The Food
The first restaurant you have got to try is Carrabbas. If you love italian food you are definitely in for a treat. You don't even get in the door and already the smells of oregano, garlic and the wood in the ovens are enough to make your stomach growl.
Inside they are very civilized, providing you with a small table for your party to sit at while waiting for your dining room seat, as well as providing you with the ability to order your drinks and an appetizer or two. Then there is the bread, Jacksonville natives will go to Carrabbas just to eat the bread. Fresh baked and hot out of the ovens they bring it to your table with italian butter, herb dip. (A mixture of garlic, basil, oregano, black and red pepper, onion powder and salt in extra virgin olive oil.)
The menu is fantastic, tantalizing you with items such as the Mozzarella Marinara.(Fried cheese on hormones, those things are huge) that comes with it's own home made marinara sauce, or the calamari, for those of us who like the exotic.
Then of course there is the pizza,
handmade and baked in wood burning ovens while you watch, topped with the freshest ingredients imaginable.
Another wonderful place to try, if you are in a hurry and just want a quick deli snack is McAlisters. This place has all of the food of a New York deli, and the charm of a southern restaurant. While you do have to stand in line to order at the counter, as well as pay there before you get your food. Once you have ordered, they give you a number and let you sit with your drink in peace, while the kitchen goes to work preparing your food, then a runner brings you your food and asks if you want anything else. The attention doesn't end there. The runners will come to your table frequently, offering free refills on your drink, or one of an amazing selection of tempting deserts.
