Community Foodwaves

Riverside Arts Market (Jacksonville, FL)

Had a blast at the Riverside Arts Market in Jacksonville this past Saturday!

The market features many small businesses, including food trucks, artists, and musicians every Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM.

The market takes place under a bridge so it is open from rain to shine! It also overlooks the St. Johns River so you can enjoy a fantastic view while sampling some delicious food!

I also love that the market participates in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which partners with Feeding Florida to provide local produce to recipients in need.

Food trucks ranged from burgers to empanadas to Filipino food and more.

Cely's Filipino Food Truck — Cely’s Filipino Food Truck

There's an ice cream food truck as well! — There’s an ice cream food truck as well!

Out of the huge selection, I for sure had to try Fusion Food Truck, known for their delicious Indian/Thai/Mediterranean fusion dishes!

Their menu ranges from curries to thai style noodles to gyro wraps with a unique Indian twist.

The Gyro wrap ($12) was deliciously flavorful with lamb and beef slices marinated with a spice mix, fresh veggies, tzatziki sauce, and cilantro. The Indian spice goes really well with the slices of meat and veggies. Out of four levels of spicy I had the third spicy level and definitely could feel the kick! Wraps also come with a handful of salted fries! The fries were a tad salty for my taste, but enjoyed them nonetheless!

They have various options for wraps including tandoori chicken and falafel as well!

Curry noodles ($10-$13) are also a great choice for all the noodle lovers out there-with rice noodles, veggies, garlic, and cilantro drenched in creamy tikka masala.

Don’t forget the Mango lemonade ($3) to quench your thirst! It was super fruity with mango pulp and a hint of tart lemon flavor with plenty of ice to cool down the spice!

For dessert, I grabbed a guava pastry (~$2) from La Bodega Original. It was the perfect dessert to end the meal with layers upon layers of flaky, soft pastry and gushing sweet guava filling. I ate it while walking around and checking out the gorgeous view of the river.

I highly recommend checking out this market for an exciting day out with family or friends. The Cummer Museum is close by so you can even pop in there before or after!

If you’re looking for more activities to enjoy while in Jacksonville, feel free to check out this article on Redfin Blog!

Happy Exploring!

Sweet Buns (Gainesville, FL)

Sun’s out Buns out!

I’m sharing some of my favorite finds at Sweet Buns bakery today!

Sweet Buns is an Asian bakery in town that has phenomenal breads, cakes, and buns. I’m so grateful because without them I would be seriously deprived of egg tarts!

Once you enter, you grab a tray, gloves, and tongs, and pick you choice of buns. I like how they now individually wrap the buns for extra safety during the pandemic!

Their breads typically range from around $2-4 depending on the type, and they have specialty loaves of bread like their red bean loaf, which has swirls of red bean baked into the loaf.

I absolutely love their egg tarts, which has a flaky crust filled with soft, creamy tart filling.

If you are into sweet breads, I also recommend the Taro bun (with sweet taro filling) or the Mt. Fuji bun (with a sweet custard filling). I also like their slices of roll cakes, like the matcha cake, because they have the bounciest, softest texture to them and they are not overly sweet! You can order a whole cake from them with your choice of whipped cream and fruit toppings for around $40-50. I ordered a cake topped with mango, blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream, which tasted amazing! It is pricey but worth it if you are a fan of Asian style fruit cakes that are not too sweet.

As for savory buns, you need to ask the counter to see which ones are available. They have a wide selection, but the sliced sausage bun is definitely my favorite as it has a warm, buttery taste with sliced chicken sausage, scallion, corn, and cheese on top.

My only wish for Sweet Buns would be that they bring the Pineapple buns they sell in Yummy House for dim sum (filled with custard) to Sweet Buns as the current Pineapple buns filled with pineapple just do not taste the same…

They also have Japanese cheese cake and Crepe cakes!

That being said, stop by Sweet Buns for your next bun craving! They have locations in Gainesville and Tampa, Florida.

Dragonfly Sushi and Sake Company (Gainesville, FL)

Dragonfly is a great place to enjoy a fancier dinner downtown, especially if you are a sushi lover like me!

It does get very crowded so you definitely want to make a reservation if you want to avoid waiting too long. They do have some outside seating, which is good since indoors the tables are pretty close together. Dragonfly opens only at dinnertime starting at 5pm. They do not offer delivery, unfortunately, but you can do curbside pickup.

Menu items are pricey, but the presentation, service, and quality of food items are pretty good. It feels fancy so it would be a good spot to take a date or for a night out with friends.

