Food & Drink
Fodder & Shine may have had a bit of a hard time finding its identity in burgeoning but not completely avant-garde Seminole Heights. But, while chef Greg Baker had to tweak his authentic Florida cracker cuisine to appease the unseasoned palates of thought-they-were-brave foodies, the restaurant’s bar offerings plus video games and pool table have made it a pretty great spot to kick it into the late night. 5910 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-234-3710, fodderandshine.com
Runners Up: Einstein Bros Bagels, Clearwater Bagels
Runners Up: Alessi Bakery, Bake‘n Babes
Hey, sometimes you’re just not in the mood for another hoppy IPA or citrus-smoked bacon whatever. Cigar City’s getting the jump on the burgeoning cider and mead markets the same way it got ahead of the Bay area craft beer curve, and is putting out the area’s best stuff as a result. From sweet summery ciders to more subtle, textured concoctions and a fearless attitude toward experimenting with the ancient (and misnamed, really) “honey wine” known as mead, the staff at this casual Ybor City brewery and tasting room is friendly, skilled and schooled. If you’re willing to be curious and more than a little fearless yourself when it comes to new flavors, they’ll help you find a new obsession in something you’ve never tasted before. 1812 N. 15th St., Ybor City. 813-242-6600, cigarcitycider.com
Runners Up: Urban Brew & BBQ, 4 Rivers Smokehouse
Hidden beneath a Central Avenue Italian restaurant in downtown St. Pete is The Underground, a speakeasy-style jazz bar. Older generations of St. Pete residents marvel that the old Kress building, once a five-and-dime, has morphed into a bustling nighttime hub. Perfect for relaxing on vintage furniture under the glow of candles and live jazz, The Underground is truly the best basement in the bay. 475 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-322-4313, moscatosstpete.com
Runners Up: Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, Undertow Beach Bar
Runners Up: Cigar City Hunahpu’s Day, 97X Craft Beer Experience
Early in 2015, Cigar City Brewing founder Joey Redner crowned himself the troll of all trolls by playing into the patently unbelievable notion that beer giant Anheuser-Busch might purchase Tampa’s pride & joy. He admitted to ‘taking a meeting’ with AB, but when the internet caught fire after an alarmist TBO.com article, Redner went full on, getting an AB logo on the tasting room door and even emblazoning some work shirts with the symbol, too. Well played, sir.
Opening a speakeasy ain’t easy. No one since Ciro’s has managed to pull off the exact combination of clandestine atmosphere and classic cocktails that turn an ordinary room into something seductive. Until, that is, the folks at Station House St. Pete came along. GWR (God’s Waiting Room) is a dark, intimate back room that taps into the restaurant’s already cozy underground feel without the pretensions of passwords or secret doors. And the real draw is the expertise of the bartending staff, none more enlightening than Brian Mulay, a quiet crusader of a mixologist who likes to turn vodka lovers into gin lovers, patiently explains the thinking behind cocktails like the Bathtub Negroni, tries delicious twists on old standards like the Manhattan, and diplomatically handles the eclectic crowds, from middle-aged couples canoodling at the low-slung tables to exuberant 20 and 30something ladies and their entourages. 260 1st Ave S., St. Petersburg, 727-895-8260, stationhousestpete.com
With the relocation of Yeoman’s to downtown Tampa, some Davis Islands residents had to scramble to find a new spot to catch a buzz. Thanks to the cortado, americano, and cappuccino creators at DI Coffee Bar, you can catch one (albeit via caffeine and not alcohol) as early as 6:30 a.m. and then come back for happy hour to imbibe adult beverages within the shop’s come-get-your-work-shit-done-and-then-relax atmosphere. 214 E. Davis Blvd., Tampa.
Why do all the wrong people hate Joel Davis? The Tampa millennial has brought an innovative pressure-brewing and nitro-propelled delivery to Bay area coffee lovers, and his local tap list grows every week. He still can’t seem to get settled in with his sweet coffee tricycle, though, and has been banned from pushing it around Ybor and even received the boot from his first downtown Tampa corner spot. Davis, for his part, wants to play nice, but for some reason city brass keeps giving his ass a hard time. Can’t we get this figured out already?
