Pass-a-Grille Beach Lunch and the Florida State Fair

Back from the Keys, my friends from Long Island was in town for one more day. It was beautiful day, temps in the 70's, no clouds, so we were off to the beach for lunch, and took Madre with us. Pass-a-Grille beach is one of my favorite Pinellas County beaches, about a 30 minute easy drive from Tampa. A small penninsual that is about 20 blocks long and 2 blocks wide, quiet, small main street witha few shops, and cafe's, and several great seafood restaurants, and B&B's, smaller Mom and Pop type hotels with expensive small homes mixed in, a quaint little town, just south of the Don Cesar on St. Pete Beach. Parking is in assigned spots right on the beach(no big parking lots or garages), and you pay the meter in cash or credit card at $1.25 per hour, very convenient. We checked out Brass Monkey Bar and Grille, on the second floor facing the Gulf, with ample outdoor seating. The waters were an aqua marine greenish blue today and served as our back drop to a delicious lunch. We started with Stuffed Mushrooms, stuffed with crab meat. Although the server advised us that the mushrooms were two portabellas, we expected two large portabella caps stuffed, but what came out was maybe one whole portabella mushroom cap cut in half and stuffed. Although tasty, we felt that the $12 price was a bit much for this appetizer. We dined one of their many interesting burgers, topped with Old bay Seasonging, crab stuffing and cheese, a great combination, tasty, but a little messy. There are over a dozen types of burgers on the menu with very unique flavors. Madre ordered the Fish and Chips, an oversized filet of Halibut, enough for about two people or one very hungry person, and standard french fries. I devoured the Blackened Grouper Sandwhich, very thick, although it could have used a bigger bun, inseatd of breaking the Grouper in two pieces and piling them on top of each other so it would fit on the bun. All very good food, and the service was excellent and friendly, with our server constantly waiting on us.

After a nice walk through the village to the fishing pier and back, we decided to check out the annual Florida State Fair in Tampa, about a 45 minute ride to the Fairgrounds from the beach. The Fair is an amazing site, and takes up the entire Fairground propery, lasting 12 days. All kinds of exhibits relating to the state, from Agriculture, Farming to Wildlife and Forestry, to Cracker Country(original Floridians were called Cracker beacuse the Florida cowboys would crack their whips on their lands to herd the cattle). Lots of shows and famous musical acts throughout the Fair are also available. We went and saw the Hollywood Circus, which is a must if you go, about a 90 minute show with very entertaining stunts, and acrobats, and only one animal section with amazing Black Stallions. The highlight was the caged motorcross riders in the round cage criss crossing within inches of each other. The Midway at the Florida State Fair is the largest in the country, over 40 rides, unique to the Midway, and of course the rows and rows of games of Chance. One thing you dont want to miss out on as well is the FOOD...lots and lots of FOOD..this year we saw Fried Oreos and Fried Fruit....seems they will fry anything!! Just kicking back and people watching is very entertaining. Admission is only $10, and that includes all the exhibits and shows.

This week work brings me to West Palm Beach, and Tampa is gearing up for yet more Gasparilla Festivities with the Gasparilla Knight Parade on Saturday night in Ybor City.

Tampa to Key West

I'm back from Key West, an amazing trip! The Key West Ferry is a must if you dont want to shell out $500 for a round trip air ticket, or drive the loooong 7 hour trip from Tampa. A quick 2 hour drive to Fort Myers beach from Tampa and you board a very modern, high speed ferry service, with an upscale like lounge and bar area, dining area, 2 indoor levels, with booths, rows of comfy tall back reclining chairs with individual tray tables, and also 3 levels of outdoor areas and a rooftop seating area. There are large flat creen tv's mounted throughout the ferry where tv and first run movies play during the 3.5 hour ride through aqua blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico to Key West, very professional and fun staff. Mimosa's in hand as the boat pulls away, we were off to 3 full days and two nights of paradise, Key West style! The Ferry leaves around 9am from Fort Myers Beach, and returns from Key West daily at 6pm back to Fort Myers Beach.

Just a quick synopsis on Key West..stayed at Duval Quarters, a small B&B on Julia Street and southern end of Duval Street, walking distance to everything, but bikes, scooters, pedicabs, etc. are all readily available, and the island living is at your doorstep. Becky and Chris were as laid back as two Boston transplants could be, and made us very comfortable.
A 3 block walk to the Southern Most Cafe and Beach Club, we had a great lunch, and relaxed on the small beach for a few hours. On the way back we picked up a couple of bikes to keep for the weekend, and rode down to Mallory Square(about 10 blocks) to meet some friends we met on the Ferry.(By the way, it's a small island, so your bound to run into lots of people from the Ferry, another couple we met was also staying at our B&B). With the freaks on hand displaying all kinds of acts, and the sun setting in the distance, and a few mojitos in hand..it made for a great start to the first evening in the Keys. We stopped by Historic Cigar Alley, a great wine and Cigar shop in old town owned by our B&B proprietors Becky and Chris. A quick clean up after sunset and it was off to La Te Da for a Female Impersonator Show...very classy Cabaret Show, we had some cocktails on the front upper porch over looking Duval Street. The show was hysterical, and Chris the impersonator kept calling out to our table all night, as we were right next to the stage. The show was over around midnight, and decided to do the Duval Stumble, patronizing about a dozen or so establishments meeting all kinds of all over the globe.

Saturday morning was a little rough waking, but knowing we were going on a half day Sailing Excursion that included Snorkeling and Kayaking made us get right up, on the bikes, and off to the docks to set sail with Danger Charters. A great happy crew awaited us, Don, Christie and Keith, along with about 8 other friendly strangers, it was nice to go out with such a small group. As we helped to hoist the sails, and set out on this amazingly beautiful morning, temps were about 75, and blue blue skies, Don was slicing up fresh fruit for all. On the way out to the Coral Reefs, Keith showed us a map of the Florida Keys, and explained in detail the History of the keys, fishing, treasure, etc. Snorkeling in the Crystal Clear Blue warm waters was amazing, like being in an aquarium, all colors and types of fish, we saw Sea Turtles swimming around, very rare, and live lobsters. I never seen so many types of species and colors of fish...Don and Christie were able to point lots of stuff to the group. We then opened up the wine and beers, Chips with Fresh Hummus and Salsa on our way to the Mangrove Islands to go Kayaking...another incredible experience, as Don guided us around the Mangrove Islands, to descibe all the types of birds, and animals on the islands we saw, we even ran into Sting Ray's and Nurse Sharks along the way, and just kayaking out in the Carribean is an amazing scene. We biked around the Keys when we got back by 3pm, checking out lots of interesting areas, and had some lunch at Cheeseburger on Duval Street. There are always guitarists and musicians playing at the many outdoor cafes. Dinner Saturday night was at A&B Lobster House, very fine dining that you can be dressed in flip flops and shorts for along the Marina and Key West Bight area, great views and again perfect evening weather with a warm tropical breeze that occurs along the waterfront day and night. We all dined on some sort of Lobster, as it is in Season and they pull them daily from the Ocean here in Key West.
Sunday was a relaxing day on the scooters, we had some excellent Omelets at Pepe's, the oldest 'Eating House' in Key West..not quite sure what that means, but the place was an outdoor shack of sorts, been around since 1909, and had to be the best breakfast on the island(lots of people waiting after we left). After late morning eats, we travelled around the island, stopping off at places like the Historic Cemetery, Higgs Beach and the the other many beaches along the South Shore, and the beautiful waterfront resorts like The Reach, Casa Marina, Southern Most, Hyatt and Westin. Toured the Truman Annex area and Fort Taylor State Park. We met up with our friends later before the Ferry was to head out for some last cocktails and people watching along Duval Street. At 6pm Sunday evening, we were saying goodbye to a beautiful, relaxing, weekend in Key West.

