Back from NC Mountains - Lunch and Coffee's in Palma Ceia and a Greek Grill in Tampa

What another AMAZING time at the Hawkesdene House Mountain Retreat in Andrews, NC. We had two newbies on this trip, the fall colors were breathtaking, weather couldn't have been better with blue blue skies, temps near 70, and close to freezing at night. Cant wait to get back there soon!!

Coming back Monday, took my babysitter(Madre) and a friend to lunch at Datz Deli off MacDill Ave in South Tampa neighborhood of Palma Ceia. Once again a great meal, HUGE colossal size sandwich's(brought the other half of them home for dinner)--fresh corned beef, pastrami, cheeses, plate of pickles, fresh breads, very very attentive service, and those yummy sweet and salty homemade chips with blue cheese dressing...even asked for extra blue cheese for dipping.
After an excellent lunch, we wondered next door to Kalupa Bakery for fresh Colombian coffee's and fresh baked desserts, there are a few tables for relaxing and enjoying the sweet treats.

This evening, went to check out a new Greek Grill, called GoGos, on Kenedy Blvd just east of Westshore Blvd. Plenty of parking in the back, a very nice clean open restaurant, as I walked in I noticed the set up is almost IDENTICAL to a Chipotle Mexican. You walk up and have choices of Pita, Wraps, Bowls or Salads...then pick your meat--fresh marinated Chicken, Steak, Pork, or Gyro, then toppings--lettuce, feta cheeses, tomatoes, cukes, kalamta olives, greek peppers--and then a sauce--like Greek Vinaigrette or a Jalapeno Honey dressing. HUGE wraps is what we tried, they come with a seasoned Greek Rice. Best of all, everything is FRESH, organically grown, even have vegetarian specialties...sides also include Hummus, and lots more. This is a place I will be visiting more often...fast, fresh, tasty, priced right, clean, convenient...and Greek!!
They also have frozen yogurt with fresh fruit toppings.

LA Visitor in Tampa

A buddy of mine made a last minute excursion to Tampa this weekend, he is looking to buy a condo so he can spend a few months of the year in Tampa, where he once lived.(I guess he misses this place)....Friday evening, had a few friends over before heading up to a Wine-A-Palooza get together at a friends place in the Stoney Point neighborhood in South Tampa, about a mile up the road from my house. Great time, lots of people showed up, they have a very entertaining home on a canal that leads out to Tampa Bay...and the Wine was definitely flowing. After a few hours there, a few of us went off to check out a new Club in downtown Tampa's Channelside called Aja. Upscale, beautiful club, very large outdoor patio area with the skyscrapers of downtown in the background all lit up in the night sky provided a real nice back drop. Not overly pretentious, and a very friendly, happy crowd. Many levels inside lead you to lots of seating areas, quiet areas upstairs with an interesting bar that overlooks the dance floors through all glass partition, and there is even somewhat of a "basement" type of lounge on the lower level. Clean, excellent service, friendly people. Be nice to have this place stick around for a while.
Saturday was the Annual Florida Brewers Guild Beer Fest in Ybor City. About 25 microbreweries showed off their unique beers. This annual fest gets bigger and bigger, and afterwards we wandered around Ybor City, stopping by Streetcar Charlies, Reservior Bar, Czar and G Bar, ending the evening at Demi's Market for Pizza and a live band.
Sunday started with a nice Caribbean Brunch at Cafe Dufrain on Harbour Island downtown. Although the brunch was ok, and there was good live Caribbean type music playing, I thought it to be kind of awkward that Cafe Dufrain has a beautiful waterfront view of downtown Tampa, yet the buffet and live music was playing out in the street, instead of along the waterfront. The brunch consisted of Eggs Benedict, Filet of Beef, PB&J French Toast(which was interesting, but I would have rather settled for regular French Toast), Grouper, BBQ Ribs(good but very messy for a Brunch of this caliber), salads, fruits, and cheeses. I may try it again when company is in town, there are better Sunday Brunches in my opinion. Take the food and live music to the waterfront and keep it shaded and out of the sunlit parking area/street, just a thought. After Brunch, went over and met some friends at the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, this is the last event on what seems to now be about 2 months worth of events for Tampa's Gasparilla Season. A very nice, mellow ending to the season, 300 some artists display their crafts along downtown Tampa streets, an excellent opportunity to see unique creations from all over the world, and socialize with many friends, new and old, on beautiful days that come to the area for March and April...skies always seem to be bluer than blue, and temps hover close to 80 in the day, little or no Humidity.

