Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Late last month I noticed that somebody had dumped a mattress by the side of the road near my house south of Gandy. This was not a free bit of furniture like you see sometimes; free stuff left at the curb for anybody to take away. This mattress had seen a rough life from the looks of it; having been cut up and I suspect burned at one point. Also it had been dumped in about 3 feet of scummy water in the ditch next to the road which did it no good at all.

After a few days, I remembered that it was still there and figured nobody had called the city about it. I have had some experience with reporting things via the TampaGov website so I hopped online and sent them a message about it. I expected a form email response but what I got was a little surprising.

Within four hours I got a phone call from city employee Amanda. She told me that the mattress was too big and too far into the ditch for the first people they sent out to pick up, so they were sending out another department that could move the mattress to a location where it could be recovered. It took another couple days for them to remove it because of the Memorial Day weekend, but I was still impressed with the speed and thoroughness of the follow up.

They emailed me with a link to follow the course of my complaint as it went from department to department as well.

If you see accumulated junk, or code violations, or streetlights that need repair or in fact just about anything that you feel the city and your tax dollars, should fix or clean or stop, then head on over to the City of Tampa’s Customer Service Center and let them know about it.

Say hello to Amanda for me too.

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.

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).

I read an interesting article about Regency Cove in the Trib recently. For you those of you unfamiliar with South Tampa, the Homes of Regency Cove is a retirement community of manufactured homes just off of Westshore and Gandy. Though it’s NOG (North of Gandy) I vividly remember going by this place growing up in SOG. But because of the residents’ strong anti-development stance, the neighborhood will likely be one of the last trailer parks in Tampa.

The article details a recently published book about the history of the community. Founded in 1956, the community began because self made millionaire Welburn Guernsey dreamed of creating “Guernsey City.” Regency Cove, The First Fifty Years memorializes Guernsey and the community’s storied past.

While reading the article I was surprised to find out about a former resident. Harold Russell acted in a handful of films, culminating in two Oscars for his portrayal of Homer Parrish in The Best Years of Our Lives. That’s right - he was the only actor to win two Oscars for one role. The story of how he got the acting gig is even more fascinating.

Did you know that the City of Tampa has a neighborhood department. Yup. TheCity of Tampa Neighborhood and Community Relations mission is to “bring government closer to all people by serving as the liaison between the government and community to help Tampa thrive and shine.”

They also include a list of 104 Tampa neighborhood groups. Unfortunately, only 26 of them have a website:

• Ballast Point Neighborhood Association
• Bayshore Beautiful Homeowners Association, Inc.
• Bel Mar Gardens Neighborhood Association
• Davis Island Neighborhood Planning Task Force
• South Seminole Heights Civic Association
• Lowry Park Central Civic Association, Inc.
• Hunters Green Magnolia Chase Neighborhood Association, Inc.
• The Marina Club Of Tampa
• Davis Islands Civic Association, Inc.
• Oakford Park Neighborhood Association, Inc.
• Riverside Heights Civic Association
• The New Tampa Community Council
• Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association, Inc.
• Palma Ceia Neighborhood Association, Inc.
• Palmetto Beach Community Association, Inc.
• Civic Association Of Port Tampa City, Inc.
• Ridgewood Park CPCA, Inc.
• Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association
• Sunset Park Area Homeowners Association
• Gandy/Sun Bay South Civic Association
• Swann Estates Neighborhood Association
• Tampa Heights Civic Association
• Tampa Downtown Partnership
• Temple Crest Civic Association
• The Virginia Park Residential Neighborhood Association
• Wellswood Civic Association

I grabbed them all from the city, so if there are bad links, please let me know.

Steve remembers a discotheque in South Tampa, but not entirely. So he wants some help in completing that memory, and decided to Ask-A-Tampan:

Hi!

Back in the Seventies there was a Teen Disco called “The Force” but no one on my High School Alumni list seems to remember exactly where it was. I cannot find any reference to it online and the only thing I remember is that it was off of Gandy going towards Bayshore.

Does anyone remember? Can anyone help?

Thanks

Shane

Hey Shane! Your question reminds me of the ABC liquor lounge on Gandy at MacDill. They had a revolving dance floor, I think. And a fantastic happy hour buffet. Zichex was on Gandy at Dale Mabry. But both of those were kicking in the early ’90’s. Not sure of the landscape there in the 70’s.

We’ll have to ask our readers for help. Anyone remember “The Force?”

We were in the mood for something new and different this past Saturday, so we decided to try the misspelled-but-correctly-spelled Gengiz Khan, a little Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant located South of Gandy (SOG) on MacDill.  We had never been to Gengiz Khan before, but were familiar with it since it is located in the strip center (Shoppes of Interbay) across from Interbay Meat Market.

Gengiz Khan was opened by two Turkish business partners in the fall of 2005.  When we visited last Saturday for lunch, we had the place largely to ourselves, save for two other tables (including one large family).  The restaurant’s space is nicely decorated and service was friendly.  Things did run a bit slow as there was only our one server in the front and we suspect just one cook in the back.

For a starter, we ordered the country style eggplant, which came with slices of fried eggplant topped with a garlic yogurt sauce.  I guess you could say I liked the eggplant appetizer as I used the pita-like bread that was provided for the table to lap up what was left of the sauce.  For our main dish, I decided on the doner kebab (thinly sliced lamb) with rice and grilled vegetables, while Traci chose the chicken adana (chopped chicken with red bell peppers and seasoning) with rice and potatoes. 

While we had to wait a little bit longer than we would have liked for our food, we both enjoyed our meals.  If you go during lunch time, you’ll save a few bucks as Gengiz Khan offers lunch specials.

The only other Mediterranean restaurant we’ve tried in the area is the much more well-known Byblos Cafe at the corner of Bay to Bay and MacDill.  Maybe we caught Byblos at a bad time (it was early one evening so there weren’t any belly dancers and we were seated in a corner), but the food was very average.  Byblos is definitely a trendier-feeling place with a bar and higher-priced menu to match, whereas Gengiz Khan is more moderately priced and more of a neighborhood place.

So what’s your favorite local Turkish or Mediterranean restaurant and why?

Bottom-line: While the service and kitchen could be faster, for quality Mediterranean cuisine at reasonable prices, Gengiz Khan, a relatively new neighborhood restaurant SOG, is worth a try.