A Key West Sunset!

Lunch in Downtown Tampa; Man Pampering; Tampa Chinese Takeout

A good friend from back home in Long Island, NY that I have know since I was 4 years old is in Tampa visiting me this weekend, we are heading to the Florida Keys tomorrow for a long relaxing fun weekend.
I picked Corrie up at the Tampa Airport, it is ideal to park on the 9th Floor rooftop of Short Term parking, it is free for the first hour, offers great views of the Bay and all of Tampa, and always a space available next to the elevators from Baggage Claim.
We headed directly to downtown Tampa, and Harbour Island's Cafe Dufrain. I had been here for dinner, and wanted to try lunch, it was such a beautiful day to sit outside along the waterfront for lunch. Downtown was busy, as it is typically in the middle of the day, close to 60,000 people work in downtown daily. We were seated promptly with great views of the skyline along the water. Service was excellent, we dined on Tuna Tataki, the Barbeque Pork sandwhich, and Portabello/Vege Sandwhich. Both very large portions and delicious, and came with sweet potato shoestring fries and salads. My friend is an executive chef for a very popular restaurant in Southhampton on Long Island, NY and claimed it was a great lunch spot.
She wanted to get her feet and toes prepared for flip flops all weekend, so we went to a Nail Salon in my neighborhood on Manhatten Ave in South Tampa, just south of El Prado Blvd. I have had a pedicure done twice before(highly recommend one as a guy), and this shoppe was one of the best. All Asian women run the shop, very clean and new. We were seated in state of the art massage chairs, while hot water filled in a tub for our feet, with massage crystals. Very thorough, the woman that worked on my feet had me for over half and hour, massageing my legs and feet after the pedicure, and cleaning up the toes..VERY VERY relaxing!!!
For dinner it was Chinese Takeout from my favorite place, Peking Take Out on Manhatten Avenue in South Tampa - very much Ny Style Chinese.(Just happens to be next door to the Nail Salon we went to earlier in the day).

Looking forward to the weekend trip to Key West, we take the Ferry from Ft Myers, be back late Sunday night!!

St. Pete's Red Mesa - EXCELLENT Nuevo Mexican

Went to Red Mesa last evening with Debi, Jason and Bill, and again i'm thoroughly impressed by the tasty food and friendly, professional service. I call it "Neuvo Mexican", as it is not your typical Mexican joint, but the food has a Mexican flare...we all had seafood dishes this evening, Fresh Snapper with a crab/guacamole stuffing, Grouper, and a Shrimp dish, each with excellent, creative side dishes. The Sangria was good, a little sweet, but delicious.

Tampa Italian Eats, Busch Gardens, Kayaking and SuperBowl

Florida was paradise this weekend, and I took full advantage of the beautiful February weather after getting back from snowy, cold Chicago. Friday I couldn't decide between downtown St. Pete's First Friday event or just hanging in the neighborhood, so we went over to Cellini's on Bayshore Blvd in South Tampa..i've been here a few times and this place now surpasses Bella's as my fav neighborhood Italian eatery in South Tampa. They always start you off with a small bowl of fresh chopped tomotoes in olive oil with garlic and spices(unlimited) to top off the fresh soft bread. Chicken Parm with a side of speghetti and Rigatoni with cooked sausage in a Vodka Sauce were cooked perfectly, pasta is cooked al dente, sauces are very fresh and tomotoey, great service, the waiter was always refilling our drinks, and tending to us. The place has a family type atmosphere, there is a large bar with flat screen tv's. Its a short walk to Ballast Point Park and Pier where you can get some ice cream afterwards and gaze at some of the best views of downtown Tampa and all of Bayshore.

Every year I ususally get an annual pass for Busch Gardens, so since it was the beginning of 2008, I decided to get a two year pass, includes free parking, discounts on food and merchandise. I typically like to go a few times a year, even to just walk around, have some complimentary beers and check out the Gardens and animals,and of course ride some of the best coasters in the country(Sheikra, Montu, Kumba and Gwazi). Joe and I spent the day here Saturday, taking lots of pictures, riding the rides, checking out the animals and people(there were lots of nice things to see today). We ate at the new BBQ place, and the food was actually very good for a theme park. The Hospitality House was sampling new beers where they were mixing different types(kind of like Black and Tan's), seems like a new marketing scheme for the Beer giant, good stuff though.
For Joe's bday dinner, we all went to CDB's Southside on Westshore Blvd, Kate was craving pasta. Been here a few times, its in my neighborhood, the place is nice inside, small bar downstairs, great lounge upstairs and outdoor balcony overlooking Westshore Blvd. The salads are HUGE and tasty, Im just not a big fan of their sauce, kind of sweet and thick for my liking, also the young server in the back room left much to be desired, so this was another trip with mediocre service.

Sunday we went a bought a kayak at Sweetwater Kayaks on Gandy and 4th street. These guys are very helpful, and carry alot of gear for kayakers. They had several kayaks on consignment in the attic, and Joe opted to purchase one instead of renting today. We were then off to Picnic Island in South Tampa to check out the wildlife and cruise around the mangoves and islands out near MacDill AFB. Some have private beaches. The weather was perfect, it was a great day on the water.
Afterwards, I headed up to Maida's for the SuperBowl game(GO GIANTS!!), where she had a really nice spread of food for all of us, I of course brought the meatballs.

It's a short work week, and i'll be heading to Key West for a long weekend.

Tampa Korean

Koreans make up less than 1% if the Tampa population, yet Tampa has one of the highest concentrations of Korean people in the state of Florida. A buddy of mine is a linguist specializing in Korean, so on Monday I decided to try out a Korean restaurant for the first time. Sa Ri One is a very authentic Korean restaurant located in the Westshore Business District on Cypress Street. Its been there for many years, has a small outdoor patio, and inside you feel like you are in a New York City style restaurant, with small booths, but authentic decor. The servers all speak Korean, as my friend would speak directly to them in Korean. The food was interesting but delicious. We started with Dumplings which were full with meat and cooked perfectly, and for meals we split a spicy Pork dish and the Short Ribs. All meals come with 6 traditional Korean veges which are unlimited(as soon as one vege runs out, they come to your table and replace it with a different one), some are spicy, but they are all very delicious and unique. We washed it down with a couple of very smooth Korean beers(Hite) served in small chilled glasses. Something else that I thought was cool was they had electronic buttons on the table that when pressed would light up your table number in the front area to advise a server that you need assistance. For a trip to another land, I would recommend dining here, and trying a different unique taste to the Tampa area. There are about 8 Korean type restaurant and food stores in the Tampa area, but I have been told this one ranks at the top. Most of the patrons were all Korean and also business visitors, so that should tell you something as well.

Work takes me to chilly Chicago this week, where it is -20 with the wind chill..BRRRRR! Be back in Tampa for SuperBowl Weekend!