It’s no secret that Bay area hopheads have a lot to cheer about with our local breweries getting mad love across the beer world, but what about the caffeine crusaders and general disciples of that brown nugget of roasted gold we call the coffee bean? Watching local leaders Banyan, Kahwa, and Buddy Brew add stores and expand to other markets is a sure sign that Tampa Bay could soon be a roasters’ mecca, too.
Instead of the state-fair-OMG-are-you-going-to-eat-that-whole-humungous-thing funnel cake, Engine Rose smartly takes the same batter and serves long, thin, funnel cake “fries” dusted with powdered sugar. They share the popular newly-fried-batter-hot-from-the-grease flavor, but are much more manageable and easily shared. Eat them plain or with the chocolate and triple berry dipping sauces. 2901 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-498-8951, no9burgers.com
The Mill opened just a few short weeks ago, but chef Dorsey’s cuisine demonstrates a culinary mind in command of exciting juxtapositions of flavor. Scallops with curried cauliflower mash, rare tuna with ginger-carrot purée and radicchio marmalade, prosciutto and blackberry, frog’s legs and chili brown butter, and on and on. Best of all is (are?) The Naughty Bits: seared foie gras and sweetbreads atop dark and savory pork pomegranate molasses, accompanied by an anise-tinged blueberry corn muffin and a confit of soft scallions, fire-tamed until their brashness fades to become a malleable garnish for an inspired plate that’s one of the year’s best. But then, every plate at The Mill brings surprise to your taste buds and a carefully calibrated balance of exciting favors. It’s an adventure you never want to end.
Runners Up: ABC Seafood, 9 Bangkok
Runners Up: Cask & Ale, The Mandarin Hide
Order an iced coffee at Blind Tiger, and general manager Veronica Lee will not only take great care to make sure she gets it just right, she will explain the cold-brew process with precision and serve you one helluva delicious beverage. Her demeanor is typical of Blind Tiger’s overall vibe; the staff is attractive and alert (though not to an overly caffeinated degree); the décor is rustic chic; the pastries are vegan; and the Black & Denim clothing boutique and co-work space that share the premises make BT feel like a relaxed place to work, sip, shop, or just hang out. 1901 E. 7th Ave., Tampa, 813-540-2233, blindtigerybor.com
Runners Up: SoHo Juice Co., Gush Juice
Runners Up: La Teresita, The Columbia Restaurant
Runners Up: The Columbia Restaurant, Bodega
Runners up: Mazzaro’s Italian Market, Harry Waugh Dessert Room at Bern’s Steak House
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If you live within five miles of the Sundial and you’re still cooking dinner, you might want to rethink your routine. The fabulous food stations that inhabit the ground floor of Locale Market are the best food value going. You can’t possibly match the variety and quality of food that they offer anywhere close to the price. Whether you choose perfect pasta, stunning sushi, grilled fish or the wonderful St. Petersburger, Locale is an exciting gourmet adventure.
Tampa’s always had a great downtown movie palace — the incomparable Tampa Theatre — but for a long time we didn’t have anyplace close by to argue about the movie afterwards over late-night dinner and cocktails. Lately, that’s begun to change with places like past BOTB winner Anise. But the best option is a new one: the bar at Bizou Brasserie in Le Meridien Hotel. Just around the block from the theater, Bizou has the quiet chic and late hours of a classic hotel bar, plus the food and the cocktails are terrific — the perfect backdrop for a debate over the relative merits of Wes Anderson vs. Wes Craven.
