Tampa: Mad Dogs, Riverwalk, Cigars, Fly, Deborah Harry

It's only Sunday, and what a great weekend so far. Weather turned very cool on Friday, I had to pull out my Winter wool coat for Friday night with temps in the 40's..but we know that doesn't last long as temps during the day bounced back to the 70's on Saturday, clear blue skies, this must be 20 days in a row now.
Friday evening, Darin, Maida, Maggie and I met up at Mad Dog's and Englishmen restaurant, on MacDill Ave in South Tampa. This little neighborhood eatery is joined by many other establishments and shops in the area. It reminds me of an authentic English Pub, with a little bit of decorative style. We got there around 730pm, even though it was chilly, there were people eating and hanging out on the outside patio and bar area, the heaters were all on. We ventured in the restaurant to the bar where Summer quickly took our drink order while we waited for a table. The hostess kept coming by to update us and let us know about how much longer, a great personal touch, we didn't mind waiting. After about 20 minutes we were seated, and the very friendly Becky told us the specials, and made sure we had our drinks. We started with Appetisers of Hummus and Cucumber Salad. WOW, the hummus portion was large and sat on sliced red plumb tomatoes, with Greek olives, and plenty of very fresh, hot, pita triangles. This was so delicious, we didn't want it to stop. Their cucumber salad was very interesting, length wise sliced cucumbers, piled on top of each other crisscrossed in three layers, with the tangiest, delicious, vinaigrette dressing and yet again, we didn't want to stop. For our entrees, we did the Shepard's Pie, not one drop of grease, full with beef, veges, edamame, and creamy mashed potatoes with a very light layer of cheese, crispy yet creamy, and a very large portion; Mad Dog's salad with chicken came out on a large plate, crisp variety of greens, and very tangy, delicious house dressing, and crumbled cheese, with a large grilled breast of chicken, super moist and flavor full; and tempura fried shrimp, 6 HUGE shrimp, lightly battered, with two types of dipping sauces..again, another winner. We couldn't be happier, and demanded the Sous Chef (Tavis) come over to our table to compliment him on his and the Chef's culinary skills. He was wonderful, we chatted for a bit, and he surprised us with tow homeade treats he just made fresh that day, Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream, and Peppermint Ice Cream..YUM!! A great ending to a perfect meal. After a two hour dinner with great friends and great food..it was time to come home a relax with a fire in the backyard pit, enjoying the crisp air and clear skies.
Saturday morning, John and I decided to partake on the first ever City of Tampa Riverwalk walking tour. There were about 20 of us, most were from out of town, visiting and staying in one of the downtown hotels. Very knowledgeable associates from the city's parks department and also from the Mayor's Youth program went into the very interesting history of Tampa(Seminole Wars, Fort Brooke, Civil War, Spanish American War, Cigar Capital), and led us along the Riverwalk portion from the new Tampa History Center being built next to Channelside, to the Platt Street bridge area currently under construction. In all, the Riverwalk was beautiful, all along the downtown Tampa waterfront, huge yachts lined the channel between Harbour Island and downtown Marriott Waterside, some great views of the downtown skyline. When completed in 2009, it will be nearly a 2.5 mile walkway from Channelside to Tampa Heights area all along the Channel and Hillsborough River downtown. Cafes, Bikers, Joggers, entertainment are to be scattered along the waterfront. It was a great tour, and a perfect morning for it.
Afterwards, we walked over to First Watch restaurant downtown on Tampa Street for Brunch. There was no wait around 1130am, we were promptly seated. Our server was not very friendly, and never checked back with us, and forgot several things we asked for. We ordered one of their omelets, and the Al B Core tuna sandwich. Both orders came with First Watch potatoes, which it seems they could hardly spare as there were maybe a spoonful of diced potatoes on our plates(disappointing because they are tasty), my Tuna sandwich was drenched in mayo, and on what seemed like stale dark wheat bread(something you might feed seagulls with), I just ate the tuna, and left the bread, it also came with a salad which was literally a few shreds of lettuce leaf, with a teaspoon of diced cucumber, were they kidding? I've had some great meals here, and some not so great..I don't think I will be taking my chances again..poor service, poor food, and when we advised the cashier, she just said sorry, and exclaimed that our server always gets complaints(than do something about it!).
John and I then headed over to Ybor City for the annual Cigar Heritage Festival, and Saturday Morning Market. What a great crowd, and the smell of all kinds of cigars, people just relaxing, eating foods from the many vendors, enjoying the live bands, checking out Ybor and the arts and crafts on display, among the many merchants that come by Centennial Park each Saturday morning..there were alot of people milling around Ybor on this beautiful day, and they had a special tent set up for us to watch the college football games.
After a quick nap, Bryan and I went to Fly Bar for some eats and cocktails before heading to see Deborah harry(from Blondie) in concert at Tampa Theater downtown. Fly Bar was happening, it was nice having the outdoor tables, and all the windows wide opened in the very stylish and eclectic restaurant on Franklin Ave downtown. Plenty of microbrews and International beers on tap and bottled, great mixed cocktails menu as well. The place is known for sharing plates of different foods(kind of like tapas). We ordered the Kobe Sliders, Organic Chicken, Wild Mushroom Risotto, and Grilled Asparagus. At first you think "did we order enough food", but then you taste, and the flavors were bold and delicious in all our plates. The sliders were thick and juicy and beefy, the chicken was about a small portion including the little leg, cut up in a warm and delicately mild sauce with brocallini, the risotto was perfectly cooked, moist and tender, with wild mushrooms, and a creamy sauce, the asparagus was very lightly grilled with paper thin slices of cheese. PERFECT, we were very satisfied, but not stuffed. the menu is a little on the pricey side, but the atmosphere, and taste were well worth it. They had a nice high def tv at the bar, where the USF game was on(long story short, I had tickets to tonights last USF home game against Louisville, but by accident I thought the Deborah Harry concert was Friday night, but looked at the ticket and DAMN, it was tonight) After 10pm there is usually a live band or DJ, there is also a great rooftop patio with a bar and music.
It was off to Tampa Theater a few blocks down, we saw people standing around outside and were told the Deborah was not going on for another 40 minutes, so we headed into the Hub, for a stiff cocktail, and some great tunes on the jukebox. Always an interesting crowd at the Hub, and for the money, they best drinks poured in all of Tampa.
Tampa Theater is a one of kind, even for concerts, we had 11th row seats, it was almost like she was singing right to us. Deborah played most of her new songs, very Indie Pop/Alternative, and she gave some great acoustic renderings from her past Blondie tunes like "Heart of Glass". I was a little disappointed that she only played for an hour, and was hoping to hear more Blondie tunes, but it was a good time.
Bryan wanted to meet one of his friends at City Side, and alternative bar in South Tampa, as we walked in it was packed as they were celebrating their 17th anniversary.., very smokey, but they have an outdoor patio, and in the back area a pool table and darts with flat screen tv's showing the college game highlights....i'm not a big fan of the packed bars like this, but they were playing great tunes and had the videos to the tunes playing on the monitors throughout the club, Bryan never met up with his friend.

It's Sunday, and time to take advantage of this great weather today..biking, kayaking, hanging with the kids at the dog beach/park, a festiuval with the family, or maybe some yard work...just need to get out!

TAMPA RIVERWALK>Looking east towards Channelside, the Forum is on the left

Downtown St. Pete - Definitely Alive!

