We wasted no time jumping into the weekend... Billy and Jess asked Lindsey and I if we wanted to go out to dinner on Friday night after work at Ceviche Tapas Bar and Restaurant in SoHo. There are 4 locations in FL, with one being only a few miles away in South Tampa. This place recently relocated (about 3 months ago) from the bottom of a condo building at the corner of Howard and Bayshore to the old St. Bart's Island House location a few blocks up on Howard. We visited the old location 3 times and had great experiences every time. The new location does not seem to be up to the same standard yet. To be fair, the first of our visits to the new place was on the very first night that they were open for business. We were with Billy and Jess that night, too. The service was extremely slow and all of the wait staff seemed overwhelmed and disoriented (understandable in a new place, I guess). Overall, the food just wasn't up to snuff for a place that has won many awards in the past. I was hoping that things would be better this go around but again, it was just a mediocre experience. First of all, you can't make reservations unless you have a party of 6 or more, so we're always stuck waiting at least 15-20 minutes at the bar. Not such a bad thing, but it can be annoying on a Friday night. After we were seated, we waited longer than usual to place our first order and our waitress did not seem to care in the slightest. When dining at a tapas restuarant, this is not a good thing as you are typically ordering at least 2-3 rounds of food. We shared a pitcher or two of sangria, which was fine. For food, I ordered the Tabla Mixta (chorizo, mocilla and serrano ham, with machego, mahon, and tatilla cheeses, sliced fruit with homemade pate). I get this every time and it's never been bad. The meat always seems high quality and the cheeses are excellent. I also had a squid salad and Alcachofas Rellenas (artichoke bottoms stuffed with ham and shrimp in a sherry cream sauce). Their sherry cream sauce is really good and a lot of what we all ordered was based around trying to find dishes featuring this sauce. Lindsey and I also had their Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes in a homemade aioli). This was by far the best dish... imagine homefries in a thick garlic mayonnaise. Yum.
After Ceviche, we walked a few blocks north to the world famous Bern's Steakhouse. This place is a Tampa institution and a must visit for any out-of-towner. The food is excellent, but the experience is what sets this place apart. From the outside, it looks like a gentlemen's club as it has no windows and is relatively plain looking. However, the inside is filled with rich red colors, velvet covered walls, very dim lighting, and dark wood accents. Their wine list is ridiculous... it's rumored that after winning the Super Bowl in 2003, then Tampa Bay Bucaneer, Warren Sapp, told his waiter that he wanted the most expensive bottle of wine in their cellar. What came next was a $10,000 bottle that I'm guessing tasted pretty damn good. Anyways, Lindsey and I had eaten dinner there before with the President and VP of my company while they were in town; and Billy had taken Jess there about a year ago as well. This time we were simply there to visit the Harry Waugh Dessert Room. Basically, the upstairs of the restaurant is a separate area that is composed of private wooden booths made of old wine casks. The whole idea is that after filling up on a great meal, you and your party would venture up to one of the booths and enjoy quieter conversation, good drinks, and something sweet to set you into a solid food induced coma. No, but in all seriousness, there is something very unique and cool about sitting in these booths imaging all of the people that have done so before you. I imagine that a lot of business deals (legit and not so much) have taken place over the past few decades. Back to our night, Jess and I had the Cappucino Ybor City, which is a Cafe con Leche mixed with an herbal Spanish liqueor. Lindsey and Billy had the Cappucino Bern's, their specially brewed coffee with Kahluah. For dessert, Lindsey tried to remember what she had last time we visited but couldn't find it on the menu. She "settled" for some sort of chocolate cake, I think it was flourless. Can't quite remember. Billy and Jess shared their famous Macadamia Nut Sundae. Supposedly, the recipe for this ice cream was perfected over the course of 10+ years or something like that and they lay claim that it's the best ice cream ever. I tried it and it was pretty damn good. Last but not least, I ordered one of the specials which was highly recommended by our server. She was quite paunchy and I had reason to believe that she had tried a few of their desserts a time or two since she told us she had been working there about 3 years. It was a peanut butter pate covered in chocolate with a side of the macadamia nut ice cream and raspberry sauce. Very good but very rich. I think Billy ate most of it. With Jess literally falling asleep at the table, we grabbed a taxi home and called it a night.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Buying Local
An issue engulfing our country on varying levels right now is the influx of huge companies/chains into cities and towns across America. Obviously, there is one retailer than gains the majority of the attention when it comes to this topic, but there are a ton of local businesses that end up suffering as a result.