You know a place is going to the dogs (in a good way) when their menu includes a whole section of dishes just for canines, from French Poodle Toast to Mutt Loaf. But the real appeal of this gewgaw-filled beach brunchery for both dogs and their humans in Redington Beach is its lovely Garden of Eatin’, a relaxing spot for breakfast or lunch whether you have a four-legged companion accompanying you or not. 16725 Gulf Blvd, North Redington Beach, 727-391-0453, sweetsagecafe.com
If you sign up for one subscription box service, make it the family-owned Tampa Coffee Club. Every month, a rotating lineup of three locally roasted coffees — Zeal Coffee Roasters, Kahwa Coffee and Kings Arms Coffee Co. among them — arrive at your door inside a neatly packaged box alongside a card that details where the beans came from, and how they were roasted. The dynamite smell radiating from the bags of java alone will keep you spying on your doorstep until your next shipment. tampacoffeeclub.com
Runners Up: Red Mesa Cantina, Cassis American Brasserie
Runners Up: The Ale and the Witch, Cigar City Brewing
Runners Up: Dunedin Brewery, The Living Room on Main
Runners Up: Boca Kitchen Bar and Market, Kara Lynn’s Kitchen
Runners Up: Carlos Eats, Jeff Houck
Runners Up: Ribfest, Taste of Pinellas
Did successful restaurateurs around the state band together to start a sibling eatery revolution in Tampa Bay? We think so. This year saw the genesis of more than 15 offshoots from independent restaurants, and while some have opened, others, including Ciccio Restaurant Group’s Fresh Kitchen and Daily Eats mashup, are on their way. Want the outdoor, pup-friendly version of downtown St. Pete’s burger-and-franks hub, Engine No. 9? Engine Rose, just up the road, has you covered. Or maybe you’re looking for a laid-back small plates joint that offers the same exceptional experience as Bern’s Steak House in SoHo. You’ll find those qualities inside the neighborhood’s nearby Haven.
Small three-pound chickens assure even cooking. A 24-hour brine for juiciness and flavor is followed by an additional day in buttermilk where the natural acidity tenderizes the poultry. Finally, the chicken is hand-pressed into spicy flour that fills every pore and fried until golden and unforgettable. This chicken is a triumph of technique: juicy and bursting with crunch and flavor.
Runners Up: Southern Fresh, Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe
Yes, it’s a super unhealthy twist on a superfood, but it’s toe-curlingly delicious. Dunedin’s newish Draught Haus — which has broken the jinx of its weirdly diagonal location across from Mease Hospital — serves up some great cuisine disguised as bar food, including these breaded, crescent-shaped fries, which are beautifully prepared and not at all greasy or hard to eat. If you’re sharing though, order two. Trust us on this.
Fabrizio Aielli’s must-visit seafood palace at the Sundial serves up products from the sea with high style and perfect execution, from branzino to sea urchin to the restaurant’s namesake salts. And oh, the oysters: There’s a whole separate raw bar menu devoted to them, their provenance ranging from Alaska to Cape Cod. But our favorites come fried. In Aielli’s inspired version — billed as ‘Crispy Oyster’ on the Starters menu and accompanied by a tequila-corn-jalapeno remoulade — the marvelous mollusks are as crispy as promised while retaining all the fresh briny tenderness an oyster-lover craves. The jalapeno adds a bit of extra bite, and the corn tastes fresh off the cob. It’s summer on a plate.
Forget soggy, tasteless pickle chips dipped in batter and drowned in fry oil. Engine No. 9 takes real dill pickle spears and coats them in seasoned breadcrumbs before frying them to a tasty crisp. The pickle tucked underneath a spicy golden coat retains all its vinegary goodness, and the perfectly sour dill juice doesn’t sodden the crunch at all. Ditch the pickle chips and sink your teeth into these spears.
The view over St. Joseph Sound at the Dunedin Marina is beautiful enough, but what’s really nice is that Bon Appetit has its French fry technique down cold. Soak the potatoes to remove starch, cook almost through at low temp, then fry a second time at high temp till crisp and golden with a creamy center. Bon Appetit ups the game by tossing the spuds in grated Parmesan before their final fry. Sublime!
