Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

This post is a bit overdue, due to limited Net access until just days ago, but I thought some of you would still be interested in how our last two weeks of dining in Tampa went before our move up to Gainesville.

The weekend before last, we decided to stop into Castellano & Pizzo Italian Gourmet Foods on Henderson one last time. This time, instead of bringing my parents, we went with Traci’s dad. In addition to enjoying another pressed Cuban sandwich, we also ordered dessert this time from their bakery, too. Mazzaro’s is the king of local Italian markets/delis, but I will still miss Castellano & Pizzo.

We hadn’t been to Interbay Meat Market in several months, but were looking for a cheap and quick meal one night that was close by and thought of Interbay. On our previous visits, we had stuck to deli sandwiches, but on this visit we went with some of their cafeteria-style Cuban food. It’s hard to beat a big serving of ropa vieja, black beans and yellow rice for five bucks (and no, I don’t want to think about how long that food may have been sitting there). No frills and good food always works for me.

Speaking of no frills, we also stopped into El Taconazo aka “the Taco Bus” on Hillsborough in Seminole Heights one day for lunch. While I didn’t love the place after my first visit maybe a year ago, the Taco Bus has grown on me with each subsequent visit. The “specials” for lunch - two soft tacos with refried beans and rice- are a good deal. The tacos are small but tasty (you do have to be a fan of cilantro to like ‘em) and the thick green hot sauce on the table makes things taste even better. The Bus will be missed.

On our last week in town, in a break from packing, we hit Mel’s Hot Dogs on Busch one day for lunch. I ordered a “Reuben” dog and Traci went with a “Chicago” dog. Mel’s is a cool little place full of history and I’m glad that multiple readers suggested we visit Mel’s before we moved. Mel himself unfortunately wasn’t there when we stopped in, which, from what I understand, is part of the unique experience.

I also re-visited another reader favorite, the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, one day for drinks after work. To me, the Brewing Company’s new location in Centro Ybor doesn’t have nearly the charm of their previous location a few blocks away, but the beer selection is still great (I’m a light beer wimp and like their True Blonde Ale the best). The outdoor bar and patio area at the new location is a good addition.

We also couldn’t leave town without having going-away drinks out night at Kahuna’s, our neighborhood dive bar on Gandy across from Derby Lane. The food at Kahuna’s can be dicey, but the drinks are stiff and priced right. People that think this place has a rough crowd probably spend too much time in SOHO.

Finally, we went ahead and splurged with a Sunday brunch at the Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach. While the Vinoy and Oystercatcher’s may have better brunches, we have a warm spot for the Don since Traci grew up in South Pasadena/St. Pete Beach and we used to spend a lot of time in the area. For me, the fresh seafood selection was the highlight of the brunch. Traci liked the made-to-order pasta station. We were also able to get a table near the window with a direct view of the beach and the gulf.

There’s lots of additional local restaurants we would have liked to hit before we moved, but we ran out of time. While some of the criticism of the Tampa Bay food scene is justified, the area certainly isn’t starved for good food and good local restaurants either - if you know where/how to look. Granted it does take time, effort, experimentation (you can’t find “hits” without being willing to eat at a fair share of “misses” as well), talking with your friends and neighbors, and just keeping your eyes and ears open.

Again, I’ve greatly enjoyed contributing to Sticks over the past year and sharing local restaurant reviews with you. Thanks again for reading and for all of the restaurant suggestions - that’s all for me!

We’re now down to less than two weeks before we make the move to Gainesville. So instead of reviewing one restaurant this week, I thought I’d provide brief summaries of the places we’ve eaten at the past two weeks. Thanks again to everyone who posted suggestions of restaurants to visit one last time before we move, as well as an unexpected number of places to try out in Gainesville.

