Hyde Park Village Music Series

Me and a good friend went up to Hyde Park Village Wednesday evening for their monthly Music Series. Its a great gathering of people from the local area, and the beer sales are always for a good cause. Easy parking in the neighborhood behind the Village, we walked into the event, maybe a few hundred people, and a live band entertaining the folks. My friend did not drink beer, so we had to go to several places to find her a non-beer beverage. Timpano's was selling mixed cocktails, but only allowed to drink inside the restaurant and also they would only allow you inside the restaurant if you had ID(she is 36, but left her ID behind)..so we wondered over to Wine Exchange, a livelier crowd here, and a very friendly bartender allowed us to purchase her a wine, and gave us a to go cup so we could attend the festival....lots of good people watching, we both ran into many people we don't see often, so it was great catching up with people's lives on a monthly basis in an event like this.

After the event, we headed closer to my home for some eats, and ended up where else, but the Green Iguana Westshore. Bar Manager John was just married last month, and heading out to Seattle in the morning with his new wife for a nice long weekend getaway..we stayed a while to help him celebrate(we did the celebrating while he worked)...again, the burger I had(Portabella Cheese burger), was awesome, juicy, meaty, and love the crinkle cut fries...she ahd them prepare a grilled chicken breast and mixed veges...cooked and seasoned perfectly.....and of course there was live music and the crowd for entertainment purposes.

Heading out to see some buddies in Kansas City Friday for a long Labor Day Weekend, be back in Tampa Wednesday!!

..

Some GREAT hot dogs and Hiking(not biking) Brooker Creek Preserve

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.

Tropical Storm--I.O.U.S.A. Movie

Got back from a great trip out west in Colorado, only to prepare for Tropical Storm Fay, which actually never hit here in the Tampa area, barely a breeze or a drop of rain, but south of here and the East coast got hit, some areas with over 25 inches of rain, Fay is still stuck over Florida, and now we are feeling some of the effects(20-30 mile and hour winds and heavy down pours now and then) as it comes back over Florida now towards the west, just north of Tampa(first south of us, now north of us...we get sooo lucky here in the Bay area)....

Tonight, I met a buddy of mine at Citrus Park Mall to see a one night only movie playing in select theaters across the country with live interviews from some of the country's top economic and business people...called I.O.U.S.A. from the people that brought us 'Super Size Me', it was a great film detailing just how much Debt this country is in, and what will happen in the future if we don't take action now..of course we live in the best country in the world, but we've got a bit of a Financial Problem that needs to be dealt with....this movie should play on TV for all to see, a bit of an eye opener....

The weekend is here, and quite a few things happening--
My Uncle turns 61 Friday
MAD Theater presents The Full Monty is on Stage in Ybor City
Broadway Play Mama Mia is at the Performing Arts Center
Bucs Preseason Football Saturday against Jacksonville

Back from Chi-Town; Off to Denver

Got back from an incredible four day weekend in Chicago..both the White Sox and Cubs were in town, Market Days, the mid west's largest outdoor street festival, and a relief from the Florida heat..temps were mostly in the upper 70's. with blue skies, reminded me of what Florida weather is from mid October to Mid May!! Was great seeing lots of friends and familiar faces, this was my 7th trip during this same weekend each year. Highlights also included a concert by Powder, Annual Rooftop party overlooking Wrigley Field in Wrigleyville, Great Eats at Uncommon Ground in LakeView and Athenian in Greek Town, and the 4am stop at the Golden Nugget near my buddies house in Andersonville.

Took a buddy to dinner this eve to my fav Southwest/Tex-mex type place, Red Mesa, in St. pete on 4th street. Again the Sangria was at its best, and large portions of delicious food, the best service.

Now its off to Denver Wednesday morning for work and Play, and see my brothers and there families in Golden and Colorado Springs.

Tampa's WaZoo, a 70's Disco Party, and Birthday in Stoney Point

Saturday, a bunch of us got together at a friends up in Tampa's Wellswood neighborhood for a graduation/pre-Wazoo party, the evening was nice, as we had major rain showers earlier in the day......dropping my buddies truck off at his South Seminole Heights house, it was a short cab ride to the 13th annual WaZoo at Lowry Park Zoo, one of the 10 best beer tastings/festivals in the country. They were expecting close to 4000 people this year, it was easy getting in, and there were live bands staged throughout the park, and PLENTY(over 250 varieties) of free flowing Beer from Breweries all over the country as far away as Seattle and Food from many local neighborhood eateries. It was very spreadout throughout the park, and they had put the animals to bed so they would not be too disturbed. Tank's had the best eats with their BBQ Pork(need to get up to Carrollwood and check that place out), and as far as beers, there were so many samples..we couldn't pin point just one favorite.
It was then a cab ride to a 70's Disco party being held in the North Hyde Park neighborhood....some of us didn't have any 70's clothing, but it was fun to see a large group of people all dressed up, some with roller skates, Burt Reynolds mustaches, Farrah Fawcett hair, etc....Good Times!

