North Beach — Attraction in Atlantic Beach

My mother in law kept saying our server was akin to a Disney Princess; but my MIL is from California where Southern Hospitality isn't instilled in everyone and we had just left a weekend at Disney. But truly, our server was very good. And the ambiance was nice - casual jeans or dressed up will most definitely work in this atmosphere....just not cut off shorts and a tank The hummus-like dip for their complimentary bread was different (a good different) than the typical butter or olive oil served at most places. My husband got the Beer Cheese soup, which was heavy but not too rich. It had an absolute delicious flavor which led to everyone at the table sampling some, and consequently, my daughter and I then ordering a second cup to share. As my entrée, I ordered the Ahi Tuna Tacos. Four taco-truck sized tacos, but plenty big enough for an entrée. The shells, as described by the server, are wontons which are shaped and fried into taco shells. They are filled with seaweed salad and fresh raw ahi tuna, topped with sesame seeds, fish eggs, and a wasabi aioli. They are served on top a bed of mix greens. One to avoid carbs and leave more room in my tummy for important things such as protein, I ate only one shell and then emptied the contents of the other three tacos onto the greens for a salad. Absolutely delicious! But warning; the wasabi aioli IS hot. My husband is a scallop lover so to no surprise, his choice for entrée was the Pan Seared Scallops, served over "Grilled Corn and Pepper Bacon Risotto, Melted Leeks and Truffle Jus". I was allowed a taste and it was delicious! I'm not sure which was better; the risotto or the scallops. The scallops were of utmost quality, neither slimy nor gritty, they were thick and they were delicious. We skipped dessert - maybe another visit. We recently moved to Fleming Island and I only wished we had discovered this delicious restaurant while we lived in the Beach area instead of after we moved...

First, let me just say that North Beach Bistro is still an excellent restaurant with top notch service. That being said, the loss of Chef Dave can definitely be felt.

The good: Some of their new menu selections are very good. The ribeye is seasoned perfectly and it is a reasonably generous portion of steak. I ordered mine medium rare and it arrived medium but that's a minor timing issue that can easily be worked out as the kitchen gets accustomed to the new menu. The cook and seasoning on the grilled salmon was flawless. While it won't be for everyone, I am a big fan of the new deep fried brussel sprouts. The twice baked potato was also really good and the jasmine rice had wonderful flavor.

The bad: The new crab cake starter is far, far inferior to the crab cakes under Chef Dave's reign. I approve of the decision to make them a little smaller and split the portion into three instead of two. The ratio of crab to breading is a little too light and it is overall underseasoned. The sauce we received had little to no flavor as well. The sauce doesn't even belong in the same universe with remoulade with capers sauce from the previous crab cake offering at the Bistro. The biggest tragedy for me though was the bread pudding. Don't get me wrong, the bread pudding is still good and worth getting. Under Chef Dave though, the bread pudding was world class. For me, no trip to the Bistro was complete without his bread pudding regardless of my mood or cravings. Now, while the bread pudding is still good is far removed from being an essential part of the experience.

Long story short, North Beach Bistro is still a good restaurant worth coming to. Don't come in expecting everything to be as good as it was when Chef Dave headed up the menu, though. Except the service that is. The service is...

My husband and I recently hosted our son’s wedding rehearsal dinner at North Beach Bistro for over 100 guests. From the beginning, North Beach Bistro (specifically Katie, their event coordinator) went above and beyond to ensure that our event was exactly what we wanted. With that many guests attending, the restaurant was closed for our private event. In addition, we were able to use the adjoining art gallery. Over the course of many months, Katie listened to exactly what we wanted to do, always responded to my many emails promptly, and was willing to accommodate us in whatever way they could. We had several food stations scattered around the restaurant and art gallery. We were able to customize our menu to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions among our guests. The food was delicious! Katie provided the table linens, etc., to match our color scheme. Easels were provided to display wedding signs and pictures. We had a continuously running slideshow of the bride and groom on the back wall. The North Beach Bistro attendants were gracious and polite, always making sure our guests had everything they needed. If you are looking for a location to host a private event for a large group, look no further than North Beach Bistro! Everything...