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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
This past week has been challenging as we have tried to venture further and further south, searching for warmer weather with little to limited success. We reached Florida on Thursday only to experience two nights of hard frosts. Today, Saturday has finely begun to change coarse as it was in the mid-60’s today here in St Augustine, the country’s oldest city.
Like the weather, our dining experiences started out a bit uncertain but have certainly improved as the week progressed.
Our goal is to highlight culinary establishments that we would recommend to friends and family members – not find fault with establishments that might not have lived up to our expectations. So, although I will give all restaurants we dine at a score of 1 – 5 wooden spoons, I will most likely simply give just the basics on those establishments that were not “on par”. For those establishments that we would suggest, I will most likely go into more detail.
Cindy and I absolutely loved our time at Hunting Island Sate Park in South Carolina and we could not recommend it enough for anyone looking for a beautiful place to spend an afternoon on the beach or a whole week exploring the nature trails, fishing dock, lighthouse, science center and more. We originally checked in for a 2 night stay but quickly extended it for an additional 2 nights.
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
While there, we decided to dine out on two different evenings. Our first evening we headed north on Route 21 for less than a mile to dine at Johnson River Tavern. We shared a bowl of She Crab Bisque which was very tasty. Cindy had the Crab Cake Entree and I tried a local favorite Frogmore Stew. We felt that both lacked flavor and seemed extremely plebian.
Johnson River Tavern rates: 
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
The following evening we headed a bit further north along Route 21 to Boondocks Restaurant where we shared the Calamari Appetizer which was typical but good. Cindy had the Blackened Bass Special and I had the Baby Back Ribs…we both enjoyed our meals, the service was pleasant but this place is certainly on the “casual” side complete with paper napkins and plastic water tumblers but the food was of good quality and properly prepared.
Boondocks Restaurant rates: 
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
On Monday we packed up and headed down Route 17 to Savannah, GA for two nights. We stayed at the Skidaway Island State Park which was nice and quite and a bit more rustic then Hunting Island. Tuesday was spent visiting Savannah, which is a terrific little city with so much history and culture. We especially enjoyed the River Street area with so many restaurant choices. As we attempted to walk along the cobblestone streets, bundled in our warmest jackets, Huey’s New Orleans Cafe caught our eye and I’m certainly glad that it did. Our table was right on the window overlooking River Street so we had a grand time watching the boats navigate the river, the trolley stroll along the rails and the tourists struggle down the cobblestones. We shared an order of beignets (delicate French style doughnuts) served warm with powdered sugar and pecan-caramel sauce – wonderfully sinful. Cindy then had the Shrimp and Grits and I opted for the Muffuletta Sandwich served with Red Beans and Rice. Patrice did a lovely job of attending to our needs in a friendly, informative and hospitable Southern way.
Huey’s New Orleans Cafe rates: 
(I would highly recommend this one!!!)
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
After lunch we visited several of the shops and then drove out to Forsyth Park for a leisurely walk with the dogs. This is a beautiful park in the heart of historic Savannah with a majestic fountain and lovely park benches. Make sure to visit if you find yourself in the Savannah area.
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
On Wednesday, we packed up the coach and continued our travels further down Route 17 towards Florida and hopefully warmer weather. As we made our way towards the warm rays of sunshine we found ourselves passing through the small town of Midway (midway between what I’m not really sure) and we happened upon this local roadside eatery Ida Mae and Joe’s Restaurant. This is your typical old time roadside dinner…totally nondescript both inside and out but if you want to experience real good home-style cooking – this is the place. Cindy had the Roast BBQ Chicken and I opted for the Chicken Finger Plate…each comes with two sides of your choice because the food is served on the old style Corelle plates with the built-in 3 compartments. Our meals where very well prepared, full of flavor – nothing complex but still delicious.
Ida Mae and Joe’s Restaurant rates: 
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
After lunch, back on our way we came upon the “Smallest Church in America” on the north side of Route 17. This adorable chapel seats a total of 12 and is a non-denominational church…well worth a pull-over.
