Sweet Theory Baking Company

My friend mentioned on facebook the other day that a new vegan bakery opened up near Kickbacks about 6 weeks ago, so today I had to check it out! Bakeries (especially vegan ones) intrigue me, and I must say, being a baker myself, I am quite the critic when it comes to baked goods.

Upon entering this nifty little bakery, I must say I am envious of their decorating style, heck I might invite them over to redo my room! The place had a very chill/vintage vibe, with a chalkboard accent wall, baking tins displayed as art on the walls and an awesome display case featuring mostly cupcakes and donuts with the occasional surprise such as lavender scones or black pepper biscuits. I asked the cashier girl what her favorite thing was and she pointed to the sunbutter brownie explosion (I found out that sunbutter is made of sunflower seeds but it tastes like peanut butter) so I got one of those and a giant, delicious looking cinnamon roll (for later).

This cupcake was awesome! Usually people shy away as soon as they hear that a cupcake is vegan. What? No butter?! No cream cheese? What kind of sick joke is this? This cupcake blew all of those doubts sky high! The cake was moist, the frosting was light and whippy with just enough peanut buttery taste without being too sweet and over powering. Not to mention I felt a little less guilty eating it, a vegan cupcake is less calories...right? I'd like to think so.

On the door it says this bakery is organic, dairy free, nut free, egg free and soy free (with gluten free options available) I don't know how they do it, but I am willing to bet that all of their cupcakes are as delicious if not more so then the one I had. I cannot wait to make a return visit to Sweet Theory! As for the cinnamon roll, I'll keep yeah updated.



UPDATE:

I have since been back several times to try their maple bacon doughnut. When I saw that they had concocted a vegetarian bacon made from coconut flakes I HAD to get my hands on one. I was by no means disappointed, the doughnut was light and fluffy, chewy, and sweet. The coconut bacon had a nice texture and the bacon flavor really came through, I think these people must be magical vegan fairies because some of this stuff just doesn't make sense! Sweet Theory is also a supporter of "Community Loaves" which is operated by two ladies who bake and deliver bread around the Jacksonville Riverside area. To check out their Facebook click here

Maple Bacon doughnut...


I went a little crazy one day and got (from left to right) a Root beer, Earl Grey, and Coconut doughnut. I realize I have a problem, but admitting it is the first step right? All of them were good, but of these three the root beer one was surprisenly my favorite.

European Street Cafe

European Street cafe is very unique place, to say the least. It's definitely one of it's kind when it comes to menu and decor. They offer a variety of sandwiches, salads and soups while catering to vegetarian/health conscious eaters. They are particularly known for their "Monster German Wiener" (which you will notice is displayed as a Godzilla figure on their shirts).

(Don't mind the gnome, he enjoys photo-bombing my pictures every now and then)

Whenever I go to such a diverse place such as this I always tell myself I should try something new on the menu but alas, I keep wanting to experience my beloved veggie bowl salad. A heavenly blend of fresh salad greens, carrots, raisins, walnuts, tomatoes cashew cheese, tabbouleh, tempeh and honey mustard PLUS their famous pretzel roll which is 1,000 times better than getting those measly stale crackers.

BEHOLD!

This salad is SO good I have been here several times and I cannot bring myself to try something new. Lewis loves The Prince Andrew sandwich which is grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes with European street classic sauce on whatever bread you please!

Along with these wonderful menu items they also have a mini store/bakery at the front counter. They have everything from cookies to those lollipops with the scorpions inside and various foreign candies, sort of like a mini World Market.

European Street Cafe will always be my favorite place to hit up if I'm in the mood for a killer salad or tasty panini.

Green Papaya

Green Papaya is probably the most underestimated Thai place in Jacksonville. Nestled among the shops at River City Marketplace, this Thai restaurant is sure to knock your socks off!

As you can see, it's a pretty snazzy place...

