Mill Top Tavern, St Augustine

Mill Top Tavern

Even though I’ve spent much of my adult life in foreign lands, I appreciate Americana and especially American history.  During our crawl down the eastern seaboard, we found just the place to immerse ourselves in both.  Sure, I’ve wiled away days in Charleston and Savannah, but St Augustine has a special feel, like a city that hasn’t outgrown it’s parade of conquistadors and pirates and invasions by the French and British.  And yet, the atmosphere is not completely like any of those.  It’s a mixed blood French, English, Spanish Lady who speaks with an American accent.  The ancient walls, what’s left of them, the massive Castillo de San Marcos guarding the harbor, and the French Huguenot cemetery speak to other times and other cultures that still cling like the remnants of last night’s party.

Chances are, in a vain effort to educate all three of my faithful readers, I will write more about the wonders of St Augustine, but today I’ll walk down a certain street and grab a bite at a certain restaurant, The Mill Top Tavern on St George Street.  This narrow walking street marks the beginning of the historic district.

People often ask, “How do you find these places?”  Well, I don’t thumb through guidebooks, I ask people.  In this case, I sauntered over to a uniformed guard and inquired about a good place for lunch.  First thing out of her mouth, as she pointed toward the swarm of folks ambling the cobblestones and gazing at the endless clusters of tiny shops on either side, was “Mill Top!”

The Mill Top Tavern is built on the site of an 1880 grist mill and opened as a bar in 1950.  In 2016 it required a complete restoration, which was completed with an eye toward keeping its historic charm and appearance.

Wasn’t hard to find.  About a block down from the old city gates, with a sign pointing upstairs.  Two open air rooms, separated by a compact bandstand where a fiddle playing, gray haired lady and guitar strumming younger man about twice her size, played music with a country twang.  I admit, normally, being prone to conversation over lunch, I view a live band as I would a concert of Johnny and the Maniacs accompanied by several children banging trash cans.

But, Sue Tice on Fiddle and Matt Fowler on guitar are practiced musicians, with the sound of their instruments just as important as Matt’s mellow baritone.  I also admit I love fiddle music, done right, and Sue Tice is a virtuoso.   Between the two of them, the sounds are perfectly blended and allow someone to eat, enjoy the music and converse.

Our server, Annette, was just as cordial as the music, and experienced and polite enough to offer suggestions, then disappear and reappear as exactly as needed.

Plus, the seating is ringed by open half walls that allow heat to escape and a comforting breeze to refresh the senses.

So, what did we order, my companion and I?  We had light appetites.  I opt for (yes, folks, op is the singular and opt is the past tense and there ain’t NO opted) for black bean soup crowned with diced fresh onions and my companion got a pressed Cuban pork sandwich, with small sides of grilled vegetables and potato salad.

Black Bean soup, as it should be!  Well herbed and served hot!

The pork, seasoned Cuban Style, and accompanying roasted vegetables and potato salad were excellent!

To allow us to continue to stagger through town, we opt to swig some strong coffee.

Our lunch was perfect on that gloriously sunny day.  But, it wasn’t the end of our St Augustine adventure.  We walked St George St for a while, stopping to see American’s oldest wooden schoolhouse, then moving on.  We still had old worlds to re-conquer.