Another perfect weekend wrapped up...and looking forward to the Annual St. Patricks Day parade this Saturday night in Ybor City.
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A Crawl, and Fiesta Day!

Nothing better than walking in the neighborhood to meet some friends for good wine after a busy work week. We all met up this time at CDB's Southside on Westshore Blvd, and grabbed a great spot on the upper outdoor balcony, overlooking Westshore Blvd...even the food here is just OK, it was nice to see such good friends, and enjoy some fine Kim Crawford Wines...my fav is the 'Chef Rolls", select meats wrapped in Mozzarella and Provolone Cheese..perfect with some warm fresh bread, and a little olive oil. A few hours later, we made it down to the Green Iguana, last stop on the neighborhood crawl for this Friday night.

Saturday was another beautiful day in Paradise....after a slow start, a few of us went to Ybor to partake in the annual Fiesta Days Festival....it celebrates the immigrants that came to Tampa back in the late 1800's to work in the Cigar Factories, and make a better life for themselves...Cubans, Spanish, Italians, Germans and Jews...7th avenue was closed down to traffic, so the thousands of people could sample many of the foods and listen in to the worldly entertainment along the avenue. After strolling around a bit, we stopped at New York New York Pizza, for an extra large 18" pie with Meatballs, Pepperoni and Green Peppers...its a very friendly place, lots of pictures throughout of NYC...the pizza is close to NY, but definitely not a real NY pizza...good stuff!! We then walked over to the Southern Exposure Carnival that was happening next to Club Czar...I felt like it was something out of a very scary movie....not many people around, some very weird drag shows taking place(not like Key West), and some out of the ordinary type people(kinda backwoods like rough people)......there were some rides, and it was nice to run into quite a few friends I havn't seen in a while.....we made the most out of it for the time we were there, hopping into Club Czar now and then...we also checked out StreetCar Charlies, always a good time here, very clean and comfortable place, they have now installed a toy trolley and tracks above the bar that runs throughout...nice touch....Ybor was getting busier as the night went on....checked out Spurs, and lastly ended the evening at La Creperia as some of my friends were craving a great dessert...and La Creperia didn't disappoint at all.

Finally getting a downpour of Rain(feels like its been just weeks of blue skies), so the Gasparilla Intl Film Festival looks like a good bet for the day today....

Back from Italia - - Bin 27 and Dog Walks

WOW...what a great trip to Italy...Florence and Rome....couldn't of asked for a better time, both cities are so beautiful, words can't describe!! History, Culture, Scenery, People, FOOD!! Molto Bene!



Happy to see the kids when I got home, I took them to a Dog Park they haven't been in a while near my house, Gadsden Park, off MacDill Ave, right next to the AFB Base in South Tampa. Very large serene park with a large lake and some paved walking/biking trails, and a HUGE fenced in Dog Park area. With only a few people there on Friday morning, they had the whole place practically to themselves, there are three separate fenced in areas with trees for shade, and picnic benches for the humans to relax.

Afterwards, met up with a buddy and went to the Real Dill for lunch, just up the road from my house off Westshore Blvd, this time it was the Cuban and Club sandwhich's and decided to eat in...again, great meal, the little place with about half dozen tables was busy this afternoon...its a great little sandwich place in the neighborhood.

