Elite Event Simply Sara’s

I really likes the family feel of this restaurant. Everything was fresh made from scratch and I really felt I was appreciated. The specials change often and the owners encourage you to ask them to cook to your taste or dietary needs. Very accommodating and delicious cupcakes!
Thanks!

For the first Elite event of the year this was an awesome one! At fist I looked and thought «southern food… meh not my thing», but let me tell you, the food was out of this world amazing! I could eat that sausage and corn chowder every single day! The pimento cheese was so good after we ran out of crackers I was eating it with a fork… lol! And the chicken was perfectly fried and juicy, along with the pulled pork, mini biscuits, and gravy… yumm! The cupcakes were also super yummy, my fave had to be the chocolate, and I absolutely loved those take home cookies that they gave us. This will be a place I will definitely try again! I also got to meet and chat with Unilocalers that I had only talked with before via the Unilocal talk threads, or through messaging. This was a great event, with great food and great people and I can’t wait to attend the next one:-)!

Thank you, Allie for welcoming me back from overseas and to this wonderful family owned restaurant. Everything was amazing. I must admit the eggplant fries was not what I expected them to be. They were unbelievingly amazing. I would recommended that over all the others I’ve tried and their desserts. Allie, amazing addition for the wine — it was the perfect touch to the meal as the roses for the tables. This was the first elite event of 2014, and my first Unilocal event period. It was more than I would thought it could of ended up to be and so felt so welcomed like I’ve known everyone that I’ve spoken too.

Thank you, Allie, for another awesome Elite Event! All of the food was excellent, but the chowder was by far my favorite dish (that might have to do with the cold I had). Although, I was a little under the weather, I decided to indulge in a glass (or three) of wine. I’d have to say for someone who doesn’t usually drink wine, I quite enjoyed it (though, that too may have had to do with the cold).
The service was excellent as well. All of the staff were kind and courteous, making this restaurant a must-​visit again in the future (when we’re not sick of course)!

My First Unilocal event. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, good food. Eggplant fries with Cajun ranch were amazing, biscuits and gravy also awesome, fried chicken could use some marinating as it didn’t have much flavor, but it was perfectly cooked, juicy, and when dipped in the gravy provided, very tasty. I was not a big fan of the pulled pork, but I think it’s because it was probably that I’m more used a smoked pork. Overall great experience and I would definitely visit again.

Kudos to Simply Sarah’s. the location was cool, the décor, the food, her family who waited on us gets an A plus with me. My favorite dish was the Sausage Corn Chowder. I plan on having my Red Hat Society group «Feathers R Us» have linch here in September (my chosen month). Kudos also goes out to, «Allie», whom we all love so much. I am so thankful in finding this place. I love it and I will return soon. Our first event of the new year went over very well.

Big shout out to Allie for another awesome elite event. I am so glad I had a chance to dine at Simply Sara’s. It one of Jacksonville hidden secrets, I wouldn’t have known about without Unilocal.
Simply Sara’s has a very warm home feeling as soon as you walk through their doors. Sara and James decorated the restaurant to feel as if you were walking into there home, which I felt right at home.
The staff at Sara’s prepared an awesome home style meal starting with the appetizers. I have been waiting all week long to try their eggplant fries and I was not disappointed. The first time I ever had eggplant fries and probably won’t be the last. They were nicely seasoned and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching back into the basket. The sausage corn chowder was a great twist on a dish that I have had plenty times in the past. I really enjoyed the little biscuits and gravy that were served. A big guy like me enjoys little bite size snacks from time to time and these little biscuits I could do about 15 in a sitting. Please don’t judge me. The Milky Way cupcakes were chocolaty and moist, definitely a home run in my book.
The staff really did a great job hosting the event. I really appreciate that they came I on their day off to show us a good time. The extra little details left a lasting impression in my mind.
Another event I enjoyed because not only did I get to try a new restaurant but experience food with other food craze people like myself. I am glad I had the chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones (Cari and Matt). I am really looking forward to more events in 2014.
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Way to go, Allie! You pulled off, in my opinion, the best elite event yet! I happen to be one of the first people to arrive, and being solo on this event, I felt a little uncomfy… my boo cannot miss another event! I grabbed a glass of wine and made my way to a table, sat back and waited for my Unilocalers to arrive. Soon all you heard were ‘HEY! How ya doin’! ! and hugs were being passed around like we were at granny’s house at a a family reunion. It was awesome! This Jacksonville Unilocal Elite community is more than just any olé community, we are truly an extended family. As we packed the house, the chatter was so loud, it was hard to hear the people at your own table! So much fun! Allie, your inner Martha Stewart showed out fo sho! I loved the country chic theme you had goin on!
I’m not gonna get too much into the food because I think everyone else pretty much covered it… but those dang eggplant fries were off the chain delicous! Fried chicken with gravy to dip was oh my goodnessssss heavenly! The cucumber salad was surprisingly my favorite! Those tiny baby biscuits were so cute, it was almost hard to eat em… I said ‘almost’! And the cupcakes… don’t get me started… I love me a good cupcake… yum! My fav was the coconut one. and the cookies hit the spot later that night!
This family owned and operated restaurant is more than just any olé place to eat. This family puts everything they love into this place and they treated us Unilocalers like family. That is way cool! Thank you Sara and family for having us in your home! Simply Sara’s is Simply Amazing!

