This document provides a weekend itinerary for exploring the cuisine of Amelia Island, Florida. It recommends driving up Highway A1A and spending Friday and Saturday exploring the island's restaurants. The itinerary includes recommendations for: dinner at Gilbert's Underground Kitchen on Friday; breakfast at Jack and Diane's on Saturday morning; lunch at T-Ray's Burger Station after kayaking; snacking on honey drinks at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation resort; and dinner at 29 South on Saturday night. On Sunday, it recommends brunch and bloody Marys at The Salty Pelican, lunch at Timoti's Seafood Shak, and wrapping up the weekend with dinner at Beech Street Bar &

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Exploring the Isle of Eight Flags via its cuisine
Weekend in
amelia
words by VIRGINIA CHAMLEE
photos by AGNES LOPEZ
Timoti’s Seafood
Shak poke bowl
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With its long stretch of coastline, beautiful golf courses and historic B&Bs, there
are a slew of reasons to spend some time in Amelia Island. But perhaps the best way to explore
the historic isle is through its cuisine. Our advice? Drive up Hwy. A1A North from town and grab din-
ner before hitting the hay at one of the island’s stellar lodgings—both the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Is-
land and Omni Amelia Island Plantation are top choices—and don’t bother coming home til Sunday
evening. Heck, you may never want to leave.
Itinerary:
Friday
Dinner
Once you make it up to Amelia,
head straight to Gilbert’s
Underground Kitchen for
a Southern-style dinner with a
gourmet twist. The charcuterie
board ($16) with house-cured
meats, pickles, jam of the day,
mustard and grilled country bread
is a must, as is the Fernandina
Beach Hot Chicken ($19), complete
with dill pickles, cherry peppers,
datil pepper mash remoulade and
jalapeño cheddar biscuits.
Saturday
Breakfast
Head to Jack and Diane’s,
a casual haunt on Centre Street
located in a quaint, 1800s-era
home, for a fluffy stack of pan-
cakes served with apples and
berries, two eggs and a side of
sausage ($9).
Lunch
After working up an appetite at
Kayak Amelia, grab lunch at
T-Ray’s Burger Station.
Housed in a converted gas sta-
tion, T-Ray’s is renowned for its
burgers ($5.75), made from a half-
pound of fresh ground chuck and
a secret mix of spices. The po’
boys ($11-$13) are nothing to
sneeze at, either, and come piled
high with crispy fried shrimp or
oysters.
Fernandina Beach hot chicken
from Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen
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Snack
Omni Amelia Island Plantation
Resort has eight beehives that churn out
an estimated 1,200 pounds of honey per har-
vest—so there’s no shortage of the sweet
stuff to add to whatever you might fancy. The
resort’s One Sweet Summer menu (available
until October) includes a honey grapefruit
crush ($12), a refreshing blend of grapefruit
jalapeño vodka, wildflower honey water, a
splash of fresh grapefruit and lemon juice. It’s
just the thing to sip when lounging poolside.
Dinner
The menu at 29 South is rife with classic
Southern dishes with a modern twist. The
sweet tea-brined pork chop ($24) with maca-
roni and blackberry preserves is a popular
choice, but pan-roasted scallops ($26) served
atop Low Country rice cake and Sea Island
red peas are equally delicious.
T-Ray’s Burger Station
Sweet tea-brined pork
chop from 29 South
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4. Seared tuna nachos from
The Salty Pelican
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Sunday
Brunch
It might not be the type of place
you go for a white tablecloth,
buffet brunch, but The Salty
Pelican is an ideal location for
a laid-back start to your day. The
seared tuna nachos ($14) with
seaweed salad, goat cheese and
wasabi sesame seeds, go down
like a treat alongside a bloody
Mary. The Salty Pelican’s Ketel
One bloody Mary bar comes
complete with toppings like
olives, celery, bacon, sausage
and Mayport shrimp.
Lunch
Tuck into a poke bowl at
Timoti’s Seafood Shak
(they’re open til 3 PM on Sun-
days) before exploring Downtown
Fernandina. T’s Poke Bowl ($10) is
a mound of coconut rice, avo-
cado, spinach, kelp seasoning,
black sesame seeds and fresh-
off-the-boat tuna. The New Eng-
land style lobster roll ($11) is an
even more filling option, if you’re
looking for heartier fare.
Lobster roll from
Tomoti’s Seafood Shak
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Dinner
Before heading back to
Jax, cozy up at the bar
inside Beech Street
Bar & Grill. The re-
cently re-opened restau-
rant, actually a restored
historic Gingerbread Age-
home, offers a low-key at-
mosphere and upscale
eats. A glass of wine and
an order of local shrimp
with stone-ground grit
cakes, tasso ham and
house made hot sauce
($22) make fighting the
impending Monday blues
just a little easier.
*
Local shrimp with stone-ground
grit cakes from Beech Street
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