by Rick Sylvain
ST. AUGUSTINE – In a garden courtyard deep in the historic district of St. Augustine, I sit transfixed by, well, a charcuterie board. It may be life changing…
“Try the three-cream brie,” urges Garry Zafrani. “Spreads like butter. You will not find a better brie this side of France.”
Brie has a supporting cast. Quarter-sized medallions of Spanish chorizo that are a burst of flavor, not spicy. Pickled caperberry fresh off the vine. Creamy fig jam, crunchy almonds, and ruby red baby tomatoes (roasted better than sun-dried, Zafrani insists). Slices of a black gouda, so perfectly aged to their brink that white specks of crystals are starting to show.
“Lots of flavor, correct?” Lots.
Paired with the wines that owner Patti Southard brings to our table at Casa de Vino 57, this lazy afternoon in America’s oldest city can play out as long as it wants.
It is hard to walk the narrow, bricked streets, marvel at the Spanish architecture and not feel the history here. “Party Like It Is 1565,” proclaim t-shirts in the shops fronting Matanzas Bay. 
Hard by the inlet stands The Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th century Spanish stone fortress. Lions guard the bridge into the city. Between the quaint cafes, unique shops, pubs and nightspots, St. Augustine makes each turn through town an experience in Old World charm reminiscent of European cities. And you gotta love how San Sebastian Winery and St. Augustine Distillery flank, of all places, the St. Augustine police station.
Zafrani runs St. Augustine Experiences, a food, wine, cocktail, and history walking tour of St. Augustine. Dayside, stops are made for apps at Southard’s 1800s home and wine garden, full lunch at a venue Zafrani has handpicked, and dessert at a hidden gem like Forgotten Tonic.
Forgotten Tonic lies along Aviles, considered the “Oldest Street” in the nation, dating to the 16th century. In America’s Oldest City, “Oldest” attaches itself to seemingly everything. Oldest House. Oldest Bar. Oldest School. Maybe Oldest ATM.
More than 450 years of culinary tradition shape St. Augustine. With its history of Spanish, British, French, Greek, Irish and Minorcans, the old town boasts a diverse heritage reflected in its menus. In 2019, Southern Living Magazine readers ranked it #1 Foodie Town in the South.
Every minute of St. Augustine Experiences has Zafrani’s imprint. He has personally vetted more than 20 venues for the best cuisines and wines to put before his guests. He allows no more than 8 guests on each tour (“any more is herding cats”). He does a call-ahead to kitchens so there is no waiting when diners take their seats. Zafrani does chocolate tours, beer tours, twilight gourmet tours. But his core is the day tour.
St. Augustine cuisine and history are his walk-and-talk narrative – everything from the datil peppers local to St. Augustine to the ghosts of Flagler College to how St. Augustine is more Greek than Spanish to the day he discovered the “best pralines outside of New Orleans” at Savannah Sweets.
“All my tours do is give you great food and tell you great stories,” Zafrani says.
A transplanted New Yorker, Zafrani said he had an epiphany 5-6 years ago after a dozen or so years living here. “I realized every place I’m eating is something special.”
It’s easy to see why. From the darkly romantic – and award-winning – Collage, on Hypolita Street to Preserved doing Southern cuisine with a French flair in an 1800s home once owned by Thomas Jefferson’s great granddaughter to Catch 27 for epic seafood, no lover of fine cuisine comes away disappointed with St. Augustine. You can even dine in what used to be the world’s largest indoor swimming pool.
Zafrani wanted to bring the St. Augustine food scene to locals and visitors wanting an elevated experience. His 2.5 hour, three-stop restaurant adventure so caught on that Trip Advisor 2022 voted St. Augustine Experiences #1 in the World in its category. (staugustineexperiences.com)
AROUND THE OLD TOWN
From its start as a simple Spanish tapas restaurant to the address for casual fine dining, Michael’s stands among the best of the best in St. Augustine. Owner Michael Lugo (pictured) pivoted when he sensed people weren’t connecting to a Spanish heritage menu like he expected. 
Originally from Puerto Rico, Lugo is a self-taught chef. He learned cooking skills and a passion for food from his grandmother. Sourcing local and sustainable ingredients drives Lugo. Diners can opt for a quaint courtyard or the elegant main room, done in wood floors, soft lighting, and midnight blue color scheme. A second, more seafood-centric restaurant called Pesca is in the works.