The Sautéed Butter Edamame ($7) was really good with bonito (Katsuobushi) flakes fluttering on top of a slightly spicy salted bed of edamame. It’s a good appetizer before the meal and vegetarian!

As for vegetarian items, they have salads, veggie dumplings, miso cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and other seasonal veggies.

Dragonfly’s rolls tend to be on the heavier side, filled and topped with a lot of things. The good thing is that their rolls are filling! Since I like raw fish, I love a simpler, clean roll like the Big Boss ($15), which comes with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, scallions, and a spicy mayo sauce drizzled on top.

The Smoky Dragon ($15) is good if you like a smokier flavor with tuna and krab, as it has salmon krab delight, red onion, tempera flakes, cucumber, avocado, and torched tuna on top. It is drizzled with a sour lemon zest and red sauce.

Love it crunchy? Definitely get The Bomb ($12) which is filled with tuna, tempera shrimp, krab delight, avocado, and topped with a bunch of tempera flakes for an added crunch. It has a drizzling of spicy sauce for extra flavor.

If you want rolls with cooked meat, you would like the Black Dragon ($15), which gives you a flavor explosion. It has the crunch of the tempera soft shell krab, krab delight, cream cheese, fresh cucumber, scallions, avocado, smoked eel, and a drizzle of spicy mayo sauce and eel sauce. It definitely gave a burst of sweet, savory, spicy all mixed together. I usually do not get rolls with cream cheese, but this one was not very overpowering.

Not a fan of sushi?

They also have the Japanese Blue Crab Fried Rice ($15), which was a very flavorful concoction of rice, crab meat, garlic, topped with sliced shiso, and nori.

The Short Rib Miso Ramen ($14) is different from traditional pork ramen as it has a saltier miso pork broth. It had a hefty chunk of soft braised short rib and thicker ramen noodles, topped with bean sprouts, corn, cabbage, menma, nori, scallions, and a poached egg.

I definitely left full and happy to support this local Asian owned business. Try out Dragonfly for your next night out in downtown Gainesville!

AAPI Community Support Resources

As you may have heard by now, 3 Asian businesses were targeted and attacked in Atlanta on Tuesday, leading to the loss of eight women’s lives, out of whom six were Asian. These women were simply working their hardest, putting in their blood, sweat, and tears to make ends meet and provide for their families. It shakes me to the core that all of their lives were put to an end due to fetishizing and objectification of a racist and misogynistic gunman.

Sadly, this attack was simply one of countless, estimated 3800 attacks on AAPI communities across America, out of which there were two times as many reports made by women than men (https://tinyurl.com/45f8xhay).

My heart goes out to the AAPI community and AAPI businesses that continue to serve the community with their heart and soul. Here are some things you can do to support! I know there are plenty more businesses and organizations I missed, so please feel free to comment with more!

Support Local AAPI Businesses:

Teastori @teastori(Gainesville)

Momoyaki @momoyaki (Gainesville)

Beque Holic @bqholic (Gainesville)

Prum’s Kitchen @prumskitchen (Gainesville)

Swamp Boil @swampboil (Gainesville)

Eim Thai (Gainesville)

Lulu’s Small Batch Gelato Truck @lulusgelato (Gainesville)

Mr. Han’s Restaurant (Gainesville)

Chopstix @chopstixcafe (Gainesville)

A’xin Mahzu Sushi @mahzusushi_gnv (Gainesville)

Dragonfly Sushi @dragonfly_gainesville (Gainesville)

If It Is Kitchen @ifitisgainesville (Gainesville)

Red Rice Kitchen @redricekitchen (Gainesville)

Garlic & Ginger @gvgarlicnginger (Gainesville)

Vietnamese Grille (Gainesville)

Yummy House and Sweetbuns Bakery (Across FL)

Tea Moment @teamomentdrinks (Gainesville)

Gainesville Flower @gainesvilleflower (Gainesville)

Byppo Technologies @byppotechnologies (Gainesville)

Co3 Vietaco (Jacksonville)

Follow and Donate to:

Asian American Advancing Justice Atlanta (@AAAJ_Atlanta)

Red Canary Song (@RedCanarySong)

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (@NAPAWF)

Asian Law Caucus (advancingjustice-alc.org)

Stop AAPI Hate (Stopaapihate.org)

Asians for Black Lives Matter (@asiansforblacklivesmatter)

Organizing Asian Communities (CAAAV.org)

Read:

Minor Feelings

We are not Free

The Farm

The Joy Luck Club

The Woman Warrior

China Men

Arrival

Dear Girls

No-No Boy

#StopAAPIHAte #StopAsianHate #Foodiesagainstracism #gainesvilleflorida #gainesvillefoodies #floridafoodies

Crybaby’s (Gainesville, FL)

Daylight savings means we get to enjoy the sun for longer! Crybaby’s happy hour deals also gives us a great excuse to enjoy dinner and drinks outdoors.