So, it was a long way to go for our YE event at Simply Sara, 18 miles to be precise. However, it was definitely worth the journey! I love family owned business where the entire family gets into the action and make the patrons feel like family themselves… it’s a lost art unfortunately.
Anyway on the food; Simply Sara is a southern cooking establishment, but what I love most about it, besides the great fried chicken and gravy, is the fact that it’s all fresh made and locally sourced. Sara and James a regulars at our local farmers market and you can definitely taste it in the quality of the food.
I want to thank Sara, James and their girls for making us feel welcome and for providing us with great tasting comfort food. I will definitely be back and will be parading the word.

Well that was another one for the books! Great seeing some of my very favorite Unilocalers. The good people of Simply Sara’s could not have been nicer.
Holy zucchini fries, the food is delicious here. For the most part, they use classic southern ingredients and prepare them in traditional or more modern styles. The fried chicken was boss. The zucchini fries were my favorite, and there wasn’t a menu item I tried that I disliked.
This was my first venture into Ortega, and have to say I loved the neighborhood. I’d love to come back during the daytime to check out the beautiful homes.
All in all, the staff was amazing, the company was fantastic and I had a great time. Thanks again for another winner Allie.

I’m going to focus on the event more than the food… but I’d be dead wrong if I didn’t mention that the fried chicken/​gravy was spectacular and the cucumber salad was sublime! If I go back on my own for nothing else, it will be for those :-)
I’ve been a Unilocal member since ’12 and was nominated/​rewarded with Elite in ’13…yet this was the first event I was actually able to attend. Yes I know, I’m messin up lol But after FINALLY getting to meet most of my Yeeps and basking in our bubbly CM’s presence, it is now my goal to attend as many of these as possible!
The atmosphere was so warm and inviting, full of excited chatter with everyone hugging and reminiscing and (in my case) getting to know each other. Ms Rae (the bartender) was all smiles and very helpful, Mr Exton (the photographer) reminded me of a big olé friendly teddy bear and the Simply Sara’s family were pure delights! The walls are covered with family photos and the overall setting is simple and clean; add the subtle yet cutie Unilocal decorations and it was a great environment.
*Nate M, I feel you… the «Private Event» sign made me feel rather special too lol*
Big Ups to Allie A and Debbie (don’t know her last initial lol) for making my first event an awesome one :-) Oh, and one last shout out to Dee Dee, Jimmy, «Rico Suave» and my fellow Tall Girl, Marie… it was truly great meeting you all and I’m SO looking forward to the next event!

I was very happy to see all my Unilocal peeps Sunday night at the first Elite event of 2014! It felt like it had been far too long.
Simply Sara’s was the perfect place for the gathering… cozy and cute… just like I had walked into my friend’s home.
I enjoyed all the food served that night but for me the highlights were as follows:
Starter — the homemade Pimento Cheese
Appetizer — Sausage and Corn Chowder
Dessert — the Milky Way Cupcake
I will definitely make another trip to Simply Sara’s in the future.
Thanks once again Allie for showing me somewhere new to eat and enjoy!

Really impressed with this one! This place looked like a pinterest page (not that i’ve ever used the website)… Had we not had an event here I would of never known about it! Living at the beach makes it difficult to find little hidden spots like this.
I won’t really go into the food because this is a review of the actual event. I think the other reviewers have done it justice, and one glance at the pictures should be enough to entice you. What I really enjoyed was hearing from the owners. It’s so easy to get the regular restaurant experience where the owner is that last person on your mind. Hearing from them at the end of the night was something special. Hearing how dedicated they were to quality and the community was touching and inspiring. This is the spirit that I would love for our Unilocal community to help and be a part of. It’s about helping the little guys and spreading the word.
They handled the party flawlessly. The staff was awesome and super friendly. The whole thing was well organized. It was great to meet a lot of new faces too. I’m really looking forward to this years event with you all!
AND THANK YOU ALLIE!

