FLORIDA FROLIC: ST. AUGUSTINE
In our quest to become better acquainted with our home state, we’ve been taking short trips to cities not that far from us. For the last two years, we and good friends made a December trip to Winter Park to visit the museums, cruise on the lake, and sample the local eateries. This year, our destination was St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, located on the east coast, and about four and half hours away. Christmas was the theme and there were several decorated trees in the square, plenty of holiday lights, and an overall festive feel.
St. George Street is pedestrian only and the main drag in the historic district. To be frank, our initial impression was a negative one. Too many souvenir shops, too many hokey “historic” sites, and a plethora of pubs and bars. It seemed a combination of Lake George Village and the worst of the Jersey Shore. Add to that our inauspicious lunch at the Bull & Crown marked by glacial service and, with the exception of the delicious sausage rolls, food that was just average.
With a bit more poking around, life improved. We discovered some attractive shops and galleries, we toured the main Flagler College building which was formerly the very luxurious Hotel Ponce Leon, and we signed on for an Old Town Trolley excursion around the city.
This hour and a half ride (you can get on and off at any stop all day long, but we didn’t) gave us a good feel for what’s here—from the Fountain of Youth Park to the first Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum, to the distillery, to the historic fort, to several architecturally distinguished churches, to the Lincolnville Neighborhood with its distinctive frame houses. Our trolley drivers made too many references to discounts and which attractions were free, but otherwise they were informative.
Given that we like good food, we selected restaurants ahead of our arrival. The two dinners and our second lunch were all delicious. Here’s where we ate. We’d happily return to any one of these restaurants.
Collage. I’d call their food continental, rather than French. In any case, the small dining room is an elegant coral-walled space and the dinner service was most professional. Several of us had the yummy carrot datil bisque to start followed by bronzino on a bed of spaghetti squash and couscous with cherry tomatoes. Others enjoyed the superb black grouper and the diver sea scallops. Datil peppers, hot like Scotch bonnets, are grown locally.
Sangrias Wine & Tapas Bar. We were the only diners at Sangrias at lunchtime, but the food exceeded expectations. We ordered the chicken pesto wrap and the crab cakes with salad along with a few beers. Our food appeared quickly and everything was tasty.
Catch 27. This is a casual place that serves excellent food, all very fresh. We dug into the trio of dips (guacamole, pimento cheese fondue, and pico de gallo) with chips to start. The guys began with Minorcan seafood chowder, and then we were on to flounder with risotto and sherry cream and red sorrel that was amazing, buttermilk fried chicken, and fish tacos with a house salad. Everything was supremely good!
St. George Inn. We stayed overnight here (this hotel consists of six buildings around the historic area) and found their wine bar, Bin 39, most inviting in the evening. It was also the breakfast room each morning. We were pleased that the small buffet included bagels, croissants, bread, cheddar cheese, sliced ham, and salami with a selection of jams and spreads. Just about perfect to begin a day of sightseeing!
Note: Photos and text ©JWFarrington.
