Lunch at the Mud Cat Charlies - Brunswick, Georgia

We spent the morning with Nancy and Charlie Geocaching at Hofwyl Plantation near Brunswick, Georgia. Worked up an appetite so we asked the lady at the park office to recommend a place to eat. 

She sent us down the road to Mud Cat Charlies.

Mud Cat Charlies is located at the Two Way Marina and Fish Camp on the beautiful Altamaha River. 

We sat on the back porch that looks out over the river. The porch has a/c but if that isn't important to you there is seating on the covered dock area.

Mud Cat Charlies is obviously a great place to get seafood and the platters of fried shrimp made my mouth drool as they were carried past our table. But alas my days of eating shrimp are over due to an ever increasing allergic reaction. I loved the fact that I could enjoy the atmosphere of this place while looking out over the river and still find something on the menu I can eat. Not just shrimp, crab and fish but burgers and chicken. Something for every taste.

I decided to try the burger and onion rings.

My burger was really good. According to the menu they grind the meat fresh daily. That's probably true because it was tasty. The meat was flavorful, juicy and cook just the was I like it. Pink on the inside and charred on the outside. 

John had the blackened crab cake. He said it was good but I didn't sample it so I can't vouch for it but I'll take his word...

The Naked Slaw

 The slaw was just a bowl of shredded cabbage with the dressing on the side. I've never had slaw served this way but it was very tasty. The cabbage retained it crunchiness and the dressing was a little like Thousand Island.

Mud Cat Charlies is very casual you won't have to dress up to eat here. Most of the entrees came out in a paper lined basket but that was OK with me. 

Even though the place was crowded we were seated promptly. The wait staff was friendly and attentive and our food came out quickly. Great food and fast service. You can't ask for much more than that.

Driftwood Bistro - Jekyll Island Georgia

This marked my fourth visit to Driftwood Bistro located in the Villas by the Sea on Jekyll Island. My first three times eating here was during a girls getaway back in February. I've raved on and on about how good it was and I've been wanting to come back again. Since John and I  spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach with his sister and brother-in-law we decided to end our stay with dinner and see if it was as good as I remembered. (hint: It was)

We arrived promptly when they opened at 5pm and we were seated right away. As soon as we sat down our waitress brought water without being asked and she explained the wine list. You can order a bottle of house for $10.00 and if you don't drink it all they'll pack it up to go. We ordered a bottle of Riesling. I'm no wine expert but it was pretty tasty.

We started off with a basket of Smashed Okra that was smashed (of course) dredged in corn meal and deep fried. It was good mainly because it didn't taste like okra:-) Crispy but not greasy. 

We also ordered wings. I didn't have any and by the time I thought to take a picture the guys had finished them off. They must have been good.

The menu is pretty diverse to suit most any taste including shrimp, crab cakes, flounder, catfish, pork loin, pot roast,chicken fillet and even meatloaf.  The shrimp, fish and chicken can be ordered grilled, deep fried or blackened and you can choose a regular or a petite portion. They also serve hamburgers and sandwiches.

I ordered the pork tenderloin with sweet potato casserole and collard greens.

The sweet potatoes were a tad bit sweet for me but it was still good and the collards were perfectly cooked with bits of garlic. This is a petite portion.

John had the fried catfish with sweet potato casserole and squash casserole. I had the squash on a previous visit and it was one of my favorite dishes. 

This is a petite portion.

Our dining companions ordered the crab cakes, Yankee pot roast and the meat loaf. All got rave reviews.

And of course we indulged in dessert...

Peach cobbler a la mode topped with real whipped cream. The ice cream was to die for. Smooth and creamy - just like homemade.

Bread pudding topped with real whipped cream, I'm not a bread pudding fan but John said it was good. There was a layer of custard on the bottom then the bread all baked together. 

And a really big cup of coffee to finish off the night.

The Driftwood Bistro is a family friendly place with a comfortable atmosphere. The waitstaff was friendly and attentive and the prices were very reasonable. One bottle of wine, two appetizers, five dinners, three desserts and coffee for $101.00 not including tip. That's pretty good for feeding five people. 

Verdict? I'll still be raving about this place and looking forward to my next visit. 

The Driftwood Bistro is only open for dinner Monday through Saturday. 

You can check out the menu here.

Go and enjoy a wonderful meal and finish it off with a walk by following the signs in the parking lot to the Driftwood Beach 

Lunch at the Florida Creamery and a Four Mile Walk

Well summer is officially here. Temperature wise at least. 

Because of the heat we walked at the mall yesterday but wanted to get outside today. My only stipulation was SHADE! So we went to Riverside hoping to have some shade and a breeze off the river. 

We walked a couple miles to Avondale and picked up a Geocache behind the Old School Barbershop.

Due to it's location this cache was appropriately called the Mustache Cache Stash and the hidden box contained fake mustaches. The owner requested finders to post a picture of themselves with a mustache so we accommodated...

John brought his own mustache!

Since we were in the shopping area of Avondale we decided to eat lunch at the Fox diner but we got sidetracked along the way. The Florida Creamery caught our eye and we stopped in for a quick bite to eat and a nostalgic trip to Florida in the fifties.

Florida Creamery on St. John's Avenue in Avondale

Old fashion candy and drinks

Just a sample on the Florida wall art

The menu is mostly ice cream. Yum!