Biking Pinellas Trail, Strolling thru Gulfport

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day after a somewhat cloudy Gasparilla, so I made sure I took advantage of the blue skies and temps in the 60's. Started the day having a little Einstein Bagel and Tea with Debi in the Nursery she was working at, Exotica Nursery on 22nd Avenue South and 44th Street. Its a really nice nursery with lots of tropical plants, a huge Koi pond, and every species of Bamboo and Palm you could find. A perfect place for breakfast, up in the tree deck deck overlooking the gardens below. Our friend Jason that owns the place does an amazing job of Landscaping(he has done several projects downtown St. Pete). After breakfast I wanted to check out the Pinellas Trail, it starts at 34th Street and 5th Avenue and winds up over 30 miles to north of Tarpon Springs. I biked just the first 8 miles(16 round trip), I found it to very relaxing and peaceful, it follows an old rail track, so you are in heavily wooded area, or behind stores, housing, and mild industrial areas, the paved path is very well marked and wide. Overpass bridges take you over main roadways like Pasadena and Central Avenue. I made it to Tyrone Square Mall today and back to the start area. Next time I will start at the mall and head north again. One thing that is nice, is you cant bike more than 10 minutes without having a store of some sort to stop if you need water, or even a cafe or coffee shop, and the people watching was pretty good today with all kinds on bikes, blades and jogging, but not crowded.
After the bike ride, I went over to Gulfport, a great little village on Boca Ceiga Bay, also off 22nd Avenue South. There are great cafes, art galleries and small shops, and along the waterfront are a few bars and cafe's with a long pier into the Bay. A great little town with a lot of character and charm.

2008 Gasparilla....

WOW...with 2008 being my 20th Gasparilla, it has to go in the books as one of the best(in the Top three for sure!).....and believe it or not, this was a first as I only had about two beers and maybe a little of the Captain and Ginger..practically alcohol free this year and what a BLAST!!
Joe and I had a nice big breakfast at my house before heading out we parked the truck at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Tampa, and started the looong day from there. We met up with Lisa and Brian and headed over to Harbour Island. At 12 noon, there were already lots of people in downtown, the Midway area seemed a little rougher than usual as far as the carnies, but making it to Harbour Island was one the best things i've done for Gasparilla. Lots of great people lined up all along the waterfront from the Convention Center, over the bridges and onto Harbour Island. Jackson's had quite the party happening with great tunes, huge yachts and beautiful boats lined the marinas and harbor, LOTS of beautiful people. We found Dori, Darren and Caroline in front of the Westin along the water which was having their own party, all of us waiting for the massive Pirate Invasion. There were over a thousand boats this year in the Flotilla, and this was the BEST area to watch, (im usually on the other side by bayshore blvd watching the invasion), pirates came in and very close up, beads being thrown by the boaters, cannons and guns being fired, they docked at the Convention Center, and the Mayor handed over the key.
By 2pm, we left Harbour Island and headed over to the Parade route on Bayshore Blvd, we briefly met up with a few of our other friends, but as quickly as we met them, they had all disappered, and it was Joe and I making the Trek to some of the Gasparilla parties along the parade route. Walking along Bay Street there were some parties and bands in the street...we made it to Justin and Greg's who threw a great party along Swann, right off Bayshore Blvd. We were able to head to the parade after a few eats and drinks there...where there was another party with a band set up on the lawn along Bayshore just south of Swann. Seemed there were less people this year than usual, but lots of GREAT people watching. Plenty of room for catching the beads, and chillin with some of the awesome parade goers...I ran into quite a few people I havent seen in some time..thats one thing about Gasparilla thats nice, almost like a reunion of sorts, seeing people you may have worked with in another job, gone to college with in the past, or just came in from out of town for the event. After seeing a guy get tasered by the cops, a college dude showing the ladies his thinggy, a few other interesting moments, and having a neck FULL of beads(the hard rock casino beads were the best with slot machines around them)..we headed back over to Justin and Greg's where Big Earl had the megaphone shouting out to all the good looking people to lift their shirts for beads...it felt good just relaxing on the front lawn and watching the parade goers head back to their cars or wherever along Swann Ave..interestingly mostly guys were lifting their shirts for the beads..lots of great characters.
By 6:30 Joe and I headed back to downtown to change for the concert we were going to at the Forum, Alanis Morissette and Matchbox 20. On our walk back there, I couldnt believe the amount of trash on the streets, the very intoxicated straglers heading downtown for the Pirate Fest that lasts till 11pm. There was a Navy band playing cool tunes at Publix on Bayshore and Platt...on the walk to the Forum downtown Tampa we passed by FUEL that was playing at yet antoher stage, and had an amazing $6 soy burger(sarcasm)...
7:30pm we made it to the Forum, where yet another band was playing in front of the Arena entertaining those of us waiting to head into the concert...the area was hopping...one thing I noticed about walking around downtown compared to Bayshore, was there were alot more "less than desirables" hanging out in the downtown streets, a bit rougher crowd, than along Bayshore Blvd...fun none the less though...
The concert was incredible, excellent seats for Alanis Morrisette, she played about a 45 minute set, with all her old and new tunes, then we got a call from Kelly who invited us up one level to one of the Suites, directly on the side just in front of the stage, the BEST way to see a concert, the Suite was stocked with food and drinks, there were about 15 of us in the Suite,...Matchbox was incredible, they played for nearly 2 hours, Rob Thomas looked great, kept the crowd very entertained, he thanked the crowd lots, especially for getting started in the area years ago when they used to play Skippers Smokehouse..and mentioning the pirates led to beads being thrown up on stage a few times... it made for yet another awesome highlight to this years Gasparilla.
1230am - we made out of the Forum, and ready for bed...Kelly, Joe and I stopped by the 24 hour Village Inn on the way home for a little snack...and there ended a great Gasparilla in Tampa.

More fun to come this Gasparilla Season with the Pirate Farewell send off party at Channelside on the 9th, the Illuminated Gasparilla Night Parade in Ybor City on the 16th, the Gasparilla International Film Festival at the end of February, and ending with the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts March 2nd, 3rd in downtown.

2008 Gasparilla Video Coverage - WARNING! May not be suitable for ALL.

GASPARILLA IS HERE

Gasparilla

2008 Gasparilla Officially Begins!

After a huge storm battered the Tampa Bay area last evening, only to cancel the Children's Parade and postpone the Pirate Battle to Sunday evening(tonight). It was an incredible show, and far less people were all along Bayshore Blvd this year, which made enjoying the show great, no crowds, having the Boulevard and plenty of room to enjoy. Before we went, Maida made a great Italian dinner, and we watched the AFC Championship(Pats win), then Joe and I went to the Bayshore...no traffic and lots of parking, the night air show was happening, and then the 25 minutes firework show took off, all synced to about 7 different songs, with the Jose Gaspar pirate ship glowing in the Bay, a Full Moon and downtown Tampa in the background, around 50 degrees.
Joe and I headed back over to Maida's for the NEF Championship(Giants), and then went to see "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" which had us laughing throughout then movie out loud many times. It was nice to see Ybor pretty busy on this Sunday night, but tomorrow is MLK Day, so it was a three day weekend for most.
Work brings me to Sarasota, then the party gets going Friday for the start of the Big Event, GASPARILLA INVASION AND PIRATE FEST.

Tampa's Harbour Island - Eats and Cocktails!