Took the family to Downtown St. Pete Sunday, We left around 1130am from Tampa, wanted to get there early as the RibFest was happening and we wanted to beat the crowds for parking, etc. We went to Moon Under Water for lunch, it has lots of outdoor seating, facing North Straub Park and the waterfront in downtown St. Pete. Very friendly and efficient service, and the food was great, lots of beers on tap, and a huge drink menu. My uncle tried the Thai curry which was very good, madre had the fish n chips, a huge piece of cod, battered lightly, and thick cut french fries. The Aunt had the BLT, lots of crisp bacon, fresh tomato slices on a thick sweet whole grain bread..I settled for the cuban(love cubans), lots of meat, and salami pressed together made the juices from the pork and salami blend together. Nice to sit outside, people watch, and enjoy the great weather. Downtown St. Pete was bustling, lots of outdoor cafe lined Beach Drive, we walked around to Bay Walk and caught the Trolley, which runs every 15 minutes throughout downtown from the Renaissance Vinoy, to the Dali Museum. Interesting is on the trolley, they even give you some history and interesting facts about St. Pete. We were on our way to Roser Park Art Festival, right near the Dali museum. Roser Park is one of the most interesting neighborhoods in all of Florida, lots of steep hills, along a small creek, something you would never see, and very historic homes. The Art Fest was small, but great to walk around, there was live music, and just walking arounf the neighborhood is interesting. Taking the trolley back, we stopped for some great Gelato at Paciugo, and again sat outside people watching. The gelato was very good, but VERY expensive.

Another great weekend, glad USF finally won, albeit away against Syracuse , but it was a win, i'm looking forward to the Louisville game next week at home.

Downtown Tampa - A-Live after Five???

So there is all the advertising and marketing over the past several weeks and the bombardment of email from the Downtown Tampa Partnership, etc., and we headed to see what the "Live after Five" in downtown Tampa was all about. St. Pete does an amazing job with "First Friday", but how disappointing it was to get there around 6pm, and only see about two dozen people hanging out listening to a decent band on a 1 block section of Franklin Street downtown. We decided to have some stiff cocktails and see if maybe people would show up later, and The Hub was right up the street. Around 7pm, went back to the event, and now there were about three dozen people...not a good thing, I believe that people who work downtown just wanted to get the heck out of there after work and head home.
Anyways, we wanted some eats, and a band I knew of was playing downtown this evening. We met a bunch of friends at Gilligan's over on Morgan St near Jackson St. Very casual place, lots of tables and bar space, and outdoor deck overlooking the Forum. Besides us, there were maybe a dozen of so people in the place. The walls are painted with the characters from Gilligan's Island, there is a pool table in the back. The bartender/server was as kind as could be(thanks Cam), she made sure we were attended to in the back room while we were playing pool having some drinks. The food was very good, and typical bar food(sandwich's, burgers, appetizers)..the Cuban was huge and stuffed with meat, everyone else said their sandwich's were very good(burger, chicken Cesar wrap, chicken sandwich) which all come with a bag of chips, and the price is right at around 5-7 bucks.
After eats, we headed next door to Kelly's Pub to see the band 3 Green Windows. A very long time ago, in the college days, the singer and bassist are from a band called Tragic Rabbit, and we would follow them everywhere in Tampa they played, I was happy to hear that after all this time(since the early 90's) they were back as a new band, and upon walking into Kelly's they were still playing there Tragic Rabbit tunes("Black Velvet Elvis")...and I was amazed that Bo(the singer), and his wife recognized me from all that time......they do covers of many old rock favorites, and really keep the crowd entertained. Bo has probably on of the most amazing voices of any singer of seen live in Tampa. Through the night they played there own original music, Tragic Rabbit tunes(nice for Bo to dedicate one of them to me), and some favorite rock tunes, jamming to the best of them. Kelly's is a great small place, quite a few beers on tap and bottled(over three dozen)..and wine. I'm looking forward to seeing 3 Green Windows again at the end of December when they play at Dave's Aqua Lounge in St. Pete.
They ended around midnight, and one of our friends, Whitney, aka Karen, was meeting her friend at a huge alternative club called Chambers also downtown. This club is very interesting, mostly all gay, and young, the downtstairs as a large catwalk for dancers, and dance floor, pool tables, then upstairs is a huge ballroom like dance hall...they do country music line dancing till about midnight, then they bust out the dance tunes..I have to say, the club is actually very large with two separate floors, and packed them in with mostly guys...a drag show took place around 130am, very entertaining...LOL.
Lots going on this weekend, the Intl Auto Show is in town, RibFest in St. Pete, and the weather wont stop...beautiful, sunny, deep blue skies, temps in the 70's...ahhhhhh!

Dinner and Dessert in Ybor City...on a Tuesday Evening

Flew in from a business trip, and was meeting Aunt and Uncle and Madre for dinner in Ybor. The trip from TIA to Ybor was not bad considering it was 430 Rush Hour, so many people complain about the traffic, but it was a slow moving ride on I-275 Northbound from the airport to about Dale Mabry Hwy, at least it was moving, then it opened up all the way to Ybor exit off I-4...what Rush Hour traffic? Cars were moving along on the other side of the interstate as well, albeit slow, but moving. Im sure if there was an accident, it would not look good.

In Ybor City, my uncle insisted on Spaghetti Warehouse in the Ybor Square section on the far West End of Ybor. As many great Italian places in Ybor(Laughing Cat is my fav), I had to go to the Warehouse. It's typical chain type place, but very authentic interior, and an actual streetcar in the restaurant that you can dine in. The meals all come with all you can eat salad or soup, the wedding soup had chunks of chicken and little meatballs and was quite tasty, the salads were plain lettuce with a few tomatoes. The meals we had were good, the sauce is a bit sweet and thick for my liking, we had eggplant parmigiana, great without the skin on the eggplant; spicy chicken and mushroom pasta, and spaghetti and meatballs. Again, good meal, great prices, but just good. After dinner, we decided to walk off the meal and walk down to 7th Avenue for dessert, we stopped at La Creperia, and enjoyed two different crepes and coffee. The first crepe had Nutella, fresh strawberries and banana slices in a warm fresh crepe drizzled with chocolate and powdered sugar, the other was a caramel and banana crepe. VERY good, we enjoyed each and every bite, what a great place for dessert.

I will still enjoy coming into Ybor for the great restaurants, and a nice historic setting, many of the shops, and smaller bars/pubs were open, the larger clubs, which are getting few and far between were closed, and are only open on the weekends. The area is going through major changes, innovative small companies are taking up office space, art galleries and smaller, independent retail, and unique restaurants and cafe's are opening up. Seems there are many cigar shops lining the avenue as well. It's time the BIG mega clubs said goodbye(which most already have), and the area grows up. It was sad though to see places like the Jazz Cellar and Cafe Creole closed, Ybor Square was actually a neat place to browse around, now it is offices.

Bike to Weedon Island Preserve and Brunch at Mimi's Cafe

Whats a beautiful day Sunday was, and for that matter, what a beautiful time to be in Florida, Deep Blue skies, temps in the upper 70's by day, 50's by night, welcome to Florida's Fall and Winter, enjoy the next 6 months of paradise!!

Took the Bike over to Debi's Sunday morning where we biked from her Riviera Bay neighborhood in St. Petersburg to Weedon Island Preserve. We biked through the waterfront neighborhood which have many canals, and as we approached the preserve, and rode to the Bay, there was alot of wildlife to be seen. Weedon Island is a great place for Kayaking, Biking, Hiking through the trails, and they have a Cultural Center as well.

