We have heard a lot of good things about Kaiser’s, so we had to check it out. We had to drive there as it is on A1A near Gypsy Cab. Kaiser’s is more than a deli with great sandwiches—walking in I was pleasantly surprised; it was so nice inside. Bright white walls, wine barrel tables, 2 leather sofas in a beautiful wine room with a great selection of wines. They also have a deck with outside seating. Phil had a Reuben with a beer and I had the traditional Italian with a glass of red. Both were delicious. They serve Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, and you can also purchase them by the pound. Check them out.
Celebrated today with a late lunch/early dinner at O.C. White’s. We felt like burgers! They are pretty much a seafood place, but they do have other options. What makes them special is the location. They are right on the bayfront offering beautiful views and they have a beautiful outdoor dining area with a pergola and live music. Didn’t get the name of the guy playing that day, but he was very good and had a nice mixed repertoire. He really enhanced the relaxed vibe. I believe he is there Friday and Saturday’s.
Later that day we headed down to Aviles Street for First Friday Artwalk—Phil is June’s Featured Artist at Jensen Pottery. It was a beautiful night with a balmy breeze, a good crowd, Ken Jensen and his band jamming on the street, free wine, and an almost full moon. What more could you ask for.
Day 3 found us at Sainte George Restaurant at the top of St George Street, near the city gates. Their Facebook page stated live music from 5-6:30 but there was no live music when we got there. Well not 100% true…the bartender Charles is an Opera Singer—a Dramatic Tenor and since no one else was upstairs at the bar he sang a beautiful Aria for us. He had an amazing voice and range, almost Baritone…and that soft quiet final note…spectacular. So technically we did hear live music. And it was fantastic.
Charles the Opera Singer/Bartender
Happy Hour was 5-6:30 with $3.00 off Beer, Wine, and Cocktails. I had one of their specialty drinks—God Save the Bees; a gin based cocktail with Earl Grey Tea, Lemon, Honey and Cardamon Bitters and it was light and refreshing. Phil had his go to Double Vodka Tonic. We shared a few appetizers: Grilled Lamb Lollipops (one of Phil’s favorites), Orzo Pasta Salad (great for a veggie lover like myself), and a side order of the Baked Orzo Mac ‘N’ Cheese made with my guess of Aged White Cheddar… sooooo good
On our way out we stopped by the open concept kitchen to thank the Chef. Sous Chef Jared was working that night, we complimented on the food and just to confirm, my tastebuds were spot on – it was an Aged White Cheddar. I LOVE cheese! And while I love Brie, Chevre, Manchego, Stilton, the list goes on; one of my childhood favorites is Aged White Cheddar—particularly Cracker Barrel…. memories of afterschool snacks consisting of a nice chunk of it, with or without a cracker, sigh. But, back to the Orzo Mac ‘N’ Cheese, that, and a glass of red wine with their Simple Salad would be dinner enough for me.
Heading back towards our apartment we still had the desire for some live music, so we stopped by the patio lounge at Casa Maya. The patio lounge is great, it is basically an outdoor living room (patio sofas, chairs, cocktail tables) with live music and great cocktails. They have live music every night so it’s always a fun time for music and dancing if you want. I had my favorite cocktail there, the Del Mar and Phil stuck with his go to Double Vodka Tonic. We enjoyed two sets and resumed our walk back home.
But we got sidetracked by the first evening of Summer Concerts in the Plaza; Thursday’s thru 8-31-23.
The Concert Line Up
Str8up was playing that night and we stayed for their final set. Set a Thursday reminder on your phone, bring a chair, a picnic, the kids if you have them, and plan a nice ‘free’ evening at the plaza. Heads up, Dewey Via Ban is there 6-29-23, and personally I’m looking forward to ZaZa Flamenca on 8-3-23.
And since it is my birthday week, and since we were having such a good night, we really weren’t quite ready to go home. So, we stopped at the Chatsworth for a nightcap. If you haven’t been there yet, you need to check it out. Typical of StA they have a very friendly staff, and its comfortable like being in your living room—leather sofas, wingback chairs, lots of pillows. It is the quintessential British Pub. Phil loves to go there during Football Season because a) they have the best sliders and b) they have 3 TV’s playing (probably not in that order). They also have a room for private events and ‘High Tea’.
And then it was time to head home…all in all it was a great evening out in America’s Europe.