My second visit to Sara’s but I got to enjoy the company of my Unilocal family and try many new items. Allie did a great job putting this event together!!!
The pickles and olives were a great starter. We tried the pimento spread and crackers and the eggplant fries with ranch to begin With. Both were very good. I could have eaten the eggplant all day. It was perfectly seasoned with cornmeal, flour and salt and pepper. It was fantastic. My new friend Jay couldn’t believe it was eggplant. He and Dane were great to share the meal with.
Next we tried the sausage corn chowder. My friend Shelley and I agreed it was our favorite of the evening. It was hearty and tasty and yummy!
We got the fried chicken and biscuits with gravy, cucumber and tomato salad, pork sliders and 3 cupcakes. I loved the rich chocolate cupcake, the interesting milky way cupcake but my fav was the coconut cupcake!
The best item of all was the cookies we brought home. Omg!!! Yummy!!!
Sara, her husband, 3 daughters, son in law and staff are so kind and friendly and such a great addition to our dining venue!
We will be back!
And again, Allie– you did great!!!

The highlight of the party was being held in the warm embrace of the Unilocal community last night. I sorely missed everyone and their vivacious and talkative personality! You won’t find a more enthusiastic bunch than Unilocal Elite!
It was absolutely appropriate to have Southern «comfort food» at our «reunion,» it warmed the cockles of my heart. Of course, the delicious Merlot from Flip Flop Wines didn’t hurt either!
We loved our company of Amanda G., of the ‘Somewhere in the City’ fame, and her husband Jared. The conversation starters created by Allie were BRILLIANT! What a fun way to get to know another couple better! It was quite LOUD in the restaurant so we had to yell to talk to our table mates, but I blame the enthusiasm of the other Unilocalers rather than the venue’s walls! Hahaha.
Our favorite dish was the sausage corn chowder. It danced gracefully between being a hearty strew and a light soup. The small pieces of potatoes soaked up the flavors and were the best part! It made me GLAD winter was outside :)
The fudgy-​tastic chocolate cupcakes possessed perfect proportions! It wasn’t so enormous I could only eat half without having an intense sugar rush nor was it doubled in size from the extraneous frosting.
I am also quite partial to the bowl of olives on the table :) The staff were so sweet and on top of their game! I don’t think anyone’s glass got halfway empty before it was refilled with a smile and light conversation. They really made you feel welcome and it added to the «you’re family here» ambiance.
So glad I got to see some familiar faces like Nate M, Jerry, Adam, and Dani! But missed others like Daisy, Tessa and Jimmy. Unfortunately, I didn’t know enough Elite to know WHO the NEW Elite members are from the OLD but hopefully I’ll get to meet them at the next event ^_^

Thrilled we had an event here so I could learn about Simply Sara’s! I never knew this gem of a restaurant was tucked away in Ortega. Because I’m from the deep south, I’m so happy to find a restaurant using all fresh ingredients cooking food I grew up on.
I’m not going to mention everything we had because there’s nothing else I can really add; it was all so good. I do want to say how much I loved the sausage and corn chowder. I’m not generally a soup kinda person, so I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. Very hearty with a slight sweet taste chunked full of large bites of sausage with perfectly cooked potatoes. Since Simply Sara’s isn’t very far from where we live, the next time I’m sick, I’ll be sending hubby here to get soup for me!
Thanks so much to the owners and their family for hosting us. It was a fabulous evening with great food and great service. I can’t wait to return again. I’m especially looking forward to trying the chicken and dumplings in the future as that’s always been one of my favourite meals!
Allie, as always, you did such a great job setting this event for us! I just loved your personal touches like the roses and the floating candles. Thank you so much for always going to extra mile for us!
Lastly, an apology to those I wasn’t able to talk to, shake hands with, etc. I’ve been under the weather for several days and I was trying not to get anyone sick. Can’t wait to see you all at the next event where I’ll be able to mingle more!
‘Til next time, y’all … SYOY!

What a super wonderful and terrific evening. We were treated to all the best the super family owned establishment had to offer. The place is homey and super cute. The décor is all family photographs and sweet sayings, bright and cheerful. Appetizers were eggplant fries w/​chipotle ranch dip which was absolutely amazing. The sausage corn chowder was very hardy with a little spice at the end. The fried chicken was good old southern fried chicken crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, but the gravy was the star of that show! OMG the stuff was to die for, I could have just eaten that alone with the little biscuits, yummy flaky little gems they were. Deserts were all delicious chocolate cupcakes of various different versions and homemade cookies. What a super evening with all our Unilocal buddies. Thanks so much for having us

