Valentines Weekend in Tampa

Saturday, although temps were chilly, we went and took a nice drive up Gulf Blvd from Madeira Beach to Clearwater beach, passing by lots of Mom and Pop motels, tourist traps, unique beach bars and shops. On Clearwater beach we stopped at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, right on the beach. Parking in Frenchy's own parking lot, only holds about 10 cars just beside the restaurant, we were immediately seated, but it was very busy, with a live band playing. Perfect views of the Gulf...we started with the She Crab soup....large chunks of crab in a thick and flavorful soup...munched on Onion Straws, one order is enough for 4, until our regular Grouper Sandwich's came, one grilled the other Cajun style. This place still lives up to its reputation for excellent Grouper Sandwich's...and its a fun place with great views.

Sunday we took the Kayaks out at Picnic Island, it was only in the lo 60s but the sun was shining, and made it a perfect day for Kayaking...we explored a new island near the AirForce Base, lots of wildlife and birds, the water was calm and clear today...no dolphin sitings on this trip though.

Monday after checking out the Academy Award nominee "Crazy Heart" movie, we went over to Hyde Park/SOHO area to enjoy a dining spot I haven't been to in a while, Ciccio's and Tony's. Place was jumping with pretty Hyde park people, the Olympics were playing at the bar area...lively place, LARGE menu they share with the Water sushi place next door. Lettuce Wraps have always been my fav here, so I got the Natural Chicken, and HUGE sliced all natural chicken breast, with plenty of toppings and tasty sauces to make your own wraps. We also tried one of the Stir Fry bowls you can create...very good!

Treasure Island Mexican Eats, Sandsculptures, USF Football, Wine Lunch

After another great Ethiopian meal at Queen of Sheba in South Tampa, on Friday, we ventured out to the beaches to Treasure Island...a quick 30 min drive across the Bay from Tampa, and settled into VIP Mexican, next to Ricky T's and across from the Thunderbird and Bilmar Resort Hotels....hole in the wall, casual, bar...AWESOME AWESOME Mexican food....no frills, you may get friendly service, you may not, you may have to get up and go in the kitchen to get your silverware, its all in the fun...if you park in the back, you have to actually walk thru the kitchen to get in the place...I love dives like this, its been a local beach establishment for over 30 years. After feeding ourselves we all walked across the street through Sloppy Joe's at the Bilmar for the Annual Sand Sculpting contest...over 21 tons of sand was dumped for artists to create some amazing sculptures..there were live bands also playing on the beach, there is nothing like being on the beach at night, such a different experience.

Saturday was the the USF Homecoming Game against Louisville...we started with a GREAT brunch at Brio in International Plaza's BayStreet, I commented a few weeks back that I was not a big fan, but at 10am, brunch was something else...nice table outside, Mimosas in hand, and most Brunch items were under $10....very tasty Fritatta's, Eggs Benedict's, French Toast....USF won their game, and the loong day continued to Ybor City and a few places downtown Tampa.

Sunday, watching the Bucs, we headed over to the Wine Exchange in Hyde Park Village where Vanessa took care of us at a great table outside....ive always had consistently great friendly service, and good food over the past few years here...hope they keep it up.

Short week with the Turkey Day Holiday, trying something very different this year, going to the Columbia Restaurant for Thanksgiving...should be interesting.
..

Biking, Festival, and Crashing Weddings on the Beach

Another great February weekend in the Bay area...met up with some friends at the North Westshore Green iguana for Happy Hour and Dinner...this Green Iguana located int he Westshore Hotel offers a very large dining area, outdoor patio, and small stage, where a great acoustic guitarist was being backed up by another musician playing electric drums...very entertaining...it was a cool evening in the upper 40's, so most were inside...we enjoyed the juicy burgers and some apps. Afterwards, went to the Grand Opening of Green Iguana's newest venture, Hula Bay Club and Duke's Retired Surfers Island Bar, a South Tampa waterfront restaurant/bar on Tampa Bay where the old Rattlefish used to stand, off Westshore Blvd, a little south of Gandy. The place has the same Floribbean atmosphere, large outdoor deck, and now has a pool with cabanas.

