Organic Jacksonville Distiller Begins Brewing

If there is one trend that has been noticeable in the last five years, that’s the organic trend, and Jacksonville, FL is no exception. Once thought as a fad that would go out of style, organic has swept mainstream, and for good reason-people care about their bodies, and want to put high quality ingredients into the things they consume.

Manifest Distilling is a innovative new organic distillery in Jacksonville that is producing an organic rye whiskey, using only the finest of ingredients. Although it will taste like other rye whiskies, you will be able to taste the difference I am certain. First coast news thinks so as well, and covers the whole distilling process in great detail:

“The yeast’s primary job is to consume a sugar and create an alcohol,” Cohen said. “Their byproduct, their excrement almost, is creating the alcohol that we will then distill.” Cohen’s philosophy on the use of organic materials to make the rye whiskey is simple. The end product will reflect what you used to make it.

“If you are feeding it garbage, it’s going to create a garbage product. Same thing with the actual type of yeast itself. If you are using a high quality yeast, you’re feeding it a high quality product, your end result is going to be high quality.” After three days, all of the sugar from the organic grain has been consumed, according to Cohen. The remaining product, referred to as the “distiller’s beer,” is roughly 6 percent alcohol. At this point, it is now ready to be reheated and distilled into high concentrations before finally being barreled.

Keep an eye out for the new launch and innovative products that will keep on coming. Manifest Distilling, Address: 960 East Forsyth Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202, Phone:(904) 619-1479

 

Best of Jacksonville 2017

Jacksonville Best Businesses for 2017

Jacksonville is a great place to work, live, and enjoy the beautiful Florida beaches. With a population of approximately 1.48 million and growing fast, there are plenty of reasons to live here, or visit on vacation. The average home price is also about $250,000, making it one of the most affordable beach metros to live in the US. We’ve got some great businesses here as well, and we’ve tried to create a short list of some you should visit or use in 2017.

Best Restaurant for Lunch

Lola’s Burrito and Burger Joint is a well rated Mexican restaurant on Trip Advisor, and their focus is on high quality ingredients that are cooked fresh. They believe that waiting a few extra minutes for great food is better than getting average food quickly. With original flavors and recipes, your tummy will be thankful.

Lola’s Burrito and Burger Joint, Address: 1522 King St, Jacksonville, FL 32205, Phone: (904) 738-7181

Best Beach Bar

The Lemon Bar, attached to the Seahorse Inn, is located right on the beach, and has great views of the water. This beach bar is located on Neptune beach, which is just east of downtown Jacksonville. Stop by for the 2017 season to enjoy their signature Lemon Bar Freeze.

Lemon Bar, Address: 2 Lemon St, Neptune Beach, FL 32266, Phone: (904) 372-0487

Best Home Builder

When it comes to custom built homes, there are many options, but it doesn’t get better than Seda New Home Construction, who have been at it in the area for decades and have an incredible reputation here. Contact them today to build your new Jacksonville beach home!

Seda New Homes, Address: 2120 Corporate Square Blvd # 3, Jacksonville, FL 32216 Phone: (904) 724-7800

Best Pool Builder

Let’s be honest, the best way to enjoy the Jacksonville sunshine is with your very own backyard pool. This can be a great compliment to a beach house, or a great space to hang out if you don’t live beach side.  Jacksonville Pool Builder Pros is the single source you need to add that beautiful pool to your home or business.

Jacksonville Pool Builder Pros, Address: 301 W. Bay Street Suite 14146, Jacksonville, FL 322o2, Phone: (904) 204-0899

Best Automotive Mechanic

RPM Automotive has multiple locations around Jacksonville, and offer full scale auto service from brakes to engine repair. With a great reputation, they have a loyal following, and are known to preach a commitment to the environment and a commitment to the community they serve.

RPM Automotive at the Beaches, Address: 304 3rd St N, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: (904) 249-5711

 

 

 

Jacksonville University Shark Research

Ocearch is a world class shark research organization that has been prominently featured on multiple TV shows, including Nat Geo and the History Channel. Now Ocearch has reached an agreement for a partnership with Jacksonville University, and will soon dock their boat here as collaboration efforts ensue.

There are many points of collaboration in talks, a few of which are research related and education related. This partnership will be an amazing thing for Jacksonville as the word is spread concerning the universities cutting edge educational and research programs. A side benefit is obviously the increase in admissions activity, as it is expected to attract those excited to work with these world class shark researchers.

Jacksonville Business Journal reports on this exciting partnership:

The conversation between the two organizations began almost two years ago, spearheaded by Quinton White, a professor of marine science and executive director of the JU Marine Science Research Institute.

As part of the deal, the organization’s boat will be docked in Jacksonville and Fischer will have an office and reserach space at hte university.

