Florida

Amelia Island Restaurant Week: Cafe´ Karibo

Cafe Karibo

The first night we were in Fernandina Beach, we had reservations at Cafe Karibo on 3rd Street as guests of the manager. It only took a few minutes to drive over from the Residence Inn. We parked around the block and walked a short distance. The neighborhood around the restaurant was charming, with a residential feel. There were several quaint restaurants and shops on the block. Even after dark walking was not scary, as it can be in some cities.

The atmosphere at Cafe Karibo was like a neighborhood pub, with some wooden benches at tables that would seat six, and smaller tables for two to four. If it had been warmer out, we might have opted to sit on the patio. It was beautiful even in winter, but just a bit too chilly that day. It was pretty busy for a Wednesday night. We found a table and soon after, our waiter appeared to take our drink order.

While they do serve wine and beer, we both ordered the Peach Iced Tea, which was a great blend of flavors. The Restaurant Week Menu was offered, as well as the regular menu. You can see the Restaurant Week Menu here: Cafe-Karibo.

We decided on the Caprese Salad and the Crab Cakes for starters. Both were excellent! I know I have had Caprese Salads in many different places, but this one seemed to be the best I have had yet. The Balsamic Vinegar they used was thick and sticky, which is quite different from what I am used to. It just made the whole thing better! There was also a noticable difference in the flavors of the red and orange tomatoes.

Anyone who knows me knows I love crab, any way I can get it. I was not disappointed by these wonderful crab cakes. The only thing I didn’t like was that they did have a bread crumb coating, so they were not gluten free, but I ate them anyway. They were served with brie and a cranberry chutney, something I would have never thought of on my own, but enjoyed immensely. Even Fabgrandpa ate half of them, and he usually does not care for crab. You know I am going to have to re-create them at home now.

Crab Cakes with Brie and Cranberry Chutney at Cafe Karibo in Fernandina Beach — Crab Cakes with Brie and Cranberry Chutney

Fabgrandpa chose the Coquille St. Jaques, or Sea Scallpos with Shitake Mushroom Sauce. These were jumbo scallops, served over smashed potatoes, covered in the mushroom sauce, and had a side of grilled vegetables. The veggies included red and yellpw peppers, zucchini, carrots, and asparagus. He said it was delicious. The only problem he had with it was there was so much he was not able to eat all of it. That man has never walked away from a scallop before, ever. I am not sure if the sauce if gluten free or not, I forgot to ask.

Sea Scallops with Shitake Mushroom Sauce

For my entree, I chose the Pan Seared Red Snapper. It was served over the same smashed potatoes as Fabgrandpa’s meal, and had the same side vegetables. This plate was gluten free: there was no breading on the fish, and no gravy or sauce on the potatoes. The fish was seared crispy and golden brown, and had a very tasty fruit salsa on top. (I think it was the papaya chutney, but not sure. It was delicious, though) The vegetables were cooked just right–not mushy, not too crisp.

Pan Seared Red Snapper with Smashed Potatoes and grilled vegetables.

We both declined dessert, which was a choice of Strawberry Cake, Mud Var, Creme Brulee, or Chocolate Ganache Cake. We just couldn’t hold another bite. At that point, we were glad that we had parked around the block!

The Cafe Karibo menu includes a good selection of Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Appetizers, and entrees to fit just about anyone’s taste. A few of the offerings are gluten free, such as the one I had, the Pan Seared Red Snapper. You might also try the Shrimp & Grits, the Rum Marinated Pork Tenderloin, or the Fresh Catch of the Day. (The information here about gluten free menu items is from my own observations of those items, and are not indicated as such on the menu. As always, be sure to ask about the ingredients when you are ordering)

Cafe Karibo is located at 27 North 3rd Street in downtown Fernandina Beach, Florida. Reservations are recommended for parties of 6 or more, and maximum split check limit is 8. 904-277-5269

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Amelia Island Restaurant Week: Residence Inn

Karen · 50 Comments

Last week Fabgrandpa and I finally left the house headed for Amelia Island, Florida. Restaurant Week, that annual celebration of the best meals at the best restaurants on the island, ran from January 17th to 26th. Of course, we needed a place to stay while we were in Fernandina Beach for the festivities, so Residence Inn by Marriott stepped up to the plate. What a delicious place! Yes, a lodging can be delicious, as compared to other places we have stayed that were merely functional. The Residence Inn, was, well, marvelous!

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by the front desk staff. I introduced myself, and when I did, they all knew me by name! They had been waiting for us to arrive. I was introduced to the manager as “our special guest” and was given a welcome package that had been left there for me by the public relations person. I felt just like a star arriving in Hollywood!

