I was craving a hot dog, a good hot dog, and came upon Frankies Hot Dogs 'The Gourmet of Fast Food', located on Kennedy Blvd, just west of the University of Tampa campus. One of those places you order, they give you a number, and then bring the food out to you. Nice menu, mostly fried everything(cheese cubes are amazing), and all kinds of Hot Dogs...the very very long skinny kinds are grilled and served on a toasted bun...then you have complimentary help yourself toppings like NY style onions, raw onions, hot relish, relish and sauerkraut. The place is very Chipoltle like, modern comfortable booths and tables, plenty of large flat screen tvs throughout. When craving a wiener(Happy Hour is 3-5 two for one hot dogs), this is THE place to go one near downtown Tampa. They also serve wine and beers(Peroni on Tap).
Sunday, the sun was finally shining after quite a few days of Tropical Storm Fay lingering around to the north of us, so I went to do some off-road biking just north of Tampa at Brooker Creek Preserve. They have numerous trails, but I found out as I got there that the trails are for HIKING only(no bikes allowed). No problem, went through some beautiful trails, immediately I saw several deer, wild turkey's, a few snakes, very interesting flowering bushes, a lot of different types of topography, and best of all, it was so PEACEFUL. The trails can have you hiking through this 9000 acre wildlife preserve, less than a half hour from Tampa, all day long. A nice escape.
After wards, I met a few friends at Westshore Pizza a few blocks form my house to catch the ending of the Tampa Bay Rays game against the White Sox, where they were all par-taking on the $1 Yuengling drafts which they have during all Ray games.
Showing posts with label westshore pizza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label westshore pizza. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, July 30, 2007
Johns Pass-The Hut; Orlando's Rainforest Cafe; The Brunchery and Hairpsray Movie!
Nice weekend started out with cocktails and listening to my friend Rob from Buffalo Strange play his awesome music solo at The Hut on John's Pass near Treasure Island/Madeira Beach area of the Gulf Coast. It's always nice after a rough work week to kick back on Friday's and listen to the upbeat music from Rob, he plays guitar, flute, bongos, and has a synthesizer to put together all the instruments, and an amazing voice that carries you away to anther place where everything is OK. The Hut was busy this early evening, but we were seated immediately, and glad that Rob was able to join us for great eats after his set ended at 6pm. Afterwards we headed to Debi's house and sat on the Dock, while the cooler than usual breezes blew by, and the almost full moon was peaking through the whispy clouds above. REALXING!!!
Saturday I continued to clean up around the house(having both bathrooms redone-I have an AWESOME handyman helping, more on him when he's done), and then John and I headed to Lakeland to meet his friends and all have dinner together at Rainforest Cafe in downtown Disney. We stopped through Plant City first to run an errand, and I was surprised by the downtown and historic areas of Plant City(I have only been to the Strawberry Festival). It reminded me of Historic Hyde Park but larger, with bricklined streets, large mature trees, wrap around porches, like the old south. I want to go back to Plant City and maybe do some biking around the historic area. Rainforest Cafe seems to be an annual event for John and his friends, and its been awhile since they have all been together, there were 9 of us all together,and we were seated promptly in the bar area at Rainforest, by-passing the 90 minute wait time which is typical. The food was good, but the company was better. Afterwards we walked around downtown Disney, there is alot to see in this area, and lots of people watching as well. Its nice to know that within an hour from Tampa, you can be in one of the largest tourist destinations in the world, and take advantage of all the entertainment/dining/retail, etc. A trip back to Lakeland and I was introduced to the Wii video game player. WOW is all I can say for Wii, not your typical video games,and great with friends to participate, which is what I believe Wii is all about. Forget about board games, Wii is it for lots of laughs and fun amongst a group of good friends or family. We played Tennis together, Golf, Boxing(I got KO'd in two rounds). I should have one within a month.