Here in Tampa, the local group trying to counteract this problem is the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA). To quote their website, they define themselves as "a cooperative effort by local, independent businesses to nurture and promote Tampa's diverse local independent businesses that meet unique needs, create and define our community's culture, and provide stability, accountability, and direct local investment. TIBA's focus includes raising consciousness of our contributions to the area's cultural landscape and economy - with each other, with our community leaders and institutions, and with our customers and clients."
I've always felt compelled to eat/buy and get any other services local versus with a chain. Some aspects can be pretty challenging, and others not so much. The Bay Area is one that is sprawling and filled with mom and pop restaurants. Why not drop in to one of these places and skip the well-known fast food lines or sit down chain restaurants you see commercials for every two minutes on TV? This is not as hard as people make it out to be. You'll live without the Big Mac or played-out All You Can Eat Shrimp.
On the other hand, people might complain about the accessibility of a grocery store that would fall into this category. Sure, Publix is a mega company, but they're employee owned and locally operated out of Lakeland, FL. Additionally, they're a consistent top finisher on Forbes list of top companies to work for. I come from an area of Upstate New York where a similar company, Wegman's, has managed to create one of the best brand images in America. Their loyal and cult-like customer following has also made them a regular in the Forbes Top 5. If a company is doing things the right way like these two are, it's not such a bad thing giving them your business. After all, they also pump all sorts of funds into local communities and give the impression a lot of times that the operate on a much smaller scale than other giant retailers.
Long story short, next time you are headed out to spend some of your hard earned moolah, ask yourself if there is a local establishment that would be more deserving than a company driven by high-powered, over-compensated, boardroom suits.
Here in Tampa, the local group trying to counteract this problem is the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA). To quote their website, they define themselves as "a cooperative effort by local, independent businesses to nurture and promote Tampa's diverse local independent businesses that meet unique needs, create and define our community's culture, and provide stability, accountability, and direct local investment. TIBA's focus includes raising consciousness of our contributions to the area's cultural landscape and economy - with each other, with our community leaders and institutions, and with our customers and clients."
I've always felt compelled to eat/buy and get any other services local versus with a chain. Some aspects can be pretty challenging, and others not so much. The Bay Area is one that is sprawling and filled with mom and pop restaurants. Why not drop in to one of these places and skip the well-known fast food lines or sit down chain restaurants you see commercials for every two minutes on TV? This is not as hard as people make it out to be. You'll live without the Big Mac or played-out All You Can Eat Shrimp.
On the other hand, people might complain about the accessibility of a grocery store that would fall into this category. Sure, Publix is a mega company, but they're employee owned and locally operated out of Lakeland, FL. Additionally, they're a consistent top finisher on Forbes list of top companies to work for. I come from an area of Upstate New York where a similar company, Wegman's, has managed to create one of the best brand images in America. Their loyal and cult-like customer following has also made them a regular in the Forbes Top 5. If a company is doing things the right way like these two are, it's not such a bad thing giving them your business. After all, they also pump all sorts of funds into local communities and give the impression a lot of times that the operate on a much smaller scale than other giant retailers.
Long story short, next time you are headed out to spend some of your hard earned moolah, ask yourself if there is a local establishment that would be more deserving than a company driven by high-powered, over-compensated, boardroom suits.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
This Past Weekend
The past weekend was a good time, highlighted by sports on tv and some good meals. Friday night we didn't really do anything at all since Linds had to work on Saturday. After taking her to work Saturday morning, I went to the gym early and then took our new car to get a wash. Billy and Jess then asked me if I wanted to check out some houses in St. Pete with them (they're looking to buy). We spent the afternoon looking at some cool craftsman style houses in nice neighborhoods. It's hard for me to keep my big mouth shut when I'm looking at real estate, but I did my best so that I would not offend them at all if they happened to like something that I didn't. After getting back to Tampa, I went with them to grab a bite to eat at Pane Rustica in South Tampa. We had been there before for dinner, but since then they had been awarded "Best Burger" in the Bay Area by Creative Loafing magazine. I have to say that the burger definately lived up to its billing. The meat was extremely flavorful, similar to a well crafted burger cooked on a charcoal grill in your backyard at home. Since it's not a regular item on their menu, you have to get lucky and have it be a special on that day. In this case, the special was a burger with a nice thick slice of feta, fresh and crisp baby spinach leaves, a tomato slice, and a sweet aioli served on an onion foccacia. Billy and I both had this and I will definately be going back for more in the near future.
