Entries categorized as ‘Salads’
January 12, 2008 · 1 Comment
What can we say? This chain of restaurants in Pensacola (and elsewhere) is a franchise and a down-market franchise at that, but we love their BBQ! Sonny’s is absolutely perfect for a particular type of situation: When you are hungry and want lots of tasty food fast, without the need to get dolled-up to go out. Which is exactly when you crave BBQ, is it not? Sonny’s is that place we go when we don’t want to cook, we don’t want to drive far, don’t want to get cleaned, up, and just want to dive into great food. The service is friendly and accomodating. The meat is all slow cooked all-day, so its ready to hit the plate as soon as you order it. Sonny’s is one of the last restaurants in Pensacola to have a GREAT salad bar to get food right NOW. And the bill is very reasonable.
Since it is a BBQ place and we love our BBQ, let me take a minute to lead you in the right directions. First , let’s talk sauce. All of Sonny’s sauces are exactly how they are tagged: Mild, Sweet, Sizzlin’ Sweet, and Smokin’. Don’t expect the Smokin’ to be super hot, but it is spicy. I like the Sizzlin’ Sweet for the best of both worlds. On a good night, you just can not beat Sonny’s baby back ribs. Be careful- the Sweet and Smokey ribs can be dry at times. (I like to ask for a one rib sampler, or I just go with Baby Back, which are almost always great!) The pulled pork and the beef brisket are also winners.
We listed one dining location below. It’s the one we most frequent. But there are other locations in Pensacola as well.
Name: Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ
Location: 6757 North 9th Avenue, Pensacola, FL, 32504
Phone: 850-476-7618
Price: $-$$
Website: http://www.sonnysbbq.com/
Categories: BBQ · Dining with Friends · Dining with Kids · Food · Location · North Pensacola · Pensacola · Restaurant · Salads · Sandwiches
Tagged: 9th, avenue, BBQ, brisket, creighton, Pensacola, Pit, Pork, Pulled, Restaurant, ribs, road, Sauce, Sonny's, wal-mart
Eat! is a downtown Pensacola restaurant adding location and services all the time. Eat! is characterized by a trendy metropolitan atmosphere, fine cuisine, and outstanding service. During lunchtime, this place is all business, one of the preferred lunch meeting places in the downtown area. In the evening, the restaurant switches to fine dining and does it well. The deco bar offers a great place to start your evening and relax before dinner.
Eat! ’s menu offers some items not otherwise found in Pensacola restaurants. For example, try the delicious Rabbit Quesadillas. Yes, that’s rabbit meat! Without fail, all of the menu items are tasty, with some outstanding fare. There is plenty of variety and adventure to be had, as well as standard dining choices that won’t disappoint.
I am constantly impressed by the service. It is highly professional but relaxed and comfortable. Again, a trendy metropolitan atmosphere. This is once you are seated. I am occasionally dismayed by how long I wait at the door before being approached. However, once approached, service is excellent. Ask for Frances as your server and the back room if you have a party of less than six and want some privacy. Outdoor dining, while available, is not altogether comfortable.
Name: Eat!
Location: 286 N. Palafox, Pensacola, FL, 32502
Phone: (850) 433-6905
Price: $-$$$
Website: www.eatmorefood.com
Categories: Business Lunch · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Location · Outdoor Dining · Palafox · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romantic Dinner · Salads · Sandwiches · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Palafox, Restaurant, Pensacola, eat, Food, dine, Downtown, salad, romantic, dinner, business, lunch, frances, excellent, service, outdoor
Though I think this Pensacola restaurant got a rough start and much of the art on its walls is atrocious, we have become quite the fans of The Global Grill recently. It has become a weekly stop and we’ve even begun to develop a regular order. This restaurant has become additionally attractive as we have begun a carb-controlled diet.Let’s first address the atmosphere, which will further explain the ”rough start” comment. The Global Grill is well recognized in Pensacola for its…um…”cooler than thou” attititude. To be sure, it is one of the coolest restaurants in Pensacola, with its hip “tapas” menu, artsy atmosphere, designed decor, and downtown location. The servers are noted for the same hip, artsy, pierced, model-like attitude. And while all this could lend itself to a patron’s feeling of inclusion in a hip set, a restaurant can not survive by decorum alone. The Global Grill quickly became home to a rather happenstance happy hour crowd (still evident to this day), but gained the solid support of some notable Pensacola professionals. The restaurant coasted on this professional patronage and “cool” for some time. Service suffered. Food quality followed.I note all this because I found it offensive. Not because of its substance, but because of its nature- that a potentially great restaurant woud allow itself to stoop that low.Fortunately, someone pulled it all together. Food quality is now consistently stellar. Service, while still quirky (which I like), is superior. The kitchen is remarkably brisk. And better art now compliments the orginal pieces. The crowd is now a better mix of Pensacola demographics and more friendly. Prices remain healthy, but in my opinion. you do get what you pay for.
