Eating Our Way Through St. Augustine

 

Harry’s had been recommended by several people and after seeing She Crab Soup and Shrimp & Grits on the menu, it was a must stop.  In fact, we ate there for dinner and for lunch.  There are also other locations in Florida so when in those towns, it will be a visit for sure.  Several friends commented on their experiences there also, and all good.

 

Started off with a cup of She Crab Soup – OMG.  It was so good, I could have stopped there, but glad I didn’t.  

 

Shrimp and Grits were wonderful but I always ask about the heat factor since I don’t enjoy extremely hot or spicy food.  The most spice came from the sauce and they put it on the side with no problem.  

 

Don had the Marinated Salmon Salad which came with their homemade house vinaigrette dressing.  Of course I had to try a bite.  Again, a great choice for dinner.

 

Too full for dessert.  Our server Ryan was very attentive and friendly.  Sitting upstairs gave us a good view of the bay area.

 

Don wanted a burger for lunch on our second day so this was place was supposed to have the best in the historic district.  There is parking at this location so that’s something to ask about if you are driving.  

 

This reminded me of a local place – you have a choice of burger size and type, toppings and buns.  We are pretty much a classic so this didn’t disappoint.  A great burger place is always good to know.

 

Loved the decor of all the cows, especially this wood one, which is so on trend right now.DINNER – the unnamed place

We were going back to the historic district so checked out a few places online which we had seen while on Old Town Trolley Tour and chose this one because of the sweet southern name, and the menu wasn’t seafood.  Needless to say, it was a huge disappointment.  Baked beans were from a can, pulled pork was mush, and mac & cheese had sat in the warming dish too long and was water on bottom.  Server didn’t know Wi-Fi password and didn’t even bother finding out so I gave up after the 2nd try.  Cornbread was good – only good thing to say about this place.

 

THE CHOCOLATE TURTLEWhile walking back to the car, we passed this cute coffee bar.  Happy times when I found Tiramisu.    At first I thought it was cheesecake, but very happy to find out it wasn’t.I got a piece to go to enjoy with coffee later in the room.  This was a great ending to the day and just about made up for the horrible meal around the corner.NOTE – I’m sad to find out there were some business problems with the owner of the building, not the company, and they chose to close The Chocolate Turtle down.  I hope they find a new location and continue with the wonderful desserts and atmosphere in this little jewel.

 

 

Remember, I told you how much I loved this place.  For a late lunch, early dinner I thought She Crab Soup would be good, but this time a bowl so back to Harry’s we went.  Don went with a Chicken Caesar Salad this time.  Again, great.  It was a bit cool, but very sunny so with the patio heaters, it was a nice afternoon to set outside.  It’s always fun to enjoy a great meal outside.

 

 

With the late lunch, we weren’t hungry for dinner as we continued our walk around the historic district.  Checking out the shops along St. George Street.  Don decided on his favorite Key Lime Pie and found “Our Famous Key Lime Pie” at Florida Cracker Cafe.  He was a happy husband.  Sorry, no picture since it was consumed before I remembered to snap one.

 

I don’t like Key Lime Pie so had to get something for myself.  As we were waiting on his pie, I could smell a sweet aroma in the air – oh sugar where art thou?  

 

The sweet smell was pralines being made.  Of course I had to have a sample, then at least one praline for later.Oh how I could go for a taste of that warm praline and pecans right now.  It also brought back memories of walking in Savannah and always having samples of these little confections.

 

Now this name can be a bit misleading, thinking a diner, but not.  While walking along St. George Street and looking for lunch the next day, Don picked out this place to get tacos.  Ok – I wasn’t real hungry so I had a basket of their fried mushrooms.  Both were great.  It’s a fairly small place, but as many along this street are.  Both dishes got a thumbs up.  The mushrooms were large and not too much breading so you really got the mushroom taste.  Just how I like it.

 

By recommendation, this was chosen as our final night in St. Augustine, plus it was over on the Island and would give us a good water view.  

 

Even with going to dinner at 5, it was already crowded and had a 45 minute wait.  It was a lovely evening to enjoy a glass of wine on a small pier area and the wait wasn’t nearly that long.We heard the portions were large so we decided to share an entree of crab cakes.  Let me say that I am pretty picky about my crab cakes since I make them myself so I always wonder if it was a good choice.

 

I had to have a final bowl of She Crab Soup, followed with a house salad.  

 

Then the crab cakes came out.  OK – they were good, and yes as good as mine but they did have a slight different taste, but still very good.  And this was the half portion.

The sun was just starting to go down but still too early for that glorious sunset I was hoping for.Overall, we were happy campers with our food selections in St. Augustine and would visit each of these again and recommend to anyone going there.  

 

The best way to see the city – our ride on the Old Town Trolley.  Not only do you get to see the sights, hear some history, but it’s a great way to get around.  Park at one of their free lots, then hop on the trolley.  There are 23 stops so it’s very convenient for getting around all the areas and to the restaurant, site,  or shop you want to visit

 

Watch for a review soon of a chocolate factory and winery.  How can you go wrong with either of these?