Two weekends ago we checked out the recently-opened CDB’s Southside Italian Restaurant on S.Westshore Blvd (in the same spot as the old Cafe Anna). We were told by our server that this new location is more upscale than the CDB’s near USF and in Lakeland (we haven’t been to either). While the place felt cramped and prices were on the high side, we enjoyed the deep dish pizza and the roasted eggplant appetizer that we ordered.

We also made a return visit to La Teresita one evening and again ate like champs for a bargain price. Thanks to David Jenkins, I enjoyed a delicious vaca frita. Another evening, some friends took us out to Red Mesa in St. Pete. This remains my favorite local restaurant for Southwest-style cuisine.

This past weekend, with my parents and younger brother and his girlfriend in town visiting, we hit Castellano & Pizzo for lunch with Cuban sandwiches all around. We had originally planned on Wright’s, but after pulling up and seeing the line snaking out the door, I knew a change of plans was in store. We were looking for a place Friday night that was close by and on the water so we went to RattleFish Raw Bar & Grill. We knew we’d be paying up for the view of the bay. My fish tacos were okay and everyone in our group was generally happy, but Traci’s burger was undercooked. This place continues to slip.

On Saturday evening, we headed out to Clearwater Beach with plans of having dinner at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill. The place was understandably packed ahead of sunset, and knowing that my family hates to wait, we decided to try the much smaller “The Original” Frenchy’s Cafe just a few blocks away. The food wasn’t award-winning, but the prices were good, and there wasn’t a wait. We were able to walk right up and grab one of the handful of tables outside. My steamed mussels were good, but my cup of gumbo was lukewarm.

Before we go, we still plan to check out Mel’s Hot Dogs, which is a clear reader favorite, and make a return visit to The Chattaway in St. Pete. A stop at El Taconazo is another possibility. These are the kinds of no-frills, local places that I’ll miss the most. Finally, doing a fancy Sunday brunch as a going away treat is also on our list - either Oystercatchers, Don CeSar or the Vinoy.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the comments and ideas over the past year.

We only have about three more weeks in Tampa.

Traci and I will be moving at the end of the month up to Gainesville. I’m starting work in the fall on a Ph.D in mass communication at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. We didn’t think we’d be moving until the end of June, but Traci just landed a job that starts in a few weeks so off we go.

I’ve enjoyed greatly contributing to Sticks over the past year, particularly the reader feedback (thanks for the regular flow of new restaurant ideas). It has also been nice to meet some of the Sticks writers in person. Tommy has really built something special and it has been cool being a small part of it.

Sticks will soon introduce another restaurant reviewer, and I plan to maintain my FloridaFoodHound.com blog. All of my archived Tampa Bay restaurant reviews will remain available, and I hope to post on occasion about Gainesville and North Florida restaurants.

It’s not like I’ll be moving a thousand miles away, and we plan to visit every couple months, so I may have a few more restaurant reviews up my sleeve once in a while if Tommy will still have me.

So, If you only had three more weeks in Tampa, where would you go to eat? What restaurants would you visit one last time? What would you order? Send me your ideas and we’ll try to hit some of them over the next few weeks and (of course) share our experiences with you.

Thanks for reading!

After a little bit of a break, we’re back. Over the past few weeks, we’ve checked out two Tampa institutions when it comes to Cuban food - Arco-Iris and La Teresita. Both restaurants are located off of Dale Mabry on W. Columbus Drive or “Boliche Boulevard” - sort of the Tampa equivalent of Miami’s Calle Ocho.

When we visited La Teresita several weeks ago, the first thing we noticed was the great smells of Cuban food that hit us the moment we got out of the car. We went on a weekend and the place was buzzing with activity. We found two open stools at one of the packed counters and sat down. While our server struggled to keep up with her counter area, the food was great- and the portions were huge and cheap.