Simply Saras is simply sensational! This event was like a family reunion! All we needed were purple shirts that said Unilocal Family Reunion on them. All you heard was Hey! Hey! Long time no see! It was a straight up hug fest! Everyone has been «waiting to exhale» for this Elite Event. You could feel the energy in the air! This is why it’s neat to be Elite!
Allie did a marvelous job going «Martha Stewart» on this event! You could feel the vibe… mason jars lined up for drankin, bottles of wine in that nectarine crate with the red checkered «Dolly Parton» bow. Simply Sara’s is like Cracker Barrel, but for real Cracker Barrel. Home cooked Soul Food, family owned and ran, and there’s pictures of the family everywhere so you know it’s real! I loved the Private Event sign when you walked in! My plus one and I got there early and people were walking by like huh? what? private? Sorry Charlie’s do not pass go and do not collect $ 200.
That wine hit the spot! Plus it was all you can drank! Turn up! The last time I ate was breakfast which is super abnormal if you know my eating habits. I downed 2 glasses before the food came out and told myself to s l o w d o w n.
Lots of noms, but i’ll talk about my favorites. Hands down Milky Way Cupcake. I’ve been dreaming bout that thang since Allie posted the Elite event. When it was finally time to snag one, I decided to take one bite jussst to see and oops! I inhaled it! Sometimes you gotta have dessert first! I was throwin back eggplant fries with a vengeance. My friend Anthony and I were eyeing other fry baskets on the sly…:squints eyes. The extra crispy fried Chicken was bomb too! When I come back ill take some milky way cupcakes, some wings, eggplant fries, and wash it down with wine or some sweeet tea. That’s the Nate combo and I want it in that order.
The staff was geniunely nice and inviting. It felt like Chik-​fil-​A when there firing on all cylinders and say my pleasure… I love that… my pleasure. One of the waitresses threw my cookies away and My jaw hit the floor but she was too darn cute and nice and gave me another fresh batch.
It was good seeing eribody! Dani V. with the super hugs and kisses. ;), Jimmy P., Jo el!, Amy!, Dee Dee, Jen, Momma Jen, Allie, Adam, Morgan, Zorro, Anthony, Marie the list is never ending. Finally got to meet Rita! Finally Julie has returned! We need a jumping pic ASAP. Rachel long time no see! Mark we got some planning to do and I want to try Café Freda. See you soon Dewayne, Athena, Tess, Ruby.
This is why I always say: «Thou shall not miss Unilocal Events».

Awesome Elite Event to start 2014! Thank you Allie for putting this event together and thank you Debbi for suggesting Simply Sara’s.
Simply Sara’s is simply special. This family owned restaurant went out of their way to serve and cook for us Unilocalers. This restaurant feels like home and the staff treated us like family.
Food was delicious and everything was made from scratch. It was definitely my first trying out eggplant fries. Also, my first seeing bite-​sized biscuits. I loved their fried chicken dipped in gravy and the pulled pork sliders (don’t forget the sauce). Oh yeah, I like the cucumber tomato salad too. For dessert, I know the Milky Way cupcake will be the one for me. It was sooooooo good, I had to snatch one to-​go.
I would like to see Sara, James, and family again. I will be back and bring my family.

Wowzers! What an awesome event to kick off 2014 with. High five Allie! Having been raised in the South, I am a sucker for pimento cheese, biscuits and gravy, and fried chickens! Therefore, I was even more thrilled than per uzsh to go to this elite event. Simply Sara’s was so very gracious to open their doors to us on their off day. Sara and her staff fixed us some amazing Southern comfort foods: pimento cheese with crackers, corn chowder, pulled pork, fried chickens with gravy, petite biscuits, cucumber and tomato salad, and milky way, coconut, and chocolate cupcakes.
Everything was delicious but I have to make a couple of shout outs. First, pimento cheese… yummm…You betcha bottoms I cleaned that up. I absolutely loved the eggplant fries that were breaded with cornmeal. It was a delicious and novel dish for me. As a nutritionist, it’s nice to see gluten-​free options available, especially for those with nutritionally compromised conditions. The sausage corn chowder warmed me up and had generous bits of sausage, corn, and potato. The fried chicken was ahhh-​mazzzing. So crispy! How did they do that?! I was beyond stuffed…
You can taste the care that goes into preparing these foods at Simply Sara’s. Furthermore, everything is made fresh and ingredients are bought locally. I truly do hope more people recognize the excellence served at Simply Sara’s. Thank you Sara and your family for your hospitality!
I really enjoyed catching up with friends and fellow Unilocalers. It was nice to see Mark B and the wife! The adorableness of Dani V. fellow former Atlantan Jerry T., Julie A. Anthony H., and thanx for saying hi Jimmy P!
Thanx Allie and her crew for a great Sunday evening. I look forward to all the Unilocal goodness to come in 2014!