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Post by SomeJsuFan on Jul 16, 2018 6:40:53 GMT -6
[Hey guys, a related topic came up over at GoJaxState, but I thought I might get more relevant responses here. Apologies if this has already been discussed here elsewhere.]
I've been given great options for gameday food, but let's say it is Date Night and I am in the Florence/Shoals area. Which restaurant is the wife gonna like?
These places seem like good choices:
- Odette's
- City Hardware
- Singin' River tap room (OK, this one is more for me)
Honorable mentions:
- Ricatoni's. I went there years ago and it is somewhere I hope to visit again. Maybe someday.
- Legend's Steakhouse. This is basically Brass Lantern, right? I've already been to the original in Lawrenceburg. Good dinner for weeknights, but maybe not "prom night" material?
- Rosie's. It is good place I suppose, but we've already got a couple of those here in the HSV area.
Glancing at a map, no nice restaurants seem to stand out south of the river. But I could be overlooking something, so what am I missing?
And which nice establishments did I miss outside of downtown Florence?
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Post by unafied on Jul 16, 2018 8:02:36 GMT -6
I've been to five of the six on your list. The only one I haven't gotten to is probably the "fanciest" for lack of a better word, Odette's. I have read nothing but good things about it, just haven't had the chance to go as I don't live in Florence anymore.
If I were ranking them for a date, I assume it depends on if you like casual or fine dining. For a true date night I lean more towards the fine dining side. I would go:
- City Hardware
- Ricatoni's
- Legend's
- Rosie's
- Singin' River
That being said, I love all of those places.
Another option in Florence is the 360 Grille at the Marriott, or the Renaissance Tower as it's known. It is definitely fine dining - the one time my wife and I went there we spent over $200. Don't have many of those in the Shoals. Swamper's inside the hotel itself is also not bad. It has an upscale feel as well. South of the river the one standout is George's, a steakhouse that has been around for decades and is pretty highly regarded. Again, you can easily spend triple-digits there.
If you are ok with casual, maybe even very casual, Stanfield's on the river (at Florence harbor) can be a fun date. A window seat, or even a patio table if the weather cooperates, is fun for watching activity out on the water. The food is pretty average. Not bad, just not spectacular.
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Post by brandon on Jul 16, 2018 8:31:56 GMT -6
[Hey guys, a related topic came up over at GoJaxState, but I thought I might get more relevant responses here. Apologies if this has already been discussed here elsewhere.] I've been given great options for gameday food, but let's say it is Date Night and I am in the Florence/Shoals area. Which restaurant is the wife gonna like? These places seem like good choices: - Odette's - City Hardware - Singin' River tap room (OK, this one is more for me) Honorable mentions: - Ricatoni's. I went there years ago and it is somewhere I hope to visit again. Maybe someday. - Legend's Steakhouse. This is basically Brass Lantern, right? I've already been to the original in Lawrenceburg. Good dinner for weeknights, but maybe not "prom night" material? - Rosie's. It is good place I suppose, but we've already got a couple of those here in the HSV area. Glancing at a map, no nice restaurants seem to stand out south of the river. But I could be overlooking something, so what am I missing? And which nice establishments did I miss outside of downtown Florence? If you want to go South of the river, Georges in Sheffield will be the best option. It's the rival of Dale's. |
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Post by catscratchfever4 on Jul 16, 2018 11:39:03 GMT -6
Cajuns', George's 217, Champy's if you like good music with your fried chicken.