As well as adding to the school’s marine sciences reputation, Cost sees the partnership crossing across departments; Ocearch has its own K-8 STEM curriculum, for example, which could lead to collaboration with the School of Education.

It’s also expected to help with admissions: Ocearch is ubiquitous on social media, and having the JU logo on the ship should raise the school’s profile considerably.

 

Jacksonville University, Address: 2800 University Blvd N, Jacksonville, FL 32211, Phone: (904) 256-8000

 

Swimming Pool Added to Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium

photo by 904 Happy Hour

We all know that it gets wicked hot and humid in Jacksonville, even during football season. The Jacksonville Jaguars EverBank Field has a unique solution to this problem: hang out in the waist deep swimming pool while eating, drinking, and watching the game.

This new party deck is accessible if you pay for the pool side cabanas, and have a group size of at least 20 people. While this is definitely not a cheap option to watch the game, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is worth checking out.

Jacksonville.com reports that this will significantly increase revenue for the Jaguars.

There will be four pool Cabanas with 50 seats each near the two pools so access to the pools will be limited to 200 fans who buy the Cabana seats. Lamping said the Jaguars are concentrating on selling the Cabana seats to groups. “One group might buy all 200, another group might buy 50,’’ he said. “We’ve had companies buy the entire pool for several games.’’ Lamping isn’t worried about rowdy behavior at the pools.

“We’re not expecting any problems,’’ he said. “They’re paying a lot of money and if somebody in your group does something stupid, everybody is asked to leave. I think people are going to be policing it pretty well.’’

If they sell all the cabana seats for the regular season, it will be an increase in local revenue of $490,000 a season, which is important for a low revenue team.

To check them out at the next game, schedule the seats with EverBank Field

EverBank Field, Address:1 Everbank Field Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32202, Phone: (904) 633-6100

 

 

Hoptinger Bier Garden in Jacksonville Opens New Location

Hoptinger Bier Garden is a well known and well liked restaurant and beer house that focuses each restaurant on the local neighborhood feel, and caters the cuisine to the best fit for the residents. They opened up a new restaurant in the Riverside area of Jacksonville, FL, and this is their third location. This is a clear indicator that this brand is ready to grow, and they have the recipe for success. The new location is at:

Photo by Hoptiger Bier Garden

Hoptinger Bier Garden-Riverside, Address: 1037 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204, Phone:(904) 903-4113

The new location is going to focus on vegan and vegetarian dishes, which is a bit different from their other locations. With 64 beers on tap, and seating for over 120, this place will not disappoint. The Florida Times Union article offers some great details on the launch:

It’s open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. It features a brunch on the weekend. Bands perform from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Happy hour runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday with featured beers, wines and cocktails ranging from $3 to $5 flights of beer are $10. Nosh on $3 bar snacks that include Cheeseheads, Das Pretzel Sticks, Corn Dog Bites and Brats in a Blanket. The menu is rather large, featuring sandwiches, an assortment of sausage items, burgers, hefty entrees (pork chop, rib-eye, lamb chops, stuffed chicken) and even a few desserts. The price point is right one with most items hovering $9 to $13 range.

 

From Food Truck to Elegant Dining

5 Loaves 2 Fish is a new 174 seat restaurant in Jacksonville, FL that originally started out as a food truck. It seems that this restaurant space is a result of the success and popularity of their brand- they only use fresh, un-frozen, ingredients and focus on using the foods that are in season. This food culture resonates with many Jacksonville residents as people aim to eat better, healthier, and feel great about reconnecting with natural foods around them.

Toben Stubee, the owner and chef of 5 Loaves 2 Fish has mastered his craft from many decades of experience with Latin and Caribbean cuisine. The food has always delighted, and it seems that the recent expansion to a retail space was the next logical step for the wonderful Jacksonville restaurant brand. Jacksonville Business Journal covered the launch nicely, with some beautiful pictures.

Taken by Jacksonville Business Journal.

Although the 10,000 square-foot restaurant is recently opened, the Stubees are already seeing customers come in from outside the office tower.

“The benefit of the food truck is people know our name and food,” said Deb Stubee. She added that being based in an office tower doesn’t hurt them — it actually helps bring in a built-in customer base, and said that having restaurants in high rises is found in most cities.

“It’s an integral part of Downtown culture,” she said. Future additions to the restaurant include more signage out front and in back of the tower, by the Riverwalk.

Toben Stubee also said he has plans to create a back patio and lounge and is applying for a liquor license, as well as beer and wine. Looking ahead, the Stubees said they plan to continue bringing their fine dining background to the restaurant, while focusing on fresh, local food and quality ingredients.

Be sure to check it out this weekend:

5 Loaves 2 Fish Cafe, Riverplace Tower, ground floor, 1301 Riverplace Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32207, Phone:(904) 423-0768

First blog post

Proud to announce the launch of Best of Jacksonville. A local’s guide to the best this city has to offer.