Saturday night we had a few cocktails at Billy and Jess's with a group of Billy's friends from work before heading out to another favorite eatery of ours, El Puerto Restaurant and Grill. This is a Latin joint which focuses primarily on Argentinean dishes. We first visited for our friend Patty Del Villar's birthday and everybody recommended the Churrasco (skirt steak). For such a tough cut of meat, they make it extremely tender and flavorfull. It is more than enough food for two people, let alone one. Their sangria is also some of the best I've had down here (not too sweet, just the right amount of fruit). For appetizers, we normally get an order of the Provaleta al Oreganato. This is a semi hard provalone cheese that has been put on the grill to slightly melt it, topped with olive oil and dried oregano. Who doesn't like melted cheese? This time, I tried the Ceviche Mixto and again, no disappointment. Plenty of tilapia, squid, and shrimp with a nice balance of the citrus marinade that didn't overpower the dish. For entree, I had the Camarrones al Ajillo (sauteed jumbo shrimp, wine, garlic, spices, with fried cassava). It was good, but I would not order it again for the simple fact that they have so much on their menu that I would like to try new dishes when I go back. After dinner, the rest of the group went to the Tampa Imrpov comedy club for some late night laughs. Lindsey and I ducked out because she had worked a 12 hour shift and we were both tired.
Sunday was spent lounging by the pool for a few hours, then heading to International Plaza for some afternoon shopping. This place gets so busy it is hard to enjoy, but it makes for great people watching. In this area of Tampa, it's always interesting to see all of the plastic people walking around with their faces pulled so tight they can't help but smile. That night I watched the Penguins vs. Flyers game. I'm a huge Penguins fan and rarely miss any games on TV, especially when they're in HD. Hockey in high def is amazing, and I think the sport has truly benefited from HD more than almost any other sport out there. Golf is also amazing in HD, but hockey is a lot easier to watch and I think that pulls in a lot more common fans to broadcasts. Anyway, the Pens won and then the Spurs vs. Hornets game was on. I'm also a big San Antonio fan dating back to when David Robinson was drafted out of the Naval Academy in 1987. I was only 6 years old at the time, but knew his name from when Navy upset Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA tournament. In that game, Robinson had 35 points and held Rony Siekaly to only 4 points. After spending a 2 years fullfilling his Naval obligation, he signed with the Spurs and went on to have one of the greatest careers in the history of pro basketball, eventually winning 2 championships in 1999 (my senior year of high school) and 2003 (my senior year of college). San Antonio won this game to pull even in the series 2-2.
Another well spent and much enjoyed weekend.
Saturday night we had a few cocktails at Billy and Jess's with a group of Billy's friends from work before heading out to another favorite eatery of ours, El Puerto Restaurant and Grill. This is a Latin joint which focuses primarily on Argentinean dishes. We first visited for our friend Patty Del Villar's birthday and everybody recommended the Churrasco (skirt steak). For such a tough cut of meat, they make it extremely tender and flavorfull. It is more than enough food for two people, let alone one. Their sangria is also some of the best I've had down here (not too sweet, just the right amount of fruit). For appetizers, we normally get an order of the Provaleta al Oreganato. This is a semi hard provalone cheese that has been put on the grill to slightly melt it, topped with olive oil and dried oregano. Who doesn't like melted cheese? This time, I tried the Ceviche Mixto and again, no disappointment. Plenty of tilapia, squid, and shrimp with a nice balance of the citrus marinade that didn't overpower the dish. For entree, I had the Camarrones al Ajillo (sauteed jumbo shrimp, wine, garlic, spices, with fried cassava). It was good, but I would not order it again for the simple fact that they have so much on their menu that I would like to try new dishes when I go back. After dinner, the rest of the group went to the Tampa Imrpov comedy club for some late night laughs. Lindsey and I ducked out because she had worked a 12 hour shift and we were both tired.