For dinner, met up with another buddy at a new restaurant on Kennedy Blvd called Bin 27. Great looking building, very classy and modern interior and bar area, friendly staff(maybe overly friendly?). Reservations seemed to be a must, they were busy at this 730 time, but had tables available outside on a large deck, that had heat lamps installed throughout the ceiling, and very nice tropical landscaping, it was actually better than being inside. Tried the Edamame for appetizer and had the Grilled Pork Chop and Osso-Busco Cut Braised Beef Rib. The Edamame was good, a small plate of the soybeans with some sea salt; the Grilled Pork Chop was cooked medium rare, very moist and tender, a great tasting pomegranate sauce, and some cooked apples, and onion made for a different and tasty meal, very filling. The Beef Rib, which was explained as the most desirable dish, came out cold, the meat though was tender, and had a very rich sauce. For some reason, we had to ask for bread, when we saw it was brought out to the other tables...and the bread was a very fresh, soft roll, with chive butter, wish we would have had it sooner. Sides consisted of McDonalds type fries that had a nice spice to them, and a very small sampling of Brocolini. Dessert we tried was a Vahlorona, very very heavy chocolate truffle cake, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream...too rich we thought. The server made a mistake and brought another to our table, and if we had not thought it to be to rich, we would have gobbled the other one up as well. With an interesting menu of extremely very different types of foods, and prices that would make you think you were at one of the finest dining Establishments in the Bay area, I would expect a little more from the place...it was OK and maybe worth a try, but not sure it warrants a 'must go' again anytime soon.



Weather is warming up...temps were in the 20's at night the past few days since getting back from Italy....GASPRILLA starts today and goes through the first weekend of March...today the Childrens Parades and Pirate Battle/Fireworks over the Bay this evening...and the city is really gearing up for the SuperBowl, next weekend!!

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Christmas Partytime....

Saturday was a cool, beautiful day in the Bay area, took the kids to the park/beach at Picnic Island in South Tampa, seems to be getting a bit busier, I am now seeing the same people and thier dogs each weekend, some from MacDill AFB, which is nice. The beach area is so large, I doubt it could ever get too busy.
Saturday evening was a friend of mine annual Christmas Party in Port Tampa City, s small little city neighborhood a few miles south of Gandy Blvd off Westshore Blvd, at the tip of Interbay Peninsula. It was great to see so many people I havent seen since last year, afterwards it was a late night stop at the Green Iguana Westshore, and a quick trip over to the other side of South Tampa to another friends place in Bayshore Towers along Bayshore Blvd.

Sunday, I found out one of my favorite middle eastern eateries does a brunch buffet starting at noon, so we went over to Genghis Khan, and at 12:30, we were only one of two tables in the entire place, and had the fresh buffet to ourselves, lots of middle eastern cold salads(like fresh hummus, taboule, chopped with feta, etc....), and for hot entrees fresh beef kabobs, rice, two different middle eastern chicken dishes. Fresh, warm pita was also served. It was good.

NO Bonefish Grill!

I typically don't write about chains, and also don't frequent them that much, there is just something more special about a mom and pop eatery, retail, and knowing you are supporting the local economy than huge corporate giants that sometimes don't contribute to the local area(sometimes)...

Anyway, we decided on some eats, and Bonefish Grille was a place we hadn't been in a while(Bonefish was developed in the Tampa Bay area). The south tampa Bonefish off Henderson Blvd has literally no parking for the size of the restaurant, but luckily we found a spot right next to the front door after circling a few times when someone pulled out. They do offer valet.

Being told it was a 35 min wait was ok, we could also grab a table in the bar area...the place was redone, giving it more of a swanky uptown vibe, dim lighting, and 'Cafe del Mar' type lounge music in the background..so chic it has become. We found a few open chairs at one of the tables in the bar and started chatting with some others we knew at the same table, and decided to stay there to eat. This is where things go downhill..waaay downhill.