Sunday we went up to Channelside for Brunch at a friends place in Grand Central Condos. Living in this brand new condo building, very modern, he has a corner unit with glass floor to ceiling windows that gave one views from the Sunshine Skyway and Tampa Bay, downtown Tampa, Ybor City, all the way out to Brandon...Sunday evening was a birthday party in the South Tampa neighborhood of Stoney Point...just some BBQ'ing with about 40 good people out by the pool, they live on a canal which leads into the Bay...made for a nice ending to another great summer weekend.

Work takes me to Fort Lauderdale for the day on Tuesday, and then im off to Chicago for Market Days weekend on Thursday....my eighth year at one of Chi-town's largest outdoor street festival.

Hook's - St. Pete's BEST Sushi; and a Concert at State Theater

A St. Pete friend and I went over to Hook's for some of the BEST sushi this side of the Bay. On 9th Street and 11th Avenue, its a small place, very casual, about 10 tables and booths, and a dozen chairs at the Sushi Bar. Extremely friendly service by both the Sushi master(not sure what they call them), and the server. Rolls are always very fresh and large portions, there are probably 3 dozen or so types of rolls, they will make them how over you like. SOme Edamame to start, Ginger Salads, and then we dived into the pretty display of Spider Roll, Mexican, and St. Pete Roll. YUMMM!
Afterwards we headed downtown St. Pete to the State Theater, and old small theater that now has no seats, and shows independent and small national live music acts on stage. It holds a few hundred people..the FLOBOTS were playing this evening, a great new national Raggae-Ska type outfit(think Sublime meats Cake as my friend put it), very entertaining troupe, of course everyone was familiar with the song "Handlebars" but they had lots of other great tunes of course.

Work takes me to Baltimore, MD for the rest of the week...

Looking forward to First Friday downtown St. Pete Friday, and 13th annual WaZoo on Saturday at Lowry Park Zoo, one of the 10 best Beer Festivals in the country.

Channelside - A Great Movie; Margarita Mama's - Horrible

This past Sunday afternoon, cloudy and rainy, a few of us went downtown Tampa to Channelside to see the IMAX experience of "The Dark Knight" the new Batman movie. To our surprise, Channelside was packed this Sunday afternoon, and ALL shows at the IMAX experience were sold out. Lucky for us, there were a few good movies that none of us have seen, so it was off to Will Ferrel's new movie "Step Brother" for some off the wall, laugh out loud comedy--a Good Flick!
Afterwards we got out of the movie and were a little hungry, it was nice, yet awkward stepping out into the Courtyard of Channelside, and instead of seeing water from the Channel, there was a 10 story Cruise Ship docked..looked like a high rise hotel above the entertainment complex. We walked over to Margarita Mama's to sit outside, listen to some live music and enjoy some eats. Enjoy anything was the last thing we did, from the very beginning, we did see the sign outside that said"Great Food, Lousy Service" but didnt know it was for real. Our server, Megan, was just as rough as they come, apologized for taking her time getting to our table(about 10 minutes--then we had to wave her down), but she said she had to split a bill 40 ways for a bunch of teenagers...I then asked whats good on the menu, with a shrug of her shoulders, she just rolled her eyes and said Tacos...that's it...so my buddy ordered the Buffalo Chicken Burrito, and I decided to have a Cheeseburger, she never asked what type of cheese, so I had to ask her..Megan just said all the cheese looks and tastes the same anyway....on boy, major attitude here..we joked around a little to try to keep our sanity, we just couldn't believe what we were going through with her...then 5 minutes later she comes back and forgets what we wanted....it gets worse...the burger comes out with the wrong kind of cheese..I let her know, she didn't care, my other buddy brought the burger back in to tell the cooks...Heath the manager came out asked what type of cheese....but again the burger came out with the wrong kind of cheese, they didn't have the cheese I asked for....Megan grabbed our stale Nachos and jarred Salsa before we were done, then tried to take the check from us, before it was even filled out or we were ready to go.....it's no wonder not many people were here in this Sunday afternoon....Heath did apologize and offered a Gift Cert for a return...sometimes you can only take so much...and the food wasn't that good to begin with..this was my third time here...it might be good for a cocktail sitting at the bar, and listening to some live tunes, but that's about it.

