Why Avondale Florida is such a great place to eat.

Just a few miles east of downtown Jacksonville, Florida there is a hidden treasure called Avondale.The locals like to call it the “strip’ because it is 3 blocks of boutiques, galleries and restaurants. The eating is so good that three of the seven Avondale restaurants were featured in the August 2010 issue of Southern Living.

Avondale is a historical district where some homes date back to the 1920, the sidewalks are still stone, and the streets are lined with huge trees. This area is especially beautiful because it runs along the St. Johns River and local artist fill galleries with their paintings and sculptures. When the sun begins to set, the streets begin to fill up with people riding bikes, mothers’ walking their children, pushing strollers, and many are seen heading to the strip for happy hour , diner and old fashion mingling.

There are seven restaurants within walking distance, most of them offer outside seating where you can watch the traffic and enjoy the beautiful weather. Sunday Brunches are very popular and affordable and since each one of these places is unique, I will list them in alphabetical order.

Biscotti’s coffee house and restaurant - 3556 Saint Johns Ave.

This quaint restaurant offers American/Mediterranean cuisine, featuring pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and diner entrees. My favorite Pizza has Wild Mushroom and Spanish chorizo sausage, porcini roasted mushrooms, thin sliced chorizo, wilted spinach, roasted garlic and Asiago cheese. Feel free to order the Smoked paprika-dusted flounder and farfalle pasta tossed in a curry-plum tomato sauce, it is scrumptious. New York Times Sunday Travel section ranked Biscotti’s as one the four best places to eat in Jacksonville.

Blue Fish Restaurant and oyster Bar -3551 Saint Johns Ave.

To coincide with everything seafood, the décor is bright blue and pastel sea green, this is a great place to take company, or to socialize on the second floor. The Blue Fish Escargot sautéed spinach and garlic baked with hollandaise is a delicacy one should not pass up. Then follow it up with the Seared Scallops and Shrimp on Mac and Cheese- white cheddar macaroni topped with seared scallops and shrimp, with asparagus and white truffle oil drizzle. Just writing about it makes my mouth water. They have an adorable courtyard, and for those who like to mingle the second floor bar is open late.

Brick - 3585 Saint Johns Ave.

This restaurant has a great location right on the corner, and the locals enjoy sitting outside and watching the traffic as they sip on Margaritas. The Brick host local Jazz bands on week-ends and offers a variety of munchies. I enjoy sharing the Brie cheese platter and found the Spanish Fritatta to be my favorite. The Spanish Fritatta dish is a Spicy sausage, onion, red & green bell peppers, potato, tomato and cheese with a side of tomatillo salsa.

Casbah Café - 3628 Saint Johns Ave.

When was the last time you ate authentic Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean food while watching belly dancers perform? This small café offers a one-of-a-kind atmosphere created by its sights, sounds and smells: Modern Middle-Eastern music, fresh African coffee, and imported beer & wine. The Morocco Lamb Kabob and hummus is my favorite.

Since Hookahs with flavored tobacco are available, the crowd tends to be much younger than at the other restaurants, but if you're looking for something a little different, this place may be fun to visit.

Fox Restaurant - 3580 Saint Johns Ave.

The Fox has bee around for 50 years, don’t be fooled by the basic exterior, they don’t try to be anything but a great place to eat. If you want breakfast all day, go with the waffles or an omelets. The waffles are the star of the show there because they're basically perfect. Big, hot, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Specialty sandwiches and of course Fried Green Tomatoes are always a plus.

Monty’s - 3644 Saint Johns Ave.

Monty's has been open for about 40 years, and a restaurant was added to the lounge 13 years ago. This fun place has a drive through liquor store and features yummy Mexican cuisine.

‘Town - 3611 Saint Johns Ave.

The ‘Town is the newest addition to Avondale and it is unique in that the majority of the outstanding dishes are prepared using the freshest local ingredients that were grown, caught or raised in North Florida or South Georgia. The fresh “farm-to-table” cuisine is served with a Pan Asian and French flare.

Among my many favorites is the Brick Grilled Organic Chicken with roasted asparagus, baby carrots and butter lettuce or the Roasted Local Trigger Fish with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms and leeks verjus. I must also say that their coffee is the best around.

Don’t forget Dessert!

Whether you’re a local or a visitor, you must not leave Avondale without having desert. Since they are all equally as beautiful and tasty I cannot list them all here. Enjoy!