A Culinary Escape at the Roy’s Restaurant

Aloha Dolls!

The Roy’s Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach has recently undergone a gorgeous new remodel!  Though Roy’s has always provided their guests with a welcoming ambiance, the new look and feel of the popular beach restaurant is sure to give you an “experience”, especially with their new pendant lighting, open kitchen, and contemporary flare!  Being the foodie I am, I love being able to watch chefs create dishes right in front of me.  It’s like being an audience member on a food network show…which I would love to experience one day if I could just put that out into the universe really quick!  Roy’s now has a chef’s counter directly in front of the kitchen that will give guests more of an interactive experience.  Other changes to the Jax Beach Roy’s is the new and improved bar.  With new black marble and high top tables, the bar area offers guests a larger space to gather and share new items from the Aloha Happy Hour or late night menus.  Of course with a new look comes new and innovative dishes!   I recently experienced A Culinary Escape where I sampled several dishes from an exclusive tasting  menu.  The menu was inspired by flavors of the season, the Pacific Coast, and time-honored dishes from founder, Chef Roy Yamaguchi.   In no particular order, here are some of the exceptional dishes you can enjoy the next time you visit Roy’s!

Featured Selection of Aloha Hour Appetizers:

~Peppercorn Tuna Wraps~  

Served with a Yuzo Aioli and fried onion on butter lettuce, these were the perfect bite to start off the evening!

~Auntie Lei’s Aloha Roll~

Made with spicy tuna, cucumber, yellowtail, salmon, and an avocado garlic ponzu, this sushi was another light bite that was perfect to start off our dining experience.

~Rock Shrimp Tempura~

These crispy and delicious shrimp were served with Shishito Peppers, Shimeji Mushroom, and a Malaysian Curry Aioli.  Anything with curry, is destined to be devoured so it’s safe to say that these were definitely a favorite for me this evening.

~Kung Pao Calamari~ 

I love when calamari has the perfect texture.  This one was prepared nicely without being too chewy.  The sweet and spicy kung pao sauce made this dish quite tasty!

~Hawaiian Tuna & Salmon Poke~

Made with a Inamona Jus, Heirloom Tomatoes, Jalapenos, and Crispy Taro chips, this dish was bursting with flavor!

~Blistered Shishito Peppers~

 This pepper is affectionately known as the “Rush and Roulette Pepper”!  It is a naturally mild and sweet pepper but sometimes it breaks away from the norm, packing a spicy punch.  You never really know if you’re getting a mild or spicy pepper until you bite into it.  Luckily, for me, my pepper was mild!  If any one was unlucky to get a spicy pepper, the sesame miso dressing it was served with, would’ve provided a little coolness.

Featured Family Style Entrees
~Braised Short Ribs and Beef~
Both of these amazing dishes were flavored and cooked to perfection!  They were made with natural braising sauce and honey mustard, and were very tender.

~Butter Seared Georges Bank Sea Scallops~

These scallops were prepared with Lobster Essence and served with a Creamy Coconut Black Rice.  They were perfection and literally melted in my mouth.  I loved the black rice as well.  It was very complimentary of the scallops.  

~Andouille Crusted Whitefish~
It was served with a Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc and Crispy Brussel Sprouts.  This fish was nice a flaky, the beurre blanc had a hint of spiciness, and the brussels sprouts were nicely seasoned.  Everything paired together beautifully.

Featured Family Style Sides

~Lump Crab Fried Rice~

This was a very fragrant rice made with ginger, sesame, and garlic!  It was a perfect side for the main entrees.

~Truffle Bacon Mac & Cheese~

It’s pretty hard to mess up a mac and cheese dish with truffle and bacon!  It’s like a match made in mac and cheese heaven!  Perfect side dish.

Specialty Cocktails

Throughout the evening we were offered different wines from Roy’s expansive wine list (here) as well as specialty cocktails.  

My favorite of the evening was the “1988″.

Named for the year Roy’s was founded, it was a delightful cocktail made with Finlandia Grapefruit, SOHO Lychee, and Patron Citronge.

Roy’s Signature Desserts

By this point most of us were pretty full but no dinner is complete without dessert so we enjoyed a sampler that featured two of Roy’s signature desserts.

~Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle~

This was a flourless chocolate cake with a molten hot center, served with Raspberry Coulis and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  It was delicious!

~Pineapple Upside Down Cake~

Served with Caramelized Pineapple Baked with Brown Sugar Pound Cake and Coconut Ice Cream

Needless to say, this was a beautiful evening of dining and chatting with fellow foodies.  The remodeled Roy’s is beautiful, the staff is friendly and well versed in the menu and wine selections, and the cuisine was exquisite.   You definitely want to make your way down to Jax Beach to enjoy the the new and improved Roy’s Restaurant.  The happy hour is sure to be a hit as well.

Aloha Hour is available everyday from 2:59pm-7pm

Late night Aloha Hour is available Monday-Thrusday from 9pm-10pm and Friday-Saturday from 9pm-11pm

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great week!

XOXO