Eating and Playing in Seminole Heights, Ybor and South Tampa

Getting back from Boston on Wednesday, I was invited to a birthday dinner for a good buddy and luckily it was at my favorite Italian places, The Laughing Cat in Ybor City. There was over a dozen of us, the owner always comes out to greet you, and mentioned he had a special Italian Family style dinner he could provide for us since we were a large group with Apps, Salads, Main Courses, and desserts...we opted to just order off the menu,,,I write about the Cat many times...and again, a winner..just fresh, flavorful, large portion Italian at it's best in a great atmosphere.

Thursday it was off to Fort Lauderdale for the day for work(nice to have 5 daily non-stops on Southwest to Lauderdale, quick 45 min and easy flight),and arriving back I met with a buddy at the Wooden Door Irish Pub a few blocks from my house for some dinner. We decided to check out thier wings, and a Cheesesteak Sandwich and a Cuban Sandwich. The wings were ok, nothing spectacular, the sandwich's were horrible to say the least. The Cheesesteak came on a very tiny roll, barely any cheese or toppings, just some very small amount of chewy meat, with a side of some chips. The Cuban was barely a cuban at all, as in barely any meat, my buddy took the meats and cheese off one one half and just pout them on the other half...and I wont go into the rest of his night..let's just say he advised me he didn't get any sleep. I like the fact there is another watering hole in my neighborhood, but I think it be wise to keep with the liquid refreshments.....

Friday, about a dozen of us decided to go see a play, Choosing Your own Shakespeare, in Ybor City from Hat Trick Productions. A friend I know is an actor in this very small, independent troupe. There plays take place at the Silver Meteor Gallery off 6th Avenue near 22nd Street(just near the Columbia Restaurant).
Before the show, we decided to grab some eats at the Columbia, we were having our typical late afternoon torrential downpours so it was easy to valet park in front of the place, and decided to eat in the Bar area, ..very authentic and historic decor, very large bar area and tables for dining, they also usually have a live band playing jazz or the like. Professional service, we ordered the Imported Red Sangria which they make fresh in front of your table, and also shared the 1905 salad, which they also prepare tableside, and a few tapas items including meatballs, calamari, and an crab dip with artichoke and fresh Romano cheese...very good, although we unfortunately tasted the meatballs for the rest of the night.
The play was one of the Best I have seen in a while, and had the whole sold out audience, about 2 dozen of us - obviously a very small, intimate theater- laughing out loud, excellent stage presence, acting and comedy, It was perfect how they blended so many of Shakespeare's plays together and also involved the audience.
After the play, we walked along 7th Avenue, Ybor was starting to come alive with the numerous bars, clubs and restaurants, we went over to Streetcar Charlies, as some of us wanted to eat, then it was over to Spurs, Club Czar-which had two different DJ spinning, and a very fun and entertaining atmosphere, then 7/14 and The Forge.

Saturday we returned a friends truck to his house in the South Seminole Heights neighborhood after using it to move some furniture. He has done alot of work to this 1920's bungalow, nice wrap around front porch, and great detail to the structure, many of the homes in this area are all unique and well cared for.....we grabbed some lunch in that neighborhood at Bungalow Bistro. A quaint small restaurant along Florida Avenue. Ive read about their burgers, and the reports are correct, one of the tastiest burgers, juicy and thick, I had mine loaded with portabella Mushrooms and Provolone cheese. We also had a crab cake sandwhich and Roast Beef sandwich were were both very good as well, although my buddy said the roast beef lacked some flavor and was a little small on the portion size. Very friendly service, when in this area, I recommend the place. Towards the end of Saturday and after helping my buddy spend some money on new furniture and a nice flat screen TV, we had some slices of pizza at Westshore Pizza, and am very happy to see my favorite Gelato is back, La Casa Dolce gelato is now being served at Westshore Pizza, and just a few blocks from home!!

