Deep Fried Jacksonville

Jacksonville is one of those cities that doesn't even really belong in Florida. It gets cold in the winter; Spanish is not the PRIMARY language spoken; and, anywhere else in Florida, hosting something called "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" would be considered a badge of honor - not Jacksonville. No, Jacksonville is a misplaced southern city. Most folks realize that the rest of the state is not part of "The South," but rather is at the end of the off-ramp from a secret exit off of the Long Island Expressway.

I decided to take a few days last month to see the ACC Baseball Tournament in Jacksonville. From previous visits, I have found Jacksonville to be lacking somewhat in viable dining options. Fortunately, just prior to this trip, I found out that my cholesterol level was at a very respectable 151. Armed with that information, and taking into account Jacksonville's southern roots, I went out in search of some serious fried critters.

My first serious food stop was Clark's Fish Camp. This place was recommended by a serious foodie buddy, so I was really looking forward to it. Finding Clark's is a bit of a challenge. It isn't on any main road - requires a number of turns to get to from any direction, and is past a road sign that reads "DEAD END." I am kind of amazed that I made it there. I didn't get an exterior shot of this place because I arrived in the evening, with very little daylight - and there ain't much lighting on the exterior of this place to take photos. The parking lot (and adjoining street) was PACKED with cars.

Clark's is famous for their wildlife theme. Greeting you as you walk in the door is this nature scene...

"Florida Kitsch" is the best way I can describe the decorations that are not dead/stuffed animals...

This was the antler chandelier (one of many) that hung over my table....
If you want to see the food, continue down below the fold

I ordered the fried shrimp and fish combo, with fries and mac and cheese.
My buddy recommended the shrimp, and I should learn to take his recommendations very seriously. The shrimp was the star of the plate - by far. They were flavorful and plump - and were not overpowered by the light breading and frying process, which can often happen. Tilapia, which I like (in general), is not a fish that is coducive to frying very well. The nature of the fish is that it takes it's flavor from the preparation - and the frying didn't do well - it tasted like nothing. Catfish, cod, grouper (yeah, right!) - anything would have been better than tilapia. The fries were probably a little better than OK - and the mac and cheese was ordinary. It wasn't until after I left that I realized that my plate did not include the promised hush puppies. I was plenty full, so I didn't even notice them until I was discussing my dinner with a friend later on.

I screwed up on the ordering - should have just gotten the fried shrimp. However, my plan was to hit O'Steen's in St. Augustine at some point during the weekend, and I knew I would be having their fried shrimp (maybe my favorite), so I balked and split the meal with fish - my bad.

I do not often order dessert, but I was in the mood. What better way to end a deep-fried meal than with...
deep-fried cheesecake with a raspberry sauce. Mmmmm...good. I tried to get a picture of the inside of one of these bad boys, but the lighting would not not cooperate with my camera (and/or operator), and all the photos came out too blurry to use. I ate about half and took the rest back to the hotel. Bad move - this wasn't something that fared well after cooling off substantially. The cheesecake was wonderful warm. It was almost just a different dessert altogether than just to think about cheesecake. I have never even tried any of the deep-fried "fair" food (fried snickers, twinkies, coke, etc.). It just sounded good - for that night. The texture changed completely (not soggy), though, when they cooled - again, not horrible - but, it just wasn't the same experience that I had earlier. While they were no longer hot in the hotel room, they weren't cold, either - just room temperature - and it just didn't work for me.

If I am ever sentenced to be in Jacksonville again, I would give this place another shot - but, I will probably stick to the fried shrimp!

Clark's Fishing Camp • 12903 Hood Landing Road • Mandarin, FL 32258 • (904) 268-FISH (3474)

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Mail That Makes You Smile

I remember when I was a kid racing out to the mailbox to get the mail. Excluding the week or so preceding my birthday, the odds of me finding anything in that mailbox for me was pretty remote, but I still chased after the mail more than the average barking dog. A I've gotten older, I get more mail -- but, the only difference is that now I usually don't want it! I figure that most adults now feel roughly the same way I do about mail - bills, bills, and more bills. Occasionally, the bills are interrupted by a pre-qualified credit card offer, an offer to consolidate my student loans, and a carpet steamer advertisement.

This week, though, the mail was pretty good -- and it isn't even my birthday!

I received a free park-hoppper ticket to Universal Studios -- no obligation, otherwise. I have seen the "free offers" that require a time-share presentation. Yuck. No -- this was an actual, bona fide, free ticket to Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure. Attached to the free ticket was another coupon offering an additional six tickets (who is really going to Universal by themself?) for only $35, which is a sizeable discount.

I can't think of the last time that I paid to go to one of the central Florida theme parks. It seems like if you live here for any length of time, you just know someone who knows someone who has a friend that always has free tickets. Plus, I am not a theme park junkie. I could do without standing in outrageous lines for hours to spend less than five minutes on rides. Factor in the overpriced food, screaming kids, and European tourists (tour-ons, for you locals) and it just doesn't seem like a way I would want to spend my day.

I have a friend who works part-time at Disney. She gets access to the annual Christmas deal for employees (almost enough of a reason to work at Disney!). She gets a ticket (park hopper) for herself and up to three or four friends, free popcorn and drinks in the park, a 30% discount on souvenirs, and a 50% discount in the restaurants. We usually go on one of to see the holiday candlelight processional, where "famous" (B-list celebrities, usually) people perform a holiday reading and high school choruses sing holiday tunes. While I am not a huge Christmas fan (could be my Jewish upbringing?), Disney really does the holidays right. And, for free, the price really can't be beat, either.