Saturday, couldn't resist taking in the great blue skies, and cool temps in the low 70's to get on the bike. So after doing a little yard work and raking up about 10 bags of leaves(who ever said Florida has no seasons obviously does not have a 100 year old Oaks on there property)...I ventured on the bike to the Pinellas Trail. Starting in Largo, rode up to downtown Clearwater, and the SeaBlues Festival was happening. Took in some great fresh seafood on the lawn, listening to some live blues, where there were at least a few thousand out enjoying the perfect day along the waterfront in downtown Clearwater. The bike ride back took some detours through the neighborhoods along the Intracoastal...big beautiful homes, and then into the Belleview Biltmore Estate, where it looks like they are still rehabing this over a century year old hotel and resort..it is said the Biltmore is the largest, oldest wooden structure in the country that is still being used.

It was then on to St. Pete beach where some friends had rooms at the Tradewinds Resort. A very nice sprawling resort along St. Pete Beach...a huge complex of rooms, suites, bars and restaurants , even a river where you can take boats through the property. I checked into my buddies suite, large, clean and comfortable, that was at the time overlooking a Pirate Show with great views of the beach and Gulf from the balcony. Heading down to walk around, I ran into the bride of the wedding, and even though I wasn't invited, she asked that I attend the wedding...who a I to say no to a huge ballroom full of happy people, a large buffet, open bar, and kickin' DJ providing the entertainment. Too much fun!!!
After a few hours, and then closing the wedding, the fun people went out to Shark's Bar on the grounds of the resort, and later walked along the beach over to Ricky T's and then Jimi B's. A great live band at Jimi B's (Phoenix), and had everyone still dancing till closing time.

Halloween Weekend in Tampa Bay!

The weekend actually started on Wednesday, for the monthly Hyde Park Live Music Series, parking on the top of the garage at the Village, there was an amazing sunset that lit up the few clouds in the sky a very bright orange, and cast the same orange glow on the skyscrapers downtown. A few hundred people gathered as usual, listing to good live music in the Village. Afterwards, we all headed over to MacDinton's to watch the reaming 3 innings of Game 5 World Series, that was delayed for two nights due to rain in Philly...and our Tampa Bay Rays were not triumphant against the Philly's losing the Series 4 games to 1. What a Great Season though, and a more promising 2009 for baseball fans in Tampa Bay!

Friday was Halloween, and as I do every year, some friends came over and we sat out on the Front Porch, like my neighbors all do, with some drinks, watching the kids come up for their Trick or Treats, there were about 40-50 kids this year...by 9pm it was all quiet, and we headed out to Sunset Beach, a great little Gulf Front area on Treasure Island where some friends rented a huge beach house...was a great night, the Beach house was excellent, we walked over to Ka'tiki, one of the oldest beach bars in the area...there were a few people still in costumes this Halloween night, even at the beach bars.

Saturday we did a pre-party at my buddies Bayshore Towers condo on Bayshore Blvd, and then went a few blocks north in South Tampa to one of the largest, best annual Halloween parties in the Tampa area. A huge old house, built in the early 1900's, decorated all for Halloween, each room was different...a few hundred people showed up this year, all in costumes...GOOD TIMES!

Ethiopian Eats in Tampa and a day at Indian Shores

Friday evening I took a good friend of mine out for his belated birthday, always wanting to explore new worldly places we haven't been to, we decided we'd try some Ethiopian food at Queen of Sheba on Henderson Blvd in South Tampa. I've never tried Ethiopian Food, never even heard of what type of food it was. We were greeted by a very nice Ethiopian woman as we entered, and they prepared a table for us. Walking through the place, I was reminded of the NYC type restaurants with dim decor, and small intimate tables scattered about tow separate dining areas, with African theme throughout. There were many Ethiopian or people from the African area dining, so I know it must be good. The server explained the menu, and how the meals are prepared, we ordered a hummus like Appetizer, and Lamb and Chicken Tibs for our main meals. The appetizer was a very creamy and spicy hummus, that came with a very interesting very soft and spongy flat bread..DELICIOUS! They continues to bring out this bread(called injera)...We had some Iced Teas for drinks, which were also very unique with a Cinnamon and spice flavoring, no sugar needed...our meal was served on one big plate, the Chicken Tibs tasted like stewed chicken with spices, very moist and tender, and the Lamb Tibs were tiny pieces of Lamb again in spices and rosemary with onion, in the middle were traditional greens, cabbage and very spicy Lentils which I personally didn't care for...the best part...no Utensils...the owner came by with a big smile and showed us how to eat with the injera, scoop it up, and then also eating the injera that the food was served on which soaked up all the juices from the meal...EXCELLENT!! I really felt like I was in another world...one note is it would have been nice to here some background music from the African area, would have given it a more authentic feel...next time I go(which I hope to be soon), I will be sure to try the Ethiopian Wines made with honey, and also the Coffee ceremony.(Incidentally I learned the Coffee was actually discovered in Ethiopia town called Kaffee).

