Ponte Vedra Focus - restaurants

A Slice of Goodness: Pizza at the Beach

Posted by Gwinn Volen on June 2nd, 2022

by Gabrielle Monk

The perfect slice. Cooked to perfection. Savoring every bite. Plain. Pepperoni. Meat lovers. Veggie. Chicago style. New York style. How do you describe pizza and what is your favorite topping? Who has the perfect pizza in the Jacksonville area? I have a feeling if you ask ten people, you will get 10 different responses. Although I don’t necessarily have a favorite restaurant, I do have my favorite type at each of the places mentioned. Pizza, for my family, is an easy Friday meal that we always enjoy.

We struggled when we first moved to Ponte Vedra Beach because finding the perfect slice at a variety of places wasn’t exactly easy. And the amazing thing about the places below is the fact that most of these places have locations at…

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New Restaurant Opens in Jacksonville Beach

Posted by Gwinn Volen on March 9th, 2022

by Jenn Heller

Sushi lovers gather around, there’s new beachside dining restaurant in Jacksonville Beach. O-Ku Jacksonville Beach opened in mid-February 2022 just in time for THE PLAYERS Championship. O-Ku is located in Jacksonville Beach directly across from the pier at 502 1st St N, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250. I’m a bit of a sushi snob and quite particular about my sushi experience and O-Ku did NOT disappoint. It hit all the thumbs up buttons on my menu.

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere in O-Ku is very upscale. It’s not your everyday, run-of-the-mill, sushi stop. It touches on elegance with a coastal vibe and splash of candle-lit ambiance at every table. The simple yet elegant table settings in all white enhanced the coastal vibe. What better…

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A Bees Knees Please: A Jacksonville Cocktail Journey

Posted by Gwinn Volen on July 31st, 2021

By Lyn Gabrielsen

I first tasted a Bees Knees on Thursday, March 12, 2020, the sad day we canceled THE PLAYERS Championship. My husband, Jimmy, and I left TPC and headed to Valley Smoke for dinner.  I love gin, and I love honey, so when the drink arrived with one of those big, fat ice cubes with a fancy lemon twist, I was in heaven. But, as we all know, I was not to taste a Bee’s Knees for many months, and boring red wine became my choice of beverage as my waist will testify.

Fast forward a year….back at the bar at Valley Smoke.  “A Bee’s Knees, please.” It was just as I remembered.  Perfect. 

Because I’m a nerd and have lots of free time, I decided to research my resurrected, favorite cocktail. 

The Bee’s Knees was a Prohibition…

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