There were people sitting in the lobby, enjoying the fireplace, and waiting for the hamburger cookout to begin. We were invited to attend, but we had reservations at another place for dinner. So, we went up to our room to freshen up and get ready to go to our restaurant.And just look at this room:

The living room had a desk, sofa, coffee table with ottoman, a chair, and a large screen TV with Cable. Free wi-fi made it super easy to get online, too. There was a small dining table with two chairs. And A FULL kitchen:

The kitchen featured a large refrigerator/freezer, a stovetop with two burners, a convection microwave oven and a dishwasher. It was also fully stocked with cooking and eating utensils for four. And I do mean, there was everything you would need to move in for a while and start cooking. I want this kitchen at my house! Or, I want to live here at Residence Inn. For the whole winter! I went into the bedroom to lie down for a while, and just look at this:

The bedroom featured a king size bed that was oh! so comfortable. I slept like a log the two nights we were there. A large closet with mirrors on the doors, a dresser, and a bedside table on both sides of the bed. The lighting could be adjusted from full light to just above dark, which made it great for sleeping or watching TV on the second big screen TV.

The vanity area had plenty of room for two people to move around and get ready to go at the same time if necessary, with a separate area for the toilet and shower. All of the rooms were so beautifully decorated in a warm red and beige color scheme. I loved it!

When we got ready to go to the restaurant for dinner, the front desk staff offered to have the shuttle take us. But, because we had to run a couple of errands on the way back, we declined. It was nice to know that the shuttle was available though. Other amenities offered were an outdoor heated pool, a hot tub, free Continental Breakfast, Business Center, Fitness Center, and Laundry Services. Residence Inn Amelia Island hotel is pet-friendly too, so my sister, Linda, wouldn’t have to leave her Bunny Boo at home if she came to Amelia Island for a visit.

You know Fabgrandpa and I took advantage of the free breakfasts each morning. Of course Fabgrandpa makes friends everywhere he goes, and met up with Dottie, the very nice lady who takes care of setting up the breakfast and keeping the coffee urns filled. We both met a lot of very nice people who were also staying at the Residence Inn. Amelia Island is a popular spot for snow birders to visit when it is cold and snowy up north. I talked to people from Wisconsin, Illinois, Canada, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

if you want to go there and find out for yourself what a wonderful place Residence Inn by Marriott Amelia Island is, here are the particulars:

Residence Inn by Marriott Amelia Island

2301 Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034

Contact: 904-277-2440 Fax: 904-277-2449

Email: ameliainfo@residenceinnamelia.com

Make a reservation

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Memories of Amelia

Karen · 15 Comments

When I wrote about Restaurant Week at Amelia Island yesterday, I did not anticipate the flood of memories that would come to me. My children and I had such good times there, and even though I have thought often of the place, I had forgotten a lot of the things that happened there. I didn’t own a camera back then, so I have no visual keepsakes of that era of our lives.

On our first trip to Amelia Island, we were helping our best friends move from a suburb of Atlanta to Fernandina Beach. Our little caravan of me in my car, Kay in her car, and David driving the U-Haul stopped at a gas station near the Georgia-Florida line. When my son, Seth, jumped out of the car, he asked me with all the excitement a five year old boy could muster, “are we on Gilligan’s Island?” He had just seen his first palm tree in person.

The trip to the beach was bittersweet because once we came home, our friends wouldn’t be just across the street anymore. We pledged to visit them as often as we could, and we did. We made tons of memories of good times, but we still missed them like crazy between times. Seth and Chris were almost exactly the same age. Seth was only four days older than Chris, and the boys had known each other since they were old enough to walk. They had play dates almost every day until they moved away.

After the unloading of the truck was done, David took Chris and Seth to buy fish bait. When they came home, Seth was holding a coffee can. Becca, who was three at the time, wanted to see the bait. I will never forget the look on her face, as she jumped what seemed like three feet in the air, to get away from that can full of baby crabs that looked a whole lot like spiders! It was almost comical to see.

They guys took off to go fishing off the bridge. My son caught a sheephead that weighed about nine pounds. I know David helped him reel it in, but my little guy was so proud of that fish. I packed it on ice in a cooler to take home with us. It took me a couple of hours to clean it and cut it up. We had so much meat in the freezer from that one fish that it took us weeks to eat it all. Every time I cooked some of it, Seth would say proudly that he caught that fish.