The menu offers a variety of classic Thai dishes including amazing curry (my fav) red curry, green curry, Tom Kha Gai, pad Thai etc. For those of you who fear foreign spices they also offer the familiar flavors such as egg rolls, teriyaki, szechuan, etc.One thing I really appreciate is you get to customize your degree of spiciness, 1 being the most mild and 5 being death (just kidding..sort of). I think I accidentally ordered a 4 one time and it wasn't THAT bad but it does clean you out (if ya know what I mean). My first time here I ordered the amazing curry and believe me, it lived up to it's name! I was delivered a large bowl overflowing with tofu (don't worry carnivores you could get meat) broccoli, a creamy curry peanut sauce and brown rice (on the side). It was more flavorful than spicy, which I prefer (no one likes there palette to be overrun with heat). There was more than enough to take home and I have to admit, it tasted even better as leftovers!

The second time we went here I decided to try tofu with red curry. It was a much more mild flavor (partially because I ordered a 2) but still delicious! It came with a choice of white or brown rice, broccoli, pea pods, onions, mushrooms and bok choy.

Green Papaya is place I will keep coming back to. If you're a fan of Thai food (spicy or not) I highly recommend you check this place out!

Hurricane Patty's

Since we didn't really have a Thanksgiving, we decided to go to St. Augustine Beach and get away for a couple of days. Within minutes of arriving to our destination we wandered into this seafood dive called Hurricane Patty's. Located on a beautiful ship yard, Patty's offers a variety of fresh seafood salads, boils, and platters. I decided on the combo with grilled shrimp, crab cakes and I subbed out the coleslaw and fries for a side salad and black beans n' rice (extra $1 for the salad).

View from our table...

My mom ordered the grilled shrimp and scallops with cheese grits (she also subbed out for a side salad). These scallops were some of the best I've ever had! They had a nice, char-grilled sear on both sides with a buttery, melt-in-your mouth center. The shrimp, while seasoned well were a tad over cooked for my liking. The crab cake was sadly just a bread cake which happened to have tiny bits of crab in it. My beans and rice were pretty standard but tasty.

My dad is a sucker for steam pots so when he saw one on the menu he flipped! They have both a slightly less expensive appetizer pot and then the entree size (which included the potatoes, corn and sausage). He opted for the $17 appetizer pot instead which consisted of boiled crab legs, crawfish, shrimp and clams. The shrimp I sampled was seasoned well and cooked better than mine, the crablegs were slightly over cooked and the crawfish were cooked well but under seasoned. All in all, with the edition of some salt, it was a pretty delectable feast but not the best I've ever had.

Shot of the ship yard...

Dad having fun with the shrimp..

While Hurricane Patty's isn't exactly the classiest joint on the water but it's an eclectic dive that serves above average seafood.

Brick of Avondale

I have been wanting to try Brick for years, so when our group decided to go after work on Wednesday I was excited! The menu offers a plethora of unique sandwiches, soups, salads and entrees. The interior is artsy and fun with very appropriate exposed brick walls.


After scanning the menu I finally decided on the veggie burger which was made in-house with brown rice, black beans, milled flax seed, quinoa, barley, beets, mushrooms & provolone cheese. I paired it with the vegetable of the day which was brussel sprouts (my favorite).

My mom ordered the warm turkey sandwich, it was comprised of warm sliced turkey breast topped with caramelized onions and swiss cheese on ciabatta bread with sweet potato fries.


As a compiled my burger and took the fist bite, I was greeted by the wholesome deliciousness of a legit hamburger. I guarantee you if you put this in front of a carnivore they would not know the difference-so good! The brussel sprouts were a little lacking though. They were slightly under done and had the slightest taste of vinegar.

My mom was crazy about her sandwich! The bread was crispy and the onions added an unexpected sweet element to the dish. The sweet potato fries were amazing as well, I only wish they gave you more!

For dessert we ordered the cappuccino layer cake. At first I was afraid it was going to be overly rich. But the light and airy whipped layer of chocolate, mocha and cream were very light on the palette.

I cannot wait to make a return visit to Brick!

Biscotti's

Every Wednesday after work I usually meet up with my mom, Aunt Cookie, Aunt Diana and sweet little Mena (my cousins kid). Today we decided to check out Biscotti's in Avondale. I haven't eaten here in years but I've heard nothing but wonderful things so I was eager to make a return visit. Upon entering this suave purple building I was greeted by the most delicious looking dessert display case I have ever beheld. I had to literally stop the drool from coming out of my mouth! I spotted at least three different types of cheesecake, tiramisu (one of my favorites), bread pudding, PUMPKIN bread pudding, coconut cake and some mysterious sort of pie with a mountain of nuts on top.