Runners Up: Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
Runners Up: Hamburger Mary’s, Enigma
Runners Up: Athenian Gardens, Hellas Restaurant
Runners-Up: Frenchy's Original Cafe, Dockside Dave's
Runners Up: Salt Rock Grill, Frenchy's Original Cafe
If you manage to find a spot in line at Hyde Park’s buzzing Fresh Kitchen, it won’t be long before your taste buds experience an alluring explosion of fresh flavors. From juicy to crunchy, sweet to savory, friendly FK’rs, who definitely look like they work out, swiftly build your base-protein-veggie-sauce mashup behind the fast-casual restaurant’s counter. Choose any combination of tasty ingredients — including sweet potato noodles, kale slaw, barbecue chicken, tofu, seasonal veggies and cucumber jalapeño sauce — that suit your cravings. Our food critic recognized his favorite item, the coconut cauliflower, as one of his 25 favorite tastes of the year.
So easy you have no excuse not to eat healthier, and so fresh and tasty you’ll be happy about it, too. Pre-packaged low-cal meals in a variety of sizes, refrigerated (not frozen) so they can be heated up in two minutes or less in the microwave, they range from breakfast dishes (huevos rancheros) to dinner entrees (Jamaican pork tenderloin with pecan sweet potato and asparagus) and cost from $4.95-$12.45. You can stop by one of their seven area branches and choose from what’s on hand, or better yet, become a member so you can order ahead online or by phone and have your choices packed up and ready for you to pick up — plus, you get a member discount. Best of all: the deliciousness quotient is consistently (and surprisingly) high, and the nutritional info is spelled out clearly so you know just how many carbs and cals you’re getting.
Runners Up: Tap Room at The Hollander, Vinoy Lobby Bar and Veranda Patio
These gorgeous, golden brown hush puppies are the kind of orbs dreams are made of. The smells wafting from the quartet of golf ball-sized, asteroid-like hush puppies are arresting. Take an ecstatic bite and revel in the soft and spongy interior, spicy kick, lingering finish — and overall unexpected goodness.
Runners Up: Strachan’s Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts, Kilwins
Runners Up: Taste of India, Gateway to India
Runners Up: Bula Kafe, Low Tide Kava Bar
Runners Up: Gaspar’s Liquor Shoppe, Alpine Liquors
CL’s four-star review last year sang Roux’s praises, but since then we’ve tasted their pork chop — just a single bite from a dining companion’s plate. That was months ago, and we’re still salivating. Fire-grilled over Roux’s signature blend of oak and pecan woods, it was the single most memorable bite of pure pork we can remember.
Runners Up: 3 Daughters Beach Blonde, Cigar City Florida Cracker
Runners Up: Coppertail Brewing Co., Dunedin Brewery
Runners Up: Case Tina, VIP Lounge & Mexican Restaurant
Runners Up: Bonefish Grill, Bern's Steak House
Just in case one particular group of diners was in need of a summertime ego boost, WingHouse’s limited-time Man Food menu and campaign proved to be the answer. The “historic move,” as the restaurant brand put it, irked local media and tantalized the taste buds of only the human race’s manliest man men through “hearty” offerings like curly fries, caramel cheesecake and breaded proteins. Wusses were swiftly directed to Panera Bread.
Runners Up: Casa Tina, Red Mesa Cantina
Runners Up: Acropolis Greek Taverna, Meze 119
Runners Up: Justin, Three Birds Tavern; Chou Chou Guilder
Runners Up: The Independent Bar & Cafe, Red Star Rock Bar
Runners Up: Dunedin Brewery, Old Northeast Tavern
Runners Up: Angry Chair Brewing, Six Ten Brewing
Runners Up: Green Bench Brewing Co., Cycle Brewing
Make way for the flavorful Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican fare dished out from owner Jacqueline Mireles’ big mustard yellow bus. There are affordable signatures — fajitas, tortas, huaraches, tacos, gorditas, chalupas, you name it — but also tasty specials offered every day of the week. Wash your dish down with a house-made agua fresca while grubbing in Chicken & Taco Loco’s open-air setting, or step up the spice with a hot or mild sauce. Keep your eyes peeled for the taco stand while cruising down the fast-paced Brandon Boulevard, though, lest you miss this flavorful adventure.