Dinner on Harbour Island; and Flugtag

Went over to Cafe Dufrain for a last dinner before leaving town for the weekend. Seated outside is always nice overlooking downtown along the waterfront of this very nice casual downtown Harbour Island restaurant. Always have had prompt, friendly service. We dined on Hummus to start, two scoops of thick pureed Chick peas with lots of garlic and Oyster mushrooms, served with warm pita triangles. There house salad is excellent, a plate of mixed greens with tomatoes, craisens and candied walnuts, the thick vinaigrette is delicious. For entrees we tried the Kobe sliders, three tiny mini burgers, with a side of fries - good tasting, but a bit pricey for the Kobe, and also a Bouillabaisse of Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops and Mussels-again very delicious, but I expected more seafood for the price, it is a small, light dish with no sides, just seafood and a rich, tomatoey sauce.
On the way back over Harbour Island bridge to downtown, we noticed the HUGE Flugtag ramp, where they will be having a big party downtown Saturday at the Convention Center area along the water, stages have been set up and thee were 2 story high monitors along Bayshore Blvd, I believe any vantage point from Davis Island, Harbour Island, or the downtown Convention Center riverfront park areas will be a great time to see this once in a lifetime spectacle, as they only do this in three cities a year, and Tampa just happened to be picked this year along with Chicago and Portland, OR.

I take off for Boston this morning, to play over the weekend, and work next week.

A Saturday in Tampa: Downtown to Ybor City to Davis Islands

Got out of the house pretty early Saturday morning with a buddy of mine and went for some breakfast at First Watch in downtown Tampa. I still had some Manager Gift Cards sent to me from a not so good experience late last year(its in the blog)...First Watch tends to be a very consistent for breakfast, fast and fresh, interesting omelets and brunch menu items in a nice diner like atmosphere...this trip was one of my best, immediately seated, nice large pitcher of ice water with lemon brought to the table and fresh squeezed OJ. We dined on the Bacon, Avocado and Cheese omelet, very fluffy and light, served with diced potatoes and English Muffin, and a Chicken Breakfast Burrito with potatoes and fruit...service, food and all was at its best this morning, it is also nice to run into good friends here that you normally don't see to kind of catch up....after breakfast we walked over to Indigo Coffee for an Iced and Hot Green Tea, and wanted to check out the Police Museum, but it is was closed on the weekends, disappointing to have a museum closed on weekends...so we walked over to the Riverwalk and Curtis Hixon Park where they are re-doing the entire riverfront park, its kind of a big mess right now, the whole area is torn apart from Kiley Gardens to the area where they are building the New Tampa Museum of Art...the renderings look nice, it should be a great asset to the area.....
we then headed over to see some friends that were having a Yard Sale on Davis Islands...i've always like the Islands, its so close to downtown, but you feel like you are in another small town with a main street and great historic architecture in the apts and homes, with the Tampa downtown skyscrapers peering out over the islands.

The afternoon brought us to Ybor City and Muvico theaters to see "Wall-E"...cute movie, kind of wish I had my niece and nephews with me, the Pixar effects were amazing, had a cute story line as well....after the movie we walked around 7th Ave in Ybor, went into a few of the funky shops, and then wanted to play some pool maybe throw some darts so we went to check out Lounge 714, but the pool room was in the dark, so after there we walked down to Double Decker, too many people in there for happy hour playing pool and darts, they did have a really nice outdoor courtyard in the back that opened up...so we ended up at the Boneyard, very funky place, a few pool tables, couches were made from old bath tubs cut in half, and some of the seating included some interesting commodes, definitely worth a visit, interesting crowd as well, all watching wheel of fortune during happy hour....wanting some munchies, we were told about a great hidden gem of a restaurant, kind of underground like, attached to a Wine Store on 22nd Avenue, West Plam Wines and Beaune's Wine Bar...interesting very small menu, you can choose a bottle of wine from the very extensive wine store and bring into the wine bar to have with dinner...we munched on a great cheese and meat tray, you choose from over a dozen different types of cheeses and several meat selections...we got two different cheeses, and a sliced salami meat, that comes with fresh sliced bread, grapes and fruit, nuts, pickles and olives....nice socializing over a few glasses of wine and a light meal. The server was very knowledgeable and friendly, I believe dinner is served only on Thursday thru Saturday evenings, and the menu changes constantly.

