So today's post will be about my fantastic lunch at The French Pantry. I'd say it's one of Jacksonville's best kept secrets. For those of you who don't know me in real life, I live in Jacksonville, Florida so the majority of my posts will revolve around local eateries. Luckily, there's an abundance of them around town.
This wasn't my first visit to The French Pantry, but I did bring along two of my friends who had never been before and they really enjoyed the food, as expected. We arrived around 12:30 and on a typical day, the line would be out the door and maybe into the parking lot by that time. However, it was raining this afternoon so I suppose that kept some people away thinking they'd have to wait in the annoying Florida afternoon shower. They have a great selection of sandwiches, salads, and bruschettas that all come in pretty big portions. Well worth the money. The best part of the restaurant would have to be their breads and desserts. I'd say it's a crime to go there and not order a dessert. At least take one to go. Your taste buds will thank you.
The restaurant/dining room itself is really small and cozy. You might find yourself sitting with random people, but that can be a fun thing if you can strike up a good conversation with strangers while you all enjoy a delicious lunch.
I ordered a Bang Bang Po Boy. It's basically a bang bang shrimp po boy as opposed to the traditional fried shrimp. If you've never had bang bang shrimp, it's essentially a breaded, fried shrimp covered with a sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy sauce. If you ever see bang bang shrimp tacos or anything similar to that on a menu, get it. You won't be sorry. Unless you're allergic to shellfish. In that case, don't order it. Because then you would be sorry. As delicious as it is, there's no need to purposely inflict an allergic reaction on yourself for the sake of yummy food. On to the pictures:
The sandwich was huge! I had to squish it a bit in order to take a bite. In addition to the shrimp, there was some thinly sliced red onion, mixed greens, and cheese on the sandwich. The breading on the shrimp was light and crispy and the sauce was perfect. The bread is also worth noting because the bread they bake is incredible. It had a nice crust and was soft and chewy inside which was perfect for soaking up the sauce. The flavors of sandwich blended nicely together. Nothing was too overpowering but they worked together to bring out the great flavor of the shrimp just as the sandwich should. I only finished half of the sandwich (surprise!) but that only means I have a yummy dinner lined up for tonight that I don't have to slave over a hot stove for. No complaints here.
Remember how I mentioned their bread is amazing? Well another good thing about eating here is the fact that they give you complimentary bread with an olive oil, herbs, and balsamic vinegar dip that's good enough to eat as a dish on it's own.
Again, there's a great dip to accompany their wonderful bread. I'm not sure it really needs much more explanation other than that.
Here's a couple of pictures of my friends' food:
I can't remember exactly what her sandwich had other than turkey. I want to guess mixed greens and red onions. I'll have to come back and update this part after I ask her what she ordered. I'll try to be more prepared next time I post my friend's food.
I believe this is a chicken, artichoke, and either goat or bleu cheese bruschetta. Again, I'll ask her and come back and update this.
And finally, the dessert. Now, I wanted to get the strawberry cheesecake when I first saw it before we ordered our food. However, we decided to hold off on ordering our desserts until the end. Unfortunately, they sold out of the strawberry cheesecake by then. So I opted for the Blueberry Cheese Tart. Still delicious, but my friends said I looked really sad when the lady told me they sold out of the strawberry cheesecake. And I was. Oh well, there's always next time.
We ordered our desserts to go. Luckily the drive from the restaurant to my house was long enough for my dessert stomach to be okay to eat this when I got home. I decided to put it on a plate for the picture rather than snap a photo of it in the styrofoam to go box, but it probably would still look as delicious. The tart had a thin, light, and flaky pastry crust topped with blueberries, a cheesecake like layer, and then finished off with white chocolate shavings and powdered sugar. It was so good. It wasn't super sweet like some desserts can be. Again, it was a good balance of flavors and the blueberries were highlighted nicely.
I have yet to come across anything I don't like at The French Pantry. To be quite honest, I don't think I ever will unless it features an ingredient I don't like to begin with. Like pickles. Or olives. So I guess that throws the muffuletta out the window. Though I admit, it does sound delicious, but I just don't like olives. I'm not really a picky eater, but there are just some flavors/foods that I don't like.
Anyhow, if you live in Jacksonville or ever find yourself in the area, you have to go to The French Pantry for lunch. The only downside to the restaurant is the hours they're open. They're only open on weekdays from 11 to about 2:15. Get there early or expect to wait in line for a little bit, but it's totally worth the wait.
Have you ever been to The French Pantry? What are some local eateries you like to go to? Leave a comment below with your answers! I love reading about other people's food adventures.
Thanks for reading!
<3 Kathy.
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