Only a little over two weeks until fall classes start. Where has the summer gone? I'm not complaining, though. Among taking classes and completing several research projects this summer, I've also had a chance to slip away to New Orleans, Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach and Charleston for the 4th. As a final summer trip, next week I'll be in Destin while Traci attends more training for her new job.
As some of you know, one of my favorite New Orleans restaurants is Commander's Palace. Well, as luck would have it, last month Commander's opened its new location at HarborWalk Village in Destin (interior picture below). The only previous Commander's outside of New Orleans was in Las Vegas at
the Aladdin. I believe the Vegas location closed with the transition of the Aladdin over to the Planet Hollywood Casino.
Destin/the panhandle is a long-time vacation destination of New Orleanians. So opening a Commander's in Destin makes a lot of sense, as it will have high name recognition right off the bat. Anyways, we have dinner reservations for next week at the new Destin location. I can already taste the turtle soup with sherry. It will be interesting to see if the menu and service matches the original.
But enough about Destin. Here's two quick review of Gainesville restaurants we've recently checked out:
Villagio's Pizzeria: Thanks to positive comments about Villagio's on Chowhound, we decided to check out this neighborhood pizza joint in Newberry. Villagio's is located in what looks like a converted old auto body shop. Inside, the place looks like a classic neighborhood pizza joint. On our first visit, we shared a meat lover's New York style pizza. We also tried some garlic knots. Unlike I Love N.Y. Pizza's garlic rolls, which are soaked in butter on the outside but dry on the inside, Villagio's does it right- garlicky and buttery throughout. The pizza was nicely done. On our second visit, we each ordered sandwiches. I went with a chicken Parmesan and Traci went with a meatball sandwich. The bread was toasted nice and crispy and my sandwich was solid. Prices are very reasonable and service is friendly. We ate-in both times and sweat bullets. Unless you like pizza mixed with sweat, do take-out. This isn't Satchel's or Blue Highway caliber pizza, but Villagio's does the trick if you're in the area.
Indian Cuisine: I've been meaning to post about the re-opening several months ago of Indian Cuisine in its new spot. Indian Cuisine used to be located off Archer in an old strip center near where the new Kohl's is going in. The new location is in a strip center on 34th next to Goodwill. We never had a chance to try the original location before it closed so I can't compare the two. What I can say is that
we've been pleased with the lunch buffet each of the three times we've tried it. For around $12 a person (plus drink), the buffet includes several different curries, naan bread, rice, tandoori chicken, essentially the usual suspects for an Indian buffet. There is a cilantro chutney that Traci and I love. One one visit there was a goat curry that reminded me of the goat I had on my visit to India some years back. The atmosphere is pleasant and clean. Service is efficient. I really don't have any complaints, besides that it can get very busy. I'm just excited that we don't have to drive to Ocala anymore for good Indian food. Has anyone tried the new Vietnamese restaurant also in this strip?
That's all for now. As always, keep the restaurant suggestions and comments coming. I've received several emails about The Jones, then Traci tried it with a co-worker for lunch one day, and then a classmate raved to me about it. Sounds like I need to give The Jones a try one of these days.
