Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

It’s hard to write a post about Choxotica, a new chocolate store on Dale Mabry and Ehrlich, without it turning into a love letter. The small store sells exotic chocolate bars from all over the world and offers a small cafe setting to enjoy the above mentioned bars with chocolate drinks so strong they should carry a warning.

I’m not too proud to mention my chocolate addiction. Out of all the addictions to have, chocolate’s one of the most tame. I’ve been known to hide Mounds bars in my office at work and buy a Hershey’s bar on the way home. But, these are mass produced chocolates diluted with wax and milk. The chocolate offered at Choxotica is pure chocolate art.

The truth is, Choxotica isn’t for the casual chocolate consumer. At $5 or more for drinks and bars, it’s a store made for real chocoholics. The kind who look at percentages and prefer their chocolate imported from obscure countries with hard to pronounce names. Sure, there are white (blasphemy) and milk chocolate bars on sale next to the rest. But, the real draw is the store’s selection of real, dark chocolates from all over the world.

Have you ever wondered what chocolate would taste like with curry and coconut? They have a bar for you. (In fact, it’s my favorite and always out of stock.)

Has the organic craze hit you yet? You can buy an organic stone ground bar in a plain brown wrapper. There are chocolates with pepper, chocolates with ginger, chocolates with nuts. Basically anything you can imagine dipped in chocolate is offered, even in the drinks, which are created by melting chocolate in a saucepan and pouring fresh milk or filtered water over the hot liquid bliss.

Curry and coconut doesn’t translate as well in their iced drink, but hazelnut and coconut is a winner when added to iced chocolate milk. And, their Mud Shake tastes just like an ice cream bar. They even offer a Wasabi Ginger hot chocolate for the brave of heart.

They also offer an email list with coupons they send out for special promotions, which makes the price a little easier to bear.

In short, Choxotica is an oasis for chocolate lovers who are tired of the fare offered in drugstores and supermarkets. But, if you don’t get the urge to bite into a few ounces of a high quality, bittersweet confection every once in a while, Choxotica isn’t for you.

Starting a discussion about what makes a “real” Cuban sandwich can elicit strong opinions and unearth longstanding feuds. There is one ingredient on which all the sandwich sectarians agree. It’s not a Cuban sandwich without authentic Cuban bread. The ingredients are simple enough; flour, water, salt, yeast and lard. But the result cannot be duplicated outside the family owned bakeries of Tampa and Miami; a crusty torpedo that would make any Frenchman envious.

My introduction to the staple came at age six, when I entered the Hillsborough County school system from more Northern climes. I doubt the recipe has changed much in 25 years. The public school version of the Cuban sandwich consists of one or two thin slices of cheap boiled ham and salami, one slice of stinky government cheese, pale neon green pickles and mustard on five to six inches of semi-fresh Cuban bread; a logic defying composition, MUCH GREATER than the sum of it’s parts.

The bread was so hard and chewy that it often led to the lunchtime extraction of the last of my baby teeth. New teeth grew in, almost as fast as I grew an appetite for that most Cuban of confections. At least once a week, and later as a daily option, the Cuban sandwich was the heart of the school lunch menu. As bland and unassuming as it sounds, that simple chewy sandwich was a welcome relief from the reheated Salisbury steak and chicken nuggets. Throughout our school years, my classmates and I consumed millions.

More than just a meal, the Cuban sandwich was my introduction to the history and cultural identity of Tampa Bay. The sandwich was a bridge that connected me to the Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, the mysterious minarets of the Plant Hotel, cigar factory workers of Ybor and the Diaspora of communist Cuba’s refugees; some of whom were my classmates.

I’d like to think that the Cuban sandwich has given me a certain kind of cultural identity, something that everyone who has grown up in Tampa Bay has in some part shared. As I’ve traveled to and lived in other cities across the country, I’ve sampled many imitation Cubans. Their similarity to and difference from the five inch version that I had in school fondly reminds me of bay area and that culture and history that we’ve all shared.

That’s why it saddens me to read that Pinellas County schools will no longer be serving locally baked Cuban bread in their cafeterias. For the students and staff, who will now dine on soft and starchy instant-bake rolls of the frozen variety, it’s not just a culinary tragedy. It’s a cultural tragedy.

Here’s hoping that Hillsborough schools will not follow suit. For pennies on the dollar, Cuban bread is worth a little extra dough.

Eastern Hillsborough County keeps getting more and more interesting. Finally got myself out the Sunday Market at the Wat Mongkolratanaram Thai Temple in Palm River (5306 Palm River Road, just off 50th Street). It’s like taking a day trip to Thailand. The people are friendly, the temple is stunning and exotic and the shady grounds on the banks of the Hillsborough River are lovely.

