Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly

Last night I attended a special sampling event at Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly that was set up for a few local bloggers.  They have only been open at this location for 3 weeks, but I have already heard any people raving about their cupcakes.  So, of course, I was looking forward to trying them myself!

They have 30 different flavors of cupcakes.  They presented each of us with 2 trays of their mini cupcakes containing 15 of their 30 flavors.  I was glad I brought a friend with me because even though these were mini cupcakes, there was no way I was going to be able to get to all of them.

We jumped right into them, tasting and savoring each cupcake.  My senses were challenged to figure out the flavors because they wanted us to guess, and my tongue was doing the happy dance!  They were honestly the best cupcakes I have ever tried.  Each one held it's own special goodness and it would be hard to select a favorite.  But, I have to say I am so looking forward to having another coconut cupcake!   When I bit into it, there was a nice surprise of Bavarian creme filling.  It was heavenly!  Other flavors that stood out was their Pumpkin Cinnamon and their Peanut Butter & Jelly was an enjoyable surprise, different but yummy.  I am not a fan of Key Lime anything, so I was eager to try their Key Lime cupcake and see if I could be sold on it.  I have to admit, I loved it and would definitely order it again.

Each cupcake flavor had it's own density and texture that made it unique and added to the experience.  The icing was perfect on each one, just the right amount without being overpowering.  There was one I ate that I would have preferred it without the sprinkles, but that's just because I'm not a sprinkle fan.

I had a lofty goal to at least taste all 15 flavors they presented us with but I only made it to 8.  At that point I had to stop because I could no longer truly enjoy each individual flavor because I had already tasted so many.  I was impressed with Caron of Folio Weekly Bite Club because she managed to taste all 15 flavors!  Jessica of First Bite was also in attendance with us.

Besides gourmet cupcakes in 3 sizes: mini, classic and original, they also offer special order giant cupcakes for special occasions and frozen yogurt.  Their store is bright and colorful with indoor and outdoor seating in a great location at the St John's Town Center.  Stop in on Mini Mania Monday's and enjoy their minis for only $1 a piece!

Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly
St. John's Town Center
4624 Town Crossing Dr., Suite 137
Jacksonville, FL 32246
904-564-2711

http://www.sweetbyholly.com

 

Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar

Thanks to Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar and Folio Weekly Bite Club for an excellent evening out enjoying great food and good conversation!

To be honest, I had never heard of Boston's until the invite from the Bite Club. I was pleasantly surprised by the food and service we received. I wasn't expecting much more than normal "restaurant/bar" quality food, but quickly found out I had set the bar too low for them! 

Since they served us almost everything on their menu, I won't go into detail - but I can honestly say that everything they served was not only presented nicely, but had excellent flavor and made my tongue happy! :)

It's hard to name a favorite of all things I tasted, but I have to say, that I LOVED the flat bread that was served with the salad. I'm not sure what seasonings are on the flatbread, but it was really good!! From what I tasted, you can't go wrong ordering anything on their menu, it is all delicious!

I'm a big fan of pasta and their pasta dishes did not disappoint.  Their pizza was most definitely gourmet and delicious!  

It's quite a drive from my house to Boston's and after the evening I spent there, I wish they were closer! I would definitely frequent it if Boston's was close to my house. However, I can see us making plans to go to that area of town just to eat at Boston's on occasion...especially for their pizza!

Hopefully they will open one on the Southside of town so I can go more often! 

Boston's The Gourmet Pizza

13070 City Station Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32218

(904) 751-7499

http://www.bostons.com

Pollo Tropical - San Jose Blvd

The new Pollo Tropical opened on the 19th on San Jose Blvd in front of Walmart.  Today was the first chance I've had to stop in and have lunch.  I had a coupon for a free small Tropichop with a drink purchase.   Somehow, I didn't get charged for the drink either (no complaints here!).  I ordered yellow rice, chicken and corn as pictured below.  (This would have cost me $5.50 with the drink)

There were 2 other adults and 2 children with me at lunch.  With coupons we got all the food pictured below plus drinks for less than $7.   It was pretty busy today, a little chaotic, but not too bad for it being so new and getting there during prime lunch time.  I'm pretty sure this will become a spot we stop often since it's so convenient.

Tomorrow is their official Grand Opening at his location.  You can get a coupon for a free meal at their Facebook page here.

Pollo Tropical
10989 San Jose Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32223
http://PolloTropical.com

Crabcake Factory - Beach Blvd

Until I was invited to this month's Folio Weekly's Bite Club, I had never heard of Crabcake Factory, so I was looking forward to trying a new restaurant and enjoying a nice evening out with good drink, great food and networking and meeting new people.  Upon arrival we were greeted with a choice of a complimentary glass of beer or wine.  I'm not much of a wine drinker, but when I asked for a Riesling I was very pleased with the Relax I was served. 