After travelling around Florida this week for work(Melbourne and Orlando), it was finally back to Tampa, and Kris, Kelly and I went over to Harbour Island downtown Tampa for some dinner and a few drinks. We stopped by Thats Amore for some martini's out on the waterfront patio overlooking downtown. Beautiful area, the restaurant reminded me of an Italian Family reunion when walking in, all Italian decor, long tables, there was a Frank Sinatra like guy playing the piano and singing, very entertaining. We had reservations at Cafe DuFrain just next door, also along the waterfront with great views of downtown. Promptly seated inside, they had a small but great wine list that changes weekly. We started with some Edemame, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella w/Basil, and Cesar Salads, all prepared perfectly and fresh. Entrees were the Ahi Tuna - perfectly rare and seared, a Bouillabaisse with Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops- very flavorful with tomatoes and a very light sauce, and the Argentinian Skirt Steak, with a garlic/pesto light sauce, the steak was so tender and came with Yuca Fries, thick and crisp...an amazing dinner, service was top notch,,this place is now on my list of favorites in the downtown area.
Afterwards it was back home and a walk over the Green Iguana Westshore where I ran into some people I havent seen in about 15 years from college - seems you are always running into someone at the Green Iguana Westshore, never a dull time with live musci every night, and John tending to the bar and managing the shop.

Tampa Eats-717; Biking Tampa's Flatwoods; Laughing at Tampa Improv

Friday after work, Kris and I met up with his personal Trainer Dave and his wife Jen to have a nice dinner in Hyde Park at 717 South. This Pan American/Italian restaurant(one half the menu is new age Italian, the other half is new age PanAmerican) on South Howard Avenue in Hyde Park/SOHO area has been consistent with it's quality of food, as this is the forth time I have visited. There is a large bar, it's a bit upscale in decor and lots of pretty people to see, they play jazz throughout the establishment, on Wednesday's its live Jazz. Although each of our meals was cooked perfectly(Filets with Gorgonzola cheese, Asian Pot Roast and Tuna all served with salads and garlic bread with a tomato and cheese sauce for dipping), the service was mediocre on this visit. Our server, Mike, seemed a bit preoccupied with...well we don't know, he just wasn't all there...regardless it's the food and company at the table that made the meal. Afterwards we walked a few blocks to the Las Casa Dolce, to sit outside and enjoy some of the best Gelato - Jen had the chocolate cake which was a bit too rich and not sweet enough....they also have some amazing Canolli's and serve Seattle's Best Coffee. They are now also serving wine and beer on the patio that faces Howard Ave, it makes for excellent people watching, the area was hopping this Friday evening, MacDintons across the street was packed, and there were lots of people walking around the Avenue.

Saturday, I took brought the bike up to Wilderness Park off road biking trails, located about 1/4 mile east of I-75 off Fletcher/Morris Bridge Road. It was a little busier than usual, the trails were in very good shape, a new bridge was being built on one part of the Main Trail. I did the Heartbreak Ridge trail for the fist time, one of the most technical of the trails, lots of roots made for a very difficult path...after a few hours of biking it in the woods, I headed back home.
The evening brought Kris, Kyle John and I to dinner at Samarai Blue in Ybor City prior to the Margaret Cho performance at the Improv, also in Ybor City. At 530pm we were able to get a table immediately for some very good Sushi in the Tampa area. Its a bit more expensive than your average Sushi place, but the atmosphere and location were ideal, the Improv Comedy Club was just below us, so we were able to eat and get some great seats for Margaret Cho.....it was a sold out crowd at our showing, she had us laughing through her entire act..such a dirty Asian girl...we liked that!! We were not ready to go home yet after the show so we stopped by Lounge 7 at 14, then Kris and I had a few slices of excellent NY Style pizza at New York New York Pizza on 7th Avenue.

Today it looks like a playoff football day from the couch, cloudy and overcast, about a 70% chance of rain, which is due as it's been over two weeks since we have seen a cloudy day here in Tampa...

Biking one of the numerous off road biking trails at Winderness Park

Tampa Bay Kayaking, Strange Music ending and Food

Great Weekend, I took advantage of the warmer temps(its was in the 50s and 60s earlier in the week), to get the kayak out in the Bay Saturday. Launching from Picnic Island, which is a great area to launch from, very serene and quiet, I explored many new islands and mangrove trails closer to MacDill AFB area. Its amazing the amount of nature and serene conditions that exist in the Bay.
Later Saturday evening, one of my fav local bands was performing for the last time-Buffalo Strange. Debi, Joe and I headed to Gators on Johns Pass for their "Farewell Tour". The food was very good, clam chowder was thick and full with clams-served hot, French Dip had at least a half pound of thinly sliced beef, and lots of cheese, with plenty of aus juice for dipping, and came with a large helping of cole slaw. We also had typical chicken fingers cooked buffalo style, and the Gators Cuban, which I was told was also very delicious. Rob and the guys played an amazing last show, these guys had to be the most entertaining of local bands I have seen in the bay area, they Jam like no other. The crowd was a mixed bag of the usual beach drinkers, Buffalo Strange devoted fans, and the out of town visitors. They had everyone dancing and standing during both sets, it was a very sad ending. At least we will still be able to see Rob solo at a few places around the Bay(Friday afternoons at The Hut on Johns Pass).
Sunday was football, and the Bucs just didn't look Super Bowl ready after being defeated by the Giants. The weekend ended with Chinese Buffet at Hoa Wah on Dale Mabry in South Tampa, a decent buffet with very fresh food, and VERY friendly service.

Tampa I Am Dining Preferences

I thought I'd start the new year listing my favorite dining spots around Tampa, and review/update the list each year. I dine out alot and prefer to patronize the local establishments. I hope to get some new favorites/recommendations to add next year.

Here's my 2008 list:

Diner: Three Coins, Mama's Kitchen
Sandwich's: Wright's Deli, Pane Rustica, Moxie's, Lenny's Subs(chain)
Mexican: Algusto's, Miguel's, Red Mesa
Italian: Laughing Cat, Bella's, Cellini's
Steak: Malio's, Bern's
BBQ: Jimbo's, Kojak's
Sushi: Yoko's, SOHO Sushi, Hook's
Seafood: Oystercatchers, Salt Rock Grille, Collanade, Crab Shack
Mediterranean: Acropolis, Byblos, Genghis Khan
Cuban/Spanish: Arco Iris, La Teresita, Columbia, SPAIN
Pizza: Cappy's, Eddie & Sam's, East Coast Pizza
Thai: Royal Palace, Thai Corner
Breakfast: Pach's Place, Mama's Kitchen
Chinese: Yummy House, China Yuan, Peking(take out)
Ice Cream/Gelato: La Casa Dolce, The Junction
Beachfront: Caddy's, Frenchy's

NYE Tampa---Skypoint, ZINGO and a Streaker!

I had some people over for the Sun Bowl game, and after a very poor performance by the USF Bulls against the Oregon Ducks, Kris and I joined Kelly and about 6 of her very attractive and friendly girl friends to an awesome party on the pool deck of Skypoint, the new Residential condo tower in downtown Tampa. There were close to 100 people out on the pool deck, overlooking all of downtown Tampa at 8 stories up, once midnight came, we could easily watch the fireworks over Channelside, it was a great way to bring in 2008 in Tampa.

We decided to check out a new service called ZINGO. After a call, Greg showed up on a small foldable scooter that easily stores away in your car, and he is your driver to take you home, and then hop on his scooter. What a GREAT concept and for a bit more than a taxi ride, you get your car and you home safe.

Regarding the streaker, we stopped by a party in the neighborhood, and as the night was getting very late, while hanging out in the kitchen of this house, some guy runs through the house and yard totally naked....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

A Visitor in Tampa

Back from Colorado for the Holiday, was great to see all the family together, we missed our Aunt and Uncle who couldn't make the trip, and also an amazing White Christmas, snowed about a foot all day Christmas Morning!

