Philly has the cheesesteak, New York has popularized thin crust pizza, and Chicago has a pretty unique hot dog. When it comes to food, Tampa Bay isn’t quite as well known. Sure, we’ve got Bern’s, famous for serving dry aged beef and housing the largest restaurant wine cellar in the nation, but otherwise we’re not known for any one dish. I believe the biggest reason is the lack of history and a rich culture.
Relatively speaking, Tampa is a new city. We’ve got a large Cuban influence in the Bay area and have recently seen an increase in the food offerings from the Hispanic population, but that’s where it ends. The rest of us likely emigrated from elsewhere. My roommate is from Clearwater, my friend Katy is from Tampa and my buddy Todd hails from New Port Richey, but otherwise most of my friends are from places like Dallas, Boston and New York City.
Fortunately there is hope for a food culture in Tampa. Instead of dwelling on the past, it’s time to get to work to create our own culture, rich with dishes and flavors unique to the Tampa Bay area. Since I grew up in a city with a celebrated food culture, I guess I’ve always taken it for granted, but not anymore. I got to work thinking of a few dishes unique to the Tampa Bay region as a beginning to my quest. I’m sure I’ve missed a few, but here is a great start to the list:
Grouper Sandwich. I wouldn’t consider the grouper sandwich a cutting edge creation, but it’s a Tampa Bay original nonetheless. It’s essentially a fish sandwich made with grilled, blackened or fried grouper and served on a bun with lettuce, tomato and tarter sauce. Frenchy’s in Clearwater claims to have the original grouper sandwich; created out of a necessity to use up a plethora of extra grouper caught while fishing. They put the fish on a bun and began serving it as a sandwich in their restaurant; the rest is history. The best place to enjoy a grouper sandwich is after a hot day at the beach; Frenchy’s on Clearwater Beach and The Undertow on St. Pete Beach are a couple of my favorites.
Cuban Sandwich. Perhaps one of the most famous of the Tampa creations, the Cuban sandwich can now be found across the United States and at every corner lunch cafe and gas station in the Tampa Bay area. There is still debate as to whether or not the sandwich was indeed created in the area, but I enjoy the fact that there are people like Andy Huse, who take the sandwich VERY seriously. If you’re like me, you’ve probably had a few lackluster Cuban sandwiches, but a well made pressed Cuban with pork, salami, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on fresh Cuban bread can be a work of art.
Alaskan Tacos. Found only in Ybor City, an Alaskan taco is a twist on the traditional Tex-Mex crunchy shell taco. At Meme’s Alaskan Tacos, they deep-fry the shell and meat, then top with lettuce, tomato and cheese. They weren’t created in Tampa, but instead were a concept that the owner picked up from his grandmother, who created the taco while she lived in Alaska. Go ahead and try and find them outside of Tampa; you probably won’t. I’m not certain that I’d drive across town for an Alaskan taco, but they sure do make for a good street food while strolling around Ybor.
Beer. It surely wasn’t invented in the Sunshine State, but it’s nice to know that we can still enjoy a locally made brew. In Ybor city, sample home made beer at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Established in 1997, they are the only brewpub in Ybor that still brews their own beer. If you’re a little farther north, you can make a stop by the pub at the Dunedin Brewery where they produce several year round favorites as well as seasonal brews like the Oktoberfest or the Christmas Farm Ale. Or pick up a six-pack at your local liquor store and enjoy at home or have a pint at a local tavern.
Honorable Mention: Bang Bang Shrimp, the Bloomin’ Onion and Hooters Wings. Ok, so these three dishes are synonymous with chain restaurants and Anytown, USA, but they were all created and popularized right here in the Bay area. I admit that I can’t step foot in Bonefish grill without the intention of ordering Bang Bang shrimp; fried shrimp coated in a spicy mayonnaise based sauce. I can’t get enough. And there are few indulgences more satisfying than sitting at the bar in Outback Steakhouse and having a deep fried onion and a couple of cold beers. I love Hooters wings but I still keep that quiet from my good friends from Buffalo. Since they’re breaded, they are more like the distant cousin of the famous Buffalo Wing. I’ve enjoyed them since I was a kid and still patronize Hooter’s to this day. Thank you Clearwater!