I guess having such a large group of us there perhaps caused a few things to be forgotten.  So even though it was served without napkins or forks, and it was challenging to eat without being too messy, the passed jumbo lump crabcake topped with a tropical fruit salsa appetizer was so good, I could have just stopped there, eaten 5 or 6 of them (maybe more!) and be done for the evening!  However, I ate only one while coveting everyone else's.  I am not a fan of tuna tartare but braved it to try the next passed appetizer which was served atop a crispy wonton with lump crab meat, cilantro and topped with a vinaigrette.  It was quite tasty with an Asian flair, but again, I'm not crazy about tuna so I mined the lump crab off the top and was finished with it.

The salad was beautiful to behold, but I didn't eat any although all reports were it was delicious.  The soups were both very good.  I expected to enjoy the crab bisque, but I wasn't sure about the Louisiana seafood gumbo.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by spicy goodness that waited a few seconds to hit me after the first bite.  I enjoyed the small bit I ate, but I'm not sure I'd want a whole bowl of it.

In the dining room we were served a trio of entrees plated together, served with a side of whipped potatoes and asparagus spears.  I started with the pan seared scallop with lemon caper beurre blanc.  The beurre blanc made the scallop.  The caribbean jerk seared mahi mahi stuffed with shimp and jumbo crab meat left a lot to be desired, but the crab-stuffed shrimp was a hit.  The stuffing was quite tasty, the shrimp was perfectly cooked and I would have loved to have more!  The mashed potatoes were quite tasty and the asparagus had just the right amount of crunch.  I would have liked to have seen salt and pepper on the tables so I could have adjusted the flavor according to my personal taste.

For dessert, I ordered the warm bread pudding and my husband ordered the chocolate mousse obsession so we could try both.  It would be a tough call to say which one I liked best since they both held their own in my taste test!  I might have to try both again to offer a final opinion!

It was a nice evening out, with good drink, food and company.  I would definitely go back to the Crabcake Factory.  Thanks to Folio Weekly Bite Club and Caron for inviting us and to Crabcake Factory for hosting us!

Crabcake Factory

1396 Beach Boulevard
Jacksonville Beach, 32250

904-247-9880
www.crabcakefactoryjax.com
 

Dave & Buster's - Salisbury Rd

We were looking for something fun to do as a family one night and my husband suggested Dave & Buster's.   I've played games there before, but I've never eaten there.  Since it is a gaming place, I wasn't expecting the food to be anything special.

It was a Friday night and the parking lot was packed so I expected the wait to be long.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how big the actual dining room is and find our wait to be only about 5 minutes.

We had planned to take advantage of their "Eat & Play Combo" for $15.99, which is a heck of a deal.  But we found out once we got their that it is not offered on Friday. 

My son ordered a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich,   my husband ordered Build your own Chicken Soft Tacos and I ordered Parmesan Chicken Alfredo.  Every one of our meals were very enjoyable.  I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and flavor of each. 

Without spending a fortune, we had a nice evening out including a delicious dinner as well as fun and games that our 13 year old son and we "old" folks alike enjoyed.  

Dave & Buster's

7025 Salisbury Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32256

904-638-7737
http://www.daveandbusters.com/

Picasso's Pizza - San Jose Blvd.

I've heard lots of great things about Picasso's Pizza so I was eager to join a friend for lunch there one day. 

We started with some fried ravioli.  This was my first experience with fried ravioli so I didn't really have anything to compare it to.  I was not impressed.  It was dry and crunchy and I didn't enjoy it.  Perhaps it was a bad batch, so I won't write it off just yet. 

I also ordered a salad and 2 pieces of pizza for my lunch.  I was not disappointed in either of those.  The pizza had great flavor and I really enjoyed the crust.  In my family we call the crust 'pizza bones' and I love a good pizza bone!
 
I look forward to visiting again and trying a few more things on their menu.  Perhaps I'll even revisit the fried ravioli again one day.






Picasso's Pizza

10503 San Jose Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32257

(904) 880-0811

http://www.jaxpicassos.com

Sushi House - San Jose Blvd

My husband and I were craving Sushi so we decided to try out the Sushi House nearby.  

t's a fairly small restaurant, probably no more than a dozen tables.  The staff was very friendly, but I had a hard time understanding their accent.  While we waited for the few different sushi rolls to be made, our server brought us out a complimentary appetizer.  I couldn't really understand what she said, and I honestly couldn't identify what we were eating.  It was something fried.  It was good but not anything spectacular.  Of course, had we known what it was, perhaps we would have had a different opinion.

The sushi rolls arrived nicely plated and ready to share.  They were made well, rolled tight and we enjoyed them all.  When we were finished with our sushi rolls our server brought us a couple of nice sized slices of watermelon to finish the meal off.  That was the first time I'd had watermelon served to me at a sushi restaurant.  But, I love watermelon so I enjoyed it.

We will definitely go back again when we are in a sushi mood.  The restaurant is close, the prices were about average for a sushi restaurant and the service was great.

Sushi House

11531 San Jose Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32223

904-880-8888