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Post by brandon on Jul 16, 2018 11:59:14 GMT -6
2nd and 13 if you want a good sports bar deal. Great food
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Post by SomeJsuFan on Jul 16, 2018 14:13:02 GMT -6
Another option in Florence is the 360 Grille at the Marriott, or the Renaissance Tower as it's known. Wow, that place looks great! |
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Post by unafied on Jul 16, 2018 15:29:48 GMT -6
Another option in Florence is the 360 Grille at the Marriott, or the Renaissance Tower as it's known. Wow, that place looks great! Honestly, I think it is. It got a bad reputation when it first opened for being a “boondoggle”, and having a far lesser restaurant at the top. But when the Marriott people came in I think they did a good job turning it into something special. I’m not an experienced world traveler or anything, but I’ve had a few dinners at some finer dining establishments, and I still think the meal we had there was one of the best I’ve had. Plus you’re literally revolving around the Shoals as you eat. The sunset view is incredible. Of course, I’m biased, because that area is still home for me. |
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Post by tuna85 on Jul 16, 2018 19:00:04 GMT -6
Wow, that place looks great! Honestly, I think it is. It got a bad reputation when it first opened for being a “boondoggle”, and having a far lesser restaurant at the top. But when the Marriott people came in I think they did a good job turning it into something special. I’m not an experienced world traveler or anything, but I’ve had a few dinners at some finer dining establishments, and I still think the meal we had there was one of the best I’ve had. Plus you’re literally revolving around the Shoals as you eat. The sunset view is incredible. Of course, I’m biased, because that area is still home for me. Great place and you are correct about that sunset view, especially in the fall. |
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Post by unafan on Jul 17, 2018 0:49:57 GMT -6
Folks, The 360 Grill is da bomb. But expect to lay a loaf there. But, you will enjoy it.
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Post by unalions on Jul 17, 2018 10:46:29 GMT -6
Wow, that place looks great! Honestly, I think it is. It got a bad reputation when it first opened for being a “boondoggle”, and having a far lesser restaurant at the top. But when the Marriott people came in I think they did a good job turning it into something special. I’m not an experienced world traveler or anything, but I’ve had a few dinners at some finer dining establishments, and I still think the meal we had there was one of the best I’ve had. Plus you’re literally revolving around the Shoals as you eat. The sunset view is incredible. Of course, I’m biased, because that area is still home for me. I went here almost weekly when it first opened as that "far lesser restaurant". I loved it. It didn't rotate back then. I took one look at the prices of the new place recently and laughed. I live on the beach and visit large cities often and feel they are a little 'too high' on themselves in my opinion. Lol |
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Post by unafied on Jul 17, 2018 12:19:19 GMT -6
Honestly, I think it is. It got a bad reputation when it first opened for being a “boondoggle”, and having a far lesser restaurant at the top. But when the Marriott people came in I think they did a good job turning it into something special. I’m not an experienced world traveler or anything, but I’ve had a few dinners at some finer dining establishments, and I still think the meal we had there was one of the best I’ve had. Plus you’re literally revolving around the Shoals as you eat. The sunset view is incredible. Of course, I’m biased, because that area is still home for me. I went here almost weekly when it first opened as that "far lesser restaurant". I loved it. It didn't rotate back then. I took one look at the prices of the new place recently and laughed. I live on the beach and visit large cities often and feel they are a little 'too high' on themselves in my opinion. Lol Yeah I should have phrased that differently. I've heard and read criticism that it was a lesser restaurant, but I remember enjoying it too. Of course I was in my teens, and probably eating way too many chicken fingers and hamburgers, haha. But I'm pretty sure my parents liked going there too. It's definitely expensive now, but my wife and I like to treat ourselves to meals like that every so often. The one time we went since the Marriott took over was Valentine's night a few years back. Had dinner at the tower, spent the night at the hotel, the whole works. I still judge other steaks by the filet I had that night. It was melt-in-your-mouth good. Better than the couple of meals I've had at George's. With the demise of Dale's, wouldn't 360 be considered the only thing Florence has that is close to fine dining now? Maybe Odette's? |
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Post by unalions on Jul 17, 2018 14:50:01 GMT -6
Oh, I'm sure it's great! And the photos I see taken from it these days remind me of how beautiful the view is from up there. I'll bet it's really cool now that it rotates.
I'm glad Florence has some upscale dining options other than the basic, old-school steakhouse concept. I've never been to Odette's or City Hardware but hear great things.
