During our recent trip to St Augustine we decided to drive up to The Reef restaurant which is right on the ocean north of the old town area to try their Sunday brunch. I had found The Reef on the internet before leaving home several days before starting our trip. When we arrived at the restaurant we only had to wait a few minutes to be seated. We had previously made a reservation for noon but had arrived at 11:00 due to our morning drive starting sooner than we expected. Even though the restaurant was busy the staff readily accommodated us and we were seated at a window with a nice view of the beach and paddle surfers taking advantage of the small surf to ride the waves 25 – 35 yards.
The brunch consisted of a carving station that offered prime rib and roast turkey, it also had eggs Benedict, crab legs, peel and eat shrimp, smoked salmon, several different breakfast meats, cheeses, pastries, waffles, salads and more. The brunch also included several different champagne drinks in addition to sodas, tea and coffee. I was quite pleased with the items that I selected including the prime rib, ham and cheese omelet, sausage, bacon and assorted cheeses along with a couple glasses of Mimosa. Susan, my wife, also enjoyed her meal. Unlike many of the other patrons we were not in it for the long haul and we left after eating to the point that we were pleasantly satisfied. The brunch cost 31.95 per person and from some of the conversations that I overheard in the restaurant some of these people were planning on lingering and eating for several hours before heading out. Bottom line is that we enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere. By the way I forgot to mention that a very good guitarist was playing jazz and classical music the entire time that we were seated.
During our drive back towards old town we saw what looked like a medieval castle and stopped so that Susan could take some more pictures. While turning off of the main road to take these pictures I saw a sign advertising Cap’s on the Water which I recognized as one of the places that I read about earlier on the internet. So after taking the pictures we continued on to Cap’s at 4325 Myrtle St. It is located on an inland waterway and it had a breeze. The breeze part is important as the weather was very hot and very humid. We only ordered a drink even though the menu looked terrific. We were both very full from just eating at the Reef but we promised ourselves to return for dinner next time that we travel to St Augustine. While enjoying our drink we had the opportunity to talk to one of the managers. His name is Blaise and he puts you at ease with his easy mannerism while impressing you with his knowledge about food especially seafood. If you are ever in the St Augustine area do not miss this place.
