Old City House Inn & Restaurant, 115 Cordova Street, St. Augustine. 904-826-0113

By Irene Merenda

I knew of the Old City House as this restaurant was featured as part of the Walking Wine and Food Tour that I reviewed previously.  On that day we were served a delicious appetizer in the Inn’s charming garden and I knew I wanted to try the restaurant again for a full meal. This location has been a charming Bed and Breakfast for over 20 years according to the website.  We were told that the building, built in 1873, served many purposes over the years and that it was once a stable house serving Henry Flagler’s hotels.  Its current innkeepers are Juan Solano and Christopher Tur.

Frank and I, and our friend, Linda, attended a St. Augustine Film Festival screening at the Lewis Auditorium on a recent Sunday evening. The Old City House Inn & Restaurant was conveniently located within walking distance.  It was one of our chilliest (ok, COLD) St Augustine nights and so we requested a table indoors, even though we were told there were outdoor heaters in the garden.

We had a reservation for 3 people at 7:30 PM and arrived a little before 7 PM.  Our table was not ready, so we were seated in a waiting area with “sink-into” couches near the 6-seater bar which was filled with waiting diners.  The interior of the restaurant is cozy, quaint and intimate with lots of dark wood, soft furniture and soft lighting.  We all agreed that this restaurant reminded us of a “horse-country” Chester County, PA restaurant that we knew and that it was a nice, nostalgic change from the nautical/ocean décor found in so many restaurants in this area.  A waitress brought us generously filled glasses of house wine ($10) while we waited.

At 7:30 sharp, we were taken to our table and greeted by our waiter, Estevan, who had a delightful Spanish accent taking extra care to make sure we understood him, and a kind, attentive manner.  He explained the additions to the menu and brought crusty rolls with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a full head of roasted garlic. (Free!)

Frank ordered Escargot A la Bourguignonne ($14.56) accompanied by garlic toast, which he said was perfect.  I don’t believe in eating crawly or slimy things, so I cannot offer additional information, except to say that a small taste of the sauce was yummy.  I ordered a house salad with roasted garlic dressing ($7.28) which was fresh, crisp and beautifully presented.

Linda ordered the crab cakes ($37.44) which were 2 large, beautifully browned and lightly crusted cakes with very little filling.  They were delicious as were the mashed potatoes, asparagus and the sauce that accompanied them.

Frank had the pork chop ($39.52), cooked “medium” which was tender, slightly pink in the center and scrumptious.  The red wine demi-glaze was the perfect addition to the meat.

I had one of the evening specials which was a blackened salmon ($36.40) served over potatoes that were almost as delicious as the salmon.  I hesitated to order the salmon “blackened” because often, that means “too salty” to me.  Estevan assured me that I would find it just right, and he, too, was “just right!”   The fish was cooked tender and flaky, fully cooked through but not dry, and the light blackening added just the right amount of interest, without being overly salty or spicy. It had a delicious buttery lemony sauce that didn’t over-power the flavor of the fish.

Old City House Inn & Restaurant has jumped to the top of my “favorite old St. Augustine restaurants” list.  The prices are relatively high but in this particular instance, you really DO get what you pay for!

5 spoonbills