as published in Arbus Magazine Dec 2022 Holiday Issue
One of the hottest new restaurants isn’t easy to find, parking is a challenge, and you may get stuck waiting for the dreaded San Marco train. Unless you actively seek out the opportunity to dine on unique flavors steeped in history, Bar Molino may never make it on your Resy list. Tucked away behind High Tide Burrito on Hendricks Avenue, this new concept is treating Jacksonville to old-world Spanish tapas served with Southern hospitality. Although the restaurant opened in September, it is quickly becoming a staple in an expanding array of distinctive dining experiences that San Marco has to offer.
Bar Molino is the latest project from the newly formed Maple Lane Group, led by four partners (Alfred Young, Kurt Rogers, Vadim Akimenko, and Rob Roccapriore) from diverse backgrounds with a common mission to change the hospitality industry. By definition, hospitality is the “generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.” More simply, the practice of hospitality is the care of a stranger. This is a core belief practiced by the entire Bar Molino team, unmistakably felt by anyone who enters their establishment. Whether you are visiting for dinner, enjoying happy hour, grabbing a bottle of Rioja from the wine shop on your way home, or picking up items from the Swinerie, their charcuterie shop next door, the team aims to provide the utmost care so that guests leave happy.
Having more than 50 years of combined experience, the owners understand how taxing that level of hospitality can be on the body, mind, and spirit. “By paying above average wages, offering health care at no cost, and encouraging time away for respite and travel,” Kurt explains. “We hope to reciprocate that same level of generous care to our entire team.” The group also makes sourcing ingredients locally a top priority. The restaurant procures as much of their produce from nearby farms as possible, and all meat must be humanely raised. “Not only is this more ethical, but it also enhances the quality of each dish,” explains Head Chef Dustin Wigglesworth as he shares the recipe for Tortilla Española – a staple served in bodegas across Spain.
The culinary team spent several weeks tweaking the recipe to yield a silky omelet with such rich flavors that it just melts in your mouth. Tapas is a great way of communal eating so that you can enjoy a variety of items on the menu. Everything from the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers topped with white anchovies to the La Albondiga, a beef and pork meatball prepared with a savory mix of Moorish spices, to the Basqué style cheesecake, were an absolute delight to taste and try.
The menu changes often depending on what’s in season, but Jamon Iberico de Bellota, the finest ham in the world, is never out of rotation. This culinary triumph is one of the few items imported into the restaurant made from acorn-fed free-range pork, then cured for three years in the southern mountains of Spain.
Chef Dustin also encourages guests to partake in their Conservas offerings, another staple of Spain that you simply will not find on any other menu in Northeast Florida. Conservas are tinned gourmet seafood preserved in olive oil, brine, or squid ink, ready to be popped open and enjoyed with toasted bread, olives, almonds, or any other item one might find on a cheese and charcuterie board. In true tapas tradition, our neighbors from the next table over were kind enough to share a little bit of their sardines in escabeche with us. Our meal was paired with a 2018 Tentenublo Rioja Xerico, a new world-style red coming out of Rioja Alavesa near the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria Mountains. This wine is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Virua to give it some brightness. Its spontaneous yeast fermentation makes it great drinking wine and paired nicely with each dish we savored, from the cheeses and heirloom carrots to the venison and conservas.
To finish the evening, we enjoyed our cheesecake with a glass of Lustau Manzanilla Sherry. For most of us, we think of sherry as a sweet wine that is great for cooking and vinegar, but as we learned from Kurt, who is also a certified sherry wine specialist, it is the perfect wine for most foods. While mostly derived from the same grape, sherry comes in a wide range of flavors, most of which you will never find in Jacksonville, let alone the state of Florida. Depending on how it’s aged, it can be dry or sweet and have notes of coffee or marzipan. Bar Molino carries a wide variety for you to try, or perhaps indulge in one of their tasty sherry cocktails that range from sweet to savory, whatever appeases your palette.
If you are looking for a new adventure in food infused with grace and humility, then served with a warm smile, Bar Molino should be next on your list. Their happy hour begins at 3pm, and we highly advise making a reservation for a most charming dining experience. You are sure to leave with bellies and hearts full.
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