Crybaby’s is located at the heart of downtown right across from Pop-a-Top. If you go on the weekend, you will want to get there before the dinner rush if you want a seat outside. Crybaby’s owners also own the Afternoon restaurant, so you know your food and drinks are in good hands!

Their interior is very nicely decorated with a pastel green theme and black, brown, and brick details.

Once you enter, you place your drink and food orders at the bar and get a number to place at your seat. They have select menu items for cheaper during Happy Hour ($4-7) every day so make sure to take advantage of that! They also have Monday $7 Sandwich Specials and Wednesday dinner specials with fried chicken, fries, and wine for $25.

The cocktails are strong and look beautiful.

Light up gold ($11) was refreshing, strong, and had a variety of flavors with spiced rum, mezcal, amaro di angostura, fresh carrot juice, ginger, and lemon. It had a beautiful aesthetic with mint and candied ginger for added decoration and flavor.

The Bolevardier ($10) has Bourbon, Apertivo Select, Italian and Spanish Vermouths

The Aperol Spritz ($9) is also a nice choice with Aperol, Champagne, and Soda. Wonderful choice if you like bubbly drinks.

My friend had the Shirley Temple, which looked fancy, but flavor seemed a bit off that night.

The Chicken Tenders ($10) stole the show for me that night as the tenders were super crispy and cooked perfectly with tender meat on the inside. It came with a side of crispy thin fries, that were salted perfectly, and ranch to dip.

I actually got the Happy Hour special Big Baby Burger ($7), which only comes with one patty, but the chef mistakenly put two patties so it became The Big Baby Burger. Don’t you love it when that happens? Thanks to @grazeandgrains for recommending their burger! The burger comes with patties, American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, and secret sauce. The bun is really soft and buttery, and the patties were juicy. However, the caramelized onions were very charred and I only wish the burger came with lettuce and tomato to balance the richness of the meat, cheese, and sauce.

For non-meat eaters they also have the Impossible Burger ($13), which is the same as the Big Baby Burger but with impossible patties so you can still enjoy all the flavor without the meat!

The Bánh mì “Hot Dwag” ($8) is also a great choice for non-meat eaters as they have a grilled veggie dog with pâté, pickled cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, jalapeños, and mayo.

Definitely check out Crybaby’s to fuel your night out in downtown Gainesville! They just released some new menu items for spring so now would be a perfect time to go!

Eim Thai Food Truck (Gainesville, FL)

Eim Thai has me hyped for the weekend!

The best thing about Eim Thai is how flavorful and fresh their food tastes. You can order from their truck and depending on the line, it might take 10-20 minutes. They have all the classics like Pad Thai, Thai Spring Rolls, and Curry, as well as specials depending on the day like Crying Tiger Grilled Steak (a thai style marinated and grilled steak) and Tom Kha Kai (Thai Coconut Soup). They also sell packs of beef jerky and curry powder, which usually sell out quick.

All their standard dishes are $10 (with tax)! They are priced really well for the amount of food you get, because you will be stuffed.

For their noodle and curry dishes, you can choose between tofu and chicken.

Their Pad Thai has noodles cooked chewy and firm, with a mostly sweet, slightly sour sauce, which beansprouts carrots, and your protein of choice.

If you like your noodles more savory, you could try Pad Kway Teow, which is similar to the Pad Thai but with a savory sauce and cilantro.

Pad Kee Mow is one of my favorite dishes, and although Eim Thai’s version does not have the wide rice noodles, it is still very flavorful with the skinnier noodles. You can choose your spice level from 1-4 and I usually go for a 3, which definitely has a kick! I also appreciated the wide variety of veggies including broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, celery, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots to add a nice texture to the dish.

Their Green Curry was also delicious and has plenty of veggies (similar to those in the Pad Kee Mow) as well as plenty of thai basil, along with a side of jasmine rice. This is definitely a dish I will be getting again.

The fried rice was a good, simple dish with protein, carrot, and broccoli.

Catch their food truck Fridays 4-8 pm at: 220 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville 32601 (Near the Flashbacks Shop parking lot) They are parked next to Vegan Gator so you could even hit up both if you wanted a variety of food!

