Jacksonville Restaurant Reviews

Venezuelan Dinner Adventure
2018-10-17 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Soto’s Kitchen, 3809 Southside Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32216, United States
Sotos kitchen is a firecracker of a small restaurant on the southside. If you go and try it you won’t soon forget it. Specializing in Venezuelan cuisine, Soto’s Kitchen serves arepas to empanadas to tostones to cheesy delicious cachapas. Nearly all of it is accompanied by Soto’s Kitchen housemade cilantro garlic sauce. We liken it to Venezuelan ranch- it’s good on everything and you can’t get enough.
The story behind Soto‘s Kitchen is a beautiful American-Venezuelan story. Both the owner, Aristides Soto, and the chef, Lorelen, were friends as children back in Venezuela. They lost touch and each immigrated to the US. One day Aristides’ daughter said she made a new friend in school. It turned out to be Lorelen’s daughter. Aristides and Lorelen couldn’t believe over all the miles and years their paths had crossed again. Aristides was in the process of opening a restaurant and still needed a chef. Lorelen was the perfect candidate. Together they have created a restaurant spilling over with pride for their heritage and appreciation for their new home and community. Truly it is our gain to have Soto’s Kitchen, Aristides, and Lorelen in Jacksonville.
We are thrilled to offer this Dinner Adventure featuring a wide variety of Venezuelan dishes from Soto’s Kitchen. If you’ve never been you are in for the treat of the year. If you are familiar with the food at Soto’s Kitchen you know what an incredible, mouthwatering deal this is.
Soto’s Kitchen, Arepas
Menu
Course One
Shredded Beef Tostones, a sandwich of shredded beef with fried plantain slices for the “bread”

Course Two
Pernil (Pulled Pork) Arepa, a corn patty split open and stuffed with meat.

Course Three
Chicken Cabimera, a uniquely Venezuelan dish similar in concept to loaded fries. Arepas are cut into pieces and fried, and topped with meats, cheeses, lettuce, boiled egg, sauces

Course Four
Shredded Beef Empanada, a savory pastry stuffed with meat, essential Latin-American street food

Course Five
Cheese Cachapa, a slightly sweet, corn pancake-like dish, stuffed with mild white cheese

Course Six
Nutearepa, a dessert arepa stuffed with nutella
Soto’s Kitchen, Cabimera
Soto’s Kitchen, Nutella Arepa
*We utilize community style seating
*Gratuity not included in price of ticket
*Contact Lisa @JaxRestaurantReviews.com with any questions or concerns

Baconstravaganza with Celestia's Coastal Cuisine
2018-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine, 6765 Dunn Ave, Jacksonville, FL, 32219, United States
Being the chef behind Soul Food Bistro will get you a lot of love in Jacksonville. Just ask Chef Celestia Mobley. Chef Celestia may be beloved and best known for her soul food, but that’s certainly not all she does. In 2017 she opened her own restaurant, Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine, and the locals can’t get enough. In preparing for this event I stopped at Celestia’s and was met with a woman walking out of the restaurant, hollering to her friend, “That’s the best sweet tea I have EVER HAD!” Talk about a rave review! Whatever you have at Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine, it’s certainly going to stick with you as a memorable meal. It’s just that good.
Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine specializes in seafood, but Chef Celestia herself is a classically trained chef who can make pretty much everything delicious. Bacon is one of her personal favorites, so her creative wheels starting turning the second we started talking about a six course dinner centered around bacon. This menu is a beautiful mosaic of Chef Celestia’s imagination and some of the dishes and ingredients integral in her restaurant. We can’t get over the Bacon Butter Candle, which is an actual candle made of butter and bacon fat, to dip your bread in. This is an event you don’t want to miss! Tickets are limited for this one night only event, so call your friends or text your spouse and snag your tickets.
Braised Short Ribs with Onion Bacon Jam over Bacon Suet Mashed Potatoes
Menu
Amuse
Fresh Bread with Bacon Butter Candle
Course One
Roasted Brussel Sprout and Frisee Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
Course Two
Butter Bean and Bacon Soup with Parmesan Bacon Crisp
Course Three
Bacon Wrapped Crab Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp
Course Four
Asian Pork Belly with Bacon Mac n Cheese
Course Five
Braised Short Ribs with Bacon Onion Jam and Bacon Suet Mashed Potatoes
Course Six
Bacon and Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Pork Belly and Bacon Mac n Cheese
*We utilize community style seating
*Gratuity not included in ticket price
*Contact Lisa@JaxRestaurantReviews.com with any questions or concerns

