/01/12
Food Type: Asian (Vietnamese)
Meal: Lunch


Address: 5100 West Colonial Drive  Orlando, FL 32808-7604


Food Rating: 9/10
Environment Rating: 6/10
Service Rating: 7/10
Overall: 22/30 (Good)


tl;dr: Food's not bad but if you don't come during the off-hours, expect limited service, crowds/lines, NOISE, SO MUCH NOISE.


So on New Year's day, me and my mom drove down to Orlando to do some grocery shopping. This sorta expedition isn't very common for the family but there are a few ingredients and vegetables and what not that really can't be gotten except for in a large city. Which is of course to say that the Saint Augustine area doesn't have a high enough Asian sub-population to warrant it's own ethnic (Asian) neighborhoods and large groceries. 


Orlando of course is a different story. A sprawling city of the world's many ethnicities, it attracts individuals of all backgrounds (even more so because of it's close proximity to Kissimee and the many many tourist attractions that area is known for). 


So yeah we got into town about 1-ish and my mom had her sights on shopping at 1st Oriental Supermarket. Granted to be honest I really can't say I know any other real locations to shop at in the Orlando area, I kinda would have liked to just explore a bit and find some tasties. 


But back to the review. 


I've been to this restaurant one time previous. (Likewise with family). Last time we arrived rather late and was able to enjoy the quiet not so crowded version of the establishment. This time... yeah we weren't so lucky. There apparently were 2 parties of Koreans in the place and the server sat us right next to the larger of the two Koreanated tables. And though I personally have nothing against Koreans, I would have preferred to enjoy my noodles in relative quiet instead of with noise pollution sogging the background. 


Mom decided to go wash up before the meal and so while I sat there trying to tune out 3 or 4 different languages being simultaneously used, I got to examining the decorations. Pho Saigon is interesting, on the right wall there appears to be a dead water sculpture built along the whole of the wall. At one time it may have been meant to be filled with water, and even while dry, it's still something to look at. The tables function for their purposes and the chairs are comfortable. The random assortment of spices, seasonings and sauces could  be arranged nicer, but knowing the fact that large families of Asians frequent this location, I really can't fault them for what parties of people (especially those with children) do to the tables.

The Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce

We ended up ordering some shrimp spring rolls and a large Pho Saigon. (I don't really remember how to do the special characters, so pardon to any Viet readers on the spelling of the above). 


The spring rolls pictured to the right were a lovely appetizer, Each rice paper circle is filled with boiled shrimp, napa cabbage hearts and rice noodles. Served with the accompanying peanut sauce, the combination is perfect for breaking one's fast before the ensuing deluge of savory pho. 


And though I would have liked a few more of them, I think to myself the ramifications of getting stuffed eating random tidbits before the main course arrives. 


I should probably contemplate the dipping sauce specifically. It has a sweet finish and a mild saltiness. If I had to guess, it must contain a bit of hoison sauce that's been blended with something that dulls the sweetness. And for presentation purposes it's topped with diced peanuts as an eye catcher. The particular choice of serving plates has a similar color to the actual sauce and for me personally, this trait adds to the appeal of the otherwise bland-colored spring rolls. 


But I digress. For after all the main reason we came to this restaurant was for the PHO! And while I'm still quite peeved that none of my spell checkers seem to know what pho is; I realize that many Americans are likely to not know what it is either. (I'd hope you did...)


Anyway... Pho is a delicious noodle soup and broth with various choices of meat and sauces to accompany it.  At the very base, Pho is a savory clear broth made by stewing beef bones for several hours on end. When cooked to the chef's specifications, the fat that's cooked out the bone marrow is skimmed off and the subsequent broth is ladled into a bowl with rice noodles. At this point, pho becomes anyone's game. For the choices of accompaniments and other stuff that go in it are almost endless. 

Tasty Tasty Pho

Pho Saigon (the dish we ordered) is the above broth and rice noodles with thin slices of beef skirt, tendon and Asian style meat balls (the meat is pulverized first to achieve a specific smooth texture). This restaurant differs from others in that they use whole pieces of scallions to add another level of savoriness to the broth. Also as to be expected there was a plate of green bean sprouts, thai basil, lime slices and jalapeno peppers to the diner's discretion.


Mom and I ended up splitting the ginormous bowl. Well it's really not that large in pho standards but we still ended up splitting the bowl. I personaly enjoy my pho with a dash of sugar, 3 or 4 squirts of sriracha, some fish sauce (as needed to add savoriness) and the juices of several limes. In the process, my broth becomes a fiery red color that has a lovely tart flavor. But to each his own and I must admit that at times this combination could be considered too strong for other individuals. 


I would have liked a second cup of water half way through my meal but our server seemed to have forgotten us and never really walked back around. However over all the restaurant was pretty good. I enjoyed the food there and even if the noise pollution was a bit much, my personal displeasure at one aspect won't allow me to feel negatively towards to whole. As such, I resolve to leave a rating of GOOD for this establishment. In the future though if I get a chance to go back, I'll make sure to visit during off hours.

1/1 Happy New Years!

G'day (well technically night). It's actually almost the second day of the new year but that's of little consequence. I had a lovely foodie experience today and though I'm quite in the mood to write about it, I'm a tad bit busy at the moment with other things :(

As such my restaurant review will sadly be delayed until the 2nd at which time I'll have the pictures uploaded and thusly proceed to offer my culinary experiences.

I hope this year brings many fond wishes to you and yours!

As for myself I forsee lots of delicious food in my future.