Dining With Dave

Dining With Dave

Cruiser’s in Ponte Vedra, or at the beach... mmm!

My wife can remember dining at Cruisers years ago at the first location in Jacksonville Beach. When I came along, we moved further south and lucky for us, the good people decided to open a Cruisers in south Ponte Vedra.

If you have never studied the kind of person that lives at the beach, they are a different group of all together, especially in the summer months, when schools are out and everybody is just laid back. Well imagine if you will a restaurant that brings that mind set indoors right into the dining room and even into the food they serve.

Burgers, cheesy fries served with a tub of ranch, tacos, salads, and quesadillas too. There are more items to choose from, but why bother. The sodas are served in huge cups and they use the old-fashioned shaved ice which comes in extra handy at the end of the meal. I’ll save that for last, you will have to wait. And for those that already know, don’t tell.

Where was I? My favorite is the quesadilla. Unlike your normal appetizer size, they make this thing so it’s falling off the sides of your plate and coming complete with all the fixings. I like the marinated chicken and spinach quesadilla served with extra jalapeños and extra sour cream. For some reason I can take a bite of quesadilla, spear a jalapeño, dip it into the sour cream and salsa and not burn myself with the pepper. It’s really good!

The cheesy fries... Did I tell you about the cheesy fries? They serve fresh-cut potatoes fried to perfection in a serving bowl with lined with aluminum foil, lightly seasoning the fries with salt and pepper, into the bowl, and then a hand full of freshly grated cheddar on top to melt into every crack and crevice. If you’ve been out on the town, and you know what I mean, this is the meal to bring you back for sure.

Understand I’m selfish when I do these dining out reports. I like to talk about what it is I like to eat. The good news is the burgers are like no other, the taco salad is the ultimate salad get-a-way, and the tacos, although the lightest thing on the menu, is a welcomed offering if you’re not very hungry.

Now, about that shaved ice for those Cruiser virgins among you. When your server brings you the check at the end of your meal, they deliver a tootsie pop for you and each of your guests. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness to offset the meal you just put away. Quickly you strip the lolly of its wrapper and plunge it into your perfect mixture of shaved ice and cola and lick several times before you leave. I don’t know how the tradition started, but it’s good. It’s like being a kid all over again.

Cruisers is located at 319 23rd Ave S, Jacksonville Beach, and 832 Sr-A1A N, Ste 2, Ponte Vedra Beach.

Make the trip.