After about 10 minutes of sitting there, we were asked if we wanted a drink, drinks were brought over, but no menus, we had to ask for menus(everyone else at the tables in the bar were eating-not sure why they didn't think we wanted to also). So with menu's in hand, another 10 min goes by before the small, not so friendly woman server asks us for our choices, made a few recommendations, even said if we didn't like one of the choices, she would replace it with something else. Saucy Shrimp for apps, good and saucy with lots of feta cheese. Where is the bread?? A guy came over to ask how things were(didnt know he was a manager, looked more like a bartender, never gave his name or anything, and when we asked why no bread was brought out like to the other patrons, he simply stated "you have to ask now for bread, corporate is cutting back" - well maybe the server should ask us if we would like bread. So with fresh warm bread finally by our side, we were able to mop up that delicious sauce, and the oil/pesto that comes with the bread, while we waited, and waited, and waited some more......and waited, almost 35 minutes later only to be told by that manager guy again that a piece of fish broke on the grill, and they had to re-cook the meal...it took 35 min for someone to tell us that? He never once apologized, said it usually isn't this way, and offered us dessert(i'd like to get the meal first) And where in the world was our server, the short dark haired woman looked very busy, but not once coming by to tend to us...then our other friends at the table we met were telling us that service was really lacking this evening for them also.

Well, another 15 minutes, and one of the plates came out so hot, she had to hold the plate with an oven mit, and I understand why, that was the one sitting in the oven while the other fish entree was cooked. Not once was there even an apology, no one ever came by to see how the meals were, the manager guy(we found out his name was Brian, because when we asked for a manager, the server advised we already spoke with him) walked by us a few times, not even glancing over at us to check on us, the server never came back....the meal was just ok, I could tell the Salmon was sitting in the oven, it sat on top of maybe a Tablespoon of Au gratin potatoes(could they spare a little more than a dollop), and a tablespoon of some corn/edamame..very small side portions. The grouper again was just ok, and of course fish have bones, but this grouper had some major bones in it...true to the Bonefish name, but not something you want in a Fresh Grouper entree.

With dirty plates in front of us for another 10 minutes, I finally yelled for Brian when he walked by us for the 10th time, advising him that this was one of the most horrible dining experiences, and all he stated was "dont worry about the check" and walked away....and so did we!!

In economic times like these, and seeing so many businesses going under or failing, especially in the service industry, had Brian the manager and the server been more empathetic, personable, friendly, pro-active, etc., I might not have the bad taste in my mouth for this place as I do and probably will have for quite some time....word of mouth can go a long way.

World of Wine in South Tampa

A new Wine Shop opened about a month ago in my neighborhood a few blocks from my house. A bunch of us walked up to World of Wine Friday eve for their bi-weekly Tastings from 6-8pm. A nice crowd, people coming and going throughout the tasting...we were able to sample a variety of wines this week from Frei Brothers(the Chardonay was my fav), some homemade Sangria made with Bitch wine, and in the back there was beer tastings..this week was from Southampton Publick House(the Double White was my fav). Food was provided by Roberts Meats, which is a few stores down...and abundance of marinated roast pork, sliced turkey, sausages and cheeses, and grapes. There was even samplings of 'healthy' chocolates.
The store is great, and the owners(husband and wife) did a great job, the wine varieties are some of the best selections, and pricing isn't bad either. Also, with every six pack of beer, you can pick 2 glasses from a variety of beer type glasses, nice gifts as well. I look forward to their next wine event!!

Of course the night would not be complete without a stop by the Green Iguana on the walk back home. Some eats, drinks, darts, and live music.
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Wine Lunch in the Village

Met up with some friends in Hyde Park Village Friday, to get together over some wine and eats. At Timpano's, we waited about 10 min for a table to open up outside, since it was another great day in paradise, and we could do some great people watching of all the shoppers out in the Village on this Black Friday. We started with some Mussels, came out sizzling and hot with drawn butter...very tasty but kind of small. We also all dined on some Sliders, I know they are supposed to be small, but there was barely any meat at all on the soft buns; the 4 cheese pizza was very thin wafer like bread with some cheese melted on it; and some chopped salads with grilled chicken, in which the chicken was cold and also very small portion. What was good was the company and the very pricey wines, and the great service that Andrew provided...everyone on the patio seemed to be in a great mood this Friday after Thanksgiving, we chatted with several people during our nearly 4 hour lunch.