Obviously this place focuses on ice-cream but they also serve a Nathan's hot dogs. The only non ice cream food on the menu. That makes ordering easy! We both had a hot dog with slaw and onions and shared a bottle of ginger beer and a bag of chips for ten bucks.

The hot dog was good and the slaw was tasty. Finely chopped like hot dog slaw should be with a hint of celery seeds and pepper. 

 I loved the Reed's Extra Ginger Brew it was not too sweet with a little kick of heat and made of real ingredients!

From the Reed's website:

Extra Ginger Brew

Ingredients: Sparkling Filtered Water (Sweetened by a blend of raw cane sugar, pineapple juice from concentrate and honey), Fresh Ginger Root, Lemon and Lime Juices from concentrate and spices. Non Alcoholic. Free of Preservatives, Caffeine, Gluten & GMO’s.

Just right to quench the thirst on a hot day!

I'd love to sample the ice cream but not today. We have more walking to do!

A few of the sights on our walk through Riverside and Avondale

There's the shade!

Standing guard

Loved this!
LittleFreeLibrary.org
Take a book, leave a book. Too bad I didn't have a book with me...

That was our day. Where did your feet take you this weekend?

Three Mile Walk and Lunch at Stan's Sandwich & Grill

Saturday morning we headed to the San Marco area of town to take a walk. It was a beautiful day in Jacksonville. Cool and sunny with just a little breeze. On a whim I looked up restaurants in the area and came across Stan's Sandwich & Grill. The reviews were good so we decided to take a chance.

I'm not sure that walking three miles did much to counteract the lunch we had at Stan's Sandwich & Grill but it was soooooo good!

 John ordered grilled pastrami and fries. He said it was the best pastrami sandwich he'd had in a very long time. 

I ordered the Super Combo. Turkey, ham and roast beef with onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles on a sub roll. Oh my gosh it was good! It was also good that I ordered the regular and not the large. The regular was huge but I managed to eat every bit of it and I probably would have eaten every bit of the large:-)

We shared the fries. They were hot and crispy. Seasoned just right. 

I had a cherry limeade. Does anyone remember when they'd give you a real lime in your cherry limeade? I miss that...

My sandwich was so good I was craving another one by Saturday night. 

Trying to Walk Off Lunch.

A few of the sights on this walk...

There are lots of little parks scattered all around the San Marco Area. Greenscape Celebration Park is located on the St John's River. We also found a Geocache in this park.

Beautiful flowers in bloom

Another lovely little park. Moss draped oak trees and a neat fountain.

All in all a wonderful day. Perfect weather, charming surroundings and yummy food.

Lunch at Kathy's Bakery and Cafe

Today I had the opportunity to spend some time with my youngest son and we went to check out a local coffee place. Since it was pushing noon we decided to have a little lunch.

Kathy's Bakery and Cafe

Nothing in the name gives away the fact that this is a Cuban bakery and sandwich shop. 

As we looked over the menu hanging on the wall I knew I'd have to order a Sandwich Cubano. Ham and roast pork with Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. On Cuban bread mashed and toasted in a hot press. I loved the bread. Soft on the inside and crunchy outside.

Josh ordered something a little different. Pan con Picadillo is basically a Sloppy Joe but it's ground beef cooked with green olives in a tomato sauce.  A little sweet and salty. Perfect combo! Also on Cuban bread toasted in a press.

There was a delicious looking display case full of pastries but what I really came for was the coffee. 

Cafe con leche. 

Oh my gosh. To me it's like a hot dessert in a cup. The sugar and the coffee and the foamy milk. Yum! Taste like it's caramelized.

I know you can make cafe con leche on a stove top but oh what I'd give for a coffee machine like the one in this shop. I loved watching the ladies work this machine. Individual grounds for each cup. Add the milk, sugar and steam the cup and steam it some more. So much nicer than just pouring a cup from a carafe and serving it with those little packets of sugar and powdered milk. This was a beautiful, frothy creation. Yum. I want another cup right now!

After walking back and forth in front of the display case drooling over the variety of pastries we finally choose 3 different ones to bring home. All wrapped up and tied with a ribbon.

Layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream, topped with caramel.

Pineapple cheesecake

Sponge cake cone soaked in rum.

 At home after dinner we had a taste testing. Each perfect little pastry cut in to four 

somewhat equal pieces.

The verdict?

 Josh's favorite was the little cone cake soaked in rum I liked the layered caramel cake. The topping reminded me of a Sugar Daddy only soft. My husband and daughter-in-law just wanted to know why we had to share!

This just about says it all...

I really enjoyed our visit to Kathy's Bakery and Cafe.This is definitly a Cuban bakery. The employees speak English but Spanish is their first language. From the signs to the TV channel and the conversations going on around the little shop. I love going to a place like this where the culture and language is different than what I'm used to. My Spanish is marginally better than my German (for those who were with me on our trip to Germany you know my German stinks:-) but even so I managed to tell the two ladies behind the counter thank you it was very good...Gracias, muy bien.

You know what the ladies did? They clapped and cheered for me! Made my day...I will certainly be coming back not only to try a few more pastries and a cafe con leche but also to try out a few more Spanish phrases.