Sunday was very relaxing, had breakfast at a South Tampa favorite, The Brunchery on MacDill Ave. The service was very prompt and friendly, but the meal was not as I remembered on my last visits, The eggs in the omlets ordered were still runny, and the hash browned potatoes were VERY dry and crubbly, not browned at all, and the meal itself just lacked any flavor. Im not sure I will be back here soon, First Watch and Pach's Place are still my fav independent types in South Tampa for breakfast. I then did some stuff for Mom at her new house while she is still on her cruise in the Nordic Seas, and then headed to Ybor City to my fav theaters, Muvico's Centro Ybor Theaters. We did valet again as usual(only $3 with validation), and saw Hairspray. I barely remember the original movie with Ricki Lake(she makes a cameo appearance), but this movie was some of the most fun I have seen in a film in quite some time. FUN is the word for it, mostly a musical, lots of comedy, and all out "FEEL GOOD" movie. If your feeling a little down, or just need a smile and feel good energy, this movie will definitely NOT disappoint. Westshore Pizza wrapped up the evening, they mistakenly put a Sausage Calzone in place of the Meatball Strombolli we ordered, but it was GREAT none the less anyways.
Saturday I continued to clean up around the house(having both bathrooms redone-I have an AWESOME handyman helping, more on him when he's done), and then John and I headed to Lakeland to meet his friends and all have dinner together at Rainforest Cafe in downtown Disney. We stopped through Plant City first to run an errand, and I was surprised by the downtown and historic areas of Plant City(I have only been to the Strawberry Festival). It reminded me of Historic Hyde Park but larger, with bricklined streets, large mature trees, wrap around porches, like the old south. I want to go back to Plant City and maybe do some biking around the historic area. Rainforest Cafe seems to be an annual event for John and his friends, and its been awhile since they have all been together, there were 9 of us all together,and we were seated promptly in the bar area at Rainforest, by-passing the 90 minute wait time which is typical. The food was good, but the company was better. Afterwards we walked around downtown Disney, there is alot to see in this area, and lots of people watching as well. Its nice to know that within an hour from Tampa, you can be in one of the largest tourist destinations in the world, and take advantage of all the entertainment/dining/retail, etc. A trip back to Lakeland and I was introduced to the Wii video game player. WOW is all I can say for Wii, not your typical video games,and great with friends to participate, which is what I believe Wii is all about. Forget about board games, Wii is it for lots of laughs and fun amongst a group of good friends or family. We played Tennis together, Golf, Boxing(I got KO'd in two rounds). I should have one within a month.
Sunday was very relaxing, had breakfast at a South Tampa favorite, The Brunchery on MacDill Ave. The service was very prompt and friendly, but the meal was not as I remembered on my last visits, The eggs in the omlets ordered were still runny, and the hash browned potatoes were VERY dry and crubbly, not browned at all, and the meal itself just lacked any flavor. Im not sure I will be back here soon, First Watch and Pach's Place are still my fav independent types in South Tampa for breakfast. I then did some stuff for Mom at her new house while she is still on her cruise in the Nordic Seas, and then headed to Ybor City to my fav theaters, Muvico's Centro Ybor Theaters. We did valet again as usual(only $3 with validation), and saw Hairspray. I barely remember the original movie with Ricki Lake(she makes a cameo appearance), but this movie was some of the most fun I have seen in a film in quite some time. FUN is the word for it, mostly a musical, lots of comedy, and all out "FEEL GOOD" movie. If your feeling a little down, or just need a smile and feel good energy, this movie will definitely NOT disappoint. Westshore Pizza wrapped up the evening, they mistakenly put a Sausage Calzone in place of the Meatball Strombolli we ordered, but it was GREAT none the less anyways.
Monday, July 9, 2007
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.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Tampa Bay - Memorial Day Weekend 2007
Amazing weather this Memorial Day weekend! Very dry, breezy, sunny days, and cooler than normal evenings with great breezes...PERFECT(as long as you weren't on a boat)...