The annual lighting of the Christmas Tree was also taking place in the Village, so afterwards we met up with some more friends at the Wine Exchange, also in the Village. They had a nice large table available on their outdoor patio. It was then a walk through the Historic Hyde Park neighborhood to hit up one of my favorite dives, the Tiny Tap..where we met up with even more friends, shot some pool, played Foosball, before grabbing a cab for the 8 block ride up Howard Avenue to the Deck Pizza. The large pepperoni pizza was as close to NY style, thin slices that you fold to eat, very cheesy, nice tangy sauce....and of course a few pitchers of beer. A cab over to CitySide to say hello, and short walk over to Baxters, and then one more cab ride over to Green Iguana westshore to end the night.

A German Deli in Tampa....

After getting back to Tampa from a GREAT long weekend in the Keys and Key West, took Monday off to relax a bit, and we went to have some lunch in South Tampa...a good sandwich was calling..we tried going to a new Deli place on MacDill Ave near Bay to Bay, but it wasnt open yet...then headed over to Roberts Meats a few blocks from my house, and it was closed(?), so finally we ended up at Schiller's German Deli, El Prado and Manhatten Ave...a very authentic German Deli, with all kinds of foods and gifts imported from Germany, but best of all the excellent sandwiches you can get on all types of fresh baked breads...we had the Turkey Club on an Onion Roll, and also a Corned Beef, Pastrami, and German Salami w/Swiss on Rye...both very good. A side of German Potato salad, and fresh baked Apple Strudel for dessert. They have a few tables inside for eating, or you can order and take out.

This week work brings me to Chicago for a few days.

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Wings Gone 'no so' Wild

We went out for some wings and football Sunday night, a relatively new place opened up where Hawks Grille used to be on Bay to Bay Blvd, just west of MacDill Ave. Large open space, high ceilings, lots of flat screen tvs throughout playing all the games. There is also a large outdoor patio, but it was busy with a Bean Bag tournament of sorts...

Grabbing a table inside, the no so friendly server took our drink order, we kind of felt like we were bothering her, the place was not very busy, lots of empty table dfor the Sunday evening. Ordering 16 wings(Garlic Parmesan and Jamaican Jerk), and also an Angus Burger and the Philly Cheese Steak Wrap. All the food came out at the same time, the wings we crispy, and I felt they were ok(nice to have a choice of over a dozen flavors), my buddy thought they were a bit greasy(they are wings though)...the Burger was typical, and looked to be pre-formed, the Philly Cheese Steak wrap, although small in size, was large in flavor and packed with meat. Sides included Sweet Potato Fries, crinkle cut, which were very plain tasting. It took a while for our server to acknowledge us most the night for refills on drinks, and clearing the table, and finally getting us the check to get out of there. All in all, it was an OK sports bar atmosphere with OK sports bar food, maybe a good place to watch a game with a few friends and some chilly ones.

Short week, as I descend to the Florida Keys Wednesday for a LOOONG weekend!!

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Nina O's new Grille and Bar; and a Kayak Day

Friday after work, went over to a new restaurant that opened up in South Tampa called Nina O's Grille and Bar(they say the Grille comes first because of the great food). They did an EXCELLENT job rehabbing this place that used to be an old strip club, dive bar. Beautiful large bar area, clean modern fixtures throughout, lots of windows and natural light, 11 large flat screen tv's throughout...uniquely, you get your own speaker brought to your table to listen to whatever you choose to watch. The place was packed, but the new outside patio had tables available and a TV outside as well, to watch the 2nd Rays game. The patio had some nice plantings and a few fountains......A friendly server brought us our speaker(we were the only ones outside at the time), menu's and explained the special of the day(all you can eat fried fish and sides). We started with Wings which we were told came breaded, but we could order them naked if we wanted, but he suggested the breaded because they were a house specialty...and they were HUGE, very lightly breaded and fried, almost like southern style, with a little heat. A Turkey and Ham sandwich, which I was told was very good; Patty melt, very fresh Angus beef patty with Swiss cheese and sauteed onions on buttered Rye toast..perfect and delicious!; Also a Philly Steak sandwhich, piled high with meat, my buddy said the meat was slightly luke warm, but he ate the whole thing. The sandwich's came with very fresh potato salad made with red new potatoes, very light mayonnaise, very light flavor. One sadwhich came with Pasta Salad, very overcooked pasta in an oily mess. It was all good, nice relaxing outside, but noticed that the Patio is where the smokers go from the bar to smoke, it was a friendly, family style Grille and Bar...I will be back, they now do Brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings. One note, DO NOT PARK AT THE LOT NEXT DOOR(thrift store), they lock the gates at 9pm, good thing I had my 4Runner.

