All the hype over this place. Welp, after avoiding going here just because everyone talks about how good it is (it can’t be that good can it? And how childish could I be?) My wife finally dragged me here for lunch one Friday.
(904)598-5303
21 East Adams St
Suite 200
Jacksonville, FL. 32202
Location: It’s downtown, right above the Burrito Gallery. It reminds me of a lot of restaurants in New Orleans. You duck in a doorway and make your way up a winding wrought iron staircase.
Food: My wife always raves about their Yum Salad, so of course she ordered that. The Crab Rangoons are always a favorite appetizer of mine at other restaurants, so we started off with that as well. I ordered the Drunken Noodles, the description sounded good and the name…well, yeah, the name was pretty funny too. When ordering the noodles, you get to choose your “hotness” level. I think it was 1-7 and I went with a 4 and I chose beef as my protein. I sort of live on the wild side huh? My wife got her salad at a hotness level of 1. Wuss! And she is part Cajun, her family would be ashamed of her. Sigh.
The Crab Rangoons $7.00, came out looking like any other Crab Rangoon you’ve seen…it’s what was inside that separated them from the rest. The color was different from what I expected. It was orange, not the traditional color I have come to expect. The taste was great, very creamy and tasty. A perfect mixture of the curried cream cheese and the lump crab. The sauce comes in a little bowl, but you can see me and the wife had a little fun playing Top Chef dripping it around our plate.
The Yum Salad (Description: Sliced chicken or beef tossed in chili, garlic, fresh lime and cilantro served over spring mix. $7.00) was light and full of flavor. I really liked the hint of cilantro and fresh lime. I usually don’t care for salads but I can definitely see why this is on my wife’s list as a top salad in Jacksonville, especially downtown.
Next up, the Drunken Noodles (Description: Sautéed rice noodles with egg, celery, onion, sweet pepper, mushroom and cashews with holy basil. $11.00). First off, going with a 4 hotness level was the perfect choice. It was slightly on the hot side, but not so hot that you can’t taste all the goodness involved in the meal. I can only imagine that they named this Drunken Noodles because it’s as if a drunk made it. It’s like the chef tossed a little of everything in with it. It was wonderful! That crazy chef! My compliment sir or madam, you silly goose you. I’m hooked now. I told my wife (since we live downtown) that if she is ever thinking of stopping to grab food on the way home, get me this. I will never complain. Oh, and I’m kind of a “round” guy and can put away some food right? Well, I had some leftovers with this meal. So, the portion sizes are pretty big…and the leftovers tasted great the next day too.
Extras: While a lot of people know about this place, it is still definitely a hidden gem downtown. The service was prompt and unobtrusive.
The Good:
– Clean and prompt service
– Good portion sizes
– Not expensive like I thought it would be, we got out for $30 + tip
– Great food
The Bad:
– Some might say it’s loud, I didn’t think so, but maybe when they have a full house it is.
– Too many people know about this place (First World Problems lol)