Sunday was spent lounging by the pool for a few hours, then heading to International Plaza for some afternoon shopping. This place gets so busy it is hard to enjoy, but it makes for great people watching. In this area of Tampa, it's always interesting to see all of the plastic people walking around with their faces pulled so tight they can't help but smile. That night I watched the Penguins vs. Flyers game. I'm a huge Penguins fan and rarely miss any games on TV, especially when they're in HD. Hockey in high def is amazing, and I think the sport has truly benefited from HD more than almost any other sport out there. Golf is also amazing in HD, but hockey is a lot easier to watch and I think that pulls in a lot more common fans to broadcasts. Anyway, the Pens won and then the Spurs vs. Hornets game was on. I'm also a big San Antonio fan dating back to when David Robinson was drafted out of the Naval Academy in 1987. I was only 6 years old at the time, but knew his name from when Navy upset Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA tournament. In that game, Robinson had 35 points and held Rony Siekaly to only 4 points. After spending a 2 years fullfilling his Naval obligation, he signed with the Spurs and went on to have one of the greatest careers in the history of pro basketball, eventually winning 2 championships in 1999 (my senior year of high school) and 2003 (my senior year of college). San Antonio won this game to pull even in the series 2-2.
Another well spent and much enjoyed weekend.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Week's Activities
This week went by pretty fast. Tuesday night Lindsey and I had a few glasses of wine at our neighbor Kent's place before heading over to Zelda's Cafe for the inaugural meeting of the Friends of Channelside group. The group was started by the developer of our building, Ken Stoltenberg. There was a decent turnout of residents from various Channelside buildings, a few local business owners, and City Council woman Linda Saul-Sena. Basically, each person had a chance to introduce themselves and address any issues on their mind for the area. Hot topics included improving the infrastructure of the neighborhood (widening sidewalks, better lighting, etc.); the possibility of the City purchasing available lots to turn into green space; and last but not least, brainstorming about getting retail into the area faster. All in all, I think it was a great start for the group and a lot of bright minds throwing around some good ideas that will hopefully benefit all of us in the future.
Wednesday night Lindsey and I went to one of our favorite places in Tampa, an Irish pub called Four Green Fields. They have great fish and chips, which we both had, along with a few Guinness's and some smoked salmon spread. A pretty solid meal in my book.
Thursday night we met up with my cousin Briana and two of her friends. They were in town from Charlotte for a wedding. We ended up taking them out to eat at The Lime in SoHo. This place is part of the Ciccio and Tony's family and is pretty decent. They've been open probably a little over a year and have recently opened a second location in Tampa Palms. The food is nothing out of this world, but the tapas format allows you to order a bunch of dishes and it's no big deal if one of them isn't good. They also have a wide selection of drinks. I had a mojito and a Negro Modelo, Lindsey tried a glass of Sangria (which she didn't like) and raspberry margarita (which she did like), and the other girls had some vodka drinks. We ordered a lot of different food including grilled skirt steak, chicken skewers, deep fried jalapeno bottlecaps, queso dip, calamari, and seared ahi tuna. My favorite dishes were the jalepeno bottlecaps and the seared ahi tuna. Good meal and hopefully my cousin and her friends had a good time. After dropping them back off at their hotel, I took Lindsey to Malio's Prime Steakhouse for a nightcap. We have been there a few times, and this place is never busy. The competition for steakhouses in this town in harsh (Bern's, Ruth's Chris, Capital Grille, Charley's, Gallagher's, Council Oaks, Timpano, on and on. The good thing about them never being busy is that you can sit outside on their patio overlooking the river and the minuets of the Henry B. Plant Museum (which was the old Tampa Bay Hotel) on the campus of the University of Tampa. We had a bottle of Louis M. Martini Cabernet and enjoyed the nice weather and nighttime breezes coming off of the water before heading home.
Wednesday night Lindsey and I went to one of our favorite places in Tampa, an Irish pub called Four Green Fields. They have great fish and chips, which we both had, along with a few Guinness's and some smoked salmon spread. A pretty solid meal in my book.
