Enjoy a delectable New Year’s Eve dinner at one of San Marco’s finest restaurants.  No need to stray far from the neighborhood. Celebrate in style and savor the amazing dishes prepared by our local chefs.

Bistro AIX is featuring some of their most popular dishes, served a la carte, not prix fixe. Especially prepared for New Year’s Eve, a few of the special items on the menu include Creamy Potato-Leek Soup with whipped truffle butter as an appetizer followed by a second course of Handmade Gnocchi in lobster cream with Maine lobster & micro greens and a third course of Montana Ranch Beef Short Rib with creamy polenta, Brussels sprouts & smoked bacon.  Of course, there will be plenty of bubbles, wine and other festive libations available from the full bar!

bb’s designed special fare for the occasion with starters such as shallot thyme baked escargots  and an array of dinner entrees that include cabernet port braised New Zealand lamb shank with creamy goat cheese polenta, haricot vert, roasted pepper relish, and citrus mint aioli.  Finish with a glass of champagne accompanied by one the bb’s decadent desserts.

Laylay’s offers authentic Mediterranean dishes of Grape Leaves served with Tabouli and Hummus; Fatoush and Lamb Kabob’s.  Enjoy an after dinner cocktail in the lounge and toast the New Year while experiencing the exotic ambiance.

Matthew’s Restaurant prepares exquisite meals that are sure to elevate the palate with their unique blend of spices.  Dishes are distinctively flavored and eloquently presented.

Tavererna presents a unique mix of authentic flavors inspired by Spanish and Italian cuisines. A variety of appetizers provide a great to start to a unique dining experience such as the Herbed ricotta, fig compote with grilled peasant breadfollowed by an entrée of Rack of Lamb, Braised Short Ribs or Duck–all stunningly plated.

The Grotto offers Tapas selections to complement their extensive wine collection. Try the Aged Beef Tenderloin over wilted spinach with marinated tomatoes; Garlic Shrimp sautéed in garlic infused olive oil served with toasted Baguett; or an Empanada filled with wild mushrooms, Prosciutto and Manchego cheese

If you miss New Year’s Eve, you have the rest of 2010 to treat yourself and your family.  To verify hours, make reservations and review full menus, check out the websites or give a call…….

BistroX –  Website: www.BistroX.com Phone: 904-398-1949

bb’s – Website: www.bbsrestaurant.com Phone: 904-306-0010

Lalay’s – Website: www.laylasatsanmarco.com Phone: 904-398-4610

Matthew’s Restaurant – Website: www.matthewsrestaurant.com Phone: 904-396-9922

Taverna – Website: www.tavernasanmarco.com Phone: 904-398-3005

The Grotto – Website: www.grottowine.com Phone: 904 -398-0726

How many of you are sitting here reading this thinking that you really need to lose some weight in the New Year. Historically, “losing weight” has been one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. So I decided to take a tour of the options in our neighborhood. (In case you are wondering I did do this tour as a walking tour, hoping to shape up a little in the process).

Let’s start with the walkability of our neighborhood. San Marco has consistently ranked as one of the top walkable neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Walking rather than driving throughout the day can dramatically impact health and weight. We can walk to shops, restaurants, bars, theaters, coffee shops, parks and the river. Rather than driving to the Town Center for dinner on Saturday night, walk up to one of our neighborhood hot spots, like Taverna or AIX.

If you are looking for something a little more high impact, try a personal trainer. The sheer guilt of canceling on someone will increase your likelihood of working out on a regular basis. Cross Training San Marco at 1722 Hendricks Avenue (619.3113) offers group sessions, individual sessions, corporate training, and boot camps. The gym is friendly and welcoming and has a certain family feel that will keep you motivated to attend the punishing workout session. Definition, located at 1950 San Marco Boulevard (398.6442), has been in San Marco for 12 years and has provided cross training and core strengthening workouts to most of the neighborhood. Definition also offers boots camps and workout sessions for children.