Saturday we went over to a friend that had a condo on Indian Shores for the weekend. About a 30 minute ride across the Bay and Pinellas County we were welcomed with beautiful and warm clear Gulf waters in this small island town is one of about a dozen that line the Pinellas County coast line from Clearwater Beach to the North and St Pete Beach/Pass-a-Grille beaches ot the South. Its about 3 miles of sandy beaches with small mom and pop type Inns amongst some high rise condos, some great restaurants and small stores, mini putt putt...was very relaxing laying on the rafts in the Gulf, and using the Condo pool right on the Ocean. We were all discussing how lucky we are that just outside of Tampa is another world of beach front towns, no traffic, no toll roads to Indian Shores. For dinner we drove a few miles south to Madeira Beach at Dockside Dave's...known for their Black Grouper, they had specials on Hawg Snapper and Halibut...the Snapper was large and very tender and moist, Halibut was two pieces fried, we also tried their cole slaw and Fired Mushrooms, both very good and homemade. Extremely friendly service from a young guy who recently moved down to Florida to get his Captain's license and start a Charter business. A trip back to the beachside condo for sunset made for a perfect ending to the day, watching the sun just melt into the Gulf waters.

Memorial Weekend in Tampa - Biking, Kayaking, Beach and Music

Decided to spend the holiday weekend in Tampa this year, very relaxing and great to see some good friends and enjoy the local area. The weather was very summer like on Friday, but quickly the Humidity disappeared on Saturday night leaving very dry and sunny blue skies with a nice breeze for the remainder of the weekend.

Friday evening went to see one of my favorite local bands that had what we thought was their last show in the beginning of the year, Buffalo Strange. They played at Jimi B's over on St Pete Beach, a great beach front tropical bar and restaurant, plenty of open deck and outdoor seating. It was very busy this night, as the start of the Holiday Weekend, there was plenty of parking across the street on a side street specifically for Jimi B's. After meeting my friends and their family that was in town, we walked next door to Shell's for a late night dinner, and then back to Jimi B's for some great live music and people watching outside under the stars, with the Gulf of Mexico just steps away.
Sunday, took the day to explore some Tampa neighborhoods near my house on bike. It was nice riding along Westshore Blvd to the north, and riding throughout Beach park and Sunset Park neighborhoods. Huge million dollar homes, set along historic small houses, these are truly unique neighborhoods with lots of money, many are waterfront homes that sit along canals with yachts in the backyards and well manicured lawns, with mature old oaks providing shade on just about every street. Afterwards I threw the kayak on top of the truck and headed across the Bay to St. Pete neighborhood of Riviera Bay, where one of my good friends has a house with a dock into the canals that lead to Weedon Island. It was dusk, and very nice to be out on the water, exploring the mangrove trails, lots of wildlife, manatees and dolphins in the water along side us.
For dinner we all went up the street to GoodFella's on 4th Street north of Gandy Blvd. This place had TRUE NY Style pizza, some of the best I have had in Florida. The 18" X Large piled high with a very light tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni and fresh mushrooms, very thin crust you can fold like a true NY slice with that oven crisp taste. We were the last one there and closed the place up.