Saturday they are usually at Cypress and Grove Brewing Company (this Saturday 3/14) or Blackadder brewery!

Check out their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ingainesvilleflorida/ for the latest updates!

The Top (Gainesville, FL)

The Top has both indoor and outdoor seating, and their patio is open! Opened in 2000, restaurant is definitely a favorite for many locals who love its vibrant atmosphere, signature drinks, and quality food.

I really like burgers from the Top, but I absolutely love their cake!

If you haven’t tried their Vegan Strawberry Layer Cake ($7), get it while it lasts! It is made of local organic strawberries and you can even taste the subtle crunch of seeds in the frosting. The layers of cake are so moist and rich combined with the frosting.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s start with drinks! The Top is known for their specialty cocktails and there are plenty to choose from whether you like vodka, tequila, rum, or gin.

The Lady Anne ($10) is delicious if you like refreshing, tart drinks. It’s made of Absolut Pear, Domaine De Canton, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and fresh basil leaves served on the rocks. The fresh basil went really nicely with the lemon.

Maybe you want something a bit stronger and sweet. If so, the Italian Manhattan ($9) is a great choice, made with Rye Whiskey, Disaronno, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters with a cherry for style~

You can choose from the variety of burger choices they have, and can pick your patty whether you like angus beef (+ $2), local grass fed beef, grilled chicken breast, fried chicken breast, black bean or beyond burger (+ $2).

The Widow Maker Burger ($15) is very filling and the chili-espresso rub on the patty was not overpowering at all. It comes stacked with fried onions to add a crunch, bacon, mushrooms, aged white cheddar, smoked gouda, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. It is a hefty burger. It did feel a bit heavy towards the end, so I preferred to add ketchup to add some more flavor. You can choose a side with any burger so I got the corn nuggets (+ $1). These have a crunchy outside and creamy corn-kernel filled inside. They are SO good with the creamy garlic sauce!

The Maradona Burger ($13) is a flavorful masterpiece with chimichurri, sautéed onions and peppers, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. The pictured side is also corn nuggets.

I applaud The Top’s commitment to pay their employees a living wage (guaranteed starting $15 per hour), as they are part of the Living Wage Coalition. The current 18 % tip included in the bill is split among all the staff and anything extra goes to the server!

They also have an events department that hosts events at The Wooly concert hall, and The Depot venue in Depot Park.

Whether you are just visiting or a local to Gainesville, there are many reasons to stop by The Top!

Happy International Women’s Day! Introducing some Women Owned Businesses in Gainesville, FL

Okay, so it is technically past midnight, but I am still celebrating International Women’s Day!! I wanted to post earlier but ya girl had to work late tonight #hussle.

Better late than never, right?

This is a day to celebrate and appreciate all of the achievements that women have made and continue to make all over the world.

Women have and continue to face disparities in the workplace, unequal division of labor in household and childcare responsibilities (especially during the pandemic), and are often victims of trauma and sexual assault. However, women are strong. Women are resilient. Women continue to overcome mountains to create better conditions for themselves and pave the way for other women.

As a fellow woman, I am in debt to history makers that came before and can only try to pay it forward as best as I can.

As a tribute to this day, I am hyping some local, women-owned businesses right here in our community. So many history makers right here!

Caribbean Queen (if CQ has an insta let me know!): Valerie Phillips, aka Ms. Queen, makes really tasty Caribbean food. Feels home-cooked and delicious. Pictured is Curry goat.

Curry Goat with Veggies and Fried Plantain

Superette Wine and Provisions (@Superette.gnv): I’ve raved so much about the wonderful Maya and Katherine. Definitely try Superette for the food, wine, and atmosphere!

Madre’s Cake (@madrescake): Amazing cakes. Nuff said! I also love the sweet and inspirational messages she posts on Instagram!

Shy’s Makes and Bakes (@shydeenhassweets): on my must-try list for baked goods (delivery available too!)

Pasta By Pollio (@pastabypollio): Want to learn how to make pasta or ravioli from a pro? Book her private classes! Such a great date night or birthday activity too!

What are your favorite women-owned businesses?

Cypress and Grove Brewing Company (Gainesville, FL)

It is beautiful weather out there- perfect to enjoy a drink at Cypress and Grove!

The Grove certainly feels like an oasis in these pandemic times as it has A LOT of outdoor seating spaced out on its huge lawn.

You can enjoy one of their many brews; IPA, Stouts, Blondes, and Porters- they’ve got it all!

