The little square of San Marco is many things - quaint, clean, vintage. In recent years, this little nest in downtown Jacksonville has become a huge foodie destination, with
Town Hall being a huge contributor. The owners of Moxie decided to expand their skillset outside of the St. Johns Town Center, and downtown Jacksonville residents are certainly celebrating. Although the restaurant is doing many things well, there are a couple categories where they've fallen short.
Atmosphere
Was I walking into a tiny restaurant or entering a living room straight out of the West Elm catalog? This place is beautiful and takes advantage of every square inch (with less than 100 seats, they really didn't have much choice). Upon entering, a couch and chairs are set up living room style to the left, with a sprawling yet empty bar along the wall. Why does the bar appear empty? Oh, I'll get to that later. Continue walking through a tiny hallway and you'll reach the back room of the restaurant. Rose gold accents, two skylights and moody walls complete the modern, comfortable decor.
Drinks
Sure, I had a great glass of rosé, but I'd be lying if the speakeasy vibe of this small restaurant didn't make me want a cocktail. After talking with the server, I found out that Town Hall doesn't have their liquor license because they have under 100 seats. All of the quirky cocktails on the menu feature wine instead of liquor, which can be seen as a major bummer to alcohol enthusiasts. Now you understand why the bar in the front of the restaurant looked so sparse? There's only so much space you can take up with corked bottles of wine.
Food
This is where I give two thumbs up to the chefs. I started with the crispy brussel sprouts which were cooked in a sauce strangely similar to a sweet and sour (sounds weird, but it totally works) and served with a fried duck egg on top. Mmmm. The roasted chicken with whipped potatoes and the carrot + kalamata salad was my entree of choice and boy did it rock. I try to venture out and order something other than the chicken at restaurants like Town Hall, but that carrot and olive salad was calling my name. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the salad dressed with a delicious harissa syrup.
Oh, but I didn't stop there. Manchego bread pudding was glaring at me from the list of sides, so I gave in. Wow. Just wow. Don't go to Town Hall without ordering this little piece of heaven.
This is a spot certainly worth the trip across town. If one thing's for sure, I'll be making plenty of treacherous trips from the beach to San Marco (if you've ever experienced downtown Jacksonville traffic at rush hour, you understand why this drive is so daunting) for one more bite of that yummy bread pudding.
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