I ordered ropa vieja with yellow rice and black beans and Traci ordered traditional chicken and yellow rice. The buttered Cuban bread at La Teresita was particularly addictive. Everyone was friendly and we left stuffed. I’ve heard the knock before that La Teresita isn’t clean etc, but we didn’t have any problem (their kitchen I’d rather not think about). From a customer point of view, it looks the same as pretty much any old diner - worn down, but comfortable. If you’re expecting frills, this certainly isn’t your place.

This past weekend, we decided to check out Arco-Iris, which is only a few doors down from La Teresita. We found the food to be equally as good, although we like the diner-like buzz of La Teresita more. Arco- Iris is more of a traditional sit-down place. Again, nothing fancy. The focus is on the tasty and affordable food. At Arco-Iris, I ordered carne asada with yellow rice and black beans. Traci went with chicken and onions with the yellow rice and black beans too. Again, we came away stuffed and happy.

La Teresita and Arco-Iris both serve several Cuban-Chinese dishes as well, which sounded interesting but we decided to stick with old stand-bys. Sue Carlton explained in a recent column the Cuban-Chinese connection, which goes back many years. Fried rice with plantains is certainly a unique combination.

I am glad that I didn’t check out the health inspection reports on either until after our visits.

Bottom-line: I should have explored Boliche Boulevard sooner. For those of you looking for authentic Cuban food in big portions at cheap prices, head over to La Teresita or Arco-Iris, two uniquely Tampa experiences.

La Teresita Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: March 2007 violations - Critical (8), Non-Critical (12).

Arco-Iris Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: April 2007 violations - Critical (14), Non-Critical (7).

Thanks in part to a reader suggestion last week, we decided to check out the weekly food fair at Wat Mongkolratanaram off Palm River Road this past Sunday. We had first heard about Wat Tampa’s food fair in an article by Chris Sherman of the Times a few months ago. The place sounded great.

We still weren’t sure, though, what to expect at Wat Tampa. All we knew was that we liked Thai food and that our money would go to a good cause. All proceeds from the food fair go to the building of a new Buddhist temple and other facilities. The fair is run by volunteers and all the food is donated.

We arrived in the early afternoon to find the place packed with people in a sort of open-air market atmosphere. It took us a few minutes to get our bearings and figure out how things work. Most dishes are $3 to $5 a piece. Drinks like Thai tea are just a buck each.

Even though we didn’t really know what we were doing, everyone was friendly and helped us out. A few minutes later, we had several plates of Thai food for a bargain price. We sat down to eat at one of the many red picnic tables that line Wat Tampa’s grounds along the Palm River. We certainly didn’t feel like we were in Florida.

The dishes we tried included a traditional pad Thai, a spicy curry, a roasted chicken, and spring rolls. We also tried fried slices of vegetables (tasted like plantains or potatoes?) that were sweet and interesting. For dessert, on Chris Sherman’s recommendation, we ordered coconut rice cakes. This was clearly the most popular item at the fair. The rice cakes reminded us a little of of marshmallows.

Overall, our visit to Wat Tampa was a great experience - a combination of a good affordable lunch and a nice outing. Even if you’re not a big fan of Thai food, I think you’d enjoy walking around the grounds and checking things out. Again, sitting on the peaceful river I felt like I had been transported to another place and time. The food fair is open each Sunday from 10:30am through the afternoon. Palm River Road is off US 41/50th Street not far from the exit off the Crosstown.

Bottom-line: If you’re looking for something different to do for lunch one Sunday, check out the weekly Thai food fair at Wat Tampa. Enjoy good food at good prices and your money goes to a good cause.

Looks can be deceiving.  Especially at the dully-named-but-tasty Thailand Restaurant on S. Dale Mabry, SOG and just a couple of blocks from the base.From the outside, the restaurant looks semi-abandoned with paint badly peeling (could this be the original coat of paint from when the place first opened in 1979?) and with letters missing from the sign on the restaurant’s exterior.  Inside, though, Thailand Restaurant is clean and surprisingly better decorated than many mid-priced Thai restaurants and the polar opposite of how the place looks outside.

