Biscottis Restaurant, Jacksonville Florida

 

Jacksonville Florida, by area, is the largest city in the United States.  Can’t be true?  Hey, I seldom lie and when I do it’s not about something as important as this!

 

And Jacksonville has an array of restaurants that rivals cities of the same size….yes, that was a stab at humor.  But, J-town does have some very suitable eating establishments and the other night, my faithful companion joined me for a night out, complete with meal and libations.  She was the evening’s chauffeur, so for her, libation was singular.  A joyous evening to be savored for the best part of two hours at one of our new favorite restaurants, Biscottis. 

 

The young lady at the entrance, who took my name and found us suitable seating, was a good introduction to the tone of the restaurant.  She was polite, dressed nicely, and did her duties efficiently.  In short, a delight.

Our server on this evening was Will, who recited the menu, with full details of how each dish was prepared.  He listened carefully to our tastes and interests and when he brought the dishes, they lived up to his superlatives, from the excellent perfect Manhattan and wine selection, to the crab and artichoke appetizer, to the bruschetta (another appetizer) to the wonderful salads:  Thai with marinated chicken slices, and another with sliced skirt steak over greens.

 

I ran through the order rather quickly, in contrast to our languid consumption, inspired by the beautiful presentation.  The photos will give you a better idea than my descriptions, but I do need to add some high notes about the designs and flavors.   We’ll get to the restaurant’s atmosphere further down.

The Bruschetta came as a warm loaf, partially sliced, with mozzarella in between slices and delightfully marinated tomatoes strewn over the top.  The bread was soft instead of the usual crisped slices, but that only made it a new and lovely adventure in Italian tastes.

 

The crab and artichoke dip came with untoasted slices of another style of bread, also delicious.  A quick note:  At Biscottis, all baking is done in house and done well!!!

 

The salads were lightly seasoned, highlighting the proteins and the greens.  Let it be known, we ate slowly, savoring each bite and politely sharing with each other, amid envious eyes and comments of  “I should have ordered that.”

Now a note about the atmosphere.  The small, but tasteful bar is so well done, it reminds me of the darkly paneled and subdued lighting of bars we’ve visited in Italy.  Delightfully dark and intimate.  Have to make time to sit at the bar next time we visit. And the rest of the restaurant is calming and so well designed.  A beautifully tiled floor, such well-accomplished artwork, and comfortingly toned walls.

 

But, folks, that ain’t all!  We finished with sharing a croissant bread pudding, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.   This is the all-consuming type of dessert that even banishes fond memories of your teenage, backseat dalliances. 

As “Arnuld” did not famously say,  W’re comin’ back, y’all!