The only complaints I now have is that the “blue room” is consistently too cold. Let’s see what we can do about that?
Our favorite tapas include:
- Herbed Focaccia with Olives and Feta Cheese
- Crab West Indies and Avocado Martini
- Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
- Peppercorn Beef Brochettes,Smoked Gouda Cheese Sauce
All the desserts are to-die-for. This is the second local restaurant reviewed that you can go just for a late night dessert-only indulgence. The wine list is superb, featuring one of our favorite red vineyards: David Bruce. The Russian River Reserve 2 (Pinot Noir) is a great bottle for a fair price.
Name: The Global Grill
Location: 25 S Palafox St, Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: 850.469.9966
Price: $$-$$$$$
Website: www.dineglobalgrill.com
Categories: Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Palafox · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Salads · Seafood · Steak · Sushi
Tagged: appetizers, art, Dessert, Dining with Friends, Downtown Pensacola, Drinks, Global Grill, globes, Palafox, Pensacola, Restaurant, Romantic Dinner, Seafood, Steak, tapa
What a surprise! This is a chain. It is not unique to Pensacola. I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants and do not frequent them often (aside from Carabas, but that’s a different review). To further set the stage on this review, I have eaten at this Bonefish location in Pensacola on three prior occasions. I found the food bland and uninteresting on all three occasions, as you would expect at any franchise restaurant.
Last Tuesday however, I had a completely different experience. We dropped in to use a gift certificate, and walked out impressed. We started with the chicken spring rolls. They were tasty but nothing extraordinary. The salad was less exciting, though the bread is always a great touch. We both order the tilapia special, because our server sold it so well. Tilapia Withdrew, or something like that. It is a healthy piece of grilled, but delicately spicy tilapia, covered with a spinach-gouda cream sauce topping.
This plate is fantastic. It rivals anything that the Fish House may create and truly trascends the franchise restaurant fare. We will return to see if this experience can be duplicated. Stand by for that review.
Name: Bonefish Grill
Location: 5025 N 12th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32504
Phone: (850) 471-2324
Price: $$-$$$
Website: http://www.bonefishgrill.com/home.asp
Categories: Business Lunch · Cordova · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Dining with Kids · Drinks · Food · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Romantic Lunch · Salads · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Romantic Dinner, Restaurant, Seafood, Steak, Dining with Friends, Cordova, Pensacola, grill, bonefish
If we had to pick one restaurant that would best represent Pensacola, it would have to be the Fish House. Located on the water, this restaurant has outdoor waterfront dining, delicious fine seafood menu, and lots of local flavor. For starters, though the food is fine dining quality and presentation, the atmosphere is decidedly casual. There are many business suits for lunch and the same at dinner, but you’ll always find shorts, flops, and suntans.
It is the Fish House, and they serve the best seafood in Pensacola. This is quite an accolade, as I consider Pensacola seafood some of the very best in the world. But not only is the Fish House good at fish, it is good at everything. For example, their burger sits as one of the best I have ever had. Their steaks are also superior. While the supremacy of the food at the Fish House waxes and wanes with chef moods, it never drops below excellent. The grits in the best in the South.
The Fish House offers indoor and outdoor dining. Indoor dining is marked by a crowded, white table cloth atmosphere and massive fish tanks. Outdoor dining happens on one of many levels of decks, covered by a variety of umbrellas and wide canvas strips. It is heated during Pensacola’s very short winter, and the ocean breeze cools it after noon during the summer (though one should pick summer lunch seating carefully). Delightfully, the Fish House decks sit on the east side of the building. While this precludes a sunset view, it does often a quick cool down at dinner time.
The only complaint that I may have about Fish House comes in the “local flavor”. The Fish House is a favorite watering hole of local socialites and wannabes, and they don’t mind starting early. What this means is that by early evening, the bar areas can be quite loud and somewhat obnoxious. If you prefer more peaceful dining, be sure to request seating away from the bars.
That being said, the Fish House is the first place that I recommend to visitors to Pensacola, my first choice for a business lunch, or a great place to go with Friends. On the right evening, it can be romantic as well. Regardless, you will have a superior dining experience.
(Well-kept secret: Fish house has the best burgers on the face of the earth. Really.)
Name: Fish House
Location: 600 S Barracks St # 10, Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: 850.470.0003
Price: $$-$$$$$
Official Website: http://www.goodgrits.com/
Categories: Burgers · Business Lunch · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Outdoor Dining · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Romantic Lunch · Salads · Sandwiches · Seafood · Seville · Steak · Sunday Brunch · Sushi
Tagged: Downtown Pensacola, Drinks, Restaurant, Seafood, Business Lunch, Dining with Friends, Outdoor Dining, Burgers, Sushi, Lunch with Sweetheart, Seville, Pensacola, fish, house, marina