THURSDAY my buddy from LA came to Tampa, I picked him up from TIA(so damn convenient to park in the garage for free, grab his bags and head up to the top deck for a great view), we had to scout out the area for Heffe Weisen beer-first the Rainbow Mart Package store on Westshore, then Sweetbay Liquor store on Gandy, the the Warehouse Wine and Package on Gandy, only to settle for Corona's.....we relaxed with some chilly ones on the patio, and ordered Westshore Pizza. Had some friends come over and we headed out in Tampa for the evening. We met up at Mangrove's on Howard Ave in South Tampa, only a few people in the bar, DJ was spinning downstairs a mix of 80's/90's dance tunes. We tried to get some eats from the late night menu, but the manager demanded that we had to wait 20 more minutes(unitl 10:30pm) to order off the late night..with only a few people in the bar, I really didn't understand this thinking, and was extremely disappointed in Mangrove's!! We ventured out in South Tampa down Howard Ave to MacDinton's..there was a VERY lively crowd, many outside on the patio enjoying the cool breezes. I ran into some people I haven't seen in a while, and we chatted with quite a few people in for the Holiday weekend. My LA buddy was not too happy as they didn't have Heffe-Weisen, but settled for Hoe Garden beer instead(he insisted we get Heffe-Weisen everywhere we go)...we then ventured off to Whiskey Park a few blocks down, the crowd was ok, DJ was spinning here as well..my LA buddy mentioned he was bored, so we left to the MCD's drive thru and called it a night.
FRIDAY we finally got out of the house around 1pm to head to Fort DeSoto Park. We parked along the grassy side road on the way to the North Beach area. The beaches in this area are so wide, and there is so much space, you are practically out there on your own, plenty of room for frisbee throwing, and the water was a lukewarm 82 degrees. Some of the most pristine beaches in Tampa area are here at Fort DeSoto. After the beach it was time to prepare for the Mojito and Meatballs party I annually throw different times of the year..since my buddy was in town, I decide this would be a good time to get some friends together for refreshing mojitos and yes, meatballs(the frozen balls are great heated in Pasta Sauce, served with toothpicks and crusty bread). After the rum was gone, it was a quick walk to the Green Iguana Westshore in Tampa for some shots, and great live music. Then it was on to Hyde Park again, this time Dubliner, where there was a great guitarist outside, and some interesting people to watch and mingle with..it was about 2am, and we were a little hungry so some of us headed to The Deck for Pizza and beers, while others ventured to the packed MacDintons.
SATURDAY I wound up picking up my LA buddy at Rainbow Mart on Howard Ave in South Tampa at 11am..I didn't even want to know what kind of mischief he got into last night, just glad he was safe and not in jail. I dropped him off to sleep off his drunk stupor, and I headed to St. Pete for a great bike ride from 62nd Street to the Pier in downtown St. Pete. It great to bike through a variety of really nice neighborhoods in northern St. Pete along the waterfront Tampa Bay - Riveiera Bay, Venetian Isles, Snell Isle, Old Northeast to name a few...Tampa's Rock station 97X was hosting the annual memorial Day BBQ at Vinoy Park, with a number of bands and events at this all day long festival along the Tampa Bay in downtown St. Pete...again great breezy day, and DRY. A quick nap and it was out to dinner, we ended up at Seven17 on Howard Avenue in Hyde Park are of South Tampa...again! Seven17 is nice, they have outdoor seating, but it was pretty busy this evening around 9pm. A few disappointments will not have me coming back here soon for dinner, the meal didn't come out for about an hour, my filet was very rare when I ordered it Medium, and not once did the waiter ask how everything was, I had to tell him after a while, and he just shrugged his shoulders and just said "sorry bout that"...oh well. Being kind of tired from the Bike ride, we looked for a relaxing Saturday night, so we went to Fly Bar on Franklin Street in downtown Tampa. An excellent spot for great drinks, rooftop bar, eclectic surroundings, and there was a trio of guitarists and a bongo player..very cool and relaxing...then we checked out the new bar across from University of Tampa called The Retreat Bar, on Hyde Park Ave. The Green Iguana guys fixed this place up, great juke box, pool tables, dart boards, and a variety of beers, and ONLY beers...we played some darts, they did a great job fixing the place up, and are adding a restaurant soon.(The Retreat was the original name when it opened in 1938, there is alot of history to this place.)
