By Dylan Bailey
It’s time to pop the champagne and cut the cake! Amelia Island’s Restaurant Week is turning 16, and it’s going to be a grand celebration. For all you food enthusiasts out there, this event promises a flavorful extravaganza your tastebuds won’t want to miss.
Amelia Island’s Restaurant Week is a 10-day, island-wide celebration that showcases the best of Amelia Island’s cuisine, prepared by world-class chefs who have made the island their home.
This year, the event got off to a flying start with an exclusive menu unveiling at the Marlin & Barrel Distillery, an event that offered a sneak peek into what the much-anticipated Sweet 16 edition of Restaurant Week has in store.
With 25 of the island’s most popular and award-winning restaurants taking part, it will spoil food lovers for choice. Whether you prefer fine dining or a casual meal, there’s something for everyone. The menu includes a variety of cuisines, from fresh-caught seafood to classic Southern, Cuban, Mediterranean, German, and so much more.
Here are some I’m looking forward to trying:
- Leddy’s Porch Bistro at the Florida House Inn offers a $15 per person lunch with a delectable crispy chicken sandwich as the main course.
- Beech Street Grill, nestled within the historic William Bell House, presents a unique $15 lunch menu featuring a fried green tomato BLT.
- The Salty Pelican has an exciting $15 lunch menu with surf and turf tacos as the main course and a $30 dinner that features an 8-ounce ribeye and Alaskan crab legs.
- Cantina Louie is ready to serve a $30 dinner for two with a choice of fajitas as the main course.
The event will kick start with an opening dinner at Omni Amelia Island Resort. Dubbed the “New Year, New BEEginnings,” it’s a five-course cocktail-paired event that will showcase organic honey produced by the resort’s bee colonies. The 10-day culinary journey will conclude with the “Low Country Meets Florida” closing dinner at the Ritz Carlton, featuring a decadent five-course menu inspired by local ingredients.
If this has got your tastebuds tingling, make sure you book your tickets soon, as they’ll sell out quickly.
So, if you’re in the area, mark your calendars from Jan. 19-28 and experience the culinary wonders of Amelia Island in all its glory. Not only will you get a great deal, but you’ll also get to try handpicked and curated menus from talented chefs who have poured their hearts into creating these meals.
For more information, reservations, and a detailed look at participating restaurants, menus, and special events, visit Ameliaisland.com/yummy.
When I read of events like these, I am very grateful that I live in an area where bombs are not raining down on us, starvation is not a daily event, my family and friends are free to express themselves without threat of violence (most of the time), and we have clean air and water and plentiful food at our disposal. Enjoy yourselves, and be grateful for what you have!