And the food is great, plentiful and cheap. For ten bucks, you can get a fantastic array of food that feeds two or three with some left over to take home. They cook it right there and serve it fresh, and you just point to what you want. Most fun is to go with a group so you can buy a lot of different stuff and share at one of the picnic tables by the river. Among my faves were the deep-fried sweet potatoes, tarot and bananas; fresh mango; pad Thai and Thai curry dishes.

There’s also a small part of the market where they sell plants and fresh produce and a busy stage with all sorts of stuff happening, from singing to Thai Jeopardy.

Market’s from 11am-1pm, but my advice is to go early.

(check our previous review of Wat Tampa - ed.)

***

On the way back to town, I hit my new favorite place to buy wine, West Palm Wines/Beaune’s Wine Bar (2009 N. 22nd St.) on the eastern edge of Ybor. It’s basically a warehouse with a cool industrial-looking lounge, a huge wine storage area, and some great deals on wine. No supermarket wines, actually no American wines, but you can get some really interesting wines for less than $10 a bottle. The owner knows his stuff but is not snobbish about it. He was just as nice to me as I rummaged through the low-price bins as he was to a millionaire who shall remain unnamed who was there at the same time spending what looked like thousands of dollars.

I’d heard rumors that a restaurant was going to occupy the abandon gas station at the corner of Platt and S Boulevard. Then, while attending a City Council hearing, I heard of a new restaurant going by the name Smoke. I thought it was very clever, the name, Smoke. The lawyer, representing the owner’s of Smoke, declared it would be a barbeque restaurant unlike anything Tampa had seen. I made a mental note and filed it away, “try Smoke.”

Running errands, I found myself at this very corner today and remembered the buzz. Suddenly, I had time for lunch.

From all corners of Platt and S. Boulevard, one can see the red circle Smoke sign hanging from a chain. It reads: Smoke Barbeque and Grill

I rolled into the gravel parking lot and saw a few men sitting outside at the patio tables. It was just quarter past 11 A.M. They were sitting at a table, lined and ready for a large party. The patio was very nice, well kept. It felt kind of sheik, but this is BBQ isn’t it?

(more…)

Charity Dinner, part 5

Without much thought, I agreed that my husband and I would put on a charity dinner for the Boy Scouts.  Then I panicked.  Then I freaked out.  Then I formulated a plan.

The Noho Bistro was kind enough to donate space for the dinner. Publix and La Cense Beef donated food for the cause, and Vintage Wine Cellars donated the wine. Now we can create a great dinner to raise money for the Boy Scouts.

Greg designed a soup and entrée course, a celeriac root and roasted chile soup with cilantro oil and cardamom crème fresh and a pan roasted petit sirloin with tomato gazpacho coulis, zucchini and fennel “pappardelle”, and orange-almond-mint gremolata.  While NoHo chef and co-owner Jessica left us with a homemade cherry sorbet and Mexican chocolate cookies for dessert. Divine does not explain that sorbet nor the cookies.

NoHo chef and co-owner Tina ensured everything went to the tables perfectly, with help from our friends, Fred Stolz and Joe Prince.  They all received a standing ovation, and even stuck around to help clean the place up at the end of the night.

My FOH crew was made up of volunteers also. Carol Gualdiero and Sally Martin (Greg’s cousins) and our neighbor and friend, Marianne Santilli all volunteered to give up their Friday nights.

The celebrities? Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers), Michael Winslow (Police Academy, think the beat box man), Mark Goddard (Lost In Space) and Erin Gray (Buck Rogers) were just a few. Everyone was very, very gracious and thankful. Okay, one had too much to drink and had to be reminded by Greg to maintain his composure, while another kept groping my neighbor, but hey, it’s Hollywood!

Tommy has allowed me to list all of the donating businesses on Sticks Of Fire to the right. Please visit their sites and their stores. These are the kinds of businesses we need to support in Tampa. Ya know, for the Boy Scouts.

Thanks again, to everyone.

Charity Dinner, part 3

Without much thought, I agreed that my husband and I would put on a charity dinner for the Boy Scouts.  Then I panicked.  Then I freaked out.  Then I formulated a plan.

I would beg and plead with everyone I knew in the food industry. I suspected I would have to trade my soul for the help, but I was willing, it’s for the Boy Scouts after all.

The Noho Bistro was kind enough to donate space for the dinner.  Now I need some food to cook.