*I apologize for the small, low quality pictures, I was forced to use my phone's camera.






It took a while for us to get seated, which was understandable considering we were in the midst of the dreaded lunch hour. The hostess lady was very pleasant and accommodating.


I had a 30min argument with myself about what to order, so many interesting options and possibilities! Finally, in a valiant attempt to be healthy, I decided on the special salad of the day. This was an arugula salad with grilled melon and onions topped with seared grouper tossed in cilantro yogurt vinaigrette. While the fish was cooked pretty well I found the flavor of the melons and onions quite odd. I could tell they marinated them in some sort of flavoring that didn't pair well with the fish. I was somewhat disappointed with my menu choice. I did proceed to eat half of Mena's sweet potato fries so it was by no means a total loss (sorry Mena).





My mom ordered the lobster rueben. While the concept was mind blowing, the execution was lacking. The flavors were amazing, the bread was toasted to perfection BUT the poor lobster was overcooked. It's an easy mistake to make but unfortunately it kind of ruins the whole meal experience



My Aunt Diana ordered the Thai chicken salad which consisted of marinated chicken in coconut Thai spices, fresh mango salsa tossed in a creamy sesame dressing . She had nothing but good things to say and it is worth your money because they give you a lot of chicken!



Of course, we HAD to get dessert! We all decided not to make total pigs of ourselves and all share just one, after all Thanksgiving is coming up! We all decided on the tiramisu because we could all use a little 'pick me up.' It was kinda pricey at $8 but the slice was pretty huge and as soon as you taste it, you realize you would've paid $20 for this sucker! The cake was so light and fluffy, soaked in delicious bourbon and espresso (I would have liked more coffee flavor) the chocolate and mascarpone layers were divine and although this cake appeared rich and decadent, it slid right down (believe me, I could have had three more slices if I didn't have a conscience).





I think I want to give this place another try. While my salad wasn't perfect, there were good parts of every meal. Next time I come back here I might just order dessert!

Derby on Park

After months and months of anticipation, Derby on Park is finally up and running in Five Points. I must say the transformation is amazing! The covered patio and bar with slate tile accents give the place a cool classy night club vibe. Although it was a beautiful day, I decided to eat inside because of picture-taking reasons.

Bakery display case

The menu offers a variety of flat breads, sandwiches and entrees. I decided on the shrimp flat bread (I'm kind of a flat bread junkie) it was comprised of grilled shrimp, sauteed peppers, onions, feta and mozzarella cheese.

All in all my flat bread was pretty tasty. The shrimp were seasoned and grilled to perfection (although I wish they were cut into smaller pieces) the onions and peppers were cooked down (crunchy peppers are a pet peeve of mine) and although I found the overall entree a tad bland it was pretty tasty. One thing I would recommend is a crispier flat bread. Because the bread was thick and slightly underdone, I felt like I was eating a pizza rather than a crispy flat bread.


My mom ordered the portabella burger which was a burger topped with a portabella shroom, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, provalone and an avocado aioli.

She had nothing but good things to say. The burger was cooked well, the fries were good and while she wasn't fond of the aioli (she has avocado issues) she was fine with just ketchup.

Even though you could definitely tell that Derby was still working out the kinks, I think they did a wonderful job reinventing this building and it was worth the wait!

Sun Sun Garden

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you my all time favorite Chinese take-out restaurant. Sun Sun Garden and I go way back, this was actually one of the first places my boyfriend took me to for lunch (and yes, it was love at first sight.) Sun Sun might look like your average hole-in-the-wall Chinese joint, but don't let it's somewhat unimpressive exterior fool you, this place offers top of the line dishes including tofu which they serve up nice and crispy. I really love how they let you customize your order and pair any protein with whatever sauce and vegetables your heart desires. My personal favorite is shrimp and broccoli with cashews (pictured below) and they always give you a generous helping of fried or steamed rice. If you're on a budget you might consider their lunch special (which they offer until 3:30pm) for $4.95 which also includes a beverage.

Tofu with broccoli and orange sauce.