This past week I was in Jacksonville, FL finishing up a project & ended up venturing out alone due to an unexpected sickness my co-worker experienced. Some really great places to eat there, it's a pretty cool city...
Ended up settling on Seasons 52 [https://www.seasons52.com/]- a really cool restaurant, in the same family as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn, etc.. My friend recommended it to me because the food is supposed to be healthy, local, & well prepared. While reading the menu, saw that everything they offered was 475 calories or less... such a cool concept.
Plopped myself down at the bar, in front of a piano man - seriously - unfortunately, unlike the wine and meal, he wasn't very good! Super corny but a cool idea from a chain... apparently they have live music every night, at all the locations.
Picked my wine out first, surprise surprise... it was a Lake Sonoma, Alexander ‘09 Cabernet... really awesome wine... only had 2 glasses b/c had to drive. So smooth & rich... an awesome way to relax after a long day at the office. Forgot to get a pic of the bottle or even the glass... looked up some info from the interwebs though..
The black cherry and cassis fruit aromas are infused with inviting notes of cedar, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. The rich fruit flavors and texture of black currant and cherry reduction sauce are enhanced with notes of bay leaf and red and black pepper. The firm tannins provide the structure for this wine's enjoyment now and for years to come.
This rich Cabernet is the ideal partner for grilled and roasted meats or for savory mushroom dishes.alcohol by volume: 13.5%
Not sure of this Cab's availability up north, will check it out... and ordering online is tricky b/c of PA's liquor rules. I've never done it before but might be a good idea to buy in bulk, or find deals, & save some cash.
I've really been enjoying the California Cabernet's lately... not sure if that's where the majority of production is... will have to look into that. For your honeymoon, going to go somewhere with a lot of wine producers? or a unique blend? that could be interesting!
I think I like the cedar & pepper flavors.. not totally sure if that's it, I'll have to watch out for those in the future.
Have to share the food aspect... since I'm a wino AND a foodie... got the Artichoke & Goat Cheese flatbread.. with leaf spinach, balsamic onions, roasted peppers, & mushrooms.. so delicious, the bread was actually flat, like paper thin & crispy, love that. A decent amount too.. the board it came out on was probably a foot and a half long. Great for a dinner when I wasn't that hungry, just the right amount. Paired very nicely with the Cab :)
Had a glass of Murphy Good Merlot later that night... was OK, I love their Cab (shocking), had that at Firebirds before... hard to find in the liquor stores in this area though.
Definitely will look for a Seasons in the future but I generally like to stick with local places or local chains that can't be found anywhere else.
Side note: went to Albany, GA after Jacksonville to stay with family.. the one night we went out I had quite a few dirty vodka martini's ... not sure your take on those, but when they are made right, they are damn good. Had it with Kettle One. Also had raw and cooked oysters.. so yummy, hadn't had them before, at least not that I could remember.. looking forward to adding that to my seafood rotation!
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