The Metro Diner

The Metro Diner is a Jacksonville transplant, which has come here to Gainesville. I was really excited about this because I saw an episode of Diners, Drive Ins & Dives where Guy visited it. I know, my TV choices are questionable at best. ANYWAY.

To clarify, I didn't eat all of this food alone. I was with three other people. Be that as it may....you get a lot of food at Metro Diner. That hashbrown was bigger than my hand. Those pancakes were gigantic. And wow. It was all so good.

We didn't get it, but they also have chicken and waffles featuring half a chicken. I know. But yeah, everything we ate was really good and they serve breakfast all day, and that's a blessing, as far as I'm concerned. Go go go.

Satchel's Pizza

Satchel's is kind of a Gainesville legend, it would seem. I'd been hearing about it since my freshman year, but the first time I actually tried it was just a few weeks ago. The prices are a little steep, but reasonable when you consider what you're paying for. It's easy to see why this place has such a cult-like following.

The atmosphere is great. It's artsy and eclectic, from the sculpture outside to the local art that adorns the walls. Satchel's also makes their own sodas. I tried three of them, and all were really good. My personal favorite was the root beer, and I'm not even a big fan of root beer typically. We also got a four topping pizza (with steak, bacon, garlic, and onion), which was really good too. I hope to go back soon and get to sit in "the van", which is exactly what it sounds like.

If you're in the area, go soon (and invite me)!

Moxie (and the events that followed)

Moxie is a restaurant in downtown(ish) Jacksonville. They're known for their cocktails and describe their food as modern Americana. I unfortunately don't have pictures of our food, but The Boyfriend (who is now the fiance but I'm still not used to that....) and I had dinner there together and it was fantastic.

The only picture I actually took...

I made Alex get a cocktail, since he's 21. He doesn't drink really at all and didn't like it that much, but that says more about his alcohol consumption than Moxie's cocktail skills. He's drinking one of their signature drinks, The BLT, which was bourbon, lemonade, and thyme.

We got an appetizer because we like to fully experience new places, and weren't disappointed. The appetizer our waiter recommended was cheddar biscuit tots, and they were funky and delightful. Think deep fried Red Lobster biscuits. You can't go wrong with those.

For dinner, he had a burger (he's a man who knows what he likes) and let me taste it. Moxie uses a blend of beef, pork, and bacon, and that was a nice touch. Alex also topped it with more bacon, which made it even better. I got the recommended signature dish, which was chicken and waffles, but not made normally. The chicken was hot and spicy, and the waffles were little sweet medallions, as expected, but it also came with maple mousse, and that was a really nice addition.

Dessert was a cake inspired by Snickers bars, chocolate with nougat filling and ganache, which came with salted caramel ice cream, which I'm always a sucker for. 

Afterwards, we decided to walk around the shopping center for awhile. There was a nearby fountain, and when we got near there, Alex wanted to stop and talk for a little while. We chatted briefly, then he kissed me, hugged me tight, dropped to one knee, said some of the sweetest things in the world, and asked me to marry him. And of course I cried and said yes.

So maybe my feelings about Moxie are a little skewed by my feelings for the sweet boy I went there with, but either way, I highly recommend it, even if you aren't planning on proposing!

What Should I Eat? 7

Let me tell you about this new, cute, little place that just popped up on University. It's called 3 Natives and I'm a fan. They have these little things you see above, called smoothie bowls. They're fresh, they're fruity, and the bottom is frozen, so it's like healthy (dairy-free) ICE CREAM. Me gusta mucho. The one I got had pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and peanut butter. I wasn't sure how those flavors would gel with the granola and acai berry smoothie base, but it totally worked. I had mine for breakfast, and it was surprisingly filling. The only downside is that these are sorta expensive (like $8), considering what they are. However, I'll probably recreate them in my kitchen at some point, so get excited for that. In the mean time, splurge and get one of the ones from 3 Natives.

What Should I Eat? 6

Look at this food. Oh my gosh. Go to the Flying Biscuit and get it all, as soon as possible. It's so freaking good. If you go on a weekend, call ahead, because there's usually about an hour wait. However, the above is a pancake with peach compote, grits, a biscuit, eggs, and bacon. The biscuits here are fantastic. They are huge and the texture is like a pillowy cloud. I like them with just butter, or they have homemade apple butter, which is also incredible. THE GRITS. Oh my goodness. If you're from the South, I'm sure you'll agree that restaurant grits are often lackluster. THESE ARE NOT. They are creamy and buttery and so good. Love.

I cannot recommend this place enough.

What Should I Eat? 5

I think the lesson at this point is this: if you get food with me at a local place, you will end up being mentioned on my blog. I went to La Tienda on Wednesday night with my friend Sarah, and here we are discussing that now.

La Tienda is small, and I feel like it's not super well known? That being said, the people that know it, LOVE IT. I have fallen into that camp. 

So, some pro tips: the menu is huge and semi-overwhelming for indecisive people like me. I like their burritos because they're huge, like two meals usually. That being said, I don't eat very much, so it might not be the best estimate for you. I like the carne asada (steak), and they come with beans and rice on them too. Get the chips and salsa. They're delicious, and the salsa tastes great on burritos. Those sauces you see up top? I don't think the green one is all that spicy, but the red certainly is. Both are tasty.

There's also not much parking at this place? So I guess just pray for parking. I recommend going during the week or at least during the day. Weekend nights don't go so well. Have fun.

What Should I Eat? 4

Praise.

