PFG

Heading to St. Augustine next weekend. Looking for best romantic restaurant for dinner, expensive is ok, great food, maybe views?

coldwar27

I'm not sure it is the best romantic but it is a really good restaurant - the Columbia. It is family-owned, they have several in Florida and it is Spanish food.

AMcanadian

Three fine dining and romantic restaurants I enjoy in St Augustine are:
95 Cordova (in the beautiful Santa Monica Hotel)
Opus 39 (has tasting menus)
La Pentola (lovely little courtyard for outside dining)
Just north of St Augustine on A1A, directly on the ocean, is The Reef. Great ocean view.
Enjoy.

Orlando_Vic

AMcanadian has given you some good choices, specifically 95 Cordova, Opus 39 and The Reef. I might add that The Raintree is good too. The Columbia is not what you are looking for, according to how I interpret your request. See <http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...&tid=35152807> for my thoughts about the Columbia.

If, by "romantic", you mean small, warm and intimate with a superb yet unpretentious service and an imaginative and eclectic menu, then I have the perfect choice for you. It is not only a "special occasion" restaurant, it is "Valentines Day" quality and more. The restaurant is Collage <http://www.collagestaug.com/>.

They have been open for two years, but tonight is the first time we have had to try it - and it was wonderful. It fully meets all your criteria. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

PFG

Thank you all! I'll report back!

Lesley_in_Florida

Columbia...argh and ick. Tourist trap.

Go to Saltwater Cowboys at Dondeville Road and Matanzas River. Ask for back patio area.

Raintree is good, too.

321go

I don't at all dislike Columbia, but I wouldn't call it romantic.

I've really enjoyed 95 Cordova and 39 Opus - good food, lovely atmosphere.

Vic, has Collage been open long? I'm putting on my list to try next time I'm up that way.

Orlando_Vic

321-
It has been open a little more than two years. Last Sunday we went there for the first time and I was impressed with everything there.

My wife had a house salad of fresh baby greens with orange balsamic vinaigrette, while I started with a tomato & basil soup. She had fresh black grouper, lightly coated in a parmesan, pecan & brown sugar crust then baked, finished with a buerre blanc. I had the duck breast with scallops, pan-seared crispy, thinly sliced and finished with a raspberry and shallot redux, a fried vidalia onion nest and two large scallops" poached in apple cider. It is strictly a special occasion restaurant...and pricey, but the portions are very generous and the quality was superb!

321go

Oh my gosh, the grouper sounds wonderful! Collage is moving up the list of restaurants to try out. Thanks!

PFG

Report back on our trip to st. Augustine: Thanks for all the recommendations, they worked out great!

We loved dinner at Saltwater Cowboys - very local, fun ambiance, great food, generous portions, great value. Dinner at 95 Cordova was very nice. Lovely atmosphere, very good food, excellent service, a little pricey, but very very good. Our meal and evening at Collage was spectacular and I would highly recommend it. It was truly excellent: food, service, decor, atmosphere, menu, everything. It is every bit as good as any restaurant we've been to. It completely filled the bill of romantic and special, I would agree it is Anniversary / Valentine's Day / Special Occasion quality!

We did get to Cafe Alcazar for lunch which was a unique place which we greatly enjoyed.

Thanks again for the help, it was a great trip!

Orlando_Vic

Thank you, PFG, for the great gastronomic report! You did very well in such a short period of time. Thanks for trusting us with those restaurant recommendations.