It is officially (more-or-less) hoodie season. That means it’s time to pretend we have seasons in Florida and roll out the fall menus. Autumn is actually a great time of year for food on the First Coast because things that grow in the ground can actually mature to ripeness before they roast in our notoriously brutal sun.
Downtown’s swankiest dining establishment, Cowford Chophouse, has officially launched its seasonal lunch, dinner, and cocktail menu chock-full of fall-inspired offerings developed by Executive Chef Ian Lynch and his culinary team.
Cowford’s new seasonal dishes are a distinct departure from traditional steakhouse fare, pulling instead from local inspiration and ingredients. With a focus on comfort, the new menu leans on those quintessential fall flavors you’ve come to expect this time of year but with an undeniably contemporary twist.
Here’s a few of the new items gracing Cowford Chophouse’s new fall menu.
Starters
Whether you’re just snacking over cocktails or going in on a steak, you don’t want to skip Chef Lynch’s creative appetizers inspired by international cuisines the world over.
New to the menu is that ubiquitous Southern classic pimento cheese, here served with benne cracker and crudité.
It’s off to Italy next for house-made meatballs made from the trimmings of Cowford’s premium beef selections, smothered in a traditional red sauce and served over creamy Anson Mills white cheddar rice middlin “grits.”
Smoked Salmon Spring Rolls round out the new appetizer additions served with a gingery, celery leaf salad and soy mustard for a little Asian flare.
Sandwiches & Salads
For lunch, there are two new options depending on how badly you’re willing to break your calorie budget.
For the healthier options, there’s a kale and quinoa salad with heirloom tomato, cauliflower, butternut squash (because fall), tossed in a charred tomato vinaigrette and topped with cotija cheese.
The not-healthy-at-all option is a braised short rib grilled cheese sandwich featuring three kinds of cheese and pepper jelly between thick slices of buttery brioche that is exactly as decadent as it sounds.
Entrées
For dinner, the Cowford kitchen has rolled out two new fish set-ups including a filet of grouper served with freekeh, fennel, mint, pomegranate sees and arugula salad over pureed cauliflower.
The fish of the day presentation includes roasted butternut squash, parsnips, brussels sprouts leaves and foraged mushrooms on a root vegetable puree, finished with a simple meuniére brown butter sauce.
The red wine-braised short rib from that ridiculous grilled cheese makes an appearance on the dinner menu as well, served over those rich and creamy middlins along with swiss chard, baby carrots and pearl onions.
Of course, there’s still always good old-fashioned steak.
In addition to the new noms, the fall menu includes an entire list of creative new cocktails you’ll just have to discover on your own.
If you’re looking for the perfect place to impress a date or somewhere to pre-game before a Florida Theatre show, there’s really no better view than Cowford’s famous rooftop, and their opulent dining room ain’t so bad either.
Oh, and if you’re too lazy to put on a shirt and some shoes, Cowford Chophouse now delivers via Grubhub and UberEats. Nice!
Check out the full menu.
Bold Bites is a collaboration between Void Magazine and Edible Northeast Florida. If it’s BOLD and ridiculously tasty in the 904, we’ll try it. Follow @boldbites on Instagram.
