Hi Dolls,
I think it’s pretty safe to say that us Floridians hold all of the winter bragging rights when it comes to the things we can enjoy outdoors! With temperatures flirting with the 70’s and 80’s, one would think that Florida only had two seasons, Summer and Cooler Days. Of course, I’m in no ways complaining! I really can’t deal with being cold, so I’ve enjoyed being able to continue partaking in some of my favorite activities, especially dining out doors, happy hour on rooftops, and Sunday Fun-day food festivals!
Outdoor Dining
Some of my favorite places to dine have outdoor seating which, in my opinion, always heightens the dining experience! One of my favorite restaurants in Ponte Vedra is 3 Palms Grille. It is located inside of beautiful Sawgrass and sits in front of a golf course. Many aren’t aware that the restaurant is open to the public with easy gate access from A1A and Solano Rd.! All you have to say at the access gate is that you’re heading to 3 Palms Grille! They have some of the most delicious food, a bar and lounge area, and outdoor seating that includes a beautiful patio with a fire pit! During my last visit to 3 Palms, sitting by the fire pit with friends, enjoying wine after dinner, was one my favorite memories of this winter, thus far.
Did I mention how great the food is at 3 Palms? They are open Tuesday-Sunday for dinner, Tuesday-Saturday for lunch, and they serve brunch on Sundays. On this day, some of my friends and I enjoyed dinner on the outside deck and wine at the fire pit. Check out some of the amazing dishes we enjoyed, below:
For dinner we sat on the outside patio. There was a little chill in the air, but with our chunky sweaters and light jackets, everyone was comfortable. It was a beautiful Florida afternoon, the patio ambiance was so welcomed, the company was great, and the food was delicious!
Royal Red Shrimp Pasta: This dish is amazing! It’s beautiful grilled red shrimp served over fresh Cavatelli pasta, with spinach, grape tomatoes, ,artichokes & Peppadews, with a white wine butter sauce, and a side of grilled bread. I could eat this dish every single day and not tire.
Because Florida is such a beautiful place to be and the weather is always so nice, year-round, there are a lot of restaurants who provide space for dining outside. Next time you’re in Ponte Vedra, enjoying another sunny Florida day, stop by 3 Palms Grille for a great meal and great outdoor dining experience.
Roof Top Happy Hour
One of my favorite past times, after work, is enjoying happy hour with some of my favorite people! What I love even more is enjoying happy hour with a view! When I first moved to Jacksonville and learned my way around the city, I made a mental note about how much I loved “that blue bridge down town”. The Main Street bridge has always been my favorite! My favorite to jog over, to paint…shout out to Painting With a Twist, or to just look at, especially at night! It is definitely a landmark for the city of Jax! To my delight, when Cowford Chophouse opened a few years back, I was thrilled to see that their rooftop had the perfect birds-eye view of my favorite bridge!
Made with Diplomatico reserva exclusiva dark rum, lime juice, gingerbread syrup, raisins, mint, ginger ale
My favorite part is enjoying it year round! Cheers to another reason why Florida is where it’s at during the winter (or all year long for that matter)! We can sit, comfortably, on rooftops for happy hour in January!
Of course, I’m all for a nice cocktail, but what is a good drink without good food! The fall/winter menu at Cowford Chophouse has great seasonal selections perfect for this time of year!
Red Wine Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese: Yes! Yes, this sandwich is absolutely as good as it looks! This was my favorite the last time I visited Cowford! It’s stuffed with flavorful and tender shredded short rib and cheese and it is amazing and so worth a try!
Happy Hour at Cowford is Monday-Friday from 3pm-6pm and they have pretty good happy hour deals. All draft beers are $5, Cocktails and White Wine by the glass are $7, and Red Wine is $8. The Happy Hour snacks are pretty good too. The salmon spring rolls pictured above are so delicious and a must-try!
If you can stay a little while after the sun sets, it’s totally worth seeing the Main Street Bridge when it’s lit up! The rooftop of Cowford Chophouse gives you a perfect view!
Jacksonville Food & Wine Festival
Last weekend, my friends and I enjoyed eating and sipping wine at the Inaugural Jacksonville Food and Wine Festival! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and food and wine lovers came from all over the city to partake in the ultimate food and wine experience in the historic Riverside area of town!
There were over 60 different wines and more than 20 of Duval’s favorite restaurants in attendance! The crowd was massive and it was exciting to see so many people come out to support the inaugural event! Suffice it to say, Jacksonville has been waiting on something like this!
My girls and I had VIP tickets so we were able to enjoy complimentary samples throughout the afternoon!
The thing I love most about food festivals is being able to enjoy foods from places I’ve never been to before. The best thing I sampled at the fest was the Candied Jalepeno Pork Belly from Well-Oiled Events! It was incredible and now they are on my radar! I had never even heard of Well-Oiled events before but and now I can hardly wait to try them again!
Sushi from the Umami Jax food truck and the Kimchi Popcorn were my second favorites from the fest! Also really tasty! I mean…who would’ve ever thought to put Kimchi and popcorn together? Try it! It totally works!
We had such an amazing time and I ran into so many familiar faces that afternoon! It ‘s always great to see the community show up to support local businesses. I also love the fact that this inaugural event helped benefit various foundations. As a local foodie, I am definitely looking forward to seeing how amazing the Jacksonville Food and Wine Fest will continue to be for years to come!
Florida is where it’s at for outdoor activities! Next up on my winter agenda is The Florida Strawberry Festival and then the much anticipated Players Championship! I can’t think of a better event to culminate my winter. For inspiration, Share A Little Sunshine is a great place to go when planning things to do in Florida. To all of my friends who live in colder areas, where there’s such a thing as snow days, come visit me next winter! The weather here is great for all things, all year!
As always, thanks so much for stopping by! Have an amazing week!
XOXO