Arriving back in Tampa at 730am Wednesday morning(took the red-eye back from Denver), my buddy Larry from LA came into Tampa for a few days. We went over to Mad Dogs and Englishmen for a nice long lunch outside on the patio, and as always great food(Curry Chicken Salad, large enough to split for two, and juicy chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries), our server Summer was not her typical happy self, but who wants to work the day after Christmas..Larry and I were able to put a smile on her face by the end of the meal. Afterwards we went across the street to The Junction for some coffee and home made ice cream. This evening we met up with some friends, all in town for the Holiday, in Ybor City. Dinner was outside at Tampa Bay Brewing Company in the courtyard of Centro Ybor. It was eerily quiet in Ybor this Wednesday evening, the food and service were once again excellent at the Brew Co. After dinner, a few of us went to show the out of towners the new area of Ybor that is emerging, and throw some darts at Lounge 7 at 14. Again, not many people out this evening, we even saw a popular spot that is usually open and busy in Wednesday's close their doors by 11pm. By this time they had all wanted to stop by and meet up with some other out of town guests at City Side, which was busy as usual...and then a last night stop at Green Iguana Westshore.

Thursday I bought everyone lunch from Lenny's Subs..these have to be the largest, and freshest subs around. They freshly slice your order, pile it high with meats and cheeses, and the bread is made fresh daily. The Red Hot special sauce is one of the best toppings.
The evening brought us to Malio's for dinner. We had a table reserved for us outside on the patio over looking the Hillsborough River and UT minarets. It was an awesome atmosphere. For my second time here, I was again overwhelmed by the professional service, quality of food(filets with blue cheese, I tried the Lamb Chops which was smaller than expected but very tasty, Salmon was delicious, but came out a bit more done then we would have liked-the manager came quickly to apologize profusely and provide dessert on the house if we liked, Tuna was cooked perfectly and my buddy exclaimed it was probably the best piece of Tuna he has ever had....our sides which are all a la carte included a very cheesy macaroni and cheese, onion rings piled high on the plate, spinach with garlic and asparagus)...we were all there for about three hours just enjoying the company, atmosphere, food, oh and drinks...LOTS of drinks(Dirty Martini's, Coffee with Bailey's)....after Malios(we were the last ones there), we left to see some live music downtown and some of us did not want to stop the dirty martini train, so we headed a few blocks to Fly Bar downtown. A few people were in the bar, the rooftop bar was closed. We got a nice big table outside on the patio, and watched a great Raggae/Rock group, Jafari, who often came outside to sing and interact with us. By 1am, it was time to head home, but a few of us stopped by the Green Iguana Westshore for some more late night live music and played a great interactive video game at the bar. Looks like the last of the renovations is almost complete.

Friday some of us were hurting from Thursday, and I had to take my buddy's car back to him up in Cheval. I stopped by Five Guys Burger and Fries on Kennedy Blvd, cause there is nothing better for a hangover than a HUGE greasy burger with LOTS of toppings, and a bag full of FRESH CUT potato fries! If its fresh huge burgers, with over 15 free toppings that you choose, this is the place. Friday evening we went to a Holiday Party in the Historic Neighborhood of Roser Park in St. Pete, and then checked out the new nightclub in St. Pete, PUSH. It was time this place had opened, very laid back attitude, but very upscale atmosphere. A restaurant is on the ground floor, my buddy Jason did all the landscaping for the courtyards and it looked great. The second floor was the main bar with a huge dance floor and stage for performances. An excellent "lounge/dance" style DJ was playing great tunes to a mostly 30+ crowd. There is an outside bar area on the second floor as well, but the best area was the rooftop deck and bar, overlooking all of downtown St. Pete. As we headed back home, it was yet again anther late night stop at the Green Iguana Westshore, where hard rock band "IPD" was entertaining the crowd.

Saturday was Larry's last day in town, he was heading back to LA this evening. We took the kids to the dog park at Picnic Island, it was a beautiful day, as was this whole week. One thing about Picnic Island is it's a hidden oasis on Tampa Bay. The dog park on the beach is HUGE, and not many people know about it, there are actually hills here overlooking the bay and downtown St. Pete skyline..it makes for a great escape in South Tampa.
Before Larry's flight, we reserved a table for six of us on the outdoor upper balcony of CDB's south off Westshore. It was great to sit outside above Westshore Blvd, this was my forth time here, the service was good, our waiter had a bit of an attitude, almost like he just didnt want to be there. The Greek Salads were huge, a small is enough to share for at least three. The Pasta Fagoul was the worst I have ever had, the ear shaped pasta was over cooked and soggy, I hardly saw one bean in the soup. Meals came out and although this isn't the best italian food, it is good(the sauce is a bit thick and too sweet for my liking). The small Meatball Parm grinder was huge, almost a dozen homemade meatballs on large fresh italian bread.
After dropping Larry off at the airport it was either going to another Holiday Party, seeing my favorite band from the 90's, Tragic Rabbit-now called Three Green Windows-at Dave's Aqua Lounge, or just hunkering down with the Patriots/Giants game at home.....I stayed home!!

The looong weekend isn't over yet, my Aunt's 50th bday is today, tomorrow is the USF Bowl game from El Paso, and New Years Eve.

One of my buddy's with 'Jafari' lead singer at Fly Bar downtown Tampa.

Another Mad Dogs Evening and The Junction Ice Cream

Joe, John, Darin and I met up for dinner at Mad Dogs and Englishmen on MacDill Ave in South Tampa for a last evening dinner before I head out to Colorado to spend the Holidays with the family. (Maida, John and Lauren arrived a little later)....Again, I was very pleased with the service, we were promptly seated in their outdoor courtyard around 730(had reservations), and Summer professionally waited on us with a great smile. The Hummus for starters, very fresh with Hot Pita, and for meals we all had some kind of chicken, Chicken Skewers with Sweet Potato Fries, Spinach and Roasted Tomatoes, Chicken Curry, Mad Dogs Salad with Chicken Breast and Chicken Sandwhich..all very good as ususal. Afterwards we walked over the The Junction for some Home Made Old Meeting House Ice Cream and Joffrey's Coffee, was nice to sit and chat for a bit, they have board games and cool video displays, also outdoor seating areas...The Junction kind of reminds me of a 50's style soda fountain shop that is a bit retro...we then all walked back to Darin's condo tower on Bayshore, and then I headed back home across the 2 mile Peninsula in South Tampa to Westshore.

Denver and Colorado Springs here I come...i'm really looking forward to seeing my Nephews and Niece, and my two brothers and their families. My oldest bro from NY is also flying out there, Madre got there today. Be Back Wednesday!

Happy One Year Anniversary "Tampa I Am"!

Wow..it's been a year since I started to blog, just to keep some family and a few friends in touch, and keep track of things i've been doing in Tampa Bay area...a year later and I have corresponded with some other great bloggers(Sticks of Fire, Tampa Taxi Shots, Eating Tampa, St Petersblog, West Tampa Blog, Seminole Heights Blog, Tampa Heights Blog, and many more from TampaBlab), and Forums like City Data Tampa and Skyscraper City Tampa. I also have learned many new things about the area, and am now reaching about 3000 hits a month from people all over the world.

I decided to bring back my first post..."Why Tampa?" And as I read through, I can say that I dont have to make many changes to it. I look forward to seeing what the 2nd year of blogging will bring.

So many ask...why Tampa, why do you stay? What is it about Tampa?

Well in short, the Water, the Weather, the Progress, the Activities, the History, the People.