Afterwards, me the family at MiMi's Cafe in Brandon near the Brandon Town Center Mall. It was my first visit to MiMi's, my aunt and uncle rave about it all the time. Very casual but comfortable separate dining rooms, in a bistro/cafe style. We were seated promptly in the 'Louisiana Room', and ordered some Arnold Palmer's(half iced tea/half lemonade), and saw Fried Pickles for an appetizer, so we decided to try them. Crispy fried pickle slices(dusted very lightly with flour and fried) with ranch and Thousand Island dressing to dip them with a side of homemade coleslaw..perfect. Then came our orders, Chicken Pot Pie was HUGE, big flaky pie crust covering a large bowl full of white meat chicken and veges. The Pot Roast was very tender, Teriyaki Salmon was cooked perfectly over steamed rice, and the Roast Turkey Platter looked just like a serving from Thanksgiving. Very well portioned meals, and we ate every bite, and took home some of the Turkey and Salmon. Lunches were all priced under $12. Now I know why people love this place.

USF Homecoming

Another loss, 3rd week in a row, what a tough game. On another note though, it was great to see so many alumni at the game, and familiar faces. I noticed differently this year was the number of kids running around compared to years ago during homecoming...man i'm getting older! The stadium packed in about 58,000 for this years homecoming, but the loss to Cincy(38-33) did not make the crowd too happy as the fireworks went off behind the stadium.

Endoscopy completed!

Ive been having problems over the last several years with swallowing discomfort when eating, my throat would actually close, and I would not even be able to drink anything, sometimes it would last 10 minutes, sometimes a few hours..I never knew what it was, thought maybe I was eating too fast, or not chewing enough, but finally had the doc(actually a GI-gastrointerologist) tells me its acid reflux, I had silent heartburn,(casue I never feel heartburn pain) and over the years was causing my espohogus to sometimes close. It was so haphazard....soooo anyway, had the Endoscopy done today at the Tampa Bay Endoscopy Center, what a great experience, just need to get there very early, the place was jumping by 8am....the nurses, staff, doctors, all very friendly, explained everything two or three times, nice HOT blankets to keep ya warm while waiting, but I was in and out of there within 90 minutes, the procedure only takes like 5 minutes, they put you to sleep, and wake you back up when its over...That's it! Well, hope its nothing serious, the doc also dilated my throat, doesn't feel bigger, can't wait to eat!

Halloween in Tampa

Well, it's that time of year...Tampa seems to have geared up for Halloween, this holiday as come a long way..it now ranks up there with Christmas it seems, all the decorations inside and outside the homes, and the many parties and festivals for the occasion. This year I decided not to partake in Guavaween, the cities annual raucous festival of nearly 100,000 in Ybor City, and partake in the many Halloween parties. Friday it was up in the Carrollwood neighborhood, the Wendy's girl with the red hair and pig tails seemed to be very popular at that party. Then Saturday a few parties in South Tampa, the first house was decorated all out for the occasion, the second house we went to was a HUGE old Victorian just of Bayshore Blvd. Very wild characters, it's interesting to see people not only don the costumes, but play the characters as well(video below). After leaving the last party, I thought I was going to have to wait forever for a cab, but they were all over the South Tampa streets, running back and forth from Ybor City, so I was able to actually flag one down within minutes after leaving for the night.

My travels take me to NYC this week for work.

Stiff Drinks and a Film Festival Downtown Tampa

Im taking off for Chicago today, and wanted to at least participate in the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF)here in Tampa for two weeks until Sunday the 14th...i'm a HUGE fan of all kinds of movies, and there are usually some great independent movies that rarely make it to main stream, and it's a once a year festival. What I didn't know was that it's the 5th largest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in the country, and this is the 18th year here in Tampa, and it takes place on both sides of the Bay(Tampa and St. Pete). There is also nothing like the experience of seeing a movie in Tampa Theater.

Prior to the start of the movie, we stopped by another Tampa icon next door to Tampa Theater, The Hub, for some of the stiffest, cheapest drinks in town. A mish-mosh of people in this dive lounge with a great juke box, a few video games and an attached package store, from lawyers and business people just getting off work to the true Hub drinker that had been there since opening to a few college students from nearby University of Tampa.

The movie we went to was "For the Bible Tells Me So"...I knew alot about the bible being raised Catholic, but watching this documentary was very eye opening, especially for those that seem to only choose which parts of the Bible they wish to read and interpret. All in all, it was well done, funny and enlightening and entertaining. A must for those who are closed minded and that believe that according to the Bible, homosexuality is an abomination(hmm, so is eating Shrimp, wearing linen and wool, mixing crops).....

Off to Chitown till next Wednesday!

A Great Channelside Addition - Zelda's Cafe and Deli

Finally went to see Transformers in IMAX at Channelside yesterday, what a great blockbuster of a movie, and to see it in IMAX was even more adrenaline rushing. Its out on DVD next week, so figured I should get to see in all its glory from an IMAX experience before it goes to DVD. Afterwards we went for a light dinner in the Channelside area, and wanted something different than what is offered in the Entertainment Complex, so we ventured a few blocks to Zelda's Cafe and Deli on the corner of Kennedy Blvd and Channelside Drive(behind the BP). AT 7:30pm there was no one there, a very nice, clean cafe, dimly lit with windows in front and back. A very friendly woman welcomed us and invited us to take a seat anywhere. They had just opened about three weeks ago, and mostly do a breakfast and lunch time crowd. They had three dinner specials, and the regular menu that had breakfast and lunch items(we were informed you could get breakfast all day). The dinner specials were Baked Chicken, Kielbasa, or Pork Ribs, each served with Vege of the day, a starch(fried rice, potatoes) and a dinner salad - all for $6.95. We decided to try one of the sandwhich's, the Italian Hoagie, and the Kielbasa dinner. A large portion of Kielbasa, grilled perfectly, moist and juicy w/ cooked onions, with a large side of green beans and I chose the Fried Rice which was ok. The dinner salad was a small plate of crisp cold iceberg lettuce, tomato slices and olives and onion. Very good meal, with a home cooked appeal. The Italian Hoagie was on an 8" Hoagie roll that was cold(like it was refrigerated), it would have been better on a fresh soft hoagie roll, but there was plenty of meats and toppings, and it came with a very generous portion of potato salad. The owner came over to talk with us, and advised us that they just finished the outdoor patio that overlooks onto Channelside condo complexes Ventana and Grand Central, along with the emerging studios and lofts that are taking over this area. He plans on having beer and wine license soon, with outdoor seating and live music some nights. Just another positive outlook for the Channelside neighborhood.