I’ve been buying La Cense Beef for a while now. It’s beef that tastes like beef. New York Strips that are robust with deep flavor and Ribeyes that are fork tender. Awhile back I did a column for the Tribune all about glorious beef and where to buy it. Through this, I met Laura Baddish, La Cense Beefs PR rep. She and I hit it off instantly. We spent a good three hours just chit chatting over coffee while she was down for the Rum Festival (one of her clients was being represented). During our conversation, I mentioned the Boy Scout dinner. Without a hitch she asked, “Would you like La Cense to donate the beef for the Boy Scouts?”

I could have kissed her. Like clock work, Laura had 30 individually packaged petit sirloins at my doorstep the night before the dinner.

***

My husband spends the majority of his life in grocery stores (it’s a Personal Chef thing). Together, we have shopped at just about every grocery store in Tampa. One store, hands down, is the friendliest, the cleanest, the most efficient, and offers a great selection. Because of this, he shops at this store whenever possible.

Enter Publix Store #0582 at the corner of Habana and Hillsborough Ave.

Just to give you a glimpse as to how fantastic the people are at this store, the Produce Manager; David, takes his personal, company mandated break at the same time every morning just to take a customer (a little old lady who can not drive) to the hospital just down the road, so that she can visit with her terminally ill husband.

Okay, I know. You’re a little stunned. I was too. I didn’t even know people like that still existed! (And yes ladies, he has a girlfriend.)

Now top on that this store has amazing produce, an extremely helpful deli and bakery, a very fresh seafood counter, a great meat case selection, cashiers who smile and actually speak to you, managers who are helpful and visible at all times and the 15+ rows of everything else one may ever need. Have a special order item? No biggie, they handle it with a smile. Need a suggestion? Ask anyone. I have witnessed on several occasions, stock boys and girls, helping customers choose the right product. Yeah, they actually know and CARE what they are selling.

When I approached David about the charity dinner, with out a hick up he responded, “I’m sure Alex (the store manager) would be fine with it. It’s for the Boy Scouts.” James, the Assistant Store Manager came over. “Oh, I’m sure it will be fine. It’s for the Boy Scouts, right?”

Sure enough, Alex had no problem. “I’ll leave a message for David, what ever you need.”  These guys were so easy going about it that I wasn’t really sure they had even agreed.

Venue?  Check.

Food?  Check.

This is just going too well.  But I still need some wine.

To be continued…

A long time ago if someone such as the Boy Scouts were holding a special event, the town would rally behind them.  It was for the kids after all.  Today, it’s a little bit harder to get the helping hand so many organizations need. Not because people aren’t willing, but because most people can’t.

With $5 a gallon gas prices looming over our heads and the trickle-down effect colliding with food, clothing, and transportation (ya know, the necessities) who could blame anyone for stating “I’m sorry. I’d like to help, but I just can’t.”

I received such a call a little over a month ago.

“I was wondering if your husband might be interested in cooking a charity dinner for 25 celebrities who will be donating their time?  A thank you dinner.” Asked Ted Johnson, Program Director of the Gulf Ridge Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Silence. Panic.

In my mind I was thinking, of course we would like to help the Boy Scouts, after all Greg was an Eagle Scout. Oh sure, his parent’s bribed him with a car to do it, but he did and still uses the lessons learned.

“Of course. He would be happy to help.” I replied.

Now the real panic set in. Many people don’t know that for events such as a charity dinner for 25 people, everything is donated. The staff, the chairs, the napkins, the food, right down to the water and it all costs someone money somewhere.

I began to feel as though I had gotten over my head. How will we pay for the food? What about the wine? Who will be willing to shut their restaurant down on a Friday night for 25 celebrities that haven’t seen the silver screen in many, many years?

I would love to have the cash flow to drop a few thousand in the name of charity, but my fiscal status just doesn’t allow for such humanitarian kindness.

Luckily, I have friends.

To be continued…

AutoVantage Road Rage Survey Finds Tampa “Most Likely to Multi-task, and Eat and Drink”: 

The commute to work can be an unpleasant one for people across the country, and the road seems to be getting even bumpier for Tampa drivers.

The third annual In The Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, a leading national auto club, found that Tampa drivers, tied with Baltimore and New York, ranked No. 1 for being the most likely to observe other drivers eating or drinking while driving every day, compared to 24 other major American cities.  Tampa drivers are also most likely to observe other drivers multi-tasking (like putting on makeup, shaving or reading) while driving ever day.

Overall, Tampa was named the ninth least courteous city in terms of road rage in the survey.

Thank your gods McDonald’s stopped serving that McDLT (some assembly required). But seriously, you people have to manage your time better. You can’t be eating while driving. After all, your children are watching.

Bonus link for our friends over at Stuck in the 80’s:  Jason Alexander (aka George Costanza) sings his way through a McDLT advertisement, looking a bit like a Miami Vice extra.