I'm more of a BBQ-seeker when I visit. Pensacola's BBQ options are slim in comparison. Of course, it's the opposite for Mexican food. We're very spoiled here in Pensacola with great options for authentic Mexican food. Rosie's is good (feels a bit like a chain) but I made the mistake recently of going to La Hacienda (a favorite of mine back in the day) out in the old K-Mart shopping center. It was a horrible experience all the way around. And was sitting full with a wait. It really made me question Florence's options for Mexican food. Lol.
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Post by unafied on Jul 17, 2018 15:47:47 GMT -6
Oh, I'm sure it's great! And the photos I see taken from it these days remind me of how beautiful the view is from up there. I'll bet it's really cool now that it rotates. I'm glad Florence has some upscale dining options other than the basic, old-school steakhouse concept. I've never been to Odette's or City Hardware but hear great things. I'm more of a BBQ-seeker when I visit. Pensacola's BBQ options are slim in comparison. Of course, it's the opposite for Mexican food. We're very spoiled here in Pensacola with great options for authentic Mexican food. Rosie's is good (feels a bit like a chain) but I made the mistake recently of going to La Hacienda (a favorite of mine back in the day) out in the old K-Mart shopping center. It was a horrible experience all the way around. And was sitting full with a wait. It really made me question Florence's options for Mexican food. Lol. I love Rosie’s, but yeah - nowhere near authentic. But if you’re looking for great Tex-Mex, I think they’re really good at what they do. I probably haven’t been in La Hacienda in 20 years, haha. I keep wondering when someone will open a good Irish/British pub in the Shoals. I think it would do great. |
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Post by brandon on Jul 17, 2018 16:25:10 GMT -6
Oh, I'm sure it's great! And the photos I see taken from it these days remind me of how beautiful the view is from up there. I'll bet it's really cool now that it rotates. I'm glad Florence has some upscale dining options other than the basic, old-school steakhouse concept. I've never been to Odette's or City Hardware but hear great things. I'm more of a BBQ-seeker when I visit. Pensacola's BBQ options are slim in comparison. Of course, it's the opposite for Mexican food. We're very spoiled here in Pensacola with great options for authentic Mexican food. Rosie's is good (feels a bit like a chain) but I made the mistake recently of going to La Hacienda (a favorite of mine back in the day) out in the old K-Mart shopping center. It was a horrible experience all the way around. And was sitting full with a wait. It really made me question Florence's options for Mexican food. Lol. I love Rosie’s, but yeah - nowhere near authentic. But if you’re looking for great Tex-Mex, I think they’re really good at what they do. I probably haven’t been in La Hacienda in 20 years, haha. I keep wondering when when someone will open a good Irish/British pub in the Shoals. I think it would do great. I have always wanted to, if I could find a partner it would still be a possibility. |
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Post by tuna85 on Jul 17, 2018 17:37:07 GMT -6
Oh, I'm sure it's great! And the photos I see taken from it these days remind me of how beautiful the view is from up there. I'll bet it's really cool now that it rotates. I'm glad Florence has some upscale dining options other than the basic, old-school steakhouse concept. I've never been to Odette's or City Hardware but hear great things. I'm more of a BBQ-seeker when I visit. Pensacola's BBQ options are slim in comparison. Of course, it's the opposite for Mexican food. We're very spoiled here in Pensacola with great options for authentic Mexican food. Rosie's is good (feels a bit like a chain) but I made the mistake recently of going to La Hacienda (a favorite of mine back in the day) out in the old K-Mart shopping center. It was a horrible experience all the way around. And was sitting full with a wait. It really made me question Florence's options for Mexican food. Lol. Went to City Hardware for the first time a couple of months ago. Really liked the steak there. If I wasn't 70 miles away, I would have been back more than a few times. Plan to get by there often during football season. Went to Odette today with my wife and granddaughter. The brisket was pretty good but seemed a little pricey. Still I would like to go back and try some of their other offerings. |
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