Clearwater Beach by day to St. Pete Beach by night

Its been quite some time since I was over at Clearwater Beach, its typically a very busy beach, used to be the prime spot to go when I attended USF, and there are only a few great restaurants I like to visit there now(Frenchy's, Post Corner Pizza, Palm Pavilion, and Island Way Grille). Only about a 30 minute drive from my house in Tampa, I grabbed my bike and headed to the very northern end of Clearwater Beach, a small neighborhood of mixed homes, and private area at the very tip. Biking from one end to the other takes no time, but around the traffic circle you need to watch for novice drivers. I was amazed at the amount of construction on the beach front, towards the South end next to Spyglass there is a huge project, and a new Beachwalk being built. Seems Clearwater Beach is losing its mom and pop type places along the beach, but when riding back, there they all are a block or two away from the beach, some are closed, some in dire need of upgrading and repair. It would be nice to have a more upscale beach area(like a mini Fort Lauderdale Beachwalk) in the Tampa area. Clearwater Beach still seems very touristy and tacky at points, especially when you notice a huge difference going over the Sand Key bridge into Sand Key, with its High rise luxury condos along the beach front, and then Bel-Air. I'm glad I was able to make it back home to watch my Bulls for the USF-FAU game, was an aggravating game, but the Bulls pulled it out to go 5-0 so far for the season. I see them maintaining their #6 standing or possibly moving up one or two at most. GO BULLS!

Saturday evening we headed for a friends birthday get together at St. Pete Beach. He got a few rooms at the Travelodge on St. Pete Beach, which was nice so we did not have to drive back to Tampa after a few cocktails, even though its onyl about half hour ride back to my house in Tampa. The St. Pete Beach Travelodge was just what I had expected, no frills, paper thin towels and pillows, but it was clean. We had his birthday dinner in the attached Shells restaurant. Its been quite some time since I visited a Shells, and I wasnt too impressed. There were about a dozen of us, the service was great! Now for the food, we ordered Calamari, Buffalo Shrimp and Chicken and Onion Rings for starters. Calamari very breaded and crispy fried, Buffalo Shrimp and Chicken were sort of soggy, not as crisp as I thought it should be, the Onion Rings were winners. The bread they serve with dinner is amazing, veyr soft and doughy with alot of garlic butter. Now for the entree's, Shrimp and Scallop skewers on rice with veges consisted of three medium sized scallops and 7 medium shrimps, such a small amount for the price, and were just OK, the shrimp pasta, which they are known for, was very bland, and smaller shrimp than the ones on my skewer. Clam Chowder soup was full of onions, just not a good meal, but as far as service and the company we were with, things were good.

We then ventured to the Swigwam, which is the Tiki Bar behind the Travelodge located on the beach, the breezes were great, the drinks were cold, the crowd was a little less than desirable. It just seemed people had been drinking there all day and could hardly walk, and they just seemed a bit "laid back"..there was a very good raggae band playing, but the courtyard area was very brightly lit which seemed unusual for a beach tiki bar. The good news was that you can walk bar to bar along the beach, and we went next door to Jimi B's. I love this place, much better atmosphere and crowd, and the band playing tonight was Edge of Red, playing classic rock tunes, keeping the beach crowd on their feet and happy. Jimi B's is a grat large tiki area, with three bar area and different levels, and a nice boardwalk out to the water that is dimly lit. Great atmosphere, people and music, we spent most of the night here, before retiring back to Travelodge to sleep on the flimsy mattresses and pillows.

Its off the Madre's for dinner with the family, and watch the Bucs this afternoon!

Just another Kudos to TIA and special Thanks to JetBlue!

Just have to mention again how much I love coming home to Tampa and Tampa International Airport. I travel a few times a month, last night my flight from JFK to TPA was delayed leaving JFK(of course) due to fog, so there we were on the Tarmac for over 90 minutes, well JetBlue kept us informed every 20 minutes, there were 36 channels of TV, cookies and bottled water kept us refreshed, the time passed by quickly, no one was angered and understood it was not JetBlue's fault...but landing at TIA, and then the quick walk through the terminal to Long Term Parking, I was off the plane and in my car within 10 minutes...ahhh, convenience, clean, organized, THANKS TIA and JetBlue!

VICTORIOUS USF BULLS; Hyde Park Art Fest, and Lunch in Hyde Park

What a night, What a game! The euphoric feeling was everywhere in Tampa last night. Being an Alumni, and going to most games since day one, this is what we look forward to, these victorious happenings..coach Jim Leavitt is amazing, the City of Tampa is so proud, and there are lots of new Bulls fans all over the Bay area! Makes me want to go back to USF just for the student rush that's happening on campus.
After the game, we headed over to the Green Iguana Westshore, by 1am, the place was packed, Bulls fans everywhere, and those that were new to the Bulls rage congratulating everyone. It's amazing what a football game can do to people, uplifting spirits, strangers hugging strangers, high fives all around.

Today we got out to the Annual Hyde Park Art Festival, it was a nice crowd, and good breeze on this late September warm day. It was nice to walk around, see some interesting and creative pieces of art, amongst the interesting people. We then walked around Hyde Park area, looking at the historic homes, one of my favorite neighborhoods. With stomachs grumbling after a few hours at the Art Fest, we headed to Howard Ave for lunch, Strings and Rings was only serving a Breakfast Brunch all day, so we went to Evo's for some healthy eats. All their food is fresh, and healthy, very low in fat, no grease of fryers. The Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Thai Chicken Wrap were very filling and flavorful, they have different types of fresh brewed iced teas, and a variety of ketchup flavors for the "AirFries" which are cooked with very hot air, rather than fried...yummy! On the way home we stopped by Pondscapes on the corner of Manhattan Ave and Wallcraft Ave, around the corner from my house, to view the variety of Ponds and Fountains they have on display, actually kicked back for a while in the back area by one of the ponds, very relaxing. They have alot of backyard and outdoor items you normally dont see around.

Finally Got my First Tattoo!

After nearly seven years of procrastinating, I finally got my tattoo, and mostly cause of the bet I made to get one after USF beat Auburn a few weeks back. Check it out!. Went to Ybor City, lots of Tattoo Parlor's there, and just went to a couple of places and finally decided upon Phat Katz Tattoo's on 7th Avenue, mostly cause they could do it at that time, and they were relatively around what I wanted to spend. The girl at the counter was very friendly and explained about the procedure, shrank my design to fit my leg, and the artist "Ozzy" was able to quickly draw it up. I proceeded upstairs, where i thought there would have been separate rooms, but it was one large room, i'm just glad there was only one other person getting a tat, but it also made for good conversation with the other artist and patron. There are windows all around looking out on 7th avenue in Ybor which made some interesting people watching, or they are watching you. Ozzy was very friendly, explained the procedure again and the tools used, the whole process took about 30 minutes, and basically just felt like someone was pulling the hairs from your skin, a little discomfort, but not painful. I was very pleased with the outcome, Ozzy assured me to come back if it needs any attention, but he is moving to New Zealand in November. Ozzy explained the care for my tattoo, but I wish they could have handed me a one-pager that went over the instructions. All in all, a great experience. John and I walked over to Lounge 7-14 to throw some darts and celebrate afterwards. Ybor was a little busy for a Wednesday night, with most stores and bars open.

I'm looking forward to Friday nights game...18 USF vs 5 West Virginia, sold out crowd of nearly 65,000(largest for a Big East Conference game), the Sun trust building downtown will be glowing Green and Gold. We all had a feeling when attending these games 10 years ago something good was going to happen with the Bulls football program, I am proud that I was a there from the start in 1987 when I first moved to Tampa and attended USF, and when the discussions started to turn into actions.

Tampa on a Tuesday Evening! Hyde Park Cafe is off the List!