Vegan Dinner Adventure at House of Leaf and Bean
2018-11-02 19:00 - 21:00 | House of Leaf and Bean, 14474 Beach Blvd, Jackosnville, FL, 32250, United States
House of Leaf and Bean owner Wen Raiti birthed her dream because of her belief in the power of healthy food. She transformed a former fast food space into a peaceful, zen-like restaurant featuring freshly brewed teas, housemade tofu, and every single ingredient organic- no shortcuts. There are few restaurants on the First Coast with that commitment to offering healthy, organic food, especially with Leaf and Bean’s wide variety of vegan options.
Join us for a special Vegan Dinner Adventure at House of Leaf and Bean. You won’t believe how delicious healthy can be! Enjoy the creamiest vegan mac with coconut bacon, housemade cookies, a flight of herbal teas, and so much more!
House of Leaf and Bean Vegan Mac n Cheese
Menu
Flight of 3 healing teas
Course One
Housemade Golden Dumpling: filled with housemade tofu and mushroom
Course Two
Lucky Bites: eggless salad wrapped in a savory scallion pancake
Course Three
Vegan Mac n Cheese: pasta smothered in vegan cheese sauce topped with green onion, broccoli flowers, & coconut bacon
​Course Four
Vegan Sandwich: eggless egg salad with tomatoes, avocado, sprouts & ranch
Course Five
Green Curry Tofu and Rice: housemade tofu in green curry sauce over organic jasmine rice
Course Six
Housemade cookie and soy milk
Cookie and Soy Milk, Photo courtesy of House of Leaf and Bean
*Gratuity not included in price of ticket
*We utilize community style seating
*Contact Lisa @JaxRestaurantReviews withh any questions or concerns

Aqua Grill Dinner Adventure
2018-11-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Aqua Grill, 395 Front St, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 32082, United States
Aqua Grill has been a stalwart in Ponte Vedra for 30 years, offering the best of the land and sea on a picturesque lake off A1A. Reinvented in 2016, Aqua Grill has been delighting guests with their eclectic flair and coastal fare in an upscale, contemporary space. If you haven’t been recently, you are missing out on one of the most enjoyable dining experiences on the First Coast!
Join us for a date night, a ladies night out, or just for the sake of adventure at our upcoming Aqua Grill Dinner Adventure, featuring six chef curated courses. This incredible value comes with the following six courses and an evening you won’t soon forget. Come fall in love with Aqua Grill all over again!
Course One – Homemade Meatballs
Menu
1st Course
Homemade Meatballs
blend of three house ground meats – marinara
basil ricotta – grilled baguette
2nd Course
Deviled Eggs Seattle Style
smoked salmon – caviar – red onion – fresh dill
3rd Course
Crab + Avocado Salad
baby lettuces – hearts of palm – diced tomato – fresh lump blue crab meat
avocado – red onion – creamy lemon dill dressing
4th Course
Slow Braised Boneless Beef Shortribs
fresh horseradish + roasted garlic whipped potatoes
roasted brussel sprouts – baby carrots – pan jus – buttermilk onion rings
5th Course
Vidalia Crusted Grouper
roasted sweet corn + fresh maine lobster risotto
south carolina peach chutney – crispy leeks
6th Course
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
vanilla bean ice cream – whipped cream
warm banana fosters sauce
Course Three – Crab + Avocado Salad
*We utilize community style seating
*Gratuity not included in price of ticket
*Contact Lisa@JaxRestaurantReviews.com with any questions

Vegan Dinner Adventure at House of Leaf and Bean
2019-01-25 19:00 - 21:00 | House of Leaf and Bean, 14474 Beach Blvd, Jackosnville, FL, 32250, United States
House of Leaf and Bean is spreading the word about organic and plant-based eating, one housemade brick of tofu at a time. Owner Wen Raiti believes in the mission of creating and serving good-for-you food because she changed her own life by changing her eating habits. Not only is House of Leaf and Bean completely organic, but they are environmentally conscious in their methods of reducing waste as well. Good for you food, good for the planet policies and processes, oh and the food is delicious, too! We are lucky to have House of Leaf and Bean leading the way for restaurants in our community.
House of Leaf and Bean has created a special menu just for us and will be demonstrating a traditional Chinese tea ceremony! You won’t want to miss this yummy night. Not only is this event vegan, but it just so happens to be gluten free as well!
House of Leaf and Bean – Vegan Sushi
Menu
Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony Demonstration
First Course
Vegan Sushi: cucumber, cilantro, lettuce, avocado with gluten free ginger sauce
Second Course
Vegan Pizza Bites: Sicilian style with veggies and cheese on thin tofu crust
Third Course
Golden Soup: a creamy blended soup of zesty garden vegetables
Fourth Course
Curry Tofu: pan fried tofu square topped with curry sauce, served over a fresh green salad
Fifth Course
Chili Over Rice: House of Leaf and Bean’s special recipe from the Jax Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook Off, served over organic rice
Sixth Course
Dessert: Avocado Chocolate Mousse: vegan and gluten free with seasonal berries
House of Leaf and Bean Tea Ceremony
House of Leaf and Bean
*Contact Lisa(at)JaxRestaurantReviews(dot)com with any questions or concerns.
*Gratuity not included in price of ticket.
*We utilize community style seating.