Locally grown produce, seafood, and meats inspire the menu at Michael’s (michaelssa.com). “It’s good to play with cuisine using fresh-from-Florida ingredients that celebrate cuisines and cultures,” Lugo says.
You’ll spot a few homeland influences, too.
“My Puerto Rican side,” chef says with a wink.
Grandma would be proud.
In the quiet precincts one block from the crowded pedestrian mall that is St. George Street is The Floridian. Café casual in feel and look with its red awninged tables outside and roadhouse vibe inside, The Floridian boasts “Innovative Southern Fare for Omnivores, Herbivores and Locavores.”
The Floridian is of the earth, supporting local growers and producers. Menus change with the season with a focus on traditional Southern comfort foods (try their take on shrimp and grits) and lighter, healthier but creative dishes. The Floridian (thefloridianstaug.com) sources from Gyro Greens, a sustainable farming method whose mission is to grow fresh, natural organic and delicious produce combining aquaculture with hydroponics in a symbiotic environment.
What was once the world’s largest indoor swimming pool in a grand hotel built in 1888 by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler is reborn as the Alcazar Café (pictured up top). With its variety of dishes from salads and soups to seafood and sandwiches, the Alcazar Café is an oasis of refinement in Flagler’s old Alcazar Hotel, now the Lightner Museum. Statuary and white balustrades will leave you thinking you’re in a movie set, not the 12-foot-deep end of a pool where the rich and famous once frolicked. Take the stone steps up to historic photos.
Across the network of lovably ramshackle fish camps across Florida, the Taj Mahal has to be the St. 
Augustine Fish Camp (pictured). Modern, clean, bright and harborfront, this bustling place reels ‘em in for seafood specialties and terrace dining. Take a tip and go early.
Between mealtimes in St. Augustine are two fun diversions.
Hyppo serves up gourmet ice pops – all popsicle on the outside, an amazing 40+ flavors on the inside. Hyppo uses only the freshest ingredients never frozen (at least until they become ice pops). As seasons change so do the flavors – strawberries in spring, summer watermelon, pumpkin pie in fall.
Breeze into The Tipsy Duck and you’ve breezed into the world of owner Rob Geiger. A next-door bath 
works spun off this special parlor. Geiger’s rubber ducky whimsy (which he admits was born of a cocktail or two) was the force behind his menu of duck-themed cocktail creations. I pulled a duck-shaped barstool up to the colorful counter and ordered the signature The Tipsy Duck – sparkling wine, strawberries, fresh basil and rose syrup, served blended in a bathtub with a rubber ducky floating on top. “Can’t have a bath without a rubber ducky,” said Geiger.
Both the St. Augustine Distillery, in an old ice plant, and San Sebastian Winery offer free and popular tours. The winery’s rooftop offers dining, live music and, of course, their wines. Dessert is the views, looking across the San Sebastian River and the cityscape of old St. Augustine.
A history book, open wide.
If You’re Going…
The Old World charm of St. Augustine is the perfect backdrop for the intimate setting of an historic bed and breakfast inn. Most here would grace any magazine cover. Innkeepers are only too happy to point the way to restaurants, activities, and attractions. Count on making new friends among your fellow travelers. That’s the magic of B&Bs.
This trip was the historic St. Francis Inn. Versus inns in the busy historic district, I liked how the St. Francis keeps to itself in a quiet neighborhood. When you want the tourist corridor it’s less than a 10-minute walk down St. George Street. Whether in a cozy room, spacious suite, or cottage, the St. Francis checks all the boxes, including breakfast buffet and manager’s cocktail hour. Plenty of history, too, dating to 1791 (St. Augustine’s oldest inn). A serene courtyard, heated outdoor pool and resident cat named Rebel help define this peaceful oasis. For rates and more: stfrancisinn.com 800-824-6062.
The third annual St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival May 3-7, 2023, brings to the ancient city a culinary celebration USA Today called one of the top 10 Festivals of its kind in Florida. A showcase of culinary, beverage and culture will highlight celebrity guest chefs, celebrity winemakers, local chefs, artisans, and local craft spirits/beers. Festival goers enjoy a wide variety of events including live music, chef dinners, cooking demos and tastings. Smoke on the Walk will feature some of the South’s Best Barbecue, wines, and spirits for $99. Shared sites for the Festival are the historic district of St. Augustine and the World Golf Village Renaissance Resort, 20 minutes north. For more:
For more: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau, www.floridashistoriccoast.com