Friends flew in from Chicago for work, and wanted to partake on Tampa after a great meeting, so they called upon me to help them with some places to go. One of them used to live here, and loves the Crab Shack on Gandy Blvd in St.Pete, just over the bridge, so we headed there for eats. Typical Florida shack, serving some great crab, a few orders of Dungenous, and King crab were ordered, along with Blue Crab claws, drenched in butter, Maryland Crab Cakes, loaded with crab, very little breading, and raw oysters, huge in in season. All dinners include Salad or Slaw, and choice of potato. Just a very casual, Florida, seafood shack. After a two hour dinner(we took our time, and relaxed, very laid back), it was time to head out on the town...on a Tuesday night. We started at Hyde Park area and the Howard Avenue strip(SOHO)...at nearly 10:30pm, there was nearly no one out and about. MacDintons had an ok crowd, mostly outside, or inside a few were there to listen to Karaoke. Dubliner had a few people, but they only serve beer and wine. Walked by CHEAP, not one person in there, the Corner Bar on Howard and Platt was closed, Mangroves had less than a dozen at the bar. Walking down Platt Ave a little further there were lots of people milling around by midnight, Hyde Park Cafe had a small line, what confuses me is how can a place in Tampa dare to have a Velvet Rope, and select people to go in. I know this is a busy night for Hyde Park Cafe, but it just turns me off to see something like this in of all places Tampa, we are Not LA or Miami. There were less than a dozen people outside, there were several lines, one for women, one for guest lists, one for if you were to drop $300 for a table, and one for the visitors and locals. We were told we could not go in because one of us had sandals(be it nice sandals), but saw a group of other guys walk right in with sandals, only to be told by Manager Mario that they reserved a $300 table, so they can wear what they want. Well, I can tell you that as much as I used to like this place, it isn't worth all this trouble to stand behind a velvet rope(just silly in Tampa), be told when I can go in(with hardley a crowd inside yet), and that I cant go in because of sandals, and I didn't purchase a $300 table, yet I see all the ladies walking in with Flip Flops..this is Florida, right? So we walked over to the Rack, where there was a very lively crowd, billiards, and sushi, and enjoyed spending over $250 for all of us. Hyde Park Cafe is officially off my list of places to patronize. Leaving the guys on their own, they ventured off to Tampa's finest - Mons Venus, and a few other strip clubs via Taxi. I had to work in the morning!

South Tampa Sandwichs - Pane Rusitca!

Had some YUMMY sandwich's at Pane Rustica in South Tampa on MacDill Ave, just north of El Prado Blvd. Boy what a treat, such a great place as far as atmosphere, cool tunes playing, a lively well appointed dining area, you get on line and pick from numerous sandwich's and salads, fresh baked breads, and take a seat number and grab a seat. They bring out Mile High sandwiches, the Roast Beef and Turkey sandwiches we ordered were colossal, and very fresh, and come with a few herb roasted potatoes and a marinated olive(wish we could get more olives with the sandwich). For the same price as going to Panera, you are getting non-corporate Mom and Pop type attitude, service, and freshness within a great atmosphere. The pizza's are good, but kind of pricey for such thin crust slices. They also do a sit down style dinner, and the food is just as good as lunch.
Work takes me to NYC this week, then some play time in Manhatten for the weekend, be back Sunday!

Wedding Shower and a Real Fight!

I was invited to a wedding shower up in Lakeland Saturday, it was interesting to drive about 35 minutes out of Tampa and be immersed in what I felt was like a very rural, Southern Georgia gathering, with very Christian southern folks, celebrating their engagement amongst family and friends of their Church. They were all so kind, with alot of Southern Hospitality.
Afterwards, we went to the RFC(Real Fighting Championships) at the USF SunDome. Thanks to TampaGold.com, we were able to get Complimentary tickets. There were about 10 fights, the Main Event went all 5 rounds, just a couple of guys beating the crap out of each other, punching, kicking, wrestling in a caged round. Nice!
Its' been a while since I was up in the USF area of Tampa, and we were hungry after the fights and found Gator's Dockside on Fowler Ave just East of 56th Street. What a great find, open sports bar/restaurant with outdoor seating, and lots of big screen tv's. The menu was huge, we started with Gator Tail, and ordered Gyros, a Mulfaletta Sandwich and Wrap which were each very good. A great find for sure.

Tampa Dinner, St. Pete Live Music

Took Lisa out for her Birthday last night, we decided on a favorite in Hyde Park, Bella's for Italian. Arrived at around 7pm, complimentary valet parking. The bar area was packed, we were seated immediately, and of course given the complimentary Bruschetta as always for a start. We shared the 1/2 chop salad, chopped crisp greens, small pasta, diced chicken in a delicious Italian dressing. The Meza Luna pasta, stuffed with Asparagus, Prosciutto and cheese that I ordered was delicious, although I saked for a Vodka Sauce instead of the plain tomato cream sauce, and they tacked on $5(my Laughing Cat fav in Ybor always lets you vary the menu to your liking without an charge), but it was delicious. Lisa enjoyed her Chicken Marsala, two breasts of chicken, lots of mushrooms, and a side of Broccoli.
We wanted to hear some live music, and Lisa has been raving about Matt Winter, he was playing at Dan Marino's Martini Bar at Bay Walk in downtown St. Petersburg. It was a quick 25 min ride to Bay Walk, a great crowd was hanging out in the Martini Bar, with the Matt Winter band playing above the bar. Plays alot of covers(Dave Matthews, Oasis, Sublime), also has many great originals..I now have another local band to follow that were very entertaining, Lisa got to chat with Matt afterwards for a bit, and we had lots of laughs with the drummers wife who was hanging out with us at the bar.
They only played until 10pm, so we headed back to Tampa, and hit up our local favorite, Green Iguana Westshore, walking distance to my house. The very friendly John and Theresa were manning the bar outside in the Tiki area, there was a lively crowd, and of course a great entertaining band inside. We kicked back and enjoyed the people watching, and chatted with several people(it seems you can never go to the Green Iguana without ending up talking to someone for the first time).
We got a call from some friends to meet up at City Side for a late cocktail, so we cabbed it there, and spent the last few hours of the night socializing with the ever so Happy alternative crowd at City Side...I really like the VJ there, he plays some great tunes.

We Are the BULLS, We Are the BULLS; We Are, We Are, We Are the BULLS!

Just to make a note.....Big East SOUTH FLORIDA BEATS SEC AUBURN 26-23 in OT. My brother went to Auburn, and always said USF was just a rinky dink little commuter school, that would never amount to anything, and doesn't know why I never went to a great Football College like Auburn. Well, in only 11 years, USF has done alot with it's football program, and watching the game last night, although frustrating at times(5 Auburn turnovers, with no points made, and three USF missed field goals) gave USF alumni, students and the Tampa community something else to cheer about. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. GO BULLS!
Now I need to find a place to get my tatoo I promised myself if USF won(the 'U' insignia on my lower leg).

