The essence of southern charm, The Floridian Restaurant [72 Spanish St, St. Augustine, FL 32084] was such a treat from start to finish.
Ambiance is classy yet casual, decor effortlessly vintage, and the local menu changes seasonally.
All the southern classics I could hope for were available. A special for the night was blue corn fritters which came out looking more exquisite than I could have ever imagined.
The taste matched. The crisp texture of the fritter, with the bitter taste of the greens, acidic pickled veggies, and creamy cheese – every flavor profile hit for a fantastic start. For the main we both decided on the same dish, which rarely happens – but how can one resist a cornbread stack with fresh caught fish?
The hot and dense crumbling cornbread is stuffed with cheddar and veggies, topped with blackened catch of the day, and drizzled with chimmichurri Aioli. An epic plate and filling too, but the side car of house pickled veggies lightened things up a bit. I would take it as a personal slight if you left before dessert, if they have the Kentucky derby pie.
This is a slice I dream about ever so often, obscenely decadent and dense it was almost difficult to finish – but we persevered. The key lime pie was righteous and classic Florida, don’t get me wrong – but I’m more of a chocolate person and that derby pie was truly what dreams are made of. I usually stick to dives because I’ve been disappointed by midrange priced restaurants so frequently, this place really blew me out of the water. Note that The Floridian is closed Tuesdays, and I would highly suggest making a reservation because this is a popular place.