Cafe Frisch

Cafe Frisch is located inside FSCJ. The place is clean and you can see the busy students with their chef mentors in the kitchen. It is a culinary school that offers 3 course meal for an affordable price of $7 for lunch and $11 for dinner. The "restaurant " is an active class lab. The cooks and servers are participating in classes that satisfy part of their Culinary Arts & Hospitality and Tourism Management program's' requirements. Our dinner theme was German and Scandinavian, and it was absolutely delicious and portions were very filling! From appetizers to desserts, we were amazed by the flavors and presentation!Reservation is required 2 weeks in advanced via email. We can't wait to go back!

Now this really is a best kept secret of Jacksonville Dining! I had seen Lea P post her review and on IG about going and I was so curious! I am a student of FSCJ and had no idea that the culinary arts program offered limited dinners once a week throughout the semester! Each week features different countries on the menu. I attend a different campus- but even asking my fellow classmates- they had no idea! Apparently reservations are hard to get do to space and only offering one dinner weekly (unless there is a holiday). This is getting close to the semester- so I will be keeping an eye out in the spring! The space- beautifully done- windows to see into the kitchen. There is a very attentive wait staff. Beverages are limited to water, tea and coffee, but apparently you can bring your own wine (pro tip). Our meal was out of this world and mostly foods I had never tried! Bread was dropped off at our tables first. It was chilly outside, most of us ordered hot tea. For our night they didn't make you chose an appetizer- instead they gave you a sampling of all three. Gambas al Ajillo- wonderfully flavorful(Spanish Garlic Shrimp)Croquetas de Jamon- the best I have ever tried(Spanish Ham Croquette)Sopa de Palmito- I was on the fence with the soup, I liked it, but didn't love it- however I was more than happy to try something new!(Brazilian Hearts of Palm soup)Side note- it is a very limited menu- three appetizers, three entrees to choose from and a chefs choice of dessert. Dinner options werePaella Valenciana (Spanish Seafood Paella)- John and Lea ordered it and it looked delicious.Chicken Peri -Peri (Spicy Portuguese chicken dish) - we didn't get that one.Pincitas (Andalusian grilled pork skewer with Ras El Hanout)- Jimmy and I went with this plate and the pork was so flavorful! & the sides! Minestra de verdures (Sauteed Swiss Chard with raisins and pine nuts) & Patatas Bravas(Potatoes in spicy, smokey tomato sauce)- I got my potatoes without the sauce and it was all so wonderfully prepared! I had never tried swiss chard, I am a fan!DESSERT- I was already stuffed, we ordered coffee with our dessert and the delivered french presses to our table, hello fancy! And then the cheesecake with black berry compote and fresh berries arrived. Oh my foodieness. This was definitely a moment of, and we thought it couldn't get even better! This was fine dining in a working classroom and it was marvelous. I hope to get in a couple times in the spring. Good luck getting reservations and this is a CASH ONLY dinner! FYI

This was a special treat today getting to come here for lunch. Between the food and customer service, I am definitely looking forward to returning!Starting with David, the host that greeted us, most professional, friendly, and very personable. He made you feel as if you were the most important customer coming in at that moment in time. As I listened to him with other customers, he was the same - very personable, finding a commonality that brought everybody together. You can tell that he truly has a passion for working with people!Our server was Victoria and she too was outstanding! She was knowledgeable of the menu options and was spot on with her recommendations. She was very cordial, always asking where we done with something including an empty glass before she would remove it from the table. This level of customer service is something you don't see very often. I also learned that when serving a table, you always put the protein facing the customer, did not know that until today. Thank you for the lesson!Now let's talk about the food, which was great!!! Today's theme was Mexican, and I have to say it really was authentic! It had just the right amount of spice, not to overpower the flavor of the food, but enhance what we were eating! I had the chicken which you did not even need a knife to cut . It was like butter and rich with flavor. The green sauce was spectacular, and the rice made to perfection. My coworkers had the pork dish which looked great and it particularly liked the pomegranate that was on top. It added a great visual, as well as flavor.The desert - well it just needs more caramel sauce on top of the corn cake. I am a desert fanatic, and I will say that this was not a highlight of the meal rather the chicken, and the customer service goes to stand out beyond words.Overall this is a true hidden gem! Thank you, David and Victoria for making this an outstanding lunch today. Your actions demonstrate commitment!

What a great experience! The students in the culinary program are the chefs (supervised of course), and the hospitality students are the servers. This semester was regional USA cuisine. Each week changed and were: New York, New England, New Orleans, Southern, Midwest, Southwest, California, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Florida. I attended on Florida day, and it was superb. The best part? It's $7 for lunch ($11 for dinner). The downside is that you cannot just walk-in ... you must have a reservation. The reservations are very limited as they only do two seatings for lunch (T and Th) and one seating for dinners (Th). The fall semester of 2023 will bring International cuisine to the tables. The menu was appropriate for Florida cuisine as we had our choice of gator tail or minorcan clam chowder for appetizer, snapper with mango salsa, shrimp and grits, or pork chop for mains, and a fruity iced cream cake slice for dessert. Highly suggest if you can score an RSVP!

Today was a "California" menu. That is not something that I would normally think of for fine dinning..... I was wrong. From the Foie gras to the French press coffee, this meal was perfect. Our waiter was great, what a perfect experience. This is a hidden gem.