Water - everywhere, most of Tampa is situated on a Peninsula(called Interbay Peninsula), so there is water to the east(Hillsborough Bay) water to the West(Old Tampa Bay), and the South(Tampa Bay). The Main river through Tampa is the Hillsborough River which starts as a Spring 30 miles to the North, and runs through the city ending up in the Hillsborough Bay downtown. 20 miles to the West of Tampa is the pristine aqua blue water and beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout Tampa Bay area are numerous lakes, rivers, streams, estuary's, bays, intracostal waterways to explore. Plain and simple, if you like fresh water, salt water, streams, rivers, oceans, Tampa's got it! In addition 5 of the nations number one beaches are located in the Bay area(Fort DeSoto, Pass-a-Grille, Clearwater, Caledesi Island, Honeymoon Island).

Weather - with an average high temperature of 76 degrees from October to May, how could you not love the weather. While others are huddled up for the winter to the North, we are basking in low humidity, beautiful blue skies, and pleasant temperatures for 75% of the year. This means all outdoor activities, sports, festivals can be enjoyed year round in Tampa. And in the summer months, June through September, although it can get very warm, the average high temps are about 88 degrees, there is a almost always a constant breeze due to the coastal winds which trigger mighty Thunderstorms in summer late afternoons/evenings, in time to cool it off a bit, and provide a lightning and thunderous show like clock work most evenings. Since most of us have a pool, beach, and airconditioning nearby, we can handle 3 to 4 months of warmer than usual temps for paradise the the other 9 months of the year.

History - the Bay area has been home to several Indian Tribes for thousands of years. The Spanish came in the 15 and 16oo's, but the American's did not start to evaluate Florida and the Tampa area until the mid 1800's. We built Fort Brooke in what is now downtown Tampa during the Seminole Indian Wars, and later used it for soldiers being shipped off for the Spanish-American War. Vincente Martinez Ybor purchased 40 acres of land just east of downtown to start his Cigar Factories. Within 10 years and by the late 1800's until the depression in the 1920's, Tampa was known throughout the world as the Cigar Capital of the World. Immigrants came to Tampa from Italy, Spain, and Cuba to prosper in the Cigar Capital. Henry B Plant chose Tampa to expand his railroad from the North, and that led to many tourists to flock to the warm temperatures, and an increase in Trade. Many of the established neighborhoods from the early 20th century still exist(Hyde Park, Tampa Heights, West Tampa, Seminole Heights, Ybor City), and have numerous architectural buildings, homes, and landscapes. The area has a unique Cuban-Latin American flavor to it. A few interesting tid bits about Tampa include it has one of the largest Civil War largest Confederate grave sites(Oaklawn Cemetery), Ella Fistzgerald lived in Tampa and recorded some of her biggest hits here, Ray Charles made his first recording in Tampa and Tampa is where the "The Twist" dance craze was born, Rev. Billy Graham started his practice in downtown Tampa, and peolpe like Teddy Roosevelt, Elvis Presley, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, John F Kennedy, James Brown, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and more have all left footprints of some kind here in Tampa.

Progress - from the 1950's to present, Tampa has been growing by leaps and bounds. Many from the North came here to escape the brutal winters, and the ability to attain land and homes for far less than it would cost in the North. In addition, Tampa Bay's cost of living was considerably less, and there were far fewer taxes. Most transplants came from the MidWest(Ohio, Michigan, Illinios, Indiana), with the remainder coming from the Northeast(New York, Connecticutt, New Jersey). Things have changed quite a bit over the past 10 years(the 90's to present). The growth has been abundant, and the Tampa Bay area now has close to 2 million residents, with the city of Tampa having nearly 330,000. A Financial District was created in the 60's and 70's(current downtown), a Services Sector, Westshore Business District, which is now the largest business and services sector in the state, and 5th largest in the Nation. A National Historic Landmark area, Ybor City and Hyde Park. Tampa Bay is now the 12th largest media market in the Nation. In the 20 years I have called Tampa home, I have seen more skyscrapers built downtown, a national hockey team(Tampa Bay Lightning - Stanley Cup Champions) and Forum built, a professional baseball team(Tampa Bay Devil Rays) and Dome arena established, new Football stadium built for the SuperBowl champion Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Tampa is also looking forward to hosting it's 3rd SuperBowl in 2009. Downtown continues to expand its Arts Museums, Cultural Exhibits, and Parks and trails to accommodate the growth. Just in the past two years over 2000 new residents are calling downtown home in the areas like Channelside, Harbour Island, and the Central Core of downtown, with more new condo towers and residences being constructed and planned, there will be close to 10,000 residents in downtown by 2010. The Riverwalk is well on it's way to be completed by 2009, almost 3 miles of waterfront walking, jogging, blading throughout downtown with cafe's and events along the riverfront. One of the nations largest Aquariums was established in Tampa(Florida Aquarium). Two lane roads transversed into 4 lane highways. And progress just doesn't stop. It nice to live in an area where things change, and most of the progress and changes are for the better and for the people of the city. The moat efficient and modern airport continues it's growth, with a new terminal planned to be open by 2015, Interstates have all been expanded or are currently under construction to be expanded, and finally, Mass Transit is back on the board, with the first trains, light rail and BRT to be operational by 2012.

Activities - For a small city, Tampa has it all. And its nice to have it all in a small city.
Sports - Football, Baseball, Hockey, Arena Football, College Football, Soccer, Baseball and Basketball - all National teams, nationally recognized, and state of the art arenas and fields to play on.
Theater - Tampa Bay Perforing Arts Center is then largest Center for the arts in the Southeast, along with over a dozen other venues for broadway and local productions(Mahaffey, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Gorilla Theater, MAD Theater, and many more independents).
Museums - Dali, Fine Art, Art, Childrens, Holocaust, History, Natural, Fire, Police, Science and Industry, Explorations, International.
Concerts - every major concert act always makes a stop through Tampa performing at numerous venues(Forum, Bayfront Arena, Amphitheter, Tampa Stadium, USF Sundome, Jannus Landing, The Orpheum, Tampa Theater, among the other theaters listed above)
Festivals -ahhh, the numerous festivals year round, some of the biggest in the Nation, and lots of people watching, and of course food and BEER!(Gasparilla - month long celebration, Florida State Fair, Strawberry Festival, International and Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Guavaween, numerous Art Festivals including the Gasparilla and Mainsail). Most of the smaller communities and neighborhoods have monthly festivals like Clearwater Jazz Fest, Hyde Park Music Series, St. Pete's RibFest, John's Pass Seafood Festival, St. Pete's Festival of States. ABout every weekend you can find some kind of festival or gathering throughout the Bay area.
Attractions - people come from all over the world to visit the area. It's nice to have these in my backyard - Busch Gardens theme park, Adventure Island water park, Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, St. Pete Pier, Big Cat Rescue, Suncoast Bird Sanctuary, Florida Botanical Gardens, BEACHES, Heritage Village to name a few.
Recreation - what do you want to do today? Well you can do most everything here in Tampa. Biking Trails(on and off road), Kayaking/Canoeing, Wind Surfing, Fishing, Boating, Sunbathing, Skating, Hiking, Golf. There is a park almost every few miles throughout the city for the purpose of getting out and keeping active.
Shopping - well, some people consider this an activity, and for those that like it, any name brand store can be found in Tampa, whether its exclusive(International Plaza), outdoors(Hyde Park Village, Centro Ybor, BayWalk), Entertaining(BayStreet, Westshore Plaza) or Outlet(Ellenton), its here..from Funky(Ybor City) to mondane(University Square), Flea Markets(Big Top, Oldsmar, Wagon Wheel)..it's here.
Nightlife - as if the above isn't enough, its great to know that there are many entertainment options. Ybor City is Tampa's French Quarter like area with a bar, club and entertainment venue for anyone. It is now going through yet another revitalization, with GLBT establishments on the West end of Ybor City(known now as Gaybor), to the newest entertainment type choices and smaller lounge type places. Then there is Channelside, SOHO, Hyde Park, Westshore, BayStreet. Downtown St. Pete holds it's own for numerous nightlife options, Central Ave and the waterfront bars and clubs.
Dining - As far as restaurants, Tampa is known as one of the Nations busiest places to eat out, because so many of us eat out, and this is because there are so many places and options to eat in the area. Its no wonder places like Hooters, Outback, Bonefish Grille, Hops all started here in Tampa. But its more than just the chains, some of my favs are : Berns, Malio's and Charley's for steaks, Yoko's and Samarai Blue for Sushi, Cappy's and Eddie&Sams for Pizza, Royal Palace for Thai, Kojaks and Jimbo's for BBQ, Oystercatchers and Crab Shack for seafood, Bernini, Bella's and Laughing Cat for Italian, Acropolis for Greek, Red Mesa and Algusto's for Mexican/Tex Mex.

