blackstone grille

imaginative, innovative chef. tucked wwaaaaaayyy in the left-back of this town mall, please find it!!! awesome ambiance, cozy, intimate-yet-sophisticated, while soft jazz plays in the background...very attentive waitstaff...bacon-wrapped shrimp and scallops appetizer is a must...interesting crab gumbo...delicate encrusted goat cheese salad...chef's tasting special on wednesdays for $42/per is a three-or-four course delightful surprise...prix fixe menu for $79-for-2 includes a bottle of blackstone wine (merlot is magnificent!)...tempting dessert tray...c'mon, you know you want to!!! ;-)

sweet potato fries to die for!!!. i have enjoyed all the food here during lunchtimes. i have not come during dinner, so i can not comment on it's quality for the price. lunchtime is a very good deal for the quality and amount of food you get. the service can be hit or miss depending on the waiter you get, but i am always greeted by the owner which is nice. i recommend this place as a white linen lunch location.

blackstone grille is our favorite restaurant.  it has become our place to go for special events including anniversaries, dinner with customers, chinese new years, and more.

wonderful and always top 5 in jax for years! pay no attention to alex wysocki who is a 29 year old jax construction worker that lives at parents home in jax country club 1980s 250k house and thinks he is all that like most uneducated rednecks in jax that will never be able to afford to live in north st. john's county. his nemours psychologist father will even tell you he sucks at life. my renters in queens harbour pay more in taxes in one year than this loser will ever pay. anyways chef charles is consistent and will not snub his own recipe sauces to make sure he accommodates your tastes by making a custom sauce or season just for you. by far the best place to quietly enjoy local fresh seafood, steak, top end wines while enjoying your company in front of you. a must and well worth the 15 minute drive from ponte vedra into jcp where there isn't any chilies or arby's and most of the chefs from the top restaurants in jax live.

the rack of lamb was delicious and tender. would have preferred a sprig of mint or, better, mint jelly, instead of the heavy cream gravy that masked rather than complemented the lamb. the mashed potatoes were ordinary, which wasn't expected for this level of a dish. same for the spinach and asparagus (and the latter were two large, woody pieces lacking the classic flavor). all in all a good dish made with wonderful lamb. i just wish it had been presented with the panache that the lamb deserves.
the appetizer spring rolls were slightly undercooked and flavorless, but accompanied by a pleasantly fruited sauce.
the bread rolls were warm and pleasant; just would have preferred some seasoning to elevate them.
the dessert tray looked wonderful but we'd eaten our full so those will have to wait for another day.

lunch. with friends we went for lunch and everyone was happy with their meals, however, they.did a poor job on a simple philly cheese steak sandwich. the roll was over grilled and was charred black and the over all sandwich had no taste. going back and will advise further.

first and possibly my last visit.. i was overall disappointed. the food was pretty good and the presentation was attractive however so many things went wrong with my service, it was difficult to enjoy my meal. to begin, my initial cocktail order took 30 minutes to reach the table. two tables who were seated after my party were enjoying their libations by the time ours arrived. when my drink arriinsisted to the waiter that we order. another long wait brought my first coarse......a special beet salad which was a house salad that had been garnished with a few extra canned beets....,given the season, i will let that pass. dinner progressed in a more timely manner. my ravioli were very good, although i do understand a previous reviewers concern about them being undercooked. let's just say they were extremely "al dente". my second drink was horrible. the bartender is certainly no mixologist. dessert was fine. in general our waiter seemed flustered. this could have been due to the wait staff busting tables. they were clearly doing the work of two in order to save the owners money. in general i thought my experience was overpriced. perhaps dinner on a tuesday evening in august at 8:30pm would yield a better experience.

you can always tell when a part of town gets it's first restaurant that isn't an arby's or chilis because everyone just absolutely loses their minds about how great it is. luckily there are people like me around to inform them that it's just not that great. $200 for a party of four, and the only remarkable dish was the flambee quail. the ahi tuna was just okay, the hot and sour soup was inedible. all the entrees were just okay, with the mahi being edible, but dry and unremarkable. the steak my fiancée ordered was laughably dunked in sweet chili sauce then grilled. yes the same sweet chili sauce that's a condiment similar to ketchup in other countries. we also all know what happens to a steak when it's grilled soaking wet. the boiled through medium well grey penetrated te steak while the outside was a soupy mess of burnt sweet chili sauce that tasted like some kind of accident.

sorry jcp, you're not ready for fancy yet, but if you want a slice of class put your church clothes on and hop in the "nice truck" and head over to orsay because you're being taken for a ride.

my favorite restaurant in jacksonville. this is the place to go if you want to experience a charming, non-chain restaurant with amazing food! we have eaten at, and gotten takeout from, blackstone dozens of times. no matter what you order, it is always amazing! the food is america-thai fusion, for the most part. our favorite are the curry beef empanadas - divine!

still a top 5 in jax. if i was a billionaire i would only let charles wang cook for me with his wife helen running everything else at my mansion. thats never goimg to happen so i have to share them. always consistent and unique. great date night stop and also a favorite business meeting spot bc never loud music or loud people. they are very proud of their service and food though will still customized the food and sauce per customer needs. bartram walk has recently filled back up with restaurants and this place hopefully will keep them to par!


-----12 apr, 2012-----

amazing chef! peaceful atmosphere! great for business lunch meetings and date nights!!! new favorite!

let me start by saying that blackstone grille in jacksonville, fl is a place i’d never heard of until i ate there, and now it’s a place i’ll never forget.

don't let bad reviews fool you!!. this is the best place to eat in jcp. it's not super fast, but has by far the highest quality food!! many mid-high end restaurants tried to make it in the jcp area and this is the only one that survived. there is a reason for that. great owners, consistent service and great food!!! we have been patrons since they opened. yes, they have had a hiccup or two, but always good and willing to make you happy!!


-----10 jul, 2012-----

great reasturant!! very friendly. we have eaten here several times and have always had an excellent meal. they have great variety on there menu.

disappointing. the calamari was over breaded and over fried. the lobster ravioli was under cooked and the filling was not fresh. even my wife's cosmo was too lemony. so there goes the only upscale restaurant near our home in julington creek. help!

disapointed. no hostess
had to wait for a table even though we had a reservation
lobster ravioli was cold inside
only one server working
everyone was very nice but the service was mediocre and the food was not worth the price.
sad to say we will not be going to the blackstone ever again.

very clean, great staff, and phenomenal food. they did a great job with my rack of lamb and tropical salad. we dined at 6pm with 2 couples and 1 baby in a high chair. we called ahead and the table was ready when we arrived. i would definitely visit again.