Beer and Dessert Night!
2019-03-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Bottlenose Brewing, 9700 Deer Lake Ct #1, Jacksonville, FL, 32246, United States
Our endeavor to indulge continues! Join us at Bottlenose Brewing for a night of beer and desserts from local sweet shops. Learn about the brews and hear the stories behind the sweets, plus and eat drink all of it!
Bottlenose Brewing boasts 50 taps featuring the best of Florida beers, from their own brews to other Jacksonville favorites to sunshine state specialties. Plus they have a full menu of shareable plates, burgers and sandwiches, flatbreads, salads, wings, and more. We are especially fond of the Swamp Fries- Fresh cut fries topped with house-roasted pork butt, bacon, beer cheese, BBQ, Bottlenose sauce and spicy coleslaw.
Your ticket includes a flight of four specially selected beers from Bottlenose’s brewer, a brief education on the beers from the brewer himself, and a dessert from each of local sweet shops/bakeries listed below.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Cupcake Fifty Etc.
Cupcake Fifty is known for their extensive flavors- over 150! Their delectable, perfectly textured cupcakes won our People’s Choice Cupcake Competition last year! You can get custom cupcakes, custom cakes, and wedding cakes from Cupcake Fifty, or find them in the bakery case at Winn Dixie on Baymeadows and 295, and at a variety of local restaurants for the perfect sweet treat after a meal. Customers are wowed by Cupcake Fifty’s blue velvet, banana pudding, fruity pebbles, peach cobbler, maple bacon, and so many more! Some of the restaurants that carry Cupcake Fifty cupcakes are Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine on Dunn Ave., Andy’s Sandwich Shop on Lave Ave., Tunis on 103rd and on Dunn Ave, Edgewood Sandwich Shop, Rod’s Crabshack on Monument Rd., and Lewey’s Seafood on Normandy. We can’t wait to see what Cupcake Fifty is going to bring to dessert night!
Cupcake Fifty- Banana Pudding CupcakePhoto Courtesy of Cupcake Fifty Etc.
Doughsserts
Doughsserts is the newest cookie dough shop in Jax, YES, premium cookie dough that is safe to eat! Owner Steve and his family have created each recipe and prepare each batch fresh right in the store. Doughsserts offers favorites such as chocolate chip, sugar, Reese’s peanut butter, triple chocolate brownie, cookies n cream, snickerdoodle, plus seasonal flavors such as red velvet, doughval (teal!), mint chip, and more. There’s more than just cookie dough at Doughsserts, though that would be enough. They also offer ice cream bars, shakes, baked cookies, cookie dough pops, and sundaes, to name a few. Pro tip: when you go to the shop, get two scoops: one cookie dough and one ice cream. Cookie dough and ice cream are the best friends you didn’t know needed each other. It is next level good! Doughsserts will be bringing sampler boxes to Beer and Dessert Night, so you will have a chance to indulge in several curated flavors! We’ve had the sampler box, trust us, it’s plenty of dough!
Doughsserts – Cookie Monster DoughPhoto courtesy of Doughsserts
Lucy’s Sweet Shop
Lucy’s Sweet Shop was born of owner and baker Michelle making custom cookies orders. If you look at Lucy’s social media photos you’ll see some of the sassiest, most tongue-in-cheek desserts around. People call on Lucy’s to help them celebrate the big moments and the not quite as big moments. Some of my favorites are decorated cookies that implore you to eat your fruits and vegetables, a cake to celebrate the end of someone’s alimony payments, naughty gingerbread men, and cookies that are a likeness of the intended recipient. If you can dream it, Lucy’s can make it. It’s not all adult at Lucy’s, they host cookie decorating birthday parties for kids, and are open to the public Thursdays-Saturdays where you can find decadent cake slices and cupcakes, cookie creations, and blow your mind shakes on Saturdays. Lucy’s Sweet Shop will be bringing two sweets for us to enjoy at Beer and Dessert Night, a decorated cookie, and a surprise treat!
Lucy’s Sweet Shop Custom CookiesPhoto courtesy of Lucy’s Sweet Shop
Nitrogen Creamery
You won’t find this ice cream truck driving down your street playing music, it’s not that kind of ice cream truck. Owner Chad makes batches of ice cream using liquid nitrogen. The ice crystals that are formed during the process of freezing using liquid nitrogen actually create smaller ice crystals. As a result, the texture you get is unbelievably smooth ice-cream. Nitrogen Creamery has a regular rotation like other food trucks. Pick your flavor from the daily offerings, pick your mix-ins and enjoy some of the smoothest, creamiest, most scientific ice cream you will eat! Chad will have a couple flavors for guests to enjoy at Beer and Dessert Night, plus he will do some demonstrations with liquid nitrogen! You simply have to see it to believe it.
Nitrogen Creamery Andes Chip Mint Smoking From Liquid NitrogenPhoto courtesy of Nitrogen Creamery
MORE SWEET SHOPS BEING ADDED!!
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Bottlenose Brewing
9700 Deer Lake Ct #1
Jacksonville, FL 32246
*We utilize community style seating
*Bottlenose Brewing will be serving their regular menu for those who wish to purchase a meal