Whether the focus was fusion or street food, this was Tampa Bay’s year for new pan-Asian restaurant concepts. In Pinellas, The Mango Tree and Volcano Japanese Cuisine now serve a lineup of Japanese fare that includes soba and udon noodles, while Tin Drum Asiacafé and Souzou craft mango stir-fry, sticky meatballs and other hot delights. Korean fusion items like build-your-own bowls and burgers with kimchi and pork belly are dished up at Seminole Heights’ Chop Chop Shop, and Fusion Bowl, featuring Vietnamese pho and more, keeps downtown Tampa satisfied. Additional joints, including downtown St. Pete’s Hawkers Asian Street Fare, Ichicoro Ramen in Seminole Heights and downtown Clearwater’s Basil, have announced their plans to open but haven’t debuted yet.
Now you can cook like a real Tampa Bay’r thanks to the Museum of Fine Arts, Sea Salt and Bern’s Steak House. All three local establishments put out new cookbooks this year, with recipes for everything from sea bean salad to raspberry martinis, pasta al forno to monkfish and corn pudding. Whether you’re into down-home grub or seasonally inspired delicacies, these homegrown cookbooks will appeal to pros as well as the inexperienced.
Chef Paul Syms, a Brit expat who worked for Gordon Ramsay long enough for the superstar chef to follow Dulcet on Twitter, has delivered a miracle to downtown New Port Richey. The dishes coming out of Dulcet’s English-inflected kitchen aren’t breaking new ground, but they deliver haute cuisine finesse at dinner and Sunday brunch that’s out of the ordinary around the bay. The sticky toffee pudding is worth a trip all by itself. Make the pilgrimage and be wowed.
It’s been very difficult for us to not visit this place nearly every day since its opening in August. The second location of a restaurant that originated in Naples, it’s a wonderful addition to St. Pete’s previously restaurant-devoid 600 Block. Menu items (all vegan and grain-free; don’t tell anyone) are works of art, especially the pad Thai, with “noodles” made from shredded zucchini, jicama and kelp, perfectly spicy. Sandwiches are made on gluten-free see-based bread (we recommend the BLT, made with eggplant bacon). Daily specials are particularly clever.
Downtown St. Pete’s Blue Goose gets right to the point. The dimly lit industrial-accented bar has a matter-of-fact feel, with an approachable drink selection, exposed brick, high ceilings and room for activities like darts and pool. Come here if you’re seeking a swanky whiskey cocktail but still crave the unpolished finesse of a neighborhood bar. 48 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-201-9690
Runners Up: Salt Rock Grill, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe
If you were lucky enough to experience this contemporary spin on a sundae during Urban Comfort’s early opening stages, you probably considered kicking its precursor to the curb. Though the key lime sundae’s no longer on the menu, the fresh take on a Florida favorite, arriving in a stout Mason jar, was loaded with irresistible clouds of whipped cream, house vanilla ice cream and graham cracker sprinkles. Our taste buds can only hope this Urban delight makes a swift comeback. 2601 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-623-9823, urbancomfortstpete.com
Likely by design, dive bar restrooms are gross. And while the men’s facilities at The Hub in downtown Tampa are well-lit and actually pretty decent, they’re still… divey. But at least they’ve got ice. That’s right ladies, on the other side of the wall the guys are urinating into a trough full of ice, onto which they spill steaming hot, urethral gifts nightly. It’s kind of disgusting, but it beats the hell out of hot piss splashing onto your shoes.
Usually, when you find rabbit on the menu, it’s either gonna be a super-simple farm-to-table dish or something classically European. Fly goes in a totally unexpected direction with its diminutive braised rabbit tacos, and man, does it pay off. The meat is slow-cooked in liquid until super-tender and spicy, hand-pulled, and accessorized with queso fresco and a subtly fiery habanero gastrique, but you still know you’re getting a taste of something more unique than pork shoulder or chicken. And, like Red Mesa Cantina’s duck tacos, they’re the perfect gastronomic “gateway drug” to lead tentative eaters into more adventurous culinary territory.