St. Pete's First Friday

Decided after a rough work week to head across the bay to St. Petersburg's monthly First Friday event which is held downtown on Central Ave between 2nd and 3rd streets. The downtown was hopping with lots of people walking around the many great dining, drinking, art, and entertainment options the St. Petersburg's downtown has to offer. We went for Sushi first and came upon Bangkok, on Central Ave and 6th Street. Great atmosphere in this small Thai restaurant, at 8pm , there were a few open tables, but it quickly filled up as the night progressed. We started with some Spring Rolls, that although very small in size, were delicious. Edamame was as expected, and the rolls were some of the freshest, Spider, Dragon and Spicy Tuna. I also tried Ped Panang, crispy duck in a curry/coconut sauce with veges. Very good! Tender duck, the sauce with best over the rice and veges as well.
We then walked down to the First Friday area, and I showed my friend John the area(his first time), Mastry's for strong cheap drinks, then The Garden, The Lobby had a DJ playing Lounge type music. Outside, there was a great Jazz band, and it made for an excellent social scene, with lots of people watching. One thing about St. Pete is how laid back and casual everything is, shorts and flip flops all the way, and there are plenty of places to visit. We stopped by Bishop Tavern where the band was starting to set up, and played air hockey in the Tamiami Bar, which is connected to the oldest outdoor concert venue on Florida, Jannus Landing. There was a free concert in Jannus Landing, and excellent Reggae band called Elevate, jamming to about a few hundred people in the courtyard. For some reason it was particualry dry this evening, with a nice breeze, seems fall is just around the corner. We took a walk a few blocks to the waterfront, with great views of the Marina and Pier.
On the way back to Tampa, I was craving a Club Sandwich, and since we dont have many 24 hour diners, we stopped at Village Inn, where the club sandwich was ok.

Looks like College and Pro-Football are getting into gear this weekend, so after some yard work, will be watching the USF Bulls(my Alma Mater) at Auburn this evening, and then of course the Bucs at Seattle Sunday.

Lenny's Sub Shop in Tampa.

Im a huge sandwich fan, and coming from Long Island, I long for great Hero type sandwiches(or subs, hoagies, etc.). There have been a few I have been to that make a good sandwich here in South Tampa, but I tried Lenny's on Kennedy Blvd, just east of Lois Ave. HUGE colossal size subs, fresh baked bread daily, and meats/cheeses sliced fresh when you order(not pre-sliced), and piled high. I got the Club(Provolone, Roast Beef, Turkey, Ham and Bacon---lots of bacon.....Toppings include all the regular fixins, and a unique hot pepper sauce that is a MUST. If its deli fresh subs(hoagies, heros, etc.), with tons of fresh meat and cheeses, then Lenny's is the place. There are lots of seating available, I can only guess they do a huge Lunch crowd. They have another shop in North Tampa also.

A Tampa Labor Day Weekend!

While many of my friends went out of town this long weekend, I decided to make the most of Tampa this weekend. From a limo ride to Columbia Restaurant, Breakfast at Mama's Kitchen, to Off-Road Biking in Flatwoods, to a Beach Party in Ybor, it was a great long weekend.

Saturday night, my friend Chrissie was coming into town to visit her sister and their friends as the ladies were all turning 40 this year. They got a Limo for the evening fun, and invited me to go along. We were picked up and headed to Ybor City, and the Columbia Restaurant, a Tampa icon, it is the oldest Spanish restaurant in Florida, since 1905. Lots of history and many famous have passed through this very ornate and architecturally grand structure on 7th Ave in Ybor. Our reservation for dinner included the Flamenco show. It has been a few years since I had enjoyed dinner here, and it seems it has gotten a bit pricey over those years, with most dinners ranging from 17 to 30 dollars, not including a salad. The portions are very generous, we shared plates ranging from the perfectly marinated roast pork with plantains, Canneloni stuffed with lobster, crab and shrimp, many Tapas plates, Calamari, and of course the famous 1905 salad. The food was very good, and service professional. The show was very entertaining, old time Spanish Flamenco dancers during dinner. One thing I thought about was how unique Ybor City is, and the history this National Landmark has, that Tampa needs to look at bringing in more entertainment type venues in this area to show off the culture and rich immigrant history that is so unusual around most parts of Florida, and special to Tampa.
The ladies then wanted some lounge type atmosphere, and there is nothing much to offer in Ybor, unfortunately, for the well dressed, almost 40 year old women, so it was off to Hyde Park, and Mangrove's on Howard Ave. A DJ was set up in the upstairs, and we found a quiet spot downstairs near the bar where they had separate booths. After a cocktail there, it was off to a more lively, laid back place, the Dubliner. A live band was crankin great 90's tunes to a hip crowd, very casual with the outdoor and indoor area for relaxing and socializing. Only problem here was it is strictly beer and wine, some of them wanted to continue drinking liquor drinks. Getting close to 1am, our last stop was Green Iguana Westshore. they have expanded this place a bit inside, there was a very lively crowd, and great bar staff. The band was very entertaining, and having an opportunity to relax outside under the Tiki bar, and inside watching the band was a great choice, the ladies thought this was the best place we went all night. You can't go too wrong with a local favorite like Green Iguana, especially the original one on Westshore Blvd.

Sunday, thinking about some breakfast we made a run for Mama's Kitchen on South Dale Mabry near MacDill AFB. I had seen this place, but never been and wanted to try it out, since I try to find some great diner type places in the area. And Mama's Kitchen lived up to what I love about the small type diners. Breakfast served all day, and the typical diner type items on the menu, I onloy wish they were open 24 hours. The Biscuits and Gravy came out on a large plate with two fresh buttermilk biscuits with I'd say enough thick Sausage gravy for at least 4 people. The omelets were light and stuffed with toppings of choice. Fast, friendly and good. I found another diner type in the South Tampa area and I will be goign back.
After a hearty breakfast, we got the bikes on the back of my truck and headed for the Flatwoods/Wilderness Park to do some Off-Road biking. Ive wrote about these areas before, we parked at the Trout Creek Park area where the most trails are located. Some of the trails were closed due to the heavy rains we had been having, but it is so quiet, and serene biking through all the various types of topography found in Florida(wetlands, srubs, pine barrens, palmettos, sand, etc.). Various wildlife we saw today was some snakes, turtles, and the tracks made from the wild boar.
A quick nap, and it was out to Ybor City again, the go to Chruchills Nightclub on 7th Ave for a special Labor Day Beach Party. Prior to starting the night, we stopped at Samurai Blue for some Sushi. The place was very busy, as was Ybor City in general for this holiday Sunday evening. A couple of seats at the sushi bar were open. The rolls were not as I had expected from the numerous times I had been there before. The prices here seemed to have gone up as well, and for Sushi, I wasn't pleased with the texture and flavor, the ambiance though is first rate, but it left me disappointed food wise. Churchill's is a 3 Level club, the 2nd floor is more loungy with the outdoor balcony overlooking 7th Ave, and with the 3rd level being a rooftop over looking all of Tampa and Ybor and the open sky. There were lots of people that showed up late in the evening, the music was very clubby. All in all it was a fun Sunday night.

We wrapped up the weekend going to see the new Jason Statham/Jet Li movie "War" at Muvico's Centro Ybor Theaters(wow, I was in Ybor much of the weekend)..the movie was just ok, I was expecting bigger and better fight scenes with more martial arts. After the movie, we went for a quick bite in Ybor, only to find out on this Labor Day, that almost all the restaurants were closed---Mema's Tacos, Carmines, Gaspar's, Elmer's, Silver Ring Cafe, all CLOSED! Not good, as I saw MANY tourists, and locals alike wandering around Ybor, with most stores and shoppes closed on this Labor Day. I found that to be pretty disappointing that the district would decide not to make open for business when most people want to get out and explore on their day off. We did go to Hawk's Sports Cafe on Bay to Bay Blvd in South Tampa, a great sports bar, very neighborhood friendly type place, great wings, burgers and sandwiches.

This busy short work week brings me to Virginia Beach, haven't been there since I was a kid.