SUNDAY I took my boy to the dog beach at Picnic Island in South Tampa. VERY busy today, but still alot of space for the dogs to explore and roam around the beach. My LA buddy decided it was time to visit family, so he took off for Ft Myers, and I headed up to Wesley Chapel for lunch with my brother, sis in law and my new nephew. Leaving South Tampa, and Tampa in general on the way to Wesley Chapel, I was attacked...by what seemed like millions of love bugs...uggg, all over the wind shield and front bumper! There was some heavy mating by Lovebugs this season...Later Sunday evening we went to my friends in the Historic Roser Park in St. Pete, and took there boat out into the Bay to drive it over to dinner at Fresco's, on downtown St. Pete's waterfront. Not a great idea, as we got out of the channel and into the Bay, it was sooo rough, we had to head back, and just drive it to the restaurant, and the fact that the rough seas caused a lil bit of a spillage of our red wine we were drinking to kind of make a bit of a mess..it was alot of laughs though. Dinner at Fresco;s was great, a bit pricey, but the outdoor seating and views are worth the price. The food is excellent as was the service. WE then headed to BayWalk for some Ice Cream, and then called it a night watching "School of Scoundrels" on Pay Per View(hilarious movie).
MONDAY-MEMORIAL DAY, hung the American Flag out today, and did the family thing, we BBQ Brats and such in the backyard, enjoying the last of what we feel will be a non-humid, dry, breezy perfect weekend in Tampa Bay! One last note, I inherited a new little girl to my family, 5 year old Rica, a min-pin, from my brother. I have always thought about getting a second dog for my boy, and they wanted to keep her in the family, but two border collies, and a new baby were too much for Rica, so I was able to take her in, and very happy to have her!
THURSDAY my buddy from LA came to Tampa, I picked him up from TIA(so damn convenient to park in the garage for free, grab his bags and head up to the top deck for a great view), we had to scout out the area for Heffe Weisen beer-first the Rainbow Mart Package store on Westshore, then Sweetbay Liquor store on Gandy, the the Warehouse Wine and Package on Gandy, only to settle for Corona's.....we relaxed with some chilly ones on the patio, and ordered Westshore Pizza. Had some friends come over and we headed out in Tampa for the evening. We met up at Mangrove's on Howard Ave in South Tampa, only a few people in the bar, DJ was spinning downstairs a mix of 80's/90's dance tunes. We tried to get some eats from the late night menu, but the manager demanded that we had to wait 20 more minutes(unitl 10:30pm) to order off the late night..with only a few people in the bar, I really didn't understand this thinking, and was extremely disappointed in Mangrove's!! We ventured out in South Tampa down Howard Ave to MacDinton's..there was a VERY lively crowd, many outside on the patio enjoying the cool breezes. I ran into some people I haven't seen in a while, and we chatted with quite a few people in for the Holiday weekend. My LA buddy was not too happy as they didn't have Heffe-Weisen, but settled for Hoe Garden beer instead(he insisted we get Heffe-Weisen everywhere we go)...we then ventured off to Whiskey Park a few blocks down, the crowd was ok, DJ was spinning here as well..my LA buddy mentioned he was bored, so we left to the MCD's drive thru and called it a night.
FRIDAY we finally got out of the house around 1pm to head to Fort DeSoto Park. We parked along the grassy side road on the way to the North Beach area. The beaches in this area are so wide, and there is so much space, you are practically out there on your own, plenty of room for frisbee throwing, and the water was a lukewarm 82 degrees. Some of the most pristine beaches in Tampa area are here at Fort DeSoto. After the beach it was time to prepare for the Mojito and Meatballs party I annually throw different times of the year..since my buddy was in town, I decide this would be a good time to get some friends together for refreshing mojitos and yes, meatballs(the frozen balls are great heated in Pasta Sauce, served with toothpicks and crusty bread). After the rum was gone, it was a quick walk to the Green Iguana Westshore in Tampa for some shots, and great live music. Then it was on to Hyde Park again, this time Dubliner, where there was a great guitarist outside, and some interesting people to watch and mingle with..it was about 2am, and we were a little hungry so some of us headed to The Deck for Pizza and beers, while others ventured to the packed MacDintons.
