Restaurant Review: The Village Cafe in Jacksonville, FL

Located at 2902 Corinthian Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida, this upscale yet quaint building is located in the historic Ortega area. Parking is minimal so don't bring your SUV, instead opt for the compact car.

Overall opinion of building, service, food, atmosphere and etc. We were sat down at a table right behind a table that needed to be cleaned off from the previous patrons, which was not cleaned off until well after we got our appetizer. For a business such as this I would think that they frown on the presence of cobwebs, but they were, in fact, all over the building - and there were also dead, rotting plants in the window by where we were sitting.

Food ordered and opinions I ordered the hummus as an appetizer ($6). It came out about 10 to 12 minutes after we ordered it and our food. It was very flavorful; maybe a little too; there was an overwhelming flavor and aroma of lemon juice. The hummus itself had a layer of yellowish oil on it when it was brought out, which, to me, made it less desirable. I ordered the Lunch Combo - in which you get to choose two of these items: a cup of soup, 1/2 a sandwich, or 1/2 a salad. I ordered a cup of the Vegetable Soup and a half of a BLT sandwich - with no lettuce or tomato - only bacon extra crispy and mayo. They brought it to me exactly how I asked for it to be. The bacon was perfect and exceptional quality - the flavor was surprising and rich. The soup could have been a little more flavorful but the sandwich more than made up for it. The soup had a chicken broth base with baby potatoes, celery, a small amount of sliced carrots, rosemary and dill. My fiance ordered the Cuban sandwich which came with a salad.

Other items on the lunch menu include sandwiches such as the Village Cafe Cheese Steak - rare grilled flank steak with caramelized onions and provolone cheese and mayo on grilled farm bread, a turkey and mango sandwich with provolone cheese, spinach and curried mango chutney also on farm bread, or for the more traditional they have a chicken or tuna salad sandwich.

For desert I bought 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies from the cookie display by the register; I was not disappointed at all. They were soft, delicious and fresh - a perfect end to an overall satisfying lunch, even though it had some flaws. I intend to go back to sample their breakfast sometime soon.

Check out their website for directions or to get a look at their different menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, catering including weddings and wedding cakes plus more at www.villagecafejax.com