Tampa's BBQ - Jimbos's and another Feel Good Movie of the Summer-Stardust!

Was craving some BBQ, so we headed to Jimbo's on Kennedy Blvd near Lois Ave in Tampa. This place has been around awhile, head in the front door and your welcomed by lots of Picnic style tables, with long benches to sit on, and a few booths. Service has always been swift when I come in, friendly southern ladies. Lunch times this place can get packed, we arrived around 6pm, but by 7pm, most tables were filled with dinner crowd. Nothing Fancy, just down home BBQ - Chicken, Pork, Ribs, Beef, and Ham - Chopped or Sliced, Dinner or Sandwich. Side choices are Baked Beans, which are in a rather thick sweet sauce, smokey flavor, potato salad, plenty of eggs and mayo used with red new potatoes(skins on), French Fries, seasoned just right, or Cole Slaw, tangy. The portions are big. Each plate also comes with Hush Puppies, crispy on the outside, fresh, soft and warm on the inside. When seated, they immediately bring over the warm BBQ sauce, and you help yourself to the all you can eat pickle and hot pepper bar. Ive never has a disappointing meal at Jimbo's.

Afterwards we headed to Westshore AMC theaters for what I would consider another great feel good movie of the summer-Stardust. Everything is in this movie, comedy, tragedy, drama, and great acting, Robert DeNiro had us rolling in the aisles with his part. it is just a let everything go, and pick up your spirits kind of flick, with purpose filled messages about love and life mixed in.
On a side note, movies are now $9.00, Small popcorn is $4.00, where are we NYC? Seems just like gas, the prices just crept up within the past 18 months, as if we wouldn't notice. Same service, same theaters, as long as movies like Stardust continue to show, it'll be worth it I guess.

Back to Tampa from South Beach

Took off to South Beach Friday for this past weekend, it's nice to have many convenient flights to Miami, and not very expensive. Turns a 5 hour drive into 45 minutes, worth it! Its also nice to know that so close to Tampa is an International(very international) city. I get to Miami a few times a year for work, but this was a first time in a while for pleasure and to South Beach. Stayed at the Royal Palm resort, on the ocean next to Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road. Interesting to hear languages from all over(Europe, Latin America), a nice getaway, and since it was off-season, the pool areas, and beaches were bearable, as was the many fine restaurants and nightlife along Washington Ave and Lincoln Road areas.

As usual, it was nice to be back in smaller city of Tampa! Just flying over the city, there is so much greenery from all the trees and conservation areas throughout the city and county, and the abundance of waterways throughout the bay area.

Tampa's Ballast Point Dinner - Cellini's

Madre visited today, dropped off little Coco at the house before she ran her errands for the day. On the way out the door, she exclaimed how much she misses South Tampa, and being able to have all her needs within a few miles of each other in a one convenient area(she does not have this convenience living in South Hillsborough County....). When she came back we went to dinner to Cellini's, a great South Tampa Italian spot, in the Ballast Point neighborhood, just off Bayshore Blvd, south of Gandy Blvd. Very clean, and welcoming, open floor plan with tables and booths, nice but not stuffy, and casual. A nice bar area also welcomed patrons to the restaurant. They immediately took out drink order and placed fresh bread and very fresh diced tomatoes in a garlicky/basil/evoo to spoon on top of the bread. Delicious! We decided to split a 10" Cellini Pizza, and Chicken Parmigiana. The Cellini Pizza was baked fresh, and had calamati olives, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheeses...thin and crispy dough. The Chicken parm was cooked perfectly, crispy and pan fried, smothered in a delicious red pomodoro sauce with plenty of cheese. This is a great casual Italian eatery in South Tampa, and I will be returning. After dinner we took a quick drive by Ballast Point, where thre are the best views of Tampa Bay, the entire Bayshore Blvd lined with highrise Condo towers, and the Tampa downtown skyline can be seen.

A Tampa Dog Beach, A Tampa Diner, A Tampa Neighborhood, and A Tampa Evening

Took the kids to their fav beach, Picnic Island Dog Beach/Park. This excellent Tampa Park and Beach is just down Westshore Blvd at the very end, almost a hidden Tampa treasure. In the mornings there are very few people and their dogs on the dog beach section, which is very long and wide. The park also has a large hill with wide open spaces for them to run around, and great views of the Bay, and downtown St. Pete. It's nice to have this within a few miles of home.
Afterwards John and I headed to Three Coins Diner on Nebraska Ave in Seminole Heights. I have heard about this place, and wanted to check it out, I miss the real diners of the northeast, and there are very few in this area. It's a small place, maybe a dozen or so booths, and a counter with a few stools. But a diner it is, and the menu shows the variety of choices that are often scene at diners. I like the 24 hour breakfasts, and the Triple Decker Club Sandwich's that come with Onion Rings and Steak Fries on the menu. I decided to go for the Feta and Spinach Omelet. It was rather large portion, stuffed with alot of Feta and Spinach, and with fresh home fries and buttered toast. Not the best of breakfasts, they cook the eggs on too hot of a skillet which causes it to brown slightly, but this greasy spoon diner find is good and worth the trip. The service is top notch, the atmosphere and diversity of people is even better, (over heard conversations ins Spanish, and a few patrons with many piercings and tattoos) an interesting part of Tampa.
I have been wanting to discover more of Tampa's neighborhoods, and we drove around Riverside Heights after brunch. A very nice small neighborhood a few miles north of downtown Tampa bordered by the Hillsborough River on the west, N Boulevard on the east, Columbus Ave and MLK Blvd. A variety of homes, large and small, brick lined streets, large mature oaks.
Saturday evening we met up with a bunch of friends to celebrate a birthday at Channelside. First stop was Splitsville, there was 10 of us all together, we ordered mostly sliders(small cheeseburgers), salads, sushi and chicken fingers. The food was very good, although sushi is not their specialty, but then again this is an upscale bowling alley. The place was very busy, there was a 2 hour wait to get a bowling lane, and most of the patrons were all young professionals. Tunes from the 80's/90's kept the crowds heads bopping, we opted to play pool for a while instead of bowl. Outside in the Channelside courtyard there was a band set up on stage. We then headed to McGraw's, which was just starting to get busy. They were having line dancing lessons early on, but later, there was a mixture of dance and country tunes. We played darts, and boxing, while doing some people watching. It's a Big space inside, the ceiling fan is something to see at this place, must be the biggest one ove ever seen, got to see it to believe it. We then ventured from Channelside up the street about a mile to Ybor City, and Lounge 7-14. The last stop of the evening before going home was Green Iguana Westshore, walking distance to home. A round of pool, and listing to a great band topped off the night. They have been doing some major renovations at this green Iguana, a larger space inside, and the pool room area is also getting a make-over and bigger. Im going to miss the small, dive place this used to be, lots of memories in the 17 years i have been going here.

South Tampa Ice Cream

After a great BBQ dinner at Selmons(great pulled pork, collard greens and Chedder Grits w/Bacon), we decided on some Ice Cream, and pulled into the Old Meeting House/Joffrey's Coffee on MacDill Avenue south of Euclid Ave. in South Tampa. Great Ice Cream place, with over 2 dozen homemade varieties. I tried the Blueberry Cheesecake, and also Cherry Chocolate Chunk. They have board games and seating areas inside, and also covered seating outside along the side walk. It's also a block away from Bayshore Blvd. They also carry Mike's Pies, a variety of coffee's and deserts.