Memorial Day it was up very early, and breakfast on the water at my friends over in St Pete, then on to their Nursery they own, Exotica, Inc, with all types of very lush and tropical plants like bamboo, dozens of species of palms and bromiliads, and others. Its just nice to walk around the place with a large koi pond, an upper deck looking over the entire place built around a large old tree, and live birds throughout the place. We then all went over to Fort DeSoto North Beach, there was a little traffic getting in through the .35 cent toll, but even though this was probably the busiest day, when parking along the roadway heading towards the north beach area, there is still PLENTY of room on the beach for lots of peace and quiet, a toss of the frisbee, or just relaxing in the calm Gulf waters. A nice long walk around the island there were bird nesting areas, and nice tropical sandy beaches. On the way back from the Beach we stopped off downtown St. pete along the waterfront for an 'early bird' dinner at Fish Tales located in a marina just south of the Dali museum. The atmosphere is all Florida, all open dining to outside along the Marina, you can watch the boats come in and out, and there is a great tiki bar area. They had these 'skillet' early bird specials we all decided to try that came with new potatoes, tomato's and grilled onions all in skillet. Crab Cake and Shrimp skillet- a large crab cake, filled with blue crab, very little breading, and about a dozen medium sized shrimp; Scallop and Shrimp skillet, about half dozen medium sized scallops and shrimps; and also the filet skillet, a nice sized Filet Mignon, cooked a little rare and wrapped in bacon. All in all, a good meal, and not bad for only $10 bucks. Id come back here for a few drinks and to watch the boaters, maybe some oysters on the half shell. We then explored a very unique St. Pete neighborhood just south of here called Driftwood, older homes set back amongst very overgrown plants, trees and grasses, so overgrown you couldn't see some of the homes that sat along the Bay, and the roads are very narrow and all monitored by video cameras.

Another great looong weekend in the Bay area.

Colorado Visitors in Tampa!

My brother flew in on Wednesday night, no better way to welcome him than an evening at the Green Iguana Westshore in the neighborhood, live music, dollar anything to drink, good times! The next afternoon, the rest of the family came over and we walked over the the Iguana for lunch, again a great hit, eating outdoors on the Tiki Deck, very juicy burgers, large fresh grouper sandwich and an amazing Caribbean salad with shrimp. The crowd was a bit different than last evening(biz people on lunch, and locals). After work we all went down the street with the little one to Picnic Island, where we tossed the disc for a while, and played on one of the two larger playground areas with the toddler, both with great views of Tampa Bay. The evening brought more family members over to my house, and we decided on one of the largest take out orders i've ever called in to Peking Chinese Take Out on Manhattan Ave and El Prado. Even with the HUGE order, everything was cooked perfectly, my uncle swears it to be the best take out in the area, I have to agree.

Friday, went with some friends and my bro and sis in law to 717 South for dinner, sitting outside along Howard Avenue. Food as been consistently good here, the Asian Pot Roast, Grouper Special, Chicken Firenze and Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Salad. We tried the Spinach Egg Drop Soup which everyone exclaimed was the best tasting soup. All dinner were served with 717 House or Ceasr salads, a large portion, and also fresh bread with an Italian Sauce and cheese for dipping. After dinner we walked up Howard Ave which was getting busy by 10pm, to Mangroves. the DJ was not set up yet, but there was great lounge type music playing downstairs in the bar area and outside deck...we then ventured off to Hyde Park Cafe for dancing..I decided to give the place another shot after my bad experience last year, and if you make reservations ahead of time, you wait on no lines, and no cover charge. A great looking crowd, and of course DJ Tony Feline spinning some great tunes. By around 100am, the place was packed, and it was time to leave, but we wound up stopping at the Dubliner for one, where there was a great live band outside on the deck. With taxi's waiting outside along Howard Avenue, we got a ride back home, where one of us crashed in the house, and us others...went to Green Iguana of course till closing. On the walk back home, m,y brother waved his arm out at a taxi, and instead of a block ride home, we went to Waffle House down the street for a late night snack....it was a Great Long Friday night!

Saturday, we woke with lots of plans on our minds(Riverwalk Platt Street Bridge Opening, Gulfport Springfest, GreenThumb Festival, Pondscapes Pond Tour, the Beach)....being a bit tired, some of us went on the Pond Tour to a few homes in South Tampa, great to view how people landscape their backyards, in some of the nicest neighborhoods in South Tampa. By noon, we all took off for Anna Marie Island, about 45 min drive from Tampa. This beautiful island and small village town is just east of Bradenton. The waters were crystal clear, sand a very fine powdery white, and we were in a very secluded area with not many people around. Made for a great relaxing beach day...rafts in the Gulf, paddle ball and frisbee on the beach, tunes playing on the radio, sandwich's in the cooler.

Sunday was another relaxing day heading over to Pinellas County and the GreenThumb Festival, one of the largest plant and garden festivals in the Tampa area, some friends of mine had a booth, showcasing many of the Exotic and Tropical plants and services they offer from Exotica, Inc. tropical nursery on 22nd Ave South in St. Pete.

Work brings me to Orlando this week, and then it's off to the Florida Keys for a nice long weekend.

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.