I love fish tacos. No. Better stated, I adore fish tacos. For me, it is really difficult to order something other than fish tacos if they are there on a menu. I love to see different interpretations of this delicious (sandwich, snack, wrap, meal…taco…). I had a delicious one at Beachcombers on the beach, with fresh rare cooked tuna, olives, cabbage – red and green and a spicy chipotle like sauce. But when I want a classic Baja style fish taco, I go straight to Madre’s on Aviles street. It is a fairly new place, but the food is great (and cheap), the service is great.

They have nice chips and salsa AND a little dish of pickled carrots and jalapeños that they serve up as soon as you get there.

The beer is also great – I just love the Wailua from Hawaii with the passionfruit…
and the fish tacos are just perfect. You can order them a la carte, in a meal with beans and rice or as a burrito. I suggest getting one taco and a side of the Jah coconut rice. Oh, and skip the salad.

When you are finished with lunch or dinner or evening snacks at Madre’s, walk up and down Aviles Street. If you forget where you are for a minute you could believe that you are walking the cobblestone streets of an old European city somewhere – perhaps, Spain…or maybe just New England.

Roberto and I, since we both work at home, have been trying to go to lunch once a week somewhere within walking distance of our place. We don’t go every week, but we go as much as we can, because it is a nice way for us to get out – take a break from the desks and computers and get to know our town a little better.

Saint Augustine is one of those places where no matter how many times you have walked up and down a particular street before, you always see something new.

We particularly enjoy all the old houses and the doorways on some of the older (and recently renovated with an old style) places. One day I will have to post about all the cool doors in this town!

I was recommended to The Present Moment Cafe , by a fellow blogger I know, Inga from Taste Memory. She is a resident of Jacksonville, but comes all the way to Saint Augustine to eat at The Present Moment. Based on that alone, I really wanted to try it as soon as she mentioned it, because she and I have a similar food philosophy – one that I share on my other blog, The Leftover Queen. which is all about local, fresh and seasonal eating. So at her recommendation, I knew that this was a place that I could go and eat and feel good about it.

Now the day we decided to go to Present Moment, it was hectic. I wasn’t exactly sure where it was and we were starving. Two things that generally don’t go well together in this family. So when Roberto inquired about the type of cuisine and I said it was a vegetarian and raw food place, his face fell. Now neither of us are strangers to this type of food, in fact we love it and eat it frequently – but when Roberto is starving he wants something hearty and filling and he was sure that this meal was not going to satisfy his hunger.
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A few months ago we had a fabulous dinner at Caps on the Water. It was to celebrate our first month as a married couple, so Roberto found out about this awesome sunset cruise that a chartered fishing boat does, once a month on the full moon. The boat picks you up at Caps on the Water. When Roberto called ahead the woman said we should get there by 5:30, because tickets for the cruise sell out fast, even though the boat doesn’t leave until 7. So we decided to go have dinner there as well. What else could we do?!

Let me just preface by saying that Caps on the Water is a beautiful beautiful restaurant. The outdoor eating area is a huge wooden deck, covered by a canopy of oak trees covered in Spanish moss. There are twinkling lights everywhere and you are literally right on the water. It is extremely romantic and peaceful. When there is a nice breeze blowing, you really feel like you could relax there all evening and just be completely content.
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BY: KARI HOEL

When talking to someone who has been to Thailand, the subject of visiting the islands always comes up. There is a reason for that: Thailand has several islands that are worth the visit. This time, I visited two of them: Ko Samui and Ko Tao, situated on the south-eastern coast. They are close in proximity, but widely different in all other aspects.
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