SATURDAY I wound up picking up my LA buddy at Rainbow Mart on Howard Ave in South Tampa at 11am..I didn't even want to know what kind of mischief he got into last night, just glad he was safe and not in jail. I dropped him off to sleep off his drunk stupor, and I headed to St. Pete for a great bike ride from 62nd Street to the Pier in downtown St. Pete. It great to bike through a variety of really nice neighborhoods in northern St. Pete along the waterfront Tampa Bay - Riveiera Bay, Venetian Isles, Snell Isle, Old Northeast to name a few...Tampa's Rock station 97X was hosting the annual memorial Day BBQ at Vinoy Park, with a number of bands and events at this all day long festival along the Tampa Bay in downtown St. Pete...again great breezy day, and DRY. A quick nap and it was out to dinner, we ended up at Seven17 on Howard Avenue in Hyde Park are of South Tampa...again! Seven17 is nice, they have outdoor seating, but it was pretty busy this evening around 9pm. A few disappointments will not have me coming back here soon for dinner, the meal didn't come out for about an hour, my filet was very rare when I ordered it Medium, and not once did the waiter ask how everything was, I had to tell him after a while, and he just shrugged his shoulders and just said "sorry bout that"...oh well. Being kind of tired from the Bike ride, we looked for a relaxing Saturday night, so we went to Fly Bar on Franklin Street in downtown Tampa. An excellent spot for great drinks, rooftop bar, eclectic surroundings, and there was a trio of guitarists and a bongo player..very cool and relaxing...then we checked out the new bar across from University of Tampa called The Retreat Bar, on Hyde Park Ave. The Green Iguana guys fixed this place up, great juke box, pool tables, dart boards, and a variety of beers, and ONLY beers...we played some darts, they did a great job fixing the place up, and are adding a restaurant soon.(The Retreat was the original name when it opened in 1938, there is alot of history to this place.)
SUNDAY I took my boy to the dog beach at Picnic Island in South Tampa. VERY busy today, but still alot of space for the dogs to explore and roam around the beach. My LA buddy decided it was time to visit family, so he took off for Ft Myers, and I headed up to Wesley Chapel for lunch with my brother, sis in law and my new nephew. Leaving South Tampa, and Tampa in general on the way to Wesley Chapel, I was attacked...by what seemed like millions of love bugs...uggg, all over the wind shield and front bumper! There was some heavy mating by Lovebugs this season...Later Sunday evening we went to my friends in the Historic Roser Park in St. Pete, and took there boat out into the Bay to drive it over to dinner at Fresco's, on downtown St. Pete's waterfront. Not a great idea, as we got out of the channel and into the Bay, it was sooo rough, we had to head back, and just drive it to the restaurant, and the fact that the rough seas caused a lil bit of a spillage of our red wine we were drinking to kind of make a bit of a mess..it was alot of laughs though. Dinner at Fresco;s was great, a bit pricey, but the outdoor seating and views are worth the price. The food is excellent as was the service. WE then headed to BayWalk for some Ice Cream, and then called it a night watching "School of Scoundrels" on Pay Per View(hilarious movie).
MONDAY-MEMORIAL DAY, hung the American Flag out today, and did the family thing, we BBQ Brats and such in the backyard, enjoying the last of what we feel will be a non-humid, dry, breezy perfect weekend in Tampa Bay! One last note, I inherited a new little girl to my family, 5 year old Rica, a min-pin, from my brother. I have always thought about getting a second dog for my boy, and they wanted to keep her in the family, but two border collies, and a new baby were too much for Rica, so I was able to take her in, and very happy to have her!
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