Eating Out

 I have been here in Gainesville, North Florida since August 2011. In which time I have had some thrilling experiences and adventures, studied hard and made some irreplaceable friends. There is nothing that I enjoy more than going out for a good hearty meal.

Gainesville itself is only a small town set amongst throngs (seemed an appropriate plural) of red necks and undervalued alligators. The town is stimulated by ‘The University of Florida,’ host to 50,000 students and a whole load of red cup wielding youths. There is also a wealth of really excellent and somewhat quirky restaurants that reside amongst the fast food giants. I’m going to tell you about some of my favourites so far.

The Top

Situated in Downtown Gainesville, The Top has a relaxed vibe and really well prepared food. The dishes are somewhat original, my favorites include, the Pork Belly over Gnocchi with a creamy sauce and peas, sirloin coated entirely in whole black peppercorns cooked with wild mushrooms (the textures of this are great) Last week we tried the vegan chocolate cake and I would go as far as saying it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had.

Boca Fiesta

We went here for my 21^st birthday. The picture shows us trying deep fried alligator, it was nothing to write home about. The burgers were, however, delicious.

Civilization

We tried this one for lunch because the place we originally wanted to try was closed but thank goodness it was. The place is actually a converted gas station run as a cooperative. The term ‘hipster’ is not so commonly known among us Brits so any prejudice was beyond me and I enjoyed the atmosphere and food immensely. I chose the signature ‘swamp eggs’ dish. Home fries under collard greens, melted cheese and two poached eggs covered generously in their signature sauce. I included a picture below. I’m going to attempt a recreation soon so watch this space.