The coffee milkshake at this Tampa institution is amazing and puts your lowly Frappuccino to shame. Though most people tend to go for a Bo’s staple, like a chocolate dip cone or one of the many varieties of Thick-N-Chunkies, after working our way through milkshake flavors we found the real winner on the menu. It’s smooth, creamy, sweet and caffeinated — so much so that it’s better as an afternoon delight rather than an after-dinner treat. Unless, you want to be buzz, buzz, buzzing all night long. 7101 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-234-3870.
Haven is the Bay area’s most satisfying, sophisticated dining experience, wrapped up in a regionally appropriate casual bow. It’s aspirational, upping the game especially on the cocktail and whiskey front, as their noted director of spirits, Dean Hurst, takes us all to the dark side with 180-plus selections, with a mind-blowing selection of craft bourbon and single malts not just from Scotland, but from great distillers in India and Taiwan. Not to be outdone, wine director Gregory Mayer has assembled a 2,500-bottle cellar with 550 choices, more than 35 wines by the glass, and unique premium wine pours using the high-tech Coravin system.
In our world, dominated by a plethora of Western design influences, subtlety is often undervalued. If you allow your eyes to wander upon entering Souzou, the interplay of textures is ravishing. There’s a narrow palette of dark wood and black stone, juxtaposed with light granite run through with brown veins that pick up the shades of the textured floor tile. The stunning wooden windows mimic the silhouette of a bamboo forest. Add accents of crystal, chrome, LED pendants, and huge samurai canvases, and the result is a triumphant setting for laudable cuisine.
Runners Up: Urban Brew & BBQ, 4 Rivers Smokehouse
Runners Up: Marker 39, The Sandwich on Main
Runners Up: Wright’s Gourmet House, Lucky Dill Deli
Perhaps you’re a sophisticated Long Islander, slumming it on St. Pete Beach because the Cape has become far too predictable. Or maybe you’re here from Boston, taking time away from the agency to visit a retired grandmother. Wherever you’re from, don’t go bringing your entitlement to Denise Staley, because she honestly thinks your bullshit is hilarious. Funny, feisty and devoted to showing everyone a good time — provided they’re not taking themselves or anything else too seriously — she’s our favorite personality west of the Corey Causeway, adding a breath of fresh, sardonic air to the beachy breezes and reminding us that, especially in a tourist town, the customer is not always right. 7618 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach, 727-827-2834
Runners Up: Frenchy’s, 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House
Runners Up: Rooster & the Till, The Refinery
Runners Up: Tropical Smoothie, Smoothie King
Runners Up: Southern Fresh, Fodder & Shine
The sunny yellow sidewalk furniture tips off the warm welcome you’ll get inside of Central Perks, a small breakfast/lunch place opposite the new Publix-in-progress on Central Ave. Better still is the food — much higher quality than you might expect from such an unassuming joint; try anything with roast chicken or turkey, like the chicken pesto quesadilla or the turkey mushroom melt on ciabatta with balsamic mayo. Owners Claudia and Tony Veliu, from Albania by way of Boston, clearly care that their ingredients are fresh and their seasonings savory, and they’re delightful people to chat with. 695 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-490-2017, centralperkscafe.com
Here’s what happens when you go vegan and your mom owns one of the most popular Italian restaurants in Tampa Bay: Pia’s happens. When Pia Goff’s daughter went vegan, Pia had to find a way to feed her. Using her daughter as a guinea pig, she has added a rotating list of vegan dishes to her menu, marked with a nondescript “v,” which many carnivores don’t even notice as they gnaw on the mushroom risotto or eggplant. Among vegans, though, the restaurant has developed a cult-like following, with people crossing bridges to get vegan food from this cozy trattoria that also serves lamb, duck and chicken liver.
Runners Up: Datz, Oystercatchers
Runners Up: 9 Bangkok, Jasmine Thai & Sushi
The stylish little Airstream on the 2900 block of St. Pete’s Central Avenue has been home to a few different restaurants, but it’s really hit its stride as Engine Rose, the sister site to downtown’s uber-popular Engine No. 9. Management added a lovely patio and outdoor bar that features a rotating lineup of local-intensive craft brews, but it’s the food — insanely tasty burgers, mainly, but also dogs, sandwiches and creative takes on gastropub fare — that made this quintessentially Floridian locale an instant hit. Every trailer park should have a trailer like this one.