It was late in the evening, and some Friends of ours that were having the Yard Sale were at Yeoman's Road Pub on Davis Islands, so we went there after dinner and had some great drafts with a very entertaining band...hangin out in the alley, listening to the tunes, with some great conversation amongst our friends and other friendly patrons in the crowded, English pub like bar in the main Blvd on Davis Islands where there are a dozen or so other restaurants, bars and shops....later we went to a friends apartment a few blocks away to end the night listening to tunes till the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday Brunch was at my friends place in Port Tampa City neighborhood here in South Tampa...and Sunday proved to be a fine day for relaxing and hangin with the dogs...

Tampa's "Cheap" and a Hyde Park evening

A buddy and I went up to check out a new restaurant in Hyde Park/SOHO area called "Cheap". First off, it's definitely not Cheap, unless you are there for Happy Hour which is 5pm to 8pm daily and 5pm to 10pm on Thursday's, and last night was Thursday...a variety of Menu items and all drinks, speciality drinks and beers are half off the menu price. Free valet parking is essential in this part of town, so i'm glad they offer it, an extremely friendly and attractive server greeted us at the door, and immediately sat us...at 730pm, they place wasn't too busy, a dozen or so patrons at the bar and table area. They did a GREAT job renovating the entire building that used to house my one of my favorite Sushi places and Tapas places, which have moved to other locations. Cool, funky, retro, modern, two dining areas with bars, and a billiards area with a few arcade games. We dined on the Surf and Turf(9 oz Sirloin Steak and Grouper) - very tender steak, ordered it medium, it came out a little medium rare, but that was ok, very flavorful and tender, the Grouper was very lightly battered and fried, with a twice baked potato and small salad...very good. We also ordered and shared the Goat Cheese, Lobster Sushi Roll, and Chicken Lollipops...all VERY good, the server did a great job explaining all the menu items and specials to us. Meals start with very soft and fresh baked breads with their Strawberry butter. It was nice to be able to try the place at with everything we ordered being half price, otherwise it would have been a not so cheap meal, but never the less, delicious meal.
After eating we then checked out a new place called the SOHO Tavern on the corner of Platt and Howard..it was once a Laundromat, then Italian restaurant, now a Sports Tavern. Not very tavern like at all, I realize its new, but just very plain place, lots of flat screens for such a small place, about 6 tables and two small bars with an outdoor patio along Howard Ave.
It was then back to Cheap to meet some other friends of ours, we sat outside along Howard Avenue on some nice Director style chairs, while another very friendly server waited on us, along with the owner, Tommy, who came by a few times to check up on us. Specialty Mojitos, Martini's and Premium drinks, still half off until 10pm....
The night later took us to Mangrove's for a few of us wanted to eat, they have a great late night menu at Mangrove's, there wasn't too many people here, we enjoyed the cool music, and lately we ended the night at MacDinton's, busy, wild and crazy as usual on this Thursday evening, lots of beautiful people.

Independence Weekend in Tampa!

Another good buddy of mine flew in from Chicago on Wednesday night, after picking him up from the rooftop short term parking deck at TIA(one hour free parking and great views), we headed for Cityside and Green Iguana Westshore to catch up and mingle with the locals in the area. Thursday we headed for Vero Beach, straight across State Road 60 from Tampa, about a 2.5 hour ride, to his sisters place on the water in Vero Beach...beautiful home, great catered party, LOTS of fireworks!

Saturday we drove back into Tampa, and did some relaxing at my friends pool down in the Port Tampa City neighborhood, a bit south of where I live in South Tampa. Dinner Saturday night was at Yoko's for Sushi, we all shared some of the best rolls in the area, Ive blogged lots about this place before, still my fav. It was then off to Ybor City to partake in the 1st annual Gaybor Days. Starting out at Spurs, there was a brief power outage and one block in Ybor was out of power for a few hours, Spurs happened to be one of those places. It was then onto Streetcar Charlies, where we met up with a bunch of other friends, enjoyed the videos that played to music. Next up was G.Bar, where there was no cover and $1 drinks till 11pm, it seemed each place was busier than the next. On to Club 714 and The Forge for a bit, then it was back to G.Bar to close out the night....don't go out to these places much, but this end of Ybor was ROCKIN' this evening, I believe the 1st Gaybor Days was a success, and was glad to be able to contribute and run into alot of people I haven't seen in quite some time.