Seven Bridges Dinner Adventure
2019-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Seven Bridges, 9735 Gate Parkway North, Jacksonville, FL, 32246, United States
Jacksonville’s original micro brewery is celebrating 20 years this year! Long before the craft brewery scene came to Jax, Jax had Seven Bridges. Hard to believe the Southside restaurant and brewery has been a Jax staple for two decades already, but it’s true. Few restaurants make it to the 20 year mark and we are delighted to partner with Seven Bridges to showcase the best of what they offer.
This dinner adventure includes a flight of curated beers to taste your way through the brewery and bring out the flavors in some of the dishes, along with the six courses below. Get your tickets before we sell out for this extremely popular pop up dinner!
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Asiago Artichoke Crab Dip
Menu
Course One
Asiago Artichoke Crab Dip
three cheeses, artichokes, & lump crab baked until golden & bubbly. Served on grilled crostinis.
Course Two
Hydroponic Bibb lettuce
watermelon, toasted walnuts, & gorgonzola cheese. With balsamic drizzle.
Course Three
Candied Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts
fresh Brussel sprouts wrapped in bacon with maple syrup, cayenne, and brown sugar.
Course Four
Shrimp & Grits
lightly seasoned & floured shrimp, bacon, tabasco, mushrooms, and green onions over white cheddar-parmesan cheese grits.
Course Five
Coffee Rubbed Ribeye
Seven Bridges’ house Ribeye crusted with local Bold Bean coffee. Glazed with Maker’s Mark bourbon, with puree cauliflower & thyme.
Course Six
7Bridges’ Famous Carrot Cake
baked with walnuts & pineapple, topped with homemade cream cheese frosting.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Candied Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts
Seven Bridges Famous Carrot Cake
Seven Bridges Brewery
*Gratuity not included in ticket
*We utilize community style seating

Khloe's Kitchen Chef Choice Dinner (To-go)
2020-07-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Khloe’s Kitchen, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
We’re so excited for this Chef Choice Dinner with Chef Wesley Nogueira of Khloe’s Kitchen.
The menu is all chef choice! Meaning, you won’t know until what you’re getting unitl you pick up your meal but we guarantee that if Chef Wes made it, it’s bound to have you impressed and satisfied much like the food he currently serves off the food truck and his catering and private chef ventures.
Each ticket includes 3 chef choice courses curated by Chef Wesley.
About Chef Wes

Chef Wesley’s love for food started at a young age where he found himself always around his mother and her friends while they cooked simple Filipino dishes. He moved to Jacksonville, Florida when he was 15 with his mom and brother. While there, Wesley attended Robert E. Lee Senior High School and University of North Florida. While in college he worked at a few family owned restaurants but it was not until the birth of his daughter Khloe that he decided to turn an everyday job of cooking into a passionate career. Wesley decided to drop out of college and pursue a career in the kitchen.
He started working at 2009 in Bistro Biscottis (bbs), a highly established local casual dining restaurant. He worked under the influence of Chef Carlos Ramirez and Chef Josh Agan. In 2014 at the age of 27, he was promoted to Executive Chef at bbs. While at bbs, Wesley has used his platform to bring new age dishes to the Jacksonville area and has worked numerous events with local chefs such as Tom Gray and Matthew Medure.
In May 2017, Wesley started his chef/owned catering company called Khloe’s Kitchen inspired by his daughter. He serves modern-eclectic inspired cuisine obtained from his fine dining knowledge and his upbringing from his Filipino-Brazilian roots.
We’re so excited for you to experience this dinner!