Another time we went to visit, we stayed in a rental house on the beach. It was fully furnished, with room for at least 12 people to sleep. There were even fishing rods available to for us to use. On the first night there, after the girls had showered and gotten ready for bed, we ordered pizza for dinner. When it was delivered, we were all starving! Emily was about 8 years old at the time. She was holding a huge knife that she had used to cut a slice of the pizza. Becca asked Emily for the knife, and she held it out to her by the handle, so that the blade was pointing toward Becca. Becca grabbed the knife blade, and for some reason, Emily jerked it back towards herself, cutting Becca’s middle finger to the bone!

There was blood everywhere almost immediately. It was a good thing that Kay and David were there because I am not good at the sight of blood coming from one of my children, and I had no idea where the hospital was. We wrapped Becca’s hand in a towel, and David drove us to the emergency room. The doctor stitched her finger up, and told her to keep it clean and dry for a week. I think she was more upset about being at the beach and not being able to go in the water than she was about the cut. We wound up taping a plastic bag over her hand every day so she could play at the beach.

On another visit, when the boys were about 12 years old, Becca was 10 and Emily was 9. The boys had been picking at the girls for days, aggravating them to no end. One day, Seth and Chris dug holes on the beach, got in them, and covered themselves up to their armpits with sand. The girls happened to walk up and find them that way, and decided it was payback time. They started kicking sand in the boys faces. You have never seen two boys wiggle and struggle harder to get out of a hole in your life! I told the girls they better run, because they would be in trouble when the boys got out of the holes, and I wouldn’t blame them for being mad. I guess you had to be there to understand how hilarious it was.

On every visit we made to Amelia Island, we ate all of our meals at the rental house, except for the last night. That is when we went all out at the local seafood restaurant. Although it always meant we would be leaving the next day, we looked forward to going to a wonderful seafood restaurant. I can’t remember the name of it, so I don’t know if it is still there or not. I think it was out towards Mayport, and may have been Safe Harbor Seafood Market, but I can’t remember for sure. I remember the first time we went there, we seated all the children at one table, and the adults at another table. The waitress kept refilling the kids glasses with soda, which we thought was free refills. Boy were we ever surprised when we got our checks and there was a $45 charge for sodas! We never let that happen again!

Even after Kay and David moved to South Carolina with another railroad transfer, we continued our spring break trips to Amelia Island. We all stayed in the same rental house, and shared the rental fee. Those were some of the best times of my life. Both Kay and David are now deceased, but I can pretty much say that if they were still alive, they would meet up with at Amelia Island this year.

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Amelia Island, Florida

Karen · 22 Comments

Fabgrandpa and I are going to Amelia Island, Florida soon. I can not wait to get there! I know a lot of people have never heard of it, but when my children were young, we used to go there every year for Easter Break from school. One of my best friend’s husband worked for the railroad, and transferred to Fernandina Beach on his job. I helped them move, and fell in love with the area. Even after Kay and David moved from the area in another transfer with the railroad, we all met there in the spring at Amelia Island.

It has been almost thirty years since the last time I went to Amelia Island. I am sure that things have changed since then, but one thing that will never change is the beauty of the area. We went there because it was quiet: you could be on the beach all day long and never see another person. Crowded meant there was another family there.

One of the things I am looking forward to, though, is that Amelia Island’s Sixth Annual Restaurant Week takes place from January 17 through 26. a ten-day showcase of 18 of the island’s most popular dining hotspots, ranging from fine dining to casual courtyard cafés. Each participating restaurant will offer a special fixed menu (priced at either $19 or $29 per person) that includes three courses and a beverage. New this year, the Amelia Island Restaurant Week is kicking off a day early with a special “farm to table” dining event at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s Café 4750 on Thursday, January 16. I can hardly wait to taste the offerings of Cafe′ Karibo and BarZin!

I’d love to see y’all there. Amelia Island is north of Jacksonville, Florida near the border with Georgia. Make your reservations now to come join in the fun for Restaurant Week!

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A Little Vacation

Karen · 3 Comments

I may or may not have said here on the blog that I have decided to celebrate my birthday twice this year since I missed it last year. So, last week, Fabgrandpa and I went to Florida for a few days. We left on Thursday morning, and drove as far as Perry, Florida before we stopped for the night.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. The guy at the check in counter was very nice, and offered us a nice discount for Veterans. They give the government rate for vets, which is about $25 less than the regular room rate. We have stayed at Holiday Inn Express lots of times in our travels, and we were not disappointed in this one. The only thing wrong with it was the smell. They had sprayed some kind of floral air freshener in the hallway and it was very strong. P.U. There was also a bad smell in the room, which I jokingly told Fabgrandpa that it smelled like someone pooped under the bed. At least after you got used to it you didn’t notice it.