Personal trainer sounds too scary? Time to dance the weight away with Dance Trance. We know you’ve seen the commercial and every time the words “Dance Trance” dance in your head for hours after. The ladies at Dance Trance are successfully shaking their groove things and shaking the pounds off with day and evening classes. Guys, the workout is not just for girls, it is good for you too. Plus you might meet someone…Located at 1515 San Marco Boulevard (390.0939).

Yoga, super hot or in a continuous series of poses, San Marco has it all. Bikram Yoga at 1630 Hendricks Avenue (399.2355) practices the bikram style in a room at 105 degrees with a humidity level of 40%.  Bliss Yoga at 1615 Thacker Avenue (514.0097) practices the Vinyasa method in the living tradition of Krinshnamacharya at a comfortable 80 degrees. Vinyasa yoga connects postures and movement to breath.

Don’t be one of the 75% of people who abandon their New Year’s resolutions in the first three months, take advantage of our neighborhood resources.

Bring One for the Chipper

On Saturday, January 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., bring your un-decorated  tree to Tree Hill Nature Center at 7152 Lone Star Road.  Trees will be processed in a chipper thanks to the tree experts from JEA and Lewis Tree Service.  Mulch, from your tree, will be available to take home.

The first 50 people to participate receive a free seedling from Greenscape and JEA.  Great green activity for the family.  Check out other family activities at Tree Hill http://www.treehill.org/.

Clara from Tidbits Restaurant offers the following advice for healthful holiday eating:

Treat rich, calorie dense food as you would condiments. A few bites are all you need to enjoy the flavor.

Fill up on high fiber foods such as whole grains, fruits & vegetables. They help slow down digestion.

 Eat plenty of protein. Your body burns more calories processing protein.

Splurge wisely and enjoy holiday foods in moderation. Don’t eat the pretzels, potato chips, or other foods you can have anytime. Go for the foods that are special!

Design Elements will say good-bye to San Marco Square today. The store opened in November, full of Christmas decor and an on-staff decorator to help make homes especially merry this year. Trucks arrived at 2:00 today to begin packing up the store.

World’s First Manned Commercial
Spaceship Revealed

by Suzanne Perritt
Accredited Space Agent
scperritt@aol.com

On a blustery December 7th 2009 history was made in the Mojave Desert as aerospace partners Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites revealed the world’s first commercial passenger space liner.

Those of us fortunate enough to attend were among a heady crowd that included the visionary aerospace engineer and system designer Burt Rutan, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, the entire Scaled Composites team, about 170 future astronauts with confirmed reservations … and of course the Accredited Space Agents who are escorting these pioneering clients into a new era in tourism.

Also in attendance were Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Richardson, respectively of California and New Mexico. The two politicians jovially bantered over whose state should rate higher for its involvement in the future of commercial space travel. California is a well-known aerospace incubator and New Mexico is quickly gaining a space-friendly reputation via its newest public works project, Spaceport America, where Virgin Galactic departures will take flight.

The air was charged with excited anticipation. When the big reveal finally came, the 800-strong crowd erupted into thunderous applause on seeing the spaceship suspended from the mother ship, VMS Eve taxiing toward them.

With the resounding smash of two champagne bottles held by the two governors, she was christened VSS Enterprise.

Test flights of the carrier aircraft “White Knight 2″ have been under way for nearly 12 months and flight-testing with the new spaceship will begin in the new year.

Contact me today to hear about this incredible milestone and to reserve your place in history.

School is out for winter break.  Keeping kids busy can be a challenge, but there are lots of fun and healthy ways to keep kids occupied.  Jacksonville has a great variety of activities.  But if you want to stay close to home, San Marco has plenty to offer.

Take a family bike tour of the neighborhood.  Pick up a “Historic Points of Interest & Area Map”  from Ryan at Gallery Framery and explore the history of San Marco.  Gallery Framery is located at 1718 Hendricks Avenue.

Discover a new park, San Marco is fortunate to have lots of neighborhood parks.  Bring along a ball and frisbee.  To find a park go to: http://www.smpsjax.com/san_marco/parks.php

The track at Hendricks Avenue Elementary School is a great place for a family relay race–walk, run or skip backwards.

