Springing the Blues, part 2: Reeeeal Fooooood

Success! After a few days of desolation and mall cuisine, we found not one but three great restaurants on our trek south. Sometimes we're forced to live on food from the Cracker Barrel or the Olive Garden for several days in a row. I realize how lucky we are to have this option when so many people are starving in the world. And for some people, especially young people, this restaurant regimen would be a dream come true. These chains have a nice shtick, serve decent food and are generally reliable. (And if they're close to the hotel, you have the added bonus of being able to dine in your underwear with the heat cranked up while watching HBO, and your mother won't come in and yell at you.) After three consecutive meals of this kind, though, when you're so doped up on sugar and salt you can hardly distinguish a "Tour d'Italia" (a rather cheesy offering) from a plate of corn muffins, it's time to hunt the big game: Real Food. We had some good leads in the form of a newspaper article about restaurants along the southern stretch of I-95 in South Carolina and Georgia. Unfortunately, after clipping the article and saving it from the trash for 3 months, I forgot to bring it along, and I couldn't remember the names of any of the restaurants it mentioned. No problem, that's why cell phones were invented. I called directory assistance, told the operator I was looking for a BBQ joint in Darien, name unknown, address unknown. She gave me three numbers and got off the line quickly before I could annoy her any further. None of the names sounded like the place I was looking for. No problem, that's why kids and the internet were invented. We called our daughter from the road and she was able to pull up the newspaper article online and give us directions to B&J's. I believe her college education is paying off already.

B & J's Steaks & Seafood
Hwy. 17, S, Darien, GA 31305
(912) 437-2122
We've eaten at four restaurants in Darien, a small fishing and marine research hub off of I-95 halfway between Jacksonville and Savannah. They're all pretty good and we wouldn't mind returning to any one of them. However, B&J's will be our first choice. It's just a neighborhood diner, easily bypassed by an outsider speeding to a better-advertised location. Its interior cinderblock walls are adorned with mermaid murals and a tasteful amount of nautical bricabrac. The two small dining rooms are filled with long folding tables and the tables are filled with people. The people are in turn filling up on the lunch buffet, which includes fried chicken, collard greens, cole slaw, baked beans, real mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, a full salad bar, and macaroni and cheese that was actually made by someone's Mom. Both the food and the atmosphere are genuine, and a bonafide bargain at $7 a head for some down-home cookin'.
Doggie Bags: 5!!

We arrived in Jacksonville that afternoon. I wanted to extend our streak, so I went online and did Google searches for "best restaurants jacksonville" and "restaurants jacksonville 'wine list'" and found a few prospects. We ate at two of them, Ocean 60 in Atlantic Beach and Giovanni's in Jax Beach. Both were expensive restaurants with excellent, freshly prepared food, and good wine and service. But as Paul put it, Ocean 60 is "a little too close to the beach." It features designer food and a crew of tall. handsome waiters. Its popularity as a nightspot for young singles became more apparent as we finished our meal and watched several groups of young women parade into and around the Martini Lounge where we were seated. I guess the word had gotten out about the waiters. I had plenty of good things to say about the place, but I forgot them by the next night because we ate at Giovanni's.

We've had some great meals in our time, but this was truly memorable from beginning to end. We started with some delicious California wine - it should be noted that Giovanni's has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, which can't be a bad thing - and an appetizer of homemade sausage over gorgonzola. We shared a Caesar salad which was prepared at tableside - a little gimmicky, but it gave us a chance to get to know our waitress better. Her name was Jennifer and she reminded me of a grown-up version of Charlie Brown's mythic love, the Little Red-Haired Girl.
Paul was able to fulfill his weeklong quest for linguine and clams, with delicious results. I ordered one of the specials, a filet mignon which had been marinated, grilled, and glazed, and covered with fat, juicy porcini mushrooms. This all sat atop a homemade sweet pea ravioli and was surrounded by a cabernet reduction. It wasn't dinner, it was a religious experience. It was a little rich, though, so I put some aside for later in order to save room for dessert. I was glad I did. We had the "double-crust apple tart" which is really just a 5-inch pie, but call it what you want. Just don't call it a Table Talk. It was pure heaven. It had a buttery, flaky piecrust that had obviously been made that afternoon, apples cooked just shy of melting, and a scoop of homemade caramel balsamic ice cream.
Doggie Bags: My usual scale is 1 to 5, but I have to give this one a 10!
Giovanni's Restaurant
1161 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville Bch, FL 32250
(904) 249-7787