Saturday took the kayaks out to a new area, the War Veterans Memorial Park in Pinellas County off Bay Pines Road. Great park area, very wooded and secluded, they had an excellent launch site for the kayaks into the Intracostal waterway...paddling the area there are many private islands to explore, you can even paddle through John's Pass over to the beaches of Madeira or Treasure Island! A great day to be out on the boat.

Both the Bucs and the Rays are playing at the same time this afternoon(4pm)...good thing I got new batteries for the remote, as I will be doing some switching back and forth between the games this afternoon.

Work takes me to Jersey City till Wednesday.

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South Westshore Crawl; TaTa-Palooza; a Festival

What a weekend....Friday we walked up to CDB's on Westshore a few blocks form my house, the weather was great for sitting outside for some dinner. A great bottle of Wine, some Antipasto Salad(I ordered by mistake), and a Meatball Grinder on the upper outside deck. We were looking forward to CDB's pinwheels(rolled up Provolone Cheese, Ham, Turkey and Roast Beef and sliced like pinwheels), but they come on the Chef Salad, not the Antipasto Salad, which was loaded mostly with greens, and a few chunks of Salami, Cheese and Ham, some carrots here and there..nothing special, but good. Our server did bring out a side order of the pin wheels...next time I think that would be good enough with some bread and a bottle of wine......The meatball grinder(the small) was huge, oven baked, melted cheese...plenty of food...again though there sauce is a bit sweet for my liking...the bottle of wine, side order of pinwheels and company made the night.
Afterwards, we walked next door to The Wooden Door Irish Pub, the Rays game was on, a light crowd was on hand, the outside patio tables were all taken up, its nice they put a 50" flat screen out on the patio....it was then onto the Green Iguana Westshore to finish watching the Rays game, much livelier crowd as usual..the band started up, and it just got livelier from there.

Saturday it was breakfast over at Mama's Kitchen on South Dale Mabry on my way to Home Depot to do some housework...nice to start the day off with some of the BEST biscuits and gravy in town.
Later in the afternoon, met up with a friend of mine up the street who lives in Stoney Point neighborhood, on one of the canals leading into the Bay. We took his boat out on the bay for a few hours, beautiful blue skies, we found a nice sand bar area over near Weedon Island where there were about a dozen other boaters hanging out.
Saturday night was "TaTa-Palooza" at a friends house, to Benefit the Breast Cancer society, there were about 50 of us that showed up for a fun evening of Black Jack, Food and Drinks, Prize giveaways(I got the little kids bike), and a game of Guessing the TaTa's...all for a great cause...the evening went on afterwards as we headed to Club Chelsea, the Old Club Azalea downtown Tampa, interesting crowd, and even a hilarious drag show...for some late night Pizza it was on to Ybor City where we noticed Demini's on 7th was closed, but we enjoyed walking on 7th Ave, looking rough as usual at 3am on a Saturday night, for Pizza at New York New York, and then around the corner for a few more slices at the little pizza place on 15th street.

Sunday was a relaxing day, off to the Hyde Park Fall Art Festival, this year there were many vendors sampling food items and health conscious activities, after socializing and looking at over 100 Art booths, we sat outside on the patio at Bailey's for lunch. They mostly just do catering and take-home meals, except when they open for dinner for a few hours on Tues, Wed and Thurs evenings....this was the first time they did lunch....very freshly prepared Chicken Salad sandwich's or BBQ pulled pork, with their famous BBQ beans, and very tangy and citrusy ColeSlaw with Mandarin Oranges...a down home, southern style type of place. It was back home to catch he rest of the Bucs game against Green Bay(GO BUCS!).