Thursday night we met up with my cousin Briana and two of her friends. They were in town from Charlotte for a wedding. We ended up taking them out to eat at The Lime in SoHo. This place is part of the Ciccio and Tony's family and is pretty decent. They've been open probably a little over a year and have recently opened a second location in Tampa Palms. The food is nothing out of this world, but the tapas format allows you to order a bunch of dishes and it's no big deal if one of them isn't good. They also have a wide selection of drinks. I had a mojito and a Negro Modelo, Lindsey tried a glass of Sangria (which she didn't like) and raspberry margarita (which she did like), and the other girls had some vodka drinks. We ordered a lot of different food including grilled skirt steak, chicken skewers, deep fried jalapeno bottlecaps, queso dip, calamari, and seared ahi tuna. My favorite dishes were the jalepeno bottlecaps and the seared ahi tuna. Good meal and hopefully my cousin and her friends had a good time. After dropping them back off at their hotel, I took Lindsey to Malio's Prime Steakhouse for a nightcap. We have been there a few times, and this place is never busy. The competition for steakhouses in this town in harsh (Bern's, Ruth's Chris, Capital Grille, Charley's, Gallagher's, Council Oaks, Timpano, on and on. The good thing about them never being busy is that you can sit outside on their patio overlooking the river and the minuets of the Henry B. Plant Museum (which was the old Tampa Bay Hotel) on the campus of the University of Tampa. We had a bottle of Louis M. Martini Cabernet and enjoyed the nice weather and nighttime breezes coming off of the water before heading home.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Sunday Supper
Usually on Sunday nights, Lindsey and I have dinner with Billy and Jess. We take turns cooking for each other and just spending the night relaxing with some good food and wine. Billy handled the task last weekend, grilling us petite bacon wrapped filet mignon (from a local Italian market called Castellano and Pizzo), shrimp with a sweet maple/brown sugar sauce, etc. This weekend was my turn and I deciced to take a swing at a recipe from the cover of a recent Food and Wine magazine. It was a lemon gnocchi and I decided to add some jumbo sea scallops to the equation. It came out really well and we had a few bottles of Argiolas Costamolino - Vermentino Sardinia to go with it, which we had picked up at the Wine Warehouse on Bay to Bay earlier in the day. Lindsey took care of dessert, making a banana bread with semi sweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips mixed in. Full bellies, lights out.
Kentucky Derby Day at Tampa Bay Downs
Saturday was the Kentucky Derby and Billy came up with the idea to head out to the Tampa Bay Downs racetrack for their annual Derby Day. They were running 12 live races that day and also showing the Derby on their 60 foot infield screen for the 6:00 pm running. We got out there around 3:00 pm or so and went straight to the club house area. It's only $3 per person to get in and another few dollars for a program. It was even cheaper for me, since Billy paid our admission and bought my program, as well. Sucker. Anyway, we had a few Amstel Lights while sitting out on the deck and wagering a few bucks here and there. Billy and Jess hit on a few boxed exacta's and ended up fairing better than Lindsey and me. We did hit on one straight win and managed to make $45 off of a $5 bet. Our big Derby bet didn't go so well as we had Pyro and Colonel John projected to run well. No big deal, though, as we all still had a really good time. Saturday night was pretty uneventful as we cooked out on the pool deck at GC, although I did get suckered into buying a $25 steak from Wild Oats/Whole Foods. Lindsey wasn't in the mood for steak, so I asked the butcher to give me a really good steak for one. He recommended the grass fed, organic porterhouse. The 1 1/4 pound beast came in at a cool $24.78. I gotta say, it was pretty damn good.
Old Friends / New Friends
We had a really good time this past weekend. One of Lindsey's college roommates (Lauren) is moving to Tampa with her boyfriend (Sean), who just took a job transfer from Rochester. Both of them are from the Rochester area and we're looking forward to having them living near us. They were in town looking for a place to live and we met up with them on Friday night for a few drinks and dinner. Billy and Jess came up after work and we had a few drinks at the house before walking down to Channelside. It was pretty busy down there, so we grabbed a table inside at Tina Tapa's. The food there obviously isn't the most authentic you're going to get in town, but it's consistent and the ambience is nice. Low lights throughout provide a good setting for late night eats. We usually order a pitcher of drinks when we go, and this was no different... one red sangria and one mojito, which we had no problem finishing. We also ordered a mixture of hot and cold tapas to split, all of which were fairly good with no complaints. The carpaccio was fresh and tasty, the balsamic grilled vegetables were good, and everybody else seemed to like the papas con salsa blanca (fries with a chive dip). We also had an order of the goat cheese al forno and calamari. After finishing up there, I convinced everyone to drop into Gallagher's Steakhouse for a drink at the bar. Lindsey threw down one pink martini too many, and the rest of us also had a few glasses of wine and beer. With a long day ahead for Lauren and Sean, who were making the 7-8 hour drive to Key West on Saturday morning, we all headed out and walked home. On the way home, we met some interesting characters walking their English bulldog and spent a few minutes talking with them before eventually getting back to good old Grand Central.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Something New
You know how your Grandma acted the first time a microwave was put in her kitchen? That's how I've felt about blogging for the past few years. There was no use for it.
Well, things have changed and I think it would be pretty cool to have a place to post thoughts, opinions, and chronicle some of the best days of my life.
Buckle up. Here we go.
Well, things have changed and I think it would be pretty cool to have a place to post thoughts, opinions, and chronicle some of the best days of my life.
Buckle up. Here we go.
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