After settling into our hotel in the historic area of St. Augustine, FL we took a walk to A1A Ale Works for dinner. When we walked in they had a guitar player so we sat at the bar to enjoy the music. We ordered drinks and an appetizer and the bartender informed us that dinner service would be finished in 5 minutes, but that there would be a late-night menu available after that. We went ahead and put in our dinner order before the kitchen closed.
Chris ordered the Calamari as an appetizer and I ordered the A1A Beer Cheese Soup. The fried calamari came with banana peppers, which added a nice acidic element to the dish. Marinara and a wasabi aioli accompanied the dish as well. The soup, made with a red ale, cheddar and pepper jack, caramelized onions and roasted barley, was delicious. The ale and onions gave the soup a deep, rich flavor and the barley added a pleasant texture.
It was disappointing that our entrees came before we were close to finishing our appetizers. For dinner, Chris ordered the Chef-Selected Seafood Piccata, a haddock filet sautéed in a white wine butter sauce with lemon juice and capers. The dish also has rice pilaf and vegetables. The fish was nicely cooked, but flavorwise was somewhat lackluster. I ordered the Jambalaya, chicken, shrimp, ham and andouille sausage in a very spicy creole tomato sauce with rice. While the dish had a lot of flavor, the extreme heat overwhelmed my taste buds, detracting from my enjoyment of the dish.
Although the music ended shortly after we arrived, we found the “floor show” entertaining. While the bartender was at a table right behind me, a woman walked directly up to him. When he said hello her response was “the Commonwealth of Virginia”. She then proceeded to take a seat at the other end of the bar. Chris returned from the restroom upstairs and told me about a woman who stopped him to tell him there were people in the lady’s room. It was the same woman who was sitting at the bar. I was curious to see how the bartenders would handle the situation. They were on point and very quickly let her know that she would not be served. She left the restaurant in a flourish complaining to a server that she wasn’t being served. She then walked out the door. As the wind poured in it blew her hair around, reminiscent of an 80s rock video. That was the highlight of our meal.
Cost for a craft beer flight, a beer, a cocktail, two appetizers, and two entrees $82.53.
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