Treasure Island beaches and an Ybor City weekend!

Friday I did what is now becoming a bit of a routine, but a good routine, seeing my friend Rob from the band Buffalo Strange play solo at The Hut on John's Pass, Madeira Beach. This time I ordered the Black n Blue burger, and the burger just seemed to be a bit tough. My friend Debi advised me last time that her burger was also a bit tough. The mellow tunes kept us happy, it was very warm, we haven't had the typical afternoon thunderstorms in about a week to cool things off during the day, but there were plenty of fans blowing in this LARGE tiki hut on the water. After taking Debi home, John and I wanted Ice Cream, and found the Dairy Inn, located on MLK Blvd(9th Street) near 11th Avenue in St. Pete. Kind of like Dairy Joy in South Tampa, a walk up window with soft serve ice cream cones and sundaes, with a few covered tables. There is a video game room in the back with a few 'old school' video games. Lisa and Brian gave us a shout to join them at their Beach Condo they had for the weekend on Treasure Island, so we ventured back out there. It was nice overlooking the WIDE white, sandy beaches of Treasure Island in the evening from the condo. For a late night snack, we venured out to Monster Slice Pizza on St. Pete Beach, for some very good, very thin and crispy pizza. They were loaded with toppings, and plenty of cheese.

Saturday, John and I ventured back to Treasure Island, and brought our bikes. We saw a bike/walking path behind the condo along the beach, and wanted to bike it today. To our surprise it only went about 6 blocks to the north of the condo, and about 10 blocks to the south. I would have thought it to be much longer, and span the entire Treasure Island beach behind all the hotels, motels and condo areas. What was nice was you can bike or walk to a few good places for a cool drink and maybe catch a band or guitarist(runs behind Bilmar Resort, Thunderbird Resort, and many mom and pop type motels as well as two Public Beach areas for Treasure Island with restrooms and snacks). For lunch by the pool at the condo, we headed to ABC liquor for refreshments and The Floridian for Cubans. I have heard about The Floridian(located on the causeway heading to Treasure Island), and how famous their Cuban Sandwiches are, and no doubt, some of the best. Piled high ham, roast pork, swiss cheese, mustard and pickle slices.
Saturday night, we cleaned up and headed to Ybor City for dinner. Italian was on my mind, and there is no better than The Laughing Cat on the corner of 8th Ave and 15th Street. The dark skies, and rain kept most of the crowds away this evening in Ybor, so we were able to be seated promptly. The menu is huge, as is the portions. It is best to split most of the items, they are that big. I had the Salmon with Mussels, very Large portion of Salmon, with about 8 HUGE mussles in their shell around the Salmon in a light tomato/garlic, white wine sauce. The others had Chicken Fettuccine with huge chucks of chicken, and Farfalle diMare, loaded with Seafood and Boe Tie pasta in a Vodka Sauce. Everything is FRESH, and can be made to order. For fun we then ventured out to the area of Ybor what is quickly becoming known 'gaYbor' district(bordered by 9th ave and 6th Ave and 12th street to 16th Street). Lounge 7-14, G. Bar, Flirt, MC Film Festival, and soon the new location of Wranglers are all in this area. I dont venture to these type places much, but Lounge 7-14 was actually very cool, we played darts, and there was some great rock and commercial tunes/videos playing. G.Bar was just opening when we went so there was no cover, and you can play pool there for free, so we did just that until the crowds started filling up(around 11:30). We then headed to Wranglers, only to find out they are closed until there new location opens up soon. A quick drink in Green Iguana, which used to be my favorite hang out in Ybor, was barely holding a crowd, and the people there this evening seemed a little sleazy(two very heavy set women, with barely any clothes on, pole dancing in front of the band and making out together). Its difficult to listen to a live band, when there is dance/hip-hop blaring from the room next door, they should place a thick curtain between the two rooms. We went back to Lounge 7-14, which had become filled, and very smokey(seems they need a filter to get rid of the smoke that quickly fills up this lounge when more than a few people are puffing on some smokes).
All in all, and nice weekend to get out to Tampa's beaches, and explore the Tampa's historic district.

Hanging out in the Tampa Burbs!

After an afternoon hanging out my buddies pool in Cheval(subdivision in Lutz), we all decided to grab some Sushi and cocktails, but where can we find great eats and cocktails in the Burbs?? We came across Sushi Alive in Northdale burbs shopping strip, and what a great find. An eclectic type of place, lounge music beating in the background, dim lighting, and pretty people. The choices of rolls were great, the Crispy Crunchy and Spider Rolls were a hit with the table. The sushi was very fresh. Heather our server was one of the nicest servers and made the evening even more pleasurable. I tried Plum Wine for the first time, kinda sweet. Afterwards we wanted some cocktails in a loungy type atmosphere...and a few stores down in this suburban strip mall was Grille One Sixteen...what a surprise, It felt like walking into a South Beach, or Manhattan type place, very large lounge area, long white drapery, very pretty people everywhere, great loungy music in the background. I have heard the food here is excellent, and worth a trip to the burbs to enjoy. After a few Martinis and cocktails, it was off to meet some other friends and be a little more down to earth place, the Wild Wing Cafe, on Anderson Road near Carrollwood suburbs. This same area is home to several other establishments, the HUGE AMC 24 theaters, The Green Iguana, which supposedly has the largest Tiki Bar in Florida, a Logan's Steakhouse and a few others...Wild Wing Cafe had a nice outdoor bar shaped like a boat overlooking a large lake. There was a a great band rocking out 80's and 90's tunes.
It's not often I'm out in the burbs, but when out there, I did find a great Sushi place, and a premium lounge.

Hidden Tampa Bay GEM!! in Ruskin?????

Went to see madre, back from a 10 day Baltic Sea cruise, at her new home in Valencia Lakes near Sun City Center. We are always looking for places to eat out in this area. Stumbled upon a great resort/residential waterfront oasis - Little Harbor in Ruskin. Yes, Ruskin, who knew that there were such beautiful beaches on Tampa Bay, with amazing views of downtown St Pete, and Tampa, Skyway Bridge, and excellent sunsets. This is truly a Hidden gem, within 25-30 min from downtown Tampa, and only 10 min from my mom's new home. We found Little harbor resort, and there specialty restaurant overlooking the Bay, Sunset Grille. Every seat has a great view of the Bay, sunsets, and downtown St. Pete in the distance. There is a small boardwalk, the Lounge next door had indoor and outdoor seating, live band, and huge tiki bar on the water. There is a small park, and long pier out into the Bay. The sands on the beach are power white(like the Gulf). Sunset Grille serves an excellent seafood buffet Fri and Saturday nights, only $25.00 includes all you can eat, Raw oysters, peel and eat shrimp, oyster Rockefeller, huge salad bar, soups and thats just the starters, for entrees they had Salmon, Grouper, Seafood Newberg, and huge Crab Legs, very meaty, and all you can eat. They were also carving Prime Rib, and a large dessert offering. Food was hot, and fresh, and always plentiful, service was impeccable, always stopping by to refill drinks, clean the crab legs away, etc. They also have a Full menu, specializing in Seafood and Steaks. This place is a MUST of you either are in the Ruskin/Apollo Beach/Sun City area, or just want to escape Tampa, and head along the Bay. The resort is beautiful, reminds me of being up north with the large townhome style buildings. A gem of a find, we will be back..and often, even just to have a drink in the tiki bar outdoors.