One thing about Tampa, is it's not a Big Deal. What I mean is, it's not a big deal to do any of the above. Whether it's a sports game, day at the beach, trip to a museum or park, a festival, or going out for dinner, it's not a big deal as opposed to going out in a big city. You gotta love having it all in a small city. And I love to travel to visit the bigger cities around the country(NY, Chicago, Boston, LA), so having a World Class, convenient airport with numerous non-stop, inexpensive flights to most major cities is another plus!!

Meatballs and Mojitos!

I had another Meatballs and Mojitos get together at my house, this time for the Holiday. About 25 of my good friends came by for my famous meatballs and yummy mojitos. The meatball thing is actually quite funny, I decided a few years back when having get together to just buy some frozen meatballs in the grocer and some Hunt's canned Garlic and Herb Sauce, put them in a pot for a bout 45 minutes to heat through, and I never received more raves over them...I missed them once, and everyone revolted "where are the meatballs??"..well, I'll never forget them again...the mojitos were great as usual...Kris brought over stuff to make French martini's, which were another big hit, almost more so than the mojitos(bastard)...
Afterwards, we left to head out to a Christmas Party in Hyde Park on S. Boulevard. This street from south of Swann Ave to Bayshore Blvd is all lit up, almost each historic house house has decorations, and the huge oaks lining the street are also all lit up. The party was huge, and just behind the house was another large Christmas party, across the alley to the house on Edison, another old historic house. The only thing missing was a chill in the air...it was muggy and in the 60's this evening!

I Am Legend - Sneak Peak

I was invited to join a sneak peak at the new Will Smith movie "I Am Legend" that is opening this Friday in IMAX. It was a GREAT experience, and an excellent movie, some very tense moments, and jump in your seat action, great special effects of NYC. FUN!

Tampa Guy goes to Orlando for the Weekend!

I headed up to Orlando Saturday morning with my buddy John, we had tickets for Universals Islands of Adventure and Cypress Gardens that we needed to use before the end of the year. It was a great weekend weather wise, temps around 80, blue skies. Islands of Adventure was great, but had a limited amount of rides/attractions I was interested in(Hulk Coaster, Dueling Dragons Coaster, a couple of water rides, and Spider Man). But the tix were free, so we made the most of it, and was able to finish the park within a bout 4 hours, and had an ok lunch at the Burger Digs. Leaving the park, we decided to see a movie at City Walk, great movie theaters connected to the parks, the movie "HitMan" was good, kept the adrenaline running.
Saturday evning we met up with an old college buddy of mine, who now owns 4 of some of the nicest and most happening restaurant/lounges in downtown Orlando. He was having a small party at his condo, we hung out overlooking all of downtown Orlando, it was a great evening.
Sunday, we got to Cypress Gardens, I was surprised at how much there is actually here to do, 4 small scale roller coasters, one was very decent, and a variety of lots of different types of other rides. The water ski show was ok, but they have some animal exhibits, and of course all the Gardens. There is a decent buffet where we had an early dinner there before heading back to Tampa.

YOKO - LA CASA DOLCE!

Tampa's BEST sushi(YOKO'S) - Tampa's BEST Gelato(LA CASA DOLCE). Enuff Said!

Ybor Eats and Ybor Comedy

John got free tickets to see Al Romas at the Improv Comedy Club in Ybor City, so we made an Ybor City night of it last evening. We grabbed a bite at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, it was a cool evening, but the outdoor patio looked inviting, there were several empty tables at 7pm. The food was very good as usual, I handled the Greek Salad with Chicken, came in an oversized bowl, with half a chicken breast sliced on top...John devoured the Mojo Roast Pork, two very thick pieces of well marinated Pork, with some cuban sides. The dressings and marinade were made with some of their on-site brewed beer, as are nearly every dish on the menu. We finished just in time to head over to the Improv, it was a slow night, although most of the tables were filled by the time the headliner act came on.
I overheard a few new clubs were opening in Ybor soon, The Honey Pot, where the old Rubb/Twilight/Code was is supposed to be a new LA style club,with beautiful women dancing throughout the venue, LA style choreographed dancing, VIP section on the second level. The other venue is across the street, called Crossover Sport Bar and The Club, where the old Club Hedo was, and supposed to be a gay sports bar with a drag show club(???).

Driving back to South Tampa, it was great to see all the Christmas Decorations lit up in the beautiful mansions along Bayshore Blvd, we took a drive down South Boulevard from Swann Ave to Bayshore, as this is one of my favorite decorasted Christmas streets, each huge oak tree lining the street has lights, and nearly every house had a Christmas display..a MUST.

Channelside Eats and a Hockey Game

After touring the Tampa Riverwalk a few weeks back, the City of Tampa handed out free Lightning tickets for last nights game against the Ottawa Senators. We parked at Channelside garage(which is $10 for game nights unless you have your parking ticket validated by one of the establishments in Channelside, then it's .50 cents per hour). The group wanted to meet up at Bennigan's - not my choice! We waited about 5 minutes for a table for six, the place was VERY busy. Typical Bennigan's, but the views were incredible, floor to ceiling windows overlooking the waterfront, Harbour Island and the Port of Tampa. Besides the company, that was the best part of this Bennigan's experience. The chicken dishes were all rather dry and bland, my French Dip was very small, lacked any flavor but salt, the bowl the aus juice came in had mustard on it, the fries were all cold. Service was fine...but food quality was at it's worst. This is the second time I have been here(not on my decision), and will be the last. There are FAR better establishments in Channelside to grab some eats(Stumps, Splitsville, Thai Tani to name a few) for a quick bite before the game.

We walked over the the Forum, (About a 10 minute walk)..it was a nice chilly evening, temps in the lower 50's, hockey weather for Florida. Lightning won 4-3, after dominating the game 2-0 during the first two periods.

History in TAMPA!

Got out of my home office for lunch to partake in the Ground Breaking ceremony for the new Tampa Bay History Center today. The waterfront park downtown was hopping, close to one thousand showed up to view the artists renderings of the building, sign one of the beams to be used, get a free t-shirt, and enjoy some free lunch, compliments of the Columbia restaurant(chicken and rice, and cuban sandwich's). There was a high school band and chorus providing entertainment, and all the Tampa and Hillsborough politicians and dignitaries on hand. Weather couldn't be better, breezy, sunny skies, around 80 degrees. It's expected to be complete by this time next year. Another great perk for downtown and Tampa Bay residents and visitors.

