What You'll Get
The Florida coastline is eroding more and more every year, taking away valuable sand-castle real estate and cutting down on potentially profitable sites for metal detector-wielding madmen. Today's Groupon boasts of beachfront benefits still in existence. For $20, you get $40 worth of fine cuisine and drinks at North Beach Bistro in Atlantic Beach, one of Jacksonville magazine's Top 25 Restaurants of 2009.
North Beach Bistro partners with Neptune and nature to bring fresh fare to feasting foodies. Stenographers searching for truth among the midday malaise will find earnest eats on North Beach Bistro's lunch menu, featuring starters such as Prince Edward Island Mussels ($7) and sandwiches such as the prime-rib sliders ($9). Poets and dreamers can put pen aside after a day of exhausting imagining and enjoy parmesan-dusted crispy cheese puffs ($6) or a classic onion soup ($5) from the dinner menu's slate of starters, soups, and salads, while grounded wing walkers can reach hearty heights with North Beach Bistro's side salad–accompanied entrees, such as filet mignon with potatoes and asparagus ($28) or crispy fried local fish with rice and ponzu dipping sauce ($24). A cavalcade of martinis and desserts round out the lineup.
North Beach Bistro is a culinary collaboration between executive chef David Seavey and his mentor, Tony Pels, who passed away two months before the restaurant's June 2008 opening. Pels's spirit lives on in the top-tier dining experience offered by North Beach Bistro, with guests feasting on fresh, ocean-fetched fare among the restaurant's wooden interiors and atmospheric lighting.
Reviews
North Beach Bistro earned a spot on Jacksonville magazine's Top 25 Restaurants of 2009 as well as a feature in the Florida Times-Union. Though users say service can be slow, Yelpers rave about the succulent fare, offering four stars, and OpenTable users give 4.1 stars:
- The scallops were perfectly tender and big enough to demand to be cut into two or three pieces to be polite. The dried tomatoes had a scrumptious smoky flavor that could have been a signature appetizer on its own. – J.F Mix, Florida Times-Union
- Everything is so fresh here! The bean tapenade is original and refreshing, rather than the usual rolls and butter. I love the house salad; my husband had the wedge and it was the best ever. Our fish was cooked perfectly and the sauces were just right. – OpenTable user who dined on 03/01/2010
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Mar 29, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 2 per person. Limit 1 per table, 1 per visit. No cash back or credit. Tax and gratuity not included. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About North Beach Bistro
North Beach Bistro is more than a restaurant—it's a legacy. The upscale eatery was the vision of renowned chef Tony Pels, who trained with culinary giants such as Wolfgang Puck and Michel Richard, and chef David Seavey, whom Pels mentored for 15 years at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa. Pels passed away only two months before the restaurant's opening in June of 2008, leaving executive chef Seavey to carry on his tradition of culinary creativity and generosity.
Spurred on by this responsibility, Seavey combines the freshest ingredients with a genuine love for his fellow Floridians. The Jacksonville native crafts hearty and flavorful surf 'n' turf entrees such as the Seafood Paella with Mayport shrimp, Bay scallops, mussels, calamari, fresh fish, andouille sausage, onion, peppers and saffron rice, or Filet Mignon Oscar topped with jumbo lump crab, Bearnaise sauce, and herb roasted fingerling potatoes. Reddish-gold fixtures in the bar emanate light that's as warm and welcoming as the chef himself. DJs and live music keep the space vibrant, and the dining room's wood floors and spot-lit art give it an air of sophistication. Weekly trivia nights arm guests with knowledge that makes an ideal conversation starter or helps pass the time while stuck in an elevator with Ken Jennings.