Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

On Saturday we checked out the Quincy Restaurant after watching a glowing video review of the soul food restaurant on Bright House’s Tampa Bay On Demand channel.  Quincy is located on N. 40^th St. in east Tampa by the Hillsborough River and down the road from Big John’s Alabama BBQ. 

When we showed up at Quincy around mid-day the small, humble-looking restaurant was empty save for one other couple.  That didn’t discourage us, though, as this was the same place Tampa Bay On Demand’s Jack Harris had raved about and had said that Tampa mayor Pam Iorio was a regular guest.  Sure enough pictures of Mayor Pam were up on the wall by the counte

After looking over the hand-written wall menu I ordered fried catfish with black eyed peas and tomatoes-and-okra, while Traci ordered baked chicken with fries and tomatoes-and-okra as well.  While northerners turn up their nose at catfish, I grew up in the south and don’t know any better. Each meal also came with cornbread.  At this point, I was still optimistic we were in for a treat.

Unfortunately, while the service was friendly and aimed to please, the food was just very average.  Everything might have been made fresh originally, but was clearly just re-heated by the time we had it.  Maybe things are different during the week.  In any case, this wasn’t the hidden gem that Jack Harris made the place out to be and we fell for.  Shame on us I guess for taking the bait.

While Quincy wasn’t worth the drive for us, I still think Tampa Bay On Demand (on Channel 340 for Bright House Networks customers) is worth checking out for local dining ideas and all sorts of other local content.  Of course, just take Jack Harris’ praise with a big grain of salt!

Bottom-line: We might have just caught Quincy on an off-day, but this wasn’t the tasty southern home-style cooking we were hoping for.  We’re still looking for that hidden gem.   

Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection - February 2006 violations - Critical (3), Non-Critical (1).

Last year, I purchased a couple domain names - TampaBayRail.com and TampaBayRail.net. I intended to launch a web site on mass-transit and address the Tampa Bay area as one region. Not a separate-but-equal take that local government has had in the past on transit solutions. But those plans were soon forgotten as other issues worked into my life (including hand surgery, political campaigns and walking the dog).

Now, for those of you aware of what the local blogosphere has to offer, you already know David Pinero has Tampa Rail.org up and running. Pinero’s site is a great civic orientated pro-rail web site. The plan in my noggin’ with my own blog/site were just to ride the “rail” names but talk about all transit issues in general. But all of this is really beside the point, so let’s move on.

Basically, time goes by, the seasons change, the Gators were champs and John Grahame sucks. A few weeks ago I got notification from my domain registration company that both domain names were soon going to expire. I could renew the domain names for however-many-years I’d like or I could simply let them disappear into the digital tumbleweeds of the interweb. They’d likely be snatched up by a spammer or domain-name broker with no interest in Tampa, Tampa Bay, transit in Tampa Bay or rail in the region.

The whole thought reminded me of what happened to the previous official website that the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County operated regarding a rail system. A few years back (2002), those governments held the rights to TampaRail.com (check the wayback machine). For some reason, the powers that be (City of Tampa? Hillsborough County?) let that domain name expire around 2003. The name was quickly snatched up and exploited by a Russian domain name broker. The web site and url shifted to BlueHeronMedia.com, then ended up drifting into oblivion before being removed from their servers. Tampa’s official rail website was as dead as the pro-rail movement in the region. But the movement is now stirring again.

This past summer, we were all witness to the grand spectacle of the Hillsborough Expressway Authority trying to launch a new sprawlway through the region. Along with Mayor Pam Iorio (and the Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa International Airport) renewing a push for a regional rail system through the Tampa Bay area. Emphasis on the Tampa Bay regionalism of their presented interest.

So, what’s a guy to do? I have control of TampaBayRail.com and .net. I could sell them and possibly recoup some of the costs of the domain names — eventually. Instead, I decided to do some good. I offered both domains to the City of Tampa. You entrepreneurs may see this as a waste of money on my part, but just consider it a good deed.

Suffice to say, the city was receptive of the idea, so both names are now controlled by Mayor Pam. I don’t expect you to see a regional rail website any time soon, but there is the possibility for a united Tampa Bay rail effort on the web — with TampaBayRail.com potentially it’s base location on the web.

145 years ago…

October 31, 1861 – Early in the American Civil War, Captain James McKay’s steamer, the Salvor, is impounded by the Federal Government and he is taken as a prisoner of war.

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

Found via the Right Wing Howler.  

The pink plastic flamingo, a Florida-inspired icon that has been reviled as kitschy bad taste and revered as retro cool, is dead at age 49.  Apparently, the factory that creates the plastic lawn ornaments will stop making them this year.  

Not from the bird-flu as reported months ago, but dying just the same.

But not all is lost.  Sticks of Fire has found a way for you to keep showing your love to the beautiful and wonderous pink flamingo.  I introduce the latest t-shirt creation from Brother Mike.  I suggest you guys would like the pink flamigo t-shirt.  And I’m certain you ladies don’t want to miss out on the pink flamingo thong.