Play some tennis on the hard courts for free (first come first serve) or play the clay courts at a cost of  $2.50 for 90 minutes (call ahead for a reservation).

Take a break from screen time and head over to San Marco Library.  Challenge your kids to find a holiday story to share with the family.

Visit area merchants for other fun stuff — take in a movie at San Marco Theater; paint pottery at Doin’ Dishes; or create a masterpiece at Yes, You Canvas!

Of course I love Christmas – I’m a Christian, and we love our holidays, sometimes with a vengeance! As it happens, I’m attracted to some aspects of Christmas more than others.

I told this story once in a sermon to my congregation as December 25th was approaching. I was shopping for gifts and found myself on the up escalator in Dillards, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Just ahead of me was a woman talking frantically into her cell phone. She was saying, “I’m shopping, you fool! I’ve eaten my way out of every dress I own, and I have to get another one before tonight’s party!” With that, she clicked her phone shut and headed toward the dress department. Standing only a few feet behind her, I suppressed a smile.

When I told my congregation about this, I’m sure they thought I was scolding them for being too much “of this materialistic world” or something, and that I was going to remind them that Christmas is a celebration of the meek and lowly in the world, and how God works with them to bring God’s grace. They thought they were in for a lecture about the proper seasonal humility, as opposed to our customary orgy of yuletide greed. What they failed to see was that in the escalator story, it was I just behind the woman on the phone, not them.

In the telling of the escalator story, I was ready to laugh at myself a little as Christmas approached. I was remembering the first time I saw a movie like 1980’s Ordinary People, in which a family who has lost its oldest son pursues a “perfect Christmas,” with a vengeance. They don’t get it. Truth to tell, most of us don’t. Better to laugh at temporary shortsightedness in ourselves and try to look at Christmas differently.

In that spirit, I have an announcement to make. I love Christmas when it isn’t perfect. There was a time when I used to ask the church music director to get out the William Billings Christmas anthems for the choir to perform. Billings was an early American composer, and a gifted amateur musician. He is as famous for his mistakes (weird harmonies, etc.) as he is for his tender musical way of looking at the manger and what happens there. But, as I say, that’s what I love about Christmas. I love it when it isn’t perfect.

This year, our congregation has a bunch of families who are willing to give up part of what could have been a magazine-perfect holiday gathering at home with loved ones to (a) cook and serve food to, as well as (b) stay overnight at church with, and (c) offer hope to families who have lost their homes and are trying to stay together, keep the kids in school, and get jobs and a home again. These families will be with us for one week, and by the luck of the draw our church got late December, including Christmas eve. In effect, our church is asking its people to have a less than perfect Christmas by giving to people who can’t give back. We are asking people (me included) to love Christmas when it is less than perfect.

Can you slow down an escalator? That’s what I wonder when I think of the woman ahead of me at Dillards, searching for … for what? A bigger dress? More holiday thrills? She will find them, if that’s what she wants. Meanwhile, I love the kind of Christmas that’s less than perfect, one that’s kind of like the first, but in a different way. Can you slow down an escalator? This year, I think I did. And I love it.

Rev. Richard W. Dow,
Senior Pastor, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

One of Ortega’s favorite florists, Gardner’s of Ortega has opened a shop in San Marco. Gardner’s of Ortega has a celebrated history of custom floral designs and exotic orchids. The San Marco shop is a new shop and will not take the place of the Ortega Village shop. The new Gardner’s is located on Hendricks next to the Cake Shop, across the street from the Gate station. The sign out front simply says flowers, but don’t be fooled by the simple signage. Once inside you will be surrounded by amazing floral arrangements.

Local band Big Bamboo will be rocking Market in the Square this Saturday from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Gazebo in Balis Park. Market in the Square will also have its usual line up of produce and pant vendors including: Tommy Jenkins Produce, Cross Creek Honey, Dazed & Confused, Green Schemes, Blue Planet, and Sublime Scents. Market in the Square will be open from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.