A 1 year old visits Tampa; Art fest in St. Pete

My lil nephew from Colorado is visiting with his parents the next two weeks, on Saturday we took him downtown Tampa, and visited the Towers at Channelside new condominiums, part of the Urban Tour of Homes. The pool area was beautiful, probably one of the best I have seen with huge waterfalls, large bar area and clubhouse all on the 5th floor overlooking downtown and Channelside Bay Plaza. We looked at a 2/2 and a 3/3 on the 8th and 20th floors, although they seemed a little small, and left little room for any storage, the balconies and views were amazing. I'm not sure though that the views and wrap around balconies, large pool area, and location in the new urban residential area downtown warrant prices of over 1/2 million $$, with monthly HOA fees running around $500/month, but that's just me.
After viewing the towers, we walked over to Cotanchobee Park along the Riverwalk, and decided to have some lunch at Champions Sports Grille at the Marriott Waterside. Good food, at hotel prices, this Marriott has to be one of the nicest hotels in the Tampa area, the service was ok, we had a separate room to ourselves in the large, upscale sports restaurant located in the Lobby area of the hotel, which left alot of room for the little one to wonder around, and play some video games. We walked back along the Riverwalk to the park, so the little one could play at the kiddie area, it was nice relaxing under the trees with great views of the waterfront, Harbour Island, and downtown skyline. There is also a dock and small pier, where we were watching the dragonboat racers practice for the upcoming annual races taking place on May 3rd.
Saturday night, some friends of mine were having a small gathering at their place in the South Tampa neighborhood of Stoney Point, just off Westshore Blvd and Melrose Avenue. All canal and waterfront homes, large mature oaks in this small neighborhood, it was nice to relax out back poolside along the canal, they have a great tropical setting in their backyard with waterfall leading into the hot tub, the stars and almost full moon were out in full force this evening. One of their friends is a film maker that had one of her films at the Ybor Festival of the Movie Image, and we also watched some shorts from another film maker who was flying in from Boston to visit them. Before heading home, we stopped off at the Green Iguana Westshore, where good times are always happening.

Sunday, the little one and the others came over and we headed to downtown St. Pete for the annual Mainsail Arts Festival at the waterfront Vinoy Park. Before we got there, we stopped by Tijuana Flats for some mexican with the clan close by the festival. I twas a leisurely day walking around the over 200 art exhibts, all along the waterfront park, live music, and great people watching, all downtown St. Pete. Made for a great ending to another perfect weekend in the Bay area.

South Westshore Blvd Hop and Chassahowitzka WIldlife Refuge

I enjoy my little neighborhood in South Tampa, Bayside West, it's no Hyde Park, but South Westshore Blvd from just north of El Prado Blvd to just south of Euclid Ave has a number of great amenities, all within walking distance to the house.
Friday we walked up to CDB's Southside from my house for some dinner al fresco on the upper outdoor deck. I was never a big fan of their sweet and thick tomato sauce, but they do make a great Greek Salad, the small is big enough for 3-4 people, and it's nice to sit outside and enjoy the spring weather while having a few Friday afternoon cocktails with friends. We also tried the Southside Sampler, combination of Fried Cheese, overly stuffed Mushrooms, Baked Clams Casino and Fried Ravioli...a very good combo of tasty apps. The Hard Hat Grinder was just ok, not enough meat on the Sandwich that has Provolone Cheese, Salami, Pepperoni, Capicola Ham and Roast Beef(which was overcooked and a bit chewy).
After enjoying a few hours here, we walked a block down to the The Wooden Door, a new Irish Bar and Grill that just opened this weekend. Again it's nice to be able to sit outside, they have a large patio in the front, there was a decent crowd all ready taking advantage of the great evening weather. Inside they had a nice new Wooden Bar, with about a dozen bar stools, and a few tables scattered about on one half, and dart boards and a video game and juke box on the other half. The kitchen was only serving wings and onion rings, I believe the Grand Opening with the Full Menu is around April 1st. They did a nice job renovating the space, my only question was why the ceramic tile floors, it would have been alot more comfortable with wood floors. We shot a few games of darts, and were ready to head to the next venue...the Green Iguana Westshore.