We first tried Thailand Restaurant a few months ago, were pleasantly surprised by the food and service, and have been back several times since.  On our most recent visit last Friday evening, we ordered the chicken satay, which are grilled chicken strips served with a peanut dipping sauce and freshly sliced cucumber, as our appetizer.  For our main course, I ordered the panang curry with pork and Traci ordered the hot & spicy chicken.  We asked for both dishes “Thai hot”, which elicited a warning from our server, until we explained we love spicy food and that I grew up in New Orleans. 

The satay was good, but not outstanding.  My panang curry was tasty and Traci’s hot & spicy chicken was a mix between being painfully and enjoyably spicy in a good way.  On a previous visit, I enjoyed the pad thai with chicken.  The Thai coconut soup was good too.  We also tried the chicken curry puffs on a previous visit.  They were interesting, but I wouldn’t try them again.   Overall, the food at Thai Restaurant has been good, the service is friendly and prompt and the atmosphere is pleasant.

The only other Thai restaurants in Tampa I’ve tried are Royal Palace Thai on SOHO and Thai Thani at Channelside.  I enjoyed Royal Palace, but Thailand Restaurant is more convenient for us.  Thai Thani seemed overpriced with mediocre food and service, which I guess is to be expected at Channelside.  Thai Sweet Basil on Northdale sounds like a winner.  For those of you in St. Pete, a good choice for lunch is 9 Bangkok Thai Restaurant on Central Ave.  The place doesn’t look like much on the outside, but has good lunch deals.  Ratchada Thai Restaurant on First Ave N. is also pretty good.    

I do have to ding Thailand Restaurant for a whopping 14 critical violations on its inspection last fall.  These violations were all corrected on a follow-up visit.  Good thing I don’t check these beforehand.    

So what’s your favorite Thai restaurant in Tampa Bay?

Bottom-line:  Ignore the bland name and the ramshackle exterior.  The nearly 30 year old Thailand Restaurant turns out very good Thai food at reasonable prices in a surprisingly nice environment.

Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: October 2006 violations - Critical (14), Non-Critical (4).

Thanks to Cappy’s Pizzeria on Bay to Bay in Palma Ceia for being rude to us this past Friday evening. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have stumbled upon little Vino E Pasta on Gandy instead.

Our original plan for dinner on Friday had been to try out Cappy’s again. This time we planned to order Cappy’s New York style pizza. The place was crowded when we got there with folks standing around for tables, which was fine and what we expected. We put our name on the list at the front door and helped ourselves to beers from the cooler. After waiting a few minutes, we noticed that one of the tables on the small deck outside had opened up. We were pretty sure we had been told on a previous visit that outside was “open seating.” Just to make sure, Traci asked one of the guys behind the counter if outside was open seating. He said it was indeed seat yourself so outside we went to the table.

Within a minute of us sitting down, the server told us that, sorry, we had to leave. I asked why and she said she had promised the table to another group. I explained that we had asked at the counter before taking this table (i.e. we didn’t just “steal it”) and she told me the guy “didn’t know what he was talking about.” Next, a guy who I assume was the manager, walked up after we had already exited the table and were walking out. Instead of being apologetic or offering us another table or letting me explain things, he tell us “just leave” and walks off. Wonderful. The service was mediocre previously, and I didn’t like their Chicago style pizza, so shame on me for giving the place a second chance. Never again.

My experience at Cappy’s left me in a pretty crummy mood and I wasn’t really up for waiting in another line. As we turned onto Gandy we thought of Vino E Pasta, a little Italian restaurant near the corner of Gandy and Himes that we had passed many times before but hadn’t tried. Now seemed like as good a time as any. Vino E Pasta doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside, with its dim lighting, the restaurant was nicer than we expected. It didn’t take long to notice that this place provides a level of service and attention that is much higher than you typically get at mid-priced restaurants around town.