While we were in Perry, we went to dinner at Goodman’s Barbecue. I am accustomed to Georgia style barbecue, and this was not anywhere like what we have had in Georgia. This pork was cooked with a dry rub. While it was a good taste, it was rather dry and stringy compared to other places we have tried.

On Friday we arrived in Safety Harbor, and checked in to the Safety Harbor Motel. Although this motel was probably built in the 1950’s, it was very clean and very comfortable and in a quite neighborhood. We slept like babies there.

The room we stayed in was a kitchenette, so we could have cooked meals in our room if we had wanted to. There was a stovetop, a microwave, a refrigerator, and coffeepot. There was a sink, and complete eating, drinking, and cooking items for two people. I don’t know how much it was per night, because our good friend paid for our stay for my birthday.

We had plenty of room to store our suitcases, with a full sized closet. There was also a desk and a dresser with plenty of drawers. The TV was VERY old, but it did work and there was cable TV and free Wi-Fi access.

WE didn’t get to stay long enough, but even at that, I enjoyed every minute of our time there. Our friend, who we both love so much, was so much fun to be with. We don’t get to see her often enough! On Saturday, Polly and I went to get mani-pedis. She had never had a manicure and pedicure before, and before we were done she was talking about “next time”. I can not imagine being as old as we are and never having had a pedicure before!

After that, we drove over to St. Petersburg and walked on the pier that is going to be torn down. It was the last day it would be open, so it was very crowded with people going for the last time.

It was hot out there but the view was magnificent.

When we left the pier, we drove over to Clearwater for dinner. We went to Cooter’s, a restaurant and bar. They were celebrating their 20 year anniversary so there was a band and lots of people there. I ordered crab legs, Fabgrandpa had blackened scallops and Polly had steamed oysters on the half shell. Yummy!

Cooter;s in Clearwater — Cooter’s in Clearwater

Fabgrandpa's blackened scallops — Fabgrandpa’s blackened scallops

Polly's steamed oysters — Polly’s steamed oysters

And here is me being silly:

After dinner we went back to the motel, and I collapsed into the bed. I stayed in bed most of Sunday, trying to rest up from all the activity on Saturday. Late in the afternoon, we went to downtown Safety Harbor, just a few blocks away. We had barbecue again at Brady’s. This barbecue was sooo good! They had a mango barbecue sauce that was very tasty.

inside Brady's Backyard Barbecue — inside Brady’s Backyard Barbecue

WE walked a little bit on the sidewalk looking at shop windows, and saw this:

Fabgrandpa drove us home on Monday. I have spent all week resting and getting over our trip, and even though it wore me out and made me hurt so much, I really enjoyed it. We laughed so much my face hurt when we got home.

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Remember Wednesday

Karen · 8 Comments

This was taken in June of 1978, in Panama City Beach, Florida, on the only vacation my first husband and I ever took together.

My kids were so young, and innocent, and sweet then. They loved the ocean, because as one of my daughters said at the time “This water plays with you, Mama!.” They played on the beach all day, running and jumping in the water. We took them to Sea World, I think was the name of it. My son was afraid of the parrots, and after much coaxing, very timidly allowed two of them to rest on his shoulders for a picture.

This was also long before the days when mothers were warned about putting their childrens names on their clothing, so my youngest had a hooded sweatshirt with “EMMY” on the back of it. She kept asking me how everyone knew her name. And if this were a better picture, you would be able to see that my oldest daughter, on the left, has a black eye–she got out of the car and walked into the motel room, right into the corner of the dresser on the first day of the trip.

I miss those days, when my children were so carefree, and cute. Now they are all grown up, going on vacations of their own, with their spouses, children, and boyfriends. But would I go back to that time? Not on your life!

My best memory of that vacation though, is this: We arrived in town late in the afternoon. We were starving, and wanted seafood for dinner, so we found a restaurant just down the beach from our motel. We were all dressed in shorts and flip-flops. After we were seated, I looked around the room, and there were people dressed in formal attire, and a bottle of champagne chilling on their table. When THEY saw us, there was a heavy visible sigh from both of them.

We ordered our food, and all three of my children sat patiently at table, waiting for their meal, not uttering a word. When the food arrived, they put their napkins on their laps, and ate their meals, with very polite family conversation going around the table as usual. They were good as gold sitting there in their booster seats in that fancy restaurant.

When our check arrived, the man in the tuxedo at the table across the room walked over and said, “When you walked in, I just knew my meal was going to be ruined. But your children are the most well behaved I have ever seen” and he paid our bill for us. Little did he know that I threatened their lives out in the parking lot before we went inside, and they knew I meant it. I think it was the proudest moment of my motherhood.

To see more Remember Wednesday photos, click here .

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