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
Our original goal was to make our way into the northeast corner of Florida to Fernandina Beach but as Cindy was studying the map she noticed that we would be passing by Jekyll Island which was originally the private winter playground for the Rockefeller’s, Crane’s, JP Morgan family, the Pulitzer’s and others, so we decided to check it out. Once on the island, we decided to spend the night so we could explore – Florida could wait one more day! This is a jewel of an island, the history, the beaches, the people, it also is home of the very first condominium in America. I’m so glad that we stumbled upon this little slice of America.
Thursday, we crossed over the Florida state-line and made our way onto Route A1A (Atlantic Coast Highway) and out to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island for the night.
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
Once we set camp (hooked up the electric power and water, and push-out the power slides) we jumped in the car and headed into the historic downtown area where we enjoyed lunch at “29 South Eats”, rated the best restaurant in the Jacksonville area for 3 years in a row. It was a tad after 2:00pm when we arrived and were greeted by a friendly, energetic young woman named Melissa, who took good care of us throughout our meal. There was a bit of a mix up on Cindy’s meal (she ordered the pasta special but she server ordered the salmon special). Once she realized the mistake, she happily offered to redo the order but we declined. Cindy enjoyed her dish although it was not what she had set her sights upon. I opted for the Irish Club Sandwich with Guiness Whole Grain Mustard – wonderful! The restaurants signature dessert is a must try, Coffee and Doughnuts (a bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts served with coffee ice cream and a caramel drizzle – WOW!!! We also enjoyed a lovely bottle of Longboard Pinot Noir which made for a really pleasant meal.
29 South Eats rates: 
(Probably 5 spoons if not for the ordering mix-up)
After lunch we explored the downtown area as well as the beach area and had a chance to give the dogs a nice walk, although the bread pudding made us want to take a nice afternoon nap!
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
Friday we broke camp and headed down A1A to Fort George Island State Park to visit Kingsley Plantation (the last remaining antebellum plantation in Florida) complete with slave quarters, the Kitchen House and Plantation House. This site is off the beaten path but well worth a visit.
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| From The Gypsy Kitchen Adventures |
We made our way into St Augustine by mid-afternoon and visited the historic downtown area for dinner where we stumbled upon this tiny little eatery, Casa Maya (Mayan cuisine). With a total of about 24 seats, this establishment has been serving breakfast and lunch for a few years but has just started serving dinner. We each started with a delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate, which is probably one of the best hot chocolates I’ve ever had. Cindy opted for Shrimp and Tamale special and I was tempted by the Carne Asada. Cindy thoroughly enjoyed her dish and claimed that it was the best dish so far along the trip! My Carne Asada was delicious, not the best ever but still pretty darn good. The young woman who acted as hostess and server informed us that in a few weeks the dinner menu is getting a major make-over to include an additional 20+ items!!! I hope that the quality does not get lost. This was certainly a hidden jewel worth anyones trip. In addition to the 8 inside tables, there are another 4 bistro style tables on a small patio area which would no-doubtedly be a wonderful way to enjoy a meal when the weather was a bit more cooperative.
Casa Maya rates: 
(Highly recommended)
For information and/or directions for any of these establishments, please visit our interactive “Gypsy Kitchen Tour ‘09” map.
Make sure to log onto www.cookwithjohn.com and subscribe to receive FREE weekly recipes (this week’s recipe: “Limping Susan Gets Her Groove On”) and chance to win a 3–course dinner for 10 guests performed by the Gypsy Kitchen in the comfort of your own home.
Until next week,
Chef John
in the “Gypsy Kitchen”
Ratings Scale:
= Needs Work, Most Likely Would Not Return
= Good Basic Find, Things Could Be Improved, Would Probably Try Again
= As Expected, Good Choice, A Few Things Could Be Better, Almost Certainly Visit Again
= Better Than Expected, Great Choice, Would Definitely Revisit
= Totally Blown Away, Every Point Exceeded Expectation, Would Drive Out-Of-Way To Revisit
The GYPSY KITCHEN 
February 8, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Haven’t been to St Augustine in about 30 years but I used to love it there. Your trip sounds like so much fun. My husband and I want to get an RV and travel when he retires. Hadn’t thought of doing restaurant reviews along the way but it’s a terrific idea.
love your blog!