When this breathtaking selection of flavors arrives at the table, all I can think of is that there are enough tacos made by “good Mexicans” to wall off Donald Trump. The large tray includes a thrilling selection of nine tacos, two tamales, three sides and a bowl of creamy guacamole with crisp corn tortillas. Your table will be happier than a group of rabid presidential candidates eating their own at the next debate.
Bulleit bourbon, house-made bourbon bitters and that lively morning staple, cold-brew coffee, seamlessly commingle in the served-on-tap No. 22 cocktail. This dark elixir from Stillwaters is trendy in a glass no doubt, but it’s also the finest combination of buzz, beans and booze we’ve ever had. Yes, we’ll have another. 224 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, 727-350-1019, stillwaterstavern.com
Chef Ferrell Alvarez and company produce some of the region’s most exciting food. Until July there were only 37 seats where you could savor the amazing, inventive, farm-to-table cuisine. But, during a mid-summer break, they blew out the wall and doubled their space. So now there are 70 seats where lucky diners may indulge. It’s time to bring your friends and celebrate.
Veggie Cubans (the sandwiches, unless Rubio’s a vegan) suck. The answer to the order “vegetarian Cuban, please” is usually… pickles. Lots and lots of pickles. Not so at St. Pete’s Bodega, where the answer is “cook the tofu in a way that makes it taste like ham or pork, and then use that instead.” St. Pete vegetarians already know this, so consider this a rousing endorsement of the world’s best vegetarian Cuban for all you Cuban sandwich aficionados out there whose cardiologist has said, “Uh, dude, have a salad every now and then.”
If you’re trying to find your center — or, you know, escape to a Mediterranean-inspired retreat without leaving St. Pete Beach — settle into the Hotel Zamora’s three-month-old 360° Rooftop, which provides a calming, panoramic view of the water’s edge. Depending on your mood, lounge in the roomy Gulf-Boulevard-meets-Gulf-of-Mexico half of the stylish rooftop, or observe the laid-back Intracoastal Waterway on its more low-key side. No matter where you decide to get cozy (there’s plenty of plush blue and orange furniture scattered throughout), wait for the sunset with a cold beverage in hand. 3701 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, 855-926-6721, thehotelzamora.com
Trip’s does Southern comfort food right, though the diner’s perfectly creamy, buttery-rich white cheddar grits are superb enough to warrant a visit all on their own. We can’t bear to leave without taking an extra order to go so we can enjoy the heavenly goodness at home. 2339 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St Petersburg, 727-498-8980; and 10555 Park Blvd., Seminole, 727-623-0907, tripsdiner.com
You wouldn’t expect to find part of a celebrated Sistine Chapel masterpiece on the bathroom ceiling of a quirky Grand Central District sandwich shop… or, yeah, maybe you would. Look up while you’re on the can at Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria and you’ll discover the hands of God and Adam, from Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, mounted in a gold frame above you. The chandelier dangling below the painting adds to the room’s kinda-weird-but-we’re-OK-with-it majesty. Our tushes approve. 2950 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-873-6992, pompomsstpete.com
Runners Up: Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Ybor City Wine Bar
Runners Up: Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings
Runners Up: Salty’s, World of Beer St. Pete
Runners Up: The Bricks, Tampa Bay Brewing Company
Oozing layers of Swiss and American cheeses, bacon, spinach, tomato and the heuvo of your choice sandwiched between two grilled slices of homemade wheat toast form the ultimate morningtime taste: the Birds Eye View Egg Sammy. Served during Bailey’s Brunch at Carmel, the sammy comes with a mini bowl of hollandaise for dipping, which takes this deliciously messy specialty to new levels of decadent. Pro tip: Order hashbrowns and dunk forkfuls, along with the sandwich, into your liquid gold. You’ll thank us later. 3601 W. Swann Ave., Tampa, 813-964-6889, carmel-kitchen.com