As the name Vino E Pasta implies, the restaurant’s fairly simple menu is built around wine and pasta. An interesting twist is that the restaurant has a fixed price wine list (all wines are around $5 per glass and $24 per bottle if I recall). We’re not big wine drinkers, but after the Cappy’s fiasco we figured why not and ordered a bottle of white. We also received a complimentary bruschetta sampler. For my entree, I went with one of the specials, a salmon stuffed with crab meat and pasta on the side. Traci decided upon a penne pasta with a marinara sauce with sausage. Each dinner came with a nice side salad.

My salmon with crab meat was excellent as was my pasta. Traci’s pasta was good too. Going all out, we split an order of tiramisu for dessert. This ended up being a pricey meal with the wine and dessert, but still a good deal. I think you could do dinner for around twenty bucks per person. This may not be the best Italian in town, but if you’re looking for a neighborhood spot where not only is the food good, but they’re likely to treat you like a regular even on your first visit, then this place fits the bill.

Bottom-line: Thanks to a rotten attitude from Cappy’s, we had the chance to try Pasta E Vino. Good food and friendly service was a pleasant surprise at this nice little neighborhood Italian restaurant.

On Monday, I headed over with a friend to Boizao, a newly opened Brazilian steakhouse on Boy Scout Blvd across from International Plaza and Bay Street. Last week I went to the opening of Boizao and was impressed. The food was great and the service tried to please. Of course, this was to be expected at a grand opening. I was interested in seeing how Boizao served everyday customers for lunch.

If you’re a true carnivore and haven’t been to a Brazilian steakhouse before, you’re missing out. Even if you’re not a meat-eater, you’re still missing out on a unique experience. Churrascarias generally include cold buffets with salads, cold meats and imported cheeses. The main attraction, though, is the large selection of all-you-care-to-eat cuts of meat served table side by gauchos (Brazilian cowboys). The gauchos keep serving you until you tell them to stop. In the case of Boizao, it features 14 different fire-roasted cuts (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, sausage).

I thought the food was equally as good on Monday as it was at the opening. My friend had never been to a Brazilian steakhouse before and was impressed by the selection of meats and the quantity of food. My favorite cuts at Boizao are the knock-out costela de cordeiro (lamb chops), filet mignon and the filet com bacon (bacon wrapped filet). Warm side dishes included with meal are fried bananas, cheese bread, and mashed potatoes. This is not a diet place. Yes, you can just do the buffet and stick to the salad items, but watching the gauchos walk by with their giant skewers of meat would be cruel.Service was good. There was no shortage of different meats to choose from.

The atmosphere is upscale without feeling stuffy. Price wise, Boizao certainly isn’t cheap, but is priced similarly to other higher-end Brazilian steakhouses. Boizao’s fixed price menu is $38.90 for dinner and $18.90 for lunch. Apparently, there is also a “light lunch” option for $12.90 that is available. Given the quantity and selection of high-quality meats, these are fair prices. I’ve eaten at one upscale Brazilian steakhouse before, Texas de Brazil, a chain which has a location on I-Drive in Orlando. This was a few years ago, but I thought Boizao compared quite favorably overall to my experience at Texas de Brazil. Price-wise, this isn’t normally a place I would stop into for lunch or even dinner, but for a nice night out and special occasions, this is a good choice for meat-lovers.

The restaurant’s location in the Westshore business district should play well with business groups. This is a big restaurant and needs to do volume. Two more casual Brazilian restaurants include Brasillia Grill on N. Armenia and Brasa Grill on Waters. I haven’t been to either. So what’s your favorite Brazilian restaurant in Tampa Bay and why?

Bottom-line: Boizao, an upscale Brazilian steakhouse, is a welcome addition to the Tampa dining scene. This place is great for meat-lovers, but the cold buffet has enough of a selection to be a meal in itself. With its upscale pricing, this is more of a place for special occasions and nice night outs.