Wednesday, July 26, 2006

B.C. Open and Joel's

I just got back from covering the B.C. Open which was held near Syracuse, NY this year. The tournament is usually contested at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, NY. Due to massive flooding of the golf course, a new venue had to be found. Turning Stone resort had a great facility and the TOUR was not forced to cancel the event.
I spend a lot of time on the road, and as a result, spend a lot of time trying different restaurants around the country. Many times I find myself sitting in an Outback or other chain for the sake of convenience, proximity or just plain consistency of good food!
This time however, there were no chains nearby. The closest place to my hotel was this rustic looking place called "Joel's". Figured I'd give it a try. What a cool place!
The food was excellent and the staff really knew how to make you feel like a regular. The atmosphere was really warm and they had live music on the weekend. (Yes, I sat in with the band). I wish there were more places like Joel's, or at least one more... Here in Jax!

Big bull out front... Must serve chicken here!

Definitely not a chain.

There is an entire antique carousel in the middle of the building!

What a great stage. Wish we had more like that around here!