So what’s next on the horizon for Tampa food? Our biggest battle will be to fight the influence of the chain restaurants and the erosion of the palate. It’s unfortunate that our kids are being raised believing that Carrabba’s is genuine Italian and that the food at Applebee’s is actually good. Sure, we all indulge in a little chain restaurant food from time to time, but without restaurants in the area like Bella’s, El Taconazo, Ceviche and Sidebern’s, what would make Tampa Bay any better for food than any other city in the nation?
dreaming
2 years ago
yr right, but after a grouper sandwich and a cuban – and both are a stretch to ascribe to tampa – im not sure the rest of yr list has much chance of sticking. i love the tb brewing co beer, but craft beer and brew pubs are a dime a dozen just about anywhere. hooters wings are probably the strongest contender for association with this area since hooters is eaten nationwide, and somewhat passionately, though i doubt even 1 percent of the us population has any clue where hooters originates from. in fact, id say most of the us population is not exactly sure where or what tampa bay even is, never mind its ‘food.’ but thats ok. im ok that there isnt really a ‘food’ from this area. if a bland whitefish sandwich on a cottony white bun ends up being the signature, well, that’s almost fitting, in a perverse kind of way…
Mr. Bill
2 years ago
Don’t forget the Columbia, Shells, and Red Lobster also started in the Tampa Bay area too.
Rick
2 years ago
Great Read…everytime my friends are in from out of town they say “take me to Tampa places”..and its always a trip to Frenchys, Ceviche,Arcos Iris, Columbia, Bern’s, Bella’s, Carmine’s, Crab Shack…
chaaalie
2 years ago
The “pressed” cuban is a bastardization of the original Tampa sandwich … Pressing seemed to start in South Florida in the 80s … and until the mid-to-late 90s you’d be hard pressed (ooh, bad pun) to find one in Tampa … Drive through Ybor, and look at the older homes, you’ll notice that many still have a big nail next to the door … that was for the delivery of the old cuban bread loaves. The delivery man would strike the crusty loaf against the head of the nail, and it would hang there until it was retreived.
dave
2 years ago
I wonder if menus from the early hotels are around somewhere? Or if there were any notable Ybor City restaurants, and/or dishes.
Maybe Lucy Jones at a href=”http://myfloridahistory.blogspot.com/”>My Florida History could point to some early menus.
dave
2 years ago
whoops, forgot to include a bracket
My Florida History
litbrit
2 years ago
We do need some definitive Tampa Bay Iconic Foods, and this post is a great jumping-off point for discussion. But consider taking grouper sandwiches off the list–please! First of all, many restaurants substitute other, cheaper fish anyway (I believe the Times did a very revealing series about this). Second, grouper is both endangered and mercury-contaminated (it’s recommended that adults eat it 2X per month, maximum, and then only if they absolutely have to).
Which sucks, I know. But once again, greed and laissez-faire environmental policy (and weak enforcement of same) have got the better of us and now we’re stuck paying a ridiculously high price for the privilege of eating real grouper while depleting the species and mercury-loading our bodies in the meantime.
tommy
2 years ago
The St. Pete Times did a bunch of reports on the grouper situation. http://sptimes.com/2006/webspecials06/grouper/index.shtml
The restaurants claimed that they were fooled by the suppliers, but it looks more and more as if most of them knew the real story.
oiler
2 years ago
Try to find a deviled crab outside of tampa. It’s nearly impossible.
litbrit
2 years ago
The restaurants claimed that they were fooled by the suppliers, but it looks more and more as if most of them knew the real story.
I think so, too. As if a restaurateur is going to look at and taste that day’s “grouper” shipment, see that it’s really Tilapia, and refuse it with a wave of the hand, saying “Oh, we’ll have to take grouper sandwiches off the menu today”–and lose serious dollars in so doing.
Money, its a hit.
Dont give me that do goody good bullshit.
Lucy Jones
2 years ago
Whenever I have a question about an old Tampa restaurant, I ask Andy Huse at USF-Tampa. He knows more than just Cuban sandwiches!
andrew t. huse
1 year ago
Lucy Jones is quite enterprising herself— she makes history work. I’ve always loved Sticks of Fire, too. Great job! I finally started my own site, http://www.delicioushistory.com where i explore lots of food-related issues, many of them local. I will be linking to you shortly.