So, I will likely use my free pass to Universal, and if I have friends visiting from out of town at some point, I may even use the $35 discount coupons, too.

If you want to read more about my good mail this week, check below the fold...


People that know me, know that I am a travel whore. I love to travel and I love even more the perks I get through airline miles and hotel points. This week, the travel mailbox overflowed, as well.

Apparently, there is a class-action lawsuit against Starood hotels. Apparently, I am a member of the affected group. Apparently, I have no recollection of how I became a member of the effected group. I received two $14 discount coupons off of a future paid stay at the listed Starwood resort properties. Of the listed properties, which I assume are the ones that were mentioned in the lawsuit, I have only stayed at the Westin Diplomat and the Westin Savannah Harbor. The Diplomat waived the resort fees for me, but I may have paid them in Savannah. Even stilll, the Savannah stay was only one night -- and it was a cash and points night, so I didn't really gripe about the resort fee. You can only use the coupons at the listed resorts, and the odds of me paying to stay at one of these places is pretty remote, but it is a nice gesture. I also received a similar coupon for $3 for a concurrent lawsuit fighting other unfair automatically billed, but undisclosed fees. Of the hotels listed, I can only assume that my infraction occurred at the former Four Points by Sheraton in Rochester, NY. I remember them billing me for a hotel safe that I never used. The charge was removed from my bill at the time, which amounted to a minor inconvenience at check-out time. Of course, that hotel now operates under another brand, so I won't be using my $3 discount there. Of the other hotels listed, there is one at which I stay periodically for business, so if I get the chance to use it, I will. If not, the circular file will see some new contents.

I also received my Hilton Hhonors credentials for the year. I (somehow) managed to earn Silver VIP elite status with them for the coming year. I think my last paid stay at a Hilton property was at the Milwaukee Hilton for the 2004 NACAC Conference. I had one award stay last year. So, somehow, Hilton felt that was worthy of their silver elite status. The letter that accompanied my new card also offered me the opportunity for a fast track to Gold VIP status. If I stay four times or ten nights in two months starting May 1, they will bump me up to gold status until next April. Mmmm....whatever. I am Platinum Elite with Marriott and Starwood, and prefer those programs to Hilton's. Still, I may manage four one-night stays during May at the Hampton Inn Commack, if it fits into my travel schedule. I did always like THAT hotel.

My Hertz #1 Club Gold Five Star credentials for this year also came this week. Enclosed was a certificate for a free one-day rental! Joining Hertz #1 Club Gold is definitely one of the best things I have done to make my travel life easier. The perks of Five Star are just a bonus. I usually get a one-class upgrade, but sometimes the upgrades are less than desirable -- right now, I don't really want a giant, gas-guzzling SUV. But, being able to arrive at the airport, take the rental car shuttle to Hertz and walk straight to my car and drive away is a huge, HUGE time saver. My last non-Hertz rental was when I took vacation last year to southern California. My buddy took care of the rental car, and we waited no less than two hours in line for a car at Thrifty. The long queue was just a volume issue -- there was no shortage of cars. They just couldn't move people through quickly enough.

Lastly, my quarterly statement arrived from my Fidelity 403b retirement plan. I will take a gain of 5.7% for the first quarter -- and hope that things continue on that upward trend. I suppose tracking money that I CANNOT use for almost another three decades might be a little obsessive, but I like to know that I am making progress towards a reasonable retirement.

Something tells me that my mail luck may not continue into this week, as I am expecting a few bills to arrive, but I can always hope, right?

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One of the Best Things About Living in Florida

For me, anyway, spring training makes that Top 10 list!

Today, I sat one row away from this....



Sitting that close and hearing the "pop" in the catcher's glove is an awesome experience.

I will also post soon about last week's experience at the World Baseball Classic.

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Less than a week until baseball...

My tickets for the World Baseball Classic arrived yesterday. I am now officially psyched.

The first game of the tournament in Orlando has the Dominican Republic team playing Venezuela. The amount of baseball talent that will assmbled on that field (even with the guys who have bailed out already) is almost inconceivable. The infield for the DR team will likely include Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano, Miguel Tejada, and Adrian Beltre. Their backups will include Rafael Furcal, Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, and Pedro Feliz. The outfield is almost as stacked, and their pitching is pretty solid, too. The Venezuelan team is not quite as loaded, but their pitching may even be better than the DR team. Starters for Venezuela include Victor Zambrano, Johan Santana, and Freddy Garcia. Throw in a few position players like Bobby Abreu, Magglio Ordonez, Omar Vizquel, Miguel Cabrera, Ramon Hernandez, and more, and this is shaping up to be quite the first-round game.

The only downside to this great matchup is that it is the first of the six games that will be played at the Orlando venue. I have lawn seats, which are general admission. That's OK - I usually buy the cheap seats whenever I go. I am just not familiar with this venue, so I am not sure where to scope out the best "seats" in the lawn area. I suspect that some of the other games, we will be able to sneak into the actual seating area and find some empties. That tactic has been perfected after years of attending the College World Series in Omaha. The only tickets I have ever purchased for that have been the general admission booklets, and we have never sat out in the general admission area. Of course, we usually attend the early round games there, not the packed finals games.

The only plan I have for Tuesday is to show up REALLY early at the stadium. If anyone else has any ideas, I'd be glad to hear 'em.

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