Yelping it up All over Town..

As most of you know at this point, I am a part of something called Yelp.  Its a website, and phone app where you go to find new and interesting places.  Five years ago it all began with me looking for the best fried green tomatoes in Jacksonville.  I then started going to events with Yelp, meeting new friends, and soon I became a member of the Yelp Elite squad.  I had been Yelping it up every where I go ever since then.  The people that I have met became close friends that I meet up with, travel with, and share many meals and laughs with.  In the last couple weeks I have had some awesome experiences from Yelping so I wanted to share that with you!!

The first event that I want to share with you was a First taste of Chef Kenny Gilbert’s new digs in Jacksonville Beach. I had been very familiar with his food and his amazing atmosphere from Gilbert’s Social nearby where I live, and now he opened up a new three concept bar and restaurant.  The first floor is Hot Chicken, Fish and Shrimp.  It has bright colors and a juke joint feel. There is an awesome bar slinging cocktails crafted by the man himself.  The food we were able to sample  was out of this world, with the hot chicken bites and seafood boil being my favorites.  While we were socializing and munching and hearing the passion in Chef Kenny’s voice, I also met a super nice staff member that chatted with me, and graciously posed for a couple photos!

 

Soon we were heading to the third floor, and when you come to the top of the stairs you are instantly met with the view of a life time..the beach just outside..the warm wood and the elegant lighting make Gilbert’s Southern a truly magical place to enjoy country food with a twist.  We had some oysters, and having just had my first one recently and loving it, I dove right in.  There was cheese and cracker and pickled veggies spreads, there was Chef Kenny himself slicing up a pig that he had just roasted for us, there was sauce on sauce on sauce for that delicious pork, there was mashed potatoes that would make you wanna smack your friend, there was coleslaw, and there were headcheese sliders. All this food was totally on point and mixed with wonderful cocktails like the Southern Belle, with its peachy moonshine goodness..we were all feeling really great!

 

Lastly we went to the second floor which is like a lounge area, there are tables and cozy little nooks and a stage and -look at that, another bar!!  This night was perfection from beginning to end thanks to our Wonderful Community Manager Matt, Chef Kenny, and all of his amazing staff!

 

The next thing that came up on my radar was the opportunity to try one of the best burgers here in town. It had come up while at work that I had to find the best burger, and I was told that it was actually at a strip club.  I wasn’t trying that hard so I asked around and a coworker said that I needed to head to Epik Burger to try their food.  So away I went on a night after I went to the gym, and then ran to see someone for their birthday, and had worked the night before!  I tried a burger with so many ingredients I didnt know it was possible to get that much on a bun!  The burger was cooked to medium rare excellence, and I also enjoyed some truffle parmesan fries that were really good as well! I was only able to eat half of the meal, and it was lunch the next day..so awesome.

 

The cap off to this post is about to knock your socks off.  One of my Yelp friends Rebecca set up an Unofficial Yelp Event, this is one that isn’t set up by the community manager, and isn’t really sanctioned by Yelp.  It’s basically a group of people that know each other from Yelp saying-you rock, lets hang! So we met up at a Burrito Gallery location with a wonderful rooftop bar area.  We all ordered a million tacos and settled in with drinks and pals.  We were having so much fun that we decided that we should take the fun on the road to another location.

 

We ended up at a new place called River and Post, and when I tell you this place is swanky and gorgeous, this is an understatment.  We ended up in the VIP rooftop area, and we were a hoot.  We drank, we told jokes, we talked smack, someone sat on someone, and someone did a headstand.  The amount of inside jokes, new nicknames and hilarious one liners that came from this evening can not even be explained.  I had a drink that had champagne, lavendar simple syrup and lemon..it was a delight.  I loved it so much that I have now decided to have my upcoming Birthday celebration there-stay tuned.

 

As you can see, the lengths one gal can go to to be Yelpy are quite long.  I meet new people thru this every time I go to something, I see the friends that I have made, and I make memories with a really wonderful bunch of folks.  I invite you all to check out my reviews of the places I have talked about here, and maybe check out Yelp as something you can do to get out and try new things too. Head to this link to check it out –Yelp!