Tampa Steak and a Christmas Stroll: Malio's Prime/Plant Museum Christmas Stroll

Took madre out for her birthday with the Aunt and Uncle Saturday evening to Malio's Prime restaurant located in downtown Tampa's "beer can building" or 400 North Tower. We wanted an early eat to be able to walk over to the Plant Museum and check out the annual Christmas Stroll. Reservations were set for 5pm, parked with ease under the remnants of Kiley Park, just off Ashley Drive downtown, they also have valet. There were only a few occupied tables at this time, they sat us in a HUGE oval booth, perfect for the four of us(very large booths and tables throughout the restaurant, intimate tables for two along the upper tier with window views of the Hillsborough River and University of Tampa minarets..reminded me of a NYC type of place, where the famous and infamous would dine....there is also a large outdoor patio with excellent views of the river, and large bar area). Larry came promptly and greeted us, told us about the place, specials for the day and recommended some wines. Very professional. We started with madre and I splitting the Chop Salad..delicious flavor and presentation, came in a cylinder form, chopped veges with salami and cheese, but not enough for two. Aunt and Uncle split the Beefsteak Tomato and Onion salad, tangy dressing, a whole huge tomato sliced thick, on a bed of field greens, plenty to split. The orders came out very timely, enough time to chat, and savor the salads, and very fresh, steaming hot bread brought to each table. Finally to the steaks, which this place is to be known for...the 20 oz bone in NY Strip covered in Blue cheese was my choice, perfectly cooked, juicy and full of flavor. Uncle chowed down on one of the BEST 16 oz Ribeyes...like eating steak flavored butter..amazing, he exclaimed he found a new steak place(Ruth Chris' was his favorite)..Aunt and Madre both got the 8ox filet, perfectly cooked as well. Sides are all a la carte, huge portion of fresh Asparagus with Hollndaise sauce on the side, Large tower of Onion Rings, lightly battered, crispy and thin, great flavor, a collosal baked potato, and the Macaroni and Cheese, which came in a bowl and plenty for four people. Mr. Ivarone, one of the owners, came by to chat with us, Malio's is just one of a few great places owned by his family. The GM also came by to chat with us as well. Mr. Ivarone insisted that desert be on the house, we split the chocolate decadence, ooozing with chocolate of all kinds. We ate everything, as it was too tasty to leave ANYTHING behind or take home with us. With cocktails, salads, meals and coffee's it came to about $60 per person...not bad considering the professionalism, service, ambiance, and most of all the FOOD! Next time i'm going to grab a table outside if the weather cooperates.

We walked over to the University of Tampa's Plant Museum after dinner, a nice stroll across the Hillsborough River, beautiful views the minarets were all lit up, and the skyscrapers from downtown lit up nicely in the river. They were having their 26th annual Victorian Christmas Stroll, the museum and all the rooms are decorated for the holidays, with vintage holiday decorations(funny seeing things that I remembered as a kid growing up at home in NY), there were Christmas carolers, they gave out free cookies and hot apple cider. It was my first time in the museum, if you ever wanted to see stuff about the history of the area, this is yet another great place. Tampa really has a very rich and unique history for a Florida city, many are not aware of, dating back to the mid 1800's. Lots of old pictures, maps, videos detailing the culture and history, and some insteresting rooms featuring items from that era. One area that moved me was reading the actual letters from soldiers stationed at the Tampa during the Spanish American War, and artifacts on how Tampa was once one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country for the very wealthy in the winters. A MUST if you want to know more about the history and culture of this area.

After leaving the family, I had some friends over the house, we hung out on the patio for a bit, the weather was perfect, and then we walked over to the Green Iguana Westshore for some live music and socializing on the outdoor tiki deck.

Tampa Thanksgiving: Hockey, John's Pass, Dali, and Manatees!

A great Thanksgiving Day loooong weekend in Tampa!
Wednesday, John, Steve and I went to the Lightning game against the NY Rangers. My friend John used his military ID to get us tickets on the third level(great promotion on behalf of the Forum, comp seats for members of the military in a certain section). It was a good game, but we lost 2-1. Prior to the game we ate at Andreychuks across from the Forum. There was a great guitarist playing on the outside deck, we were able to get a seat inside 30 minutes before the game, and order some food and drinks. The Philly Cheesesteak was large, and full of very thinly sliced beef and lots of cheese, peppers and onions, it was a bit greasy, but delicious. It was served very fast. After the game we stopped by Dubliner in Hyde Park area, the place and all of Hyde Park was very crowded. Alot of people were home for the holidays. I noticed at the Dubliner they built a high wall where the upper deck used to be, now a band plays in front of the wall where the stairs used to lead to the upper deck, making for a smaller outside area to socialize.
Turkey Day morning I picked up my brother Steve at TIA, which was empty, parked on the 9th floor of short term, and just came up and met me, the first hour in parking lots are free, plus there are great views form this perch. We picked up the pups from my house and headed to madre's. Stuffed from Turkey and football all day with the family, we watched Fantastic 4 second flick on pay per view and called it a night.
Friday we all went to John's Pass in the afternoon, my buddy Rob was to be playing guitar at The Hut today. Rob was no where to be found, but we did munch on some tasty black n blue burgers, and the Hut's special salad topped with shrimps, scallops and chicken. It was a nice day to walk around on the boardwalk and through the village. VERY touristy area, I typically am only here if there is a good band playing at The Hut, or maybe take certain visitors who like the touristy shops.
Saturday was with the family yet again, this time we headed to St. Pete to the Dali museum. Prior to entering the museum we grabbed a bite on the water a few blocks south of the museum at a place called Fish Tales. It's in a marina, and site directly on the water, very large bar areas, all open air, the menu was mostly seafood for dinner, but had lunch sandwich's and burgers. We got some cheeseburgers which were very plain, and seemed pre-formed and frozen, but the menu said "Angus", the Hammerhead Club was very large with turkey, roast beef, ham and cheese. Madre got the Lobster Bisque, which came very thin and luke warm , yet the half dozen lobster chunks were warm. Just ok, I would probably just come back from drinks. It was nice to watch the USF vs Pitt game during lunch(USF won!). The Dali museum was great as usual, we arrived for one of the tours that took us through his masterpieces, and explained his works. Dali was quite an interesting fellow and artist, his paintings are amazing to the eye. It was left over turkey sandwich's for dinner this evening.
Sunday we met up with the family again for brunch at madre's house, then took everyone to see the Manatees at the TECO Big Bend power plant. They have a great observation deck overlooking the bay area where warm waters are discharged keeping these gentle creatures warm during the winters. There were about 20 of them in sight from the deck. There is also a great museum detailing the Mantatee's and also the Power Plant workings. They have a long nature walk out towards the bay that also explains the coasts nature, mangroves and different species that live in the area. Best of all, its FREE! We then drove downt to Little Harbor area off Shell Point Road, there is a nice tiki bar/restaurant that overlooks Tampa Bay, with great views of the Skyway Bridge and downtown St. Pete. We were able to catch the end of the winning Bucs game against Washington prior to taking my brother Stephen to the airport. The weekend ended with family at Cappy's Pizza on Bay to Bay. This place is still by far some of the BEST pizza, with the crispy crust of the NY Style, rich garlicky tomato sauce, gooey cheese, but kind of light on the toppings. And also the dressing on the Greek Salads should be bottled, we can never get enough of that great Greek Salad, full with feta, olives, etc. They do a great job, service was quick and friendly(thanks Amy!), and they have outdoor seating as well.

This week, work brings me to Atlanta!