In the northeastern part of Florida, the historic city of Jacksonville is perched along the banks of the St. John’s River. Originally inhabited by Timucuan Indians, the French Huguenots established Fort Caroline there in 1562, ushering in further European settlement that included the British and Spanish. Today, Jacksonville is a vibrant city that has a port of call and a national football team. The old city married to a contemporary one provides an ideal setting for couples to enjoy a romantic evening at a local restaurant.
It’s not unusual for an intimate restaurant to have an impressive wine list, but it is unusual for a wine list to include over 50 wines available by the glass. BB’s impressive wine list is found at their restaurant located on the Southbank near downtown. Continental cuisine with an international flourish graces a fixed daily menu, as well as a rotating menu of specials. Couples can start with a cheese plate, while one partner might follow with a char-grilled filet with bacon shallot potato gratin and the other enjoys a blue corn tortilla crusted wahoo with a confit of fingerling potatoes. Dessert offerings depend on what the pastry chef has in mind that day.
Named after the French village of Aix-en-Provence, Bistro AIX brings robust, rustic flavors to its restaurant on San Marco Boulevard. Sustainable is the word, as evidenced by the seasonal dishes that are created from locally-grown and available ingredients. Escargot, duck and salmon appear on the dinner menu. Couples requiring something a little lighter on the waistline but still cozy should consider the bistro’s signature “L’heure du cocktail” hour that features cocktail specials and a selection of appetizers.
In Arabic, “zaitoon” means olive and is also an offering of peace. At the Zaitoon Grill, couples enjoy the warm décor and exotic Mediterranean cuisine that is a fusion of traditional family recipes with modern culinary twists. Open since 2007, the restaurant has a tapas menu that features such regional favorites as hummus, spanakopita, and baba ghannouj. Romantic dinners can begin over a small plate of marinated olives, followed by a dinner of braised lamb shanks, curried snapper or steak au poivre. Baklava is an obvious dessert to cap off the evening.
A Jacksonville tradition since 1974, the Wine Cellar is located on the Southbank and was ranked as a Top 25 Restaurant by “Jacksonville Magazine” in 2009. Diners can indulge in hushed conversations in one of the warm dining rooms or underneath an old oak on the brick-paved patio. What began as a wine shop with a small attached bistro has evolved into a beloved restaurant that features perennial favorites such a lump crab cakes, crispy iceberg wedge salads covered in bleu cheese and smoked bacon, shrimp and scallops swimming in wine and garlic and fried or grilled cold water lobster tail.