Back home, in bed, we held hands and talked about our night,
As mentioned previously we do Birthday Week. On day 2 of my celebration we had dinner at our favorite local trattoria, Nonna’s Trattoria on Aviles Street. When I say favorite, seriously we eat there once a week and the food is always good with great service, and tonight was no difference. We shared a bottle of Cab; we both had the grouper which was delicious and tender with a lemon caper sauce. Phil had a side of pasta with the same sauce and I had a Caesar Salad. And because it was my birthday Adamo sent over a piece of tiramisu which is always a treat!
Let me tell you about Asado Life. For a year now, we have seen posts about in on Facebook and have been curious. Everyone raves about it! Some feel the price at dinner is a bit high…still we were curious. Then someone told us how good their lunch was. And we had to go.
So, this is not a place we can walk to. But the drive is not far at all, and sometimes it’s good to take the car out for a drive!
You may ask what exactly is Asado? Asado is a traditional event in South America; in particular, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. But it is more than grilling meats, it is a social event. At Asado Life they have Asador Events at dinner time on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. And after experiencing lunch I can tell you we will be making a reservation for one of these events in the very near future – and you will be the first to hear about our experience. (Stay tuned.)
Wood for the grill.
As you have figured out by now it is all about the meat and all about the barbeque. And while they are not grilling on the patio at lunch, you can see the kitchen hard at work as it is an open kitchen concept. The restaurant has a modern fresh look to it – lots of bright white! The patio on the water’s edge is beautiful and offers amazing views and a nice breeze. Which is where we sat for our lunch.
We started with a drink, Phil had a Paloma and the bartender made it perfectly! I had a glass of the Pinot Noir. And then lunch…it was so hard to choose because everything on the menu sounded so good. Phil went with the special that day: a stuffed Chile relleno – three cheeses, served with grilled steak and arroz. On our server’s recommendation I went with the Caesar Salad (dressing made in house) and a grilled boneless chicken thigh. For me that was the best Caesar salad I have had in StA (unless I am making it at home). Neither of us were disappointed – and here is the thing, the portion was perfect, not too large that you have leftovers—which isn’t a bad thing; rather it was just the right size and priced accordingly.
And then to my pleasant surprise, on our way out, walking towards the door I saw the art on that wall and realized it was done by a local StA artist and our friend Laura O’Neal. Laura is a fabulous and talented artist, well known and respected in the art community, with a unique style, and in my opinion a bit whimsical. You can see her work at Asado Life and you can also see it and purchase it at ArtBox on King Street. Check out her work and all the other fabulous artists there, you won’t be disappointed. Tell them Phil and Dee sent you! And since June’s First Friday is coming up, 6-2-2023, they are open until 9PM, they have complimentary wine and live music. It’s always a fun ‘free’ time!
Laura’s: “Lit”. I’m trying to find your Asado life.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year already. But we recently renewed our lease on our FABULOUS apartment…so it must be true. And simultaneously it feels like we just got here and that we never left. We love living here.
Literally we love everything about living here: The fabulous artistic vibe, the abundance of great restaurants: our local bar/gastro pub, our local Trattoria, our favorite Sunday brunch spot – shout out to Forgotten Tonic; Nonna’s; and Roosevelt Room; our local wine bars, coffee shops, gift shops, art galleries, pastry shops, the beaches, our cool small Publix on Vilano Beach, the Saturday Farmer’s Market, the music scene, the beach bars, the Amphitheater, the festivals, the holiday parades, First Friday Artwalk….you see the list is endless. Always something going on and always something to do.
But more important than that is the people we have met and the friendships and relationships we are building. We are now closer to family, so we have been able to share some holiday celebrations together. We have reconnected with good friends that we maybe saw once a year, and now we see several times a month.
A few weeks ago, my nephew came to visit for a weekend. He is at college at Embry Riddle studying to be a Rocket Scientist (seriously!!!). He was overwhelmed with schoolwork and finals and wanted to get away for a weekend. So we picked him up in Daytona and came back to StA. We had a great time hanging out, walking Lincolnville, showing him around, and eating and drinking. But the funny part is he told my sister he had a great time and “Phil and Dee are famous.” LOL We are not famous, we just know those in our neighborhood; we our locals with our local hangouts, and there ‘everyone knows our name’. He also told her we took him to ‘fancy’ restaurants. Ok, maybe one was fancy!
Sometimes, late in the evening, when we have our windows open and our lights are still on, an employee from one of our local hangouts – better called a friend – walking past our apartment will shout up to us, “good night Phil and Dee, love you”. It’s sweet and genuine like a ‘Walton’s’ moment. It’s home for us. It makes our hearts happy.