We walked about 2 more blocks, where the original Green Iguana was celebrating their 20th Anniversary...and I can't believe I have been coming to this place for 20 years! And what a difference 20 years makes, from what was once a dive, hole in the wall, drinking establishment with bands every night in a very tightly spaced, dimly lit bar, is now a spacious, Bar and Restaurant, with an added Tiki Deck outside, expanded game room in the back with pool table and darts, and all upgraded amenities...it's nice they have really upgraded this place, but sometimes you just miss that original feel the place used to have, where the bartenders were the same(I miss Chrissie and Linda)..and knew exactly what you wanted right when you walked in the door. But my fav bartender/manager, John, is still there after joining a few years ago, it just seems the wait staff and bartenders come and go very often....Anyways, the food has been upgraded they now have a full brand new kitchen and full menu, the place was hopping this evening with, as usual, alot of interesting people....again, I can never go to this place without ever meeting and talking with strangers...it just has that laid back friendly atmosphere...and having live music every night makes for even more great entertainment.

Saturday, it was up and early with the Kayak, and out to Citrus County with some friends to explore the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. About an hours drive north of Tampa, it was a great kayaking experience on the river, we ran into a very playful dolphin who almost ran into use a few times, the waters were crystal clear. We also kayaked up to the Springs, where the crystal clear waters come up from underground. Some of us even went into the springs(always a cool 72 degrees year round), and you were able to dive through the limestone caverns which are all throughout the underground. We ran into some very old homes along the river banks, I kept hearing the music from the movie 'Deliverance' playing in my head as we all strolled down the very quiet area, with no one else around, it's definitely a different part of Florida in these parts.
We were starving after about 5 hours in the Refuge, and heading out we stopped at Brooksville area and had a great meal at Besta One Italian Restaurant - the Calzones were HUGE!

It's EASTER so i'll be taking the kids to Madre's for our annual Easter Feast today.

Work takes me to New Jersey this week.

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!

South Tampa Sandwichs - Pane Rusitca!

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

Tampa's Ballast Point Dinner - Cellini's

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

South Tampa Ice Cream

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

Tarpon Springs and Dairy Joy!

Family Fun Day's are coming to a close, as my brother and sis in law move back to Colorado next weekend. We decided to go to their favorite Tarpon Springs restaurant, Mama Maria's on Pinellas Ave, just south of the Sponge Docks. Tarpon Springs is a neat little waterside town, a little over a third of the population is Greek, making this town having the highest percentage of Greeks in a city outside of Greece.(Unbelievable but true!). There are numerous shops and cafes along the Sponge Docks, it was quite busy this Sunday afternoon, great for people watching, and just walking around. Mama Maria's is authentic Greek, from the owners to wait staff, music in the background, pictures on the wall. The food was awesome, all meals come with Greek Salad, big chunks of Feta Cheese. The food was very fresh(Cabbage rolls, Gyro Platters, and some Greek Chicken and Lamb dishes we ordered)..and plentiful. Next time in Tarpon Springs, I will forget the main street cafes, and head a little south of the docks to Mama Maria's. Afterwards, we headed back to my house in South Tampa, about a 40 minute drive, and went for some Ice Cream at the Dairy Joy..a local favorite of my sis in law's, they have walk up windows, for soft and hard serve ice cream, kinda reminds me of when I was a kid..Sundaes with all the toppings, Cones..dozens of ice cream flavors. There are covered picnic tables on either side of the shoppe to enjoy, looking out on Manhattan Avenue across from the local Library. After hanging around the house for a while, watching some pay per view movies, and seeing the pictures and home videos from 4th of July, we called it a night with Westshore Pizza.