Let me just tell you about a lovely place to get Asian food: Bento. It's not exclusively a Gainesville thing, but it is a north-ish Florida thing. It's so good, I'm telling you.

What you see above is the spicy cream chicken noodle bowl. Despite its name, it's not particularly spicy, so don't let that intimidate you. The sauce was creamy and sweet but also savory. Also, I'm not sure if you can tell just how big that bowl of food is, but that was easily two meals for me. It was only $8, for TWO MEALS. Yes.

If you're a UF student, make sure you show ID at the Archer road location. They'll upgrade you to a combo meal for free and you can get some of the wonderful edamame you see above. Edamame is really fun to eat, you should try it.

Go to Bento. You won't regret it.

What Should I Eat? 3

Um, yes.

Need good BBQ in the Gainesville area? I've got you. Please please please go try Four Rivers. Like right now. It will actually make your day better. I promise.

I went to Four Rivers the first time the other day with my sweet best friend. Not only was it lovely to spend time together, the food was AMAZING. If you're from the south, I'm sure you're fairly picky about your BBQ. I am. As such, I wasn't sure I'd like it, but oh my gosh. I have zero complaints.

We both got pulled pork sandwiches, and the meat itself was really good, with a nice smoky flavor, and the sauce was the right balance of sweet and smoky and tangy. That being said, it's the side dishes that really take the cake. I had mac n cheese and baked beans and wow. They were both fantastic.

This place also has the GOOD ICE. If you don't know what I mean, go, and you'll see. (I mostly just couldn't get a good picture, but anyway...) So delicious.

Top 5 Eateries in Gainesville

I know I usually review good restaurants in their own, separate posts, but in honor of all the freshmen rolling into town I thought I'd do a quick post detailing some of the best food in Gville, most of which won't break the bank.

In no particular order, here are five of my loves.

1. Relish
   Get to know it. Relish has some fantastic burgers; beef, veggie, even salmon! They have a topping bar that puts all others to shame (think sriracha, peanut butter, and pineapple). They also have some wonderfully salty fries which you can dip in curry ketchup (try it). It's also very conveniently located across from the Murphree area (holla atcha gurl. {does anyone actually say that?}) in midtown.
   Average meal cost: $9
2. Midnight Cookies

   

   Lin twins as hand models again

   If that picture alone didn't convince you, let's talk about Midnight Cookies for a hot second. These lovely people will DELIVER fresh baked, hot cookies to you IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Yes, really. It's what you need and deserve in the middle of a long night of studying (or watching movies). They have funky flavors like chicken & waffles or red velvet. So, so good.
   Cost: $1.30 per cookie but they have deals on dozens or half dozens.
3. Peach Valley
   Two words: Sunday. Brunch. This place is the place to go. Let me just tell you, they have such good food. They have the best chicken & waffles EVER. So good. Wow. They also have lunch food, but honestly, it's the breakfast stuff you want. There's usually a long wait, especially on Sundays though, so be ready for that.
   Average meal cost: $9
4. Vello's
   This place actually is pretty expensive. However, if you need a place to go to dinner with your parents (to celebrate straight A's, or an A, or straight B's, or ANYTHING), this place is incredible. They have a grill and let me just tell you, the food coming off that grill is spectacular.
   Average meal cost: $30
5. The Flying Biscuit
   I couldn't resist putting another brunch place on here, sorry. Everything this place makes is homemade and oh so good. Have the grits and a biscuit. And other stuff, but those are must-tries. Their shrimp and grits is flawless too. Eat up.
   Average meal cost: $10

What Should I Eat? 2

Food presented by the lovely Ginnie and Fanning

So, I feel like here in Gainesville we get stuck in a repetitive loop of two breakfast/brunch places; Peach Valley and Flying Biscuit. While I love both of those places, they can be expensive, and sometimes you just need a change. I'm here to tell you about a place you probably haven't heard of: Bagels Unlimited.

Bagels Unlimited is on 34th, in the same plaza as the Winn Dixie, meaning it's closer to campus than Flying Biscuit is.

As the name suggests, Bagels Unlimited is home to some beautiful looking bagels. However, they also have typical (and atypical) breakfast food.

My favorite thing I ate was my double chocolate muffin. They have homemade muffins, which are already fantastic, but instead of traditionally toasting them, they butter them up and grill them on the cook top. So good.

They have a HOT SAUCE WALL.

If you're looking for somewhere super classy with traditional "brunch" feel, this is not the place to go. It definitely has a very humble, eclectic feel. It's also very small, so be ready to wait on weekend mornings. Despite all that, the waitresses were very friendly and attentive, and made us feel very welcome.

If you're in the Gainesville area, I cannot recommend this place enough. Go, go, go.

What Should I Eat?

This feature will be discussing restaurants in Gainesville, where I attend school.

Yes, I'm eating a popsicle in my car. It's not that weird.

Hey there, happy popsicle week. Did you know that was a thing? I didn't. But it is, and if you're in Gainesville, celebrate by going over to the Hyppo. They're slowly taking over the town with three locations; downtown, Butler Plaza, and midtown.

The pops are delightful, with fun, fresh, fruity flavors like Watermelon Hibiscus. The one above (my fave) is Key Lime. It's tangy and creamy and just really wonderful.

The shops are super cute too. I didn't take pictures because I wasn't sure if that was okay? Bottom line: get over to the Hyppo. Celebrate popsicle week. Treat yo self (if you get that reference, we'll be friends). The pops are $3-$5, which is sort of expensive for a popsicle, but it's definitely worth it at least once. 

Happy eating!