When Jon and Kristi Blackford were looking for a place to launch their new, full-scale restaurant, they knew where it wouldn’t be. Though Jon Blackford had successfully held a number of chef positions for years in Southern California and, with his wife, ran their own place there, the couple agreed that the Golden State just wasn’t right for their next venture.
On the advice of relatives, they looked into Jacksonville and liked what they saw. So, in April 2022, they made the decision to close their popular Costa Mesa establishment, Fork & Knife, and move to The First Coast.
At first, the Blackfords were considering downtown Jacksonville for their new restaurant, but meeting David Miller, CEO of The Yards, and learning about this unique sports and entertainment venue, they saw an opportunity too good to miss. With golfers, pickleball and tennis players on site, there would be a built-in customer base from day one.
The new restaurant, Argyle, is expected to open in the first week of August in the former location of the 3 Palms Grille, now completely renovated. The address is 254 Alta Mar Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach.
At first, Argyle will be open for lunch, with outdoor seating. About three weeks to a month later, the Blackfords will add dinner hours, with indoor dining.
The lunch menu will consist of sandwiches, salads, appetizers and a small charcuterie selection. The dinner menu will feature a nice steak selection, as well as come composed seafood and game dishes and a larger charcuterie and cheese selection.
One of the highlights of the cuisine will be how much of it is actually created in-house.
“All the meats are going to be made in-house,” said Jon Blackford. “We’re going to bake most of the bread in-house. We have a pasta extruder that we’re going to do the pastas in-house. So, most everything’s going to be made from scratch here.”
For example, they will also make their own pastrami.
The fare will have an American theme with a “California vibe,” which Blackford characterized as being more vegetable-driven. And there will be some surprises, like Dutch crunch bread, which originated in California, and porchetta sandwiches.
“We’ll have a lot of local seafood, which I’m really excited to work with,” said Blackford, “because California’s seafood is totally different than here.”
He also praised the quality of fruits here.
“The fruit out here is amazing,” he said. “I would say better than California, for sure.”
Argyle is also expected to offer an impressive wine and cocktail list. The former will feature wines from France, Spain, Oregon and Washington, as well as a few of the bigger California names.
Cocktails are a specialty of General Manager Ravin Buzzell, with whom Blackford worked out west. Buzzell ran his own speakeasy in Orange County and has an impressive resume with regard to bartending and managing bars.
“He’s one of the best I’ve ever met,” Blackford said.
Eventually, Argyle will be open from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for lunch, though a bar menu will still be available after that time. Then, it will reopen from 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner. The bar will remain open for another hour-and-a-half to two hours.
“At nighttime, you’re still going to be able to get a burger and a beer,” Blackford added.
Argyle has hired about 20 back-of-the-house workers and another 30 front-of-the-house workers. Blackford will serve as the head chef, but he will also have an experienced sous chef. Buzzell’s assistant manager is also very experienced.
For now, there will be 145 seats, 100 of those outside, and an indoor/outdoor bar.
The best way to follow Argyle’s progress at this time is through Instagram and Facebook, though a website is being developed at argylepvb.com.
In the future, the Blackfords would like to open more restaurants, each with a different theme, possibly Mexican or Spanish, maybe Mediterranean.
In the meantime, the Blackfords are pleased to be opening their new restaurant on The First Coast.
“Everybody’s made us feel so welcome out here that it’s been such an easy transition,” Jon Blackford said. “We couldn’t love it more.”