Their Pecan Brown Ale ($5 per glass) was both refreshing and with a warm, nutty finish. I love dark, nutty beers so this one definitely hit the spot. White and Red wines are also available. If alcohol is not your style, they also have non-alcoholic seltzers ($1 plain or $2 flavored).

They have an interesting history as they originally provided ice from their well to people and businesses in Gainesville, and eventually started serving the community with beer brewed from water from that same well! I also love how they donate their grain waste to feed cattle in Aquila Farm.

If you are on the go, you can also order beers online for pickup on their site.

Looking for food to pair with your drink? They have different food trucks come to provide food every day! For today they will have burgers by @mayflower.foodtruck and live music by Tristan Harvey

Follow @cypressandgrovebrewing for updates!

Tea Moment (Gainesville, FL)

Was feeling some warm boba on this chilly night…so I treated myself to some at Tea Moment!

I’m so glad I finally got to try it! This small boba shop is hidden in the plaza right across from campus, where The Spot is located. Their menu is extensive, with interesting drinks like blue sky milk tea, oreo milk tea, and slushies. They also have a variety of rice rolls for under $5.

I always like to try the classic items when I try a new place so I went for the milk bubble milk tea ($4.25 for the hot option), and I was impressed! It came with bubbles and I liked the consistency of their bubbles- chewy and slightly firm; the bubbles in warm drinks can get slightly too soft but these held their firmness. I got 50% sugar, which was just the right amount of sweetness for me.

For the cold drinks, they seem to put less ice in so that there is more drink to be enjoyed.

Parking is definitely difficult if you do not have a neighborhood decal, so weekends or weeknights would probably be the best time to go if you are driving there. Also, they do not have outdoor seating but have some tables in the indoor area.

If you are on campus, this place would be perfect for a study break!

Follow @teamomentdrinks for more updates!

Mosswood Farm Store (Micanopy, FL)

If you are in the area or wanting to take a special day trip to Micanopy, I highly recommend stopping by Mosswood Farm Store and Bakery!

Fitting for Micanopy, known for its antique shops and buildings, the bakery has an old, farmhouse charm to it (the house was built back in 1910!).

The store is best known for their in-house baked items ranging from savory items like spinach, potato and mushroom frittata and spicy black bean and cheddar empanada, to sweet treats like vanilla chess pie and their numerous types of brownies.

The Peanut Butter Brownie ($3.50) had a thick layer of creamy, almost frosting-like peanut butter with chocolate chips atop the dense, thick slice of brownie. This brownie was definitely sweet and big enough to share. It paired perfectly with my creamy house brewed Café au lait ($2.75). Their coffee consists of organic local micro roasted beans.

On weekends they also have freshly baked bread so I picked up their rosemary loaf ($6) and got it sliced. You can see that it is slightly dense but also airy on the inside with tons of rosemary giving a beautiful aroma.

Also in the store they sell local and organic jams, honey, seeds, and other products.

Their backyard area has extensive outdoor seating with lots of trees. You can also explore their farm area, with lots of banana trees and plants, which they are working to get back in order since Spring is coming.

The abandoned toilet with a plant and tree stump growing out of it was an interesting sight.

The wood fire oven baking sessions they once offered have not been going on during the pandemic, but they hope to get back to it in the near future, so I am excited for that!

Follow @mosswoodfarmstore for updates!

Dick Mondell’s (Gainesville, FL)

Why not start your weekend off right with a bag of Dick?

You might just get lucky for their #freeticketfriday. Every Friday, ticket #177 gets a free meal!

Dick Mondell's Burger and Fries — Dick Mondell’s Burger and Fries

Any day or night though, a burger from Dick’s is a solid choice. You can get the classic Big Dick ($8), which comes with two beef patties, lettuce, pickle, onion, and Dick’s sauce, which is a creamy sauce. If that seems too heavy for you, there’s always the Dick Junior ($6), which has one less patty. I usually get my burger with pepper jack cheese and pickled jalapeños for an extra kick. The best thing about burgers is that it is not overly heavy or greasy, even with the Dick’s sauce.

They also have options for veggie and vegan burgers, salad, and also the herbed chicken burger.

Of course you need fries for your burger as well, and these fries are on the skinnier side with just a hint of potato skin on the edges for added texture. They were salted just right.

Their milk shakes are also a must-try, as they make the ice cream at the restaurant from fresh milk supplied by Wainwright Dairy farm.

I also got to try their cookies ($1.50) and they are amazing. You can get the best of both worlds with their cookie ice cream sandwich! ($4)

Dick’s has a drive thru or walk up window for easy access. No indoor options here, as they are a drive thru burger joint.

Follow @dickmondells for more!