Phil just had an art opening and is at Jensen Pottery gallery for May and June. Which is very exciting for him, he had a great turnout. It was also our 16th wedding anniversary making it a double celebration.
Phil at his opening. A beautiful installation.
I still take my morning walk along the bayfront and over the bridge. Every day is different, and I never get tired of that view. I love when I see something on my walk that I never noticed before. I love when I find small hidden side streets I didn’t know were there, or secret garden courtyards in the middle of the city. I love the smell of gardenias and night blooming jasmine in the early morning hours. I love the sunrises and the cloudy days equally. I love the briny smell along the bayfront at low tide, and the salt air aroma at high tide. On non-work days I love to stop at ChocoLattes at the end of my walk and have a Mimosa while I wait for my croissant and Phil’s bagel, egg, bacon, and cheese sammie to go.
Rose Mimosa at ChocoLattes
This is the life we are building. I’m so happy to be back here. Did I mention we love living here?
America’s Europe, one year later, we are ‘still’ here, and we ‘still’ feel alive.
St. Augustine does not lack for live music options—there is always something going on. The weather this weekend was so beautiful we decided to go out for lunch and do a Music Crawl – similar to a bar crawl, but live music is involved…you knew that. Phil had a list of venues, performers, and times in his pocket. In theory we were going to listen to music from 2:00 in the afternoon until Midnight. First stop Meehan’s Backyard for lunch and Dewey Via. If you haven’t seen him—solo or with his band – check him out. The band is at the Dog Rose Brewery every Sunday. I had the Wedge Salad and Phil had the Fish and Chips (can’t go wrong with that choice). From there we walked to Casa de Vino 57 on Treasury. Phil had a beer, I had a glass of Italian Red. We sat under the pergola and listened to the band. Tray and Josh were the duo playing, drums and guitar; mostly country mixed with a bit of rock. They are there every other Sunday. During their break they sat with us, and they shared their cheese plate with us. The triple crème brie was amazing! After their set we went home; because a friend called saying he was in town; so, change of plans—Music Crawl cut short. But there are many weekends ahead for a future Music Crawl(s). Stay tuned…
The Conch House on Anastasia Island has been there for over 70 years, and I have never been there. It is on the Intracoastal Waterway, and boasts not only a restaurant, but a bar with live music, a Marina, and a Motel. It’s a fabulous outdoor space with a very cool Polynesian vibe. It was a beautiful Thursday evening and we just wanted to go out to eat, some place outdoors, and Phil suggested the Conch House. He kept talking about the ‘bird houses’. Ok, the ‘bird houses’ are Tiki Huts on the edge of the deck that hover over the water. And they are very cool!
Because the Tiki Huts are so cool there is a wait list—they are first come first serve and they do not take reservations. But the wait was only 15-20 minutes, so we went to the Conch House Lounge – a cool hut 300 feet out over the water. It has the beach vibe people love when on the water in Florida. Carved totems, a grate in the floor where you see the water and the oyster beds on the dock pilings, a spiral staircase reminiscent of a light house that takes you to a crow’s nest lounge—half circular seating, a large cocktail table, a beautiful view of the water. I envision young hip people vying for that spot on a weekend night, dressed beautifully, sipping their cocktails and leaving the work week behind.
Outdoors on the dock is where the live music is. There is both covered (umbrellas) and uncovered seating. You can see where the fish boats come in with their catch from that day. It does not get any fresher than that. It could be very easy to just sit there and stare at the water, sip on a cocktail, and watch the day turn into night. But we were hungry, and I received a text that our table was ready.
In our ‘bird’s nest’ view we sipped on our drinks, watched an egret fish for his dinner, listened to the music wafting over from the Conch House Lounge, watched the boats cruising by, and basically, we just relaxed in the moment and the beauty of the environment and the evening.
Dinner was delicious! Heads up, I have a shellfish allergy so for me the choices were a bit limited. I had the Minorcan Catch—because I saw the fresh catch just a few minutes ago, Phil had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. He is a big fan of ‘jerk’ sauce and has spent a lot of time in Jamaica. He loved his dinner. As I said we were starving, so we ate everything and had no leftovers. We did however take a Key Lime Pie to go. I’ll let you know how it is!
It was worth it to get in the car and drive over the bridge! Good food, great atmosphere, great service, cool vibe. I know I have used the word cool a lot – that’s because it really is a very cool place. Check it out.
The Conch House | 57 Comares Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32080 | 904.829.8646
Living in America's Europe 