If there's one thing the South loves, it's their chicken and waffles. Mix that love with one of America's most popular breakfast dishes (bacon), and you've got one delectable meal from Jacksonville's new Ida Claire restaurant.
The Texas-based restaurant that specializes in serving southern comfort food and beverages with a twist celebrated its grand opening on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at the former Mimi's Cafe location, 10209 Rivercoast Dr.
First Coast Foodies went to the new restaurant and check out some of the mouthwatering menu items and fancy drink specials that won't break the bank.
Food
During the grand opening, we got to try the Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders, Crawfish Corn Beignets, Fried Green Tomatoes and Sweet Potato Chips were served on a long table top for guests to enjoy.
Ida Claire doesn't joke around when it comes to its heat index. The Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders were spicy, so keep that in mind when ordering. The Fried Green Tomatoes and Crawfish Corn Beignets were fried to a nice crisp -- it wasn't overly greasy.
A dip complimented these fried items for your liking. The Gremolata and pistou aioli gave the tomatoes a nice kick. The mustard remoulade gave the sweeter beignets a tangy balance.
Ida Claire - South of Ordinary - made its Jacksonville debut Nov. 5
If you want to go for the staples, Ida Claire's popular main courses include the Nashville Hot Fried Chicken, Monte Cristo, Chicken and Waffles, Shrimp and Grits and Braised Beef Short Rib.
Guests can wrap up dinner with sweets such as the Dump Cake topped with berries and butter crumb topping.
Cocktails
Ida Claire’s bar menu features a "unique collection of spirits" used for classic and reinvented cocktails. They have a wide variety of wines ranging from rare whites and reds to rosés, and a long roster of beers. Below are a few of their concoctions.
Fire in the Sky Margarita -- Monte Alban Blanco Tequila, Amaro Montenegro and Aperol
Frosé Milkshake -- Ava Grace Rosé and Vanilla Soft Serve
Vinyl Hour
Dust off your favorite records and bring them to Ida Claire!
Twice a day every Monday to Friday during Vinyl Hour (3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.), guests can bring in their records and they'll play it for you to enjoy. Forgot your vinyl? Don't worry, Ida Claire has its own collection you can choose from.
Aside from catering to your sense of sound, guests can indulge in $5 cocktails like a Daiquiri, Ida's Frose', Hurricane or an Old Fashioned. They have a $5 rotating white, red and rose for the wine aficionados. Beer lovers have a choice of $3 draft beers, a Dirty Blonde or a Deep Ellum IPA.
Wanna go big? The Vinyl Hour also has $18 tallboy buckets and $36 8oz canned wine buckets with the option of picking four. After all the drinking, food always pairs well with the libations. For $5, you can order a slew of appetizers such as Fried Pickled Okra, Crawfish Corn Beignets, Nashville Style Tenders and Butterbean Hummus.
Ida Claire is located at 10209 Rivercoast Dr. and is open Monday to Sunday.
For more information click here.