New Eats: Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

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I hate to break it to everyone, but this week's review is far less exciting than the Cowford experience from last week. Zach and I headed to Cheddar's for an impromptu dinner last week and were sorely disappointed. I get it...every new restaurant has its learning curves. We were expecting average, slow service, but our unfortunate experience went far beyond that. Food For the record, we ordered totally normal food and I did no prior research on Cheddar's specialties. Honestly, the food isn't even worth discussing. It was somehow a combination of cold and overcooked with average flavors (at best). The spinach and artichoke dip appetizer was the best part of our entire meal but still completely average when compared to other restaurants. Service Our poor server. He couldn't have been over 16 years old and was waiting on close to 15 tables. With sweat drenching his shirt and an overwhelmed demeanor, we only got to see our server about once every 20 minutes.
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New Eats: Restaurant Doro

I'm not sure what's better about the tiny Restaurant Doro - the incredibly perfect decor or the simple, fresh food. My mom and I have been dying to try this new spot in the AB town center and it absolutely exceeded all expectations. Although, it's tough to go wrong when the evening starts with a bottle of Prisoner wine...

Food

I was a bit nervous about the food because the menu is so, so simple - borderline bland. We started
with the burrata appetizer, of course. Could I be any more predictable? The huge hunk of (possibly homemade?) burrata was on a layer of chunky peach jam, large pieces of raw tomato and a light drizzle of saba and pecan oil. Don't know what saba is? It's nearly identical in color and production to balsamic vinegar but there's no aging involved. The end result is a milder, thinner syrup. 

After devouring our crazy amazing appetizer, we decided to split the second course. I'm happy we did, because I still went home with leftovers! We went all out for our entree and ordered the grilled ribeye. WOW! The steak was perfectly cooked and great quality, but it really wasn't the highlight of the dish. The large whole cloves of roasted garlic made the dish. If you've never had an amazing slice of steak and a sliver of roasted garlic in the same bit you're missing out. Out of this world good. 

Drink

Prisoner wine. Nuff said. 

Atmosphere

The designer hired to decorate this tiny space absolutely outdid herself. If I shrunk my dream house to a single room it'd be identical to Restaurant Doro. From the beautiful artwork to the perfectly messy stack of cookbooks, this designer really got it right. 

Company

The two women seated next to us were an unexpected highlight to an already great evening. My mom and I love to travel and are planning a trip around Europe for this coming summer, so a mother daughter duo straight from Germany made for amazing conversation. All four of us have a passion for gourmet food, extensive travel and lots of laughter. It was wonderful. 


I loved my visit to Restaurant Doro and hope they have abundant success in the competitive Jacksonville restaurant scene. Welcome to the community! 







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