Sunday was brunch at Mad Dogs and Englishmen on MacDill Ave in South Tampa, GREAT food on the Brunch menu, but service today was a bit slow, as we had the bartender for a server who had to come out from the bar anytime to tend to us, and he forgot about us a few times. Very apologetic, it was the food that made the Brunch worth the visit(we had Crab Benedicts, Bacon and Cheddar Omlet with English Sausages and Steak and Eggs and an order of Hummus. Back over to Ybor and the Muvico Premiere theaters, a bunch of us really enjoyed the move "Wanted", and as we left the theaters a major storm was brewing so we hopped on the elevator in Centro Ybor and had some dinner at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Ive always ate outside , and this was my first time inside, nice casual with the Brewing Vats inside to view, and a pool table, very long bar area. Seems that weren't ready for the rush of people this Sunday in Ybor City, as service was EXTREMELY slow, again a very apologetic server...we did finally get our food which consisted of Pizzas, Calzones as big as your head, Salads, French Onion Soup, Meatloaf...all the foods have a bit of one of their many in house brewed beers, and they did offer us free beers for the wait...we weren't much into drinking after the long weekend.

Monday was my buddy's last day in town, we headed to Clearwater Beach for lunch and some beach time. Ended up at Shepards, free valet parking, great large open deck in the back right on the water...live band was playing, and plenty of tables for dining. We munched on some wings and had a HUGE fresh Grouper sandwich and Fish Tacos...both very tasty. We managed to lay by the pool at Shepards afterwards, and take a dip in the Gulf at their small beach area, all while listening to live music...my buddy mentioned how the place really felt like vacation, I just thought about how nice it is to have all this about 30 minutes form my house and year round. We washed up after the beach and went over to Westshore Mall, my buddy needed to do a bit of shopping this last evening, and then over to International Plaza, where we ended the night at Bamboo Club with anther friend of mine. Always liked Bamboo Club, lively and authentically decorated place at the Bay Street area of Intl Plaza. Sharing the Maui Beef Explosion, Chicken with Mushrooms and Asparagus, Chicken Fried Rice, and Lettuce Wraps, plenty for the three of us, with enough left over to take home. Sitting outside having some coffee's at Starbucks while listening to the live music blaring from Blue Martini, we were reminiscing on the loooong very enjoyable Holiday Weekend.

An Oasis in Hyde Park

Last night we decided to stroll up to one of Tampa's "restaurant row's" in the SOHO/Hyde Park area--South Howard Avenue. There are still a few places I have not yet tried, so we decided upon SOHO Oasis Cafe, across from MacDintons. It's a Lebanese place, authentic decor inside and cozy outside patio area with white drapery, and Middle Eastern music in the background. Smiles and friendly servers greeted us at the door and sat us in the small, quaint inside dining area, which also had a very nice bar area. The menu consists of traditional Middle Eastern Tapas style dishes and entrees, along with many Tapas items and Wraps. We decided with Hummus, a very generous portion that came with Pita and also pita chips. Very smooth and flavorful, topped with actual chick peas, plenty for up to four people to share as an appetizer. Main entrees were the Lamb Kabob, Beef Shawarma and Chicken Shawarma, each came with a choice of two sides, we chose the Salad and Rice. VERY flavorful meals, the Lamb was so moist and tender, chicken and beef very flavorful, the rice I wish i could have packed up and taken home, and the salads with a very tangy, lemony vinaigrette dressing. They also have Hookah's for the outside patio area, a great find, prices were also very reasonable as well.

A ride with a Tampa City Council Person

We took a quick flight from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale before the drive through the Keys last weekend, and I had the pleasure I having Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena sit next to me on the short flight.(Open seating on Southwest).

I've seen her in action at the Council meetings, and of course have read about her many times, noting that Linda cares VERY MUCH for the environment, as she once exclaimed to me on the plane "Trees....are very important", she was discussing with me the chopping of mature Oaks throughout Tampa(especially South Tampa roadways), by TECO into a "V" shape that is very unnatural for the trees for the purpose of making sure the electric lines were clear from any tree branches. Councilwoman Linda noted there will soon be a push to have all the lines put underground with a cost sharing by the City and TECO(not sure how thats going to work out). I do agree as I have a large mature oak in my front lawn that looks awful due to the "V" shaped cut to clear the lines, and placing the lines underground would definitely boost property values, and there would be less "downed" power lines which could be dangerous and cost associated to be fixed in the numerous thunderstorms, and possibility of tropical storms in the area.

We continued some interesting discussions regarding the Trump Tower project(i'd like to see either another riverfront park, or maybe a hotel with retail and restaurants on the river there, the area north of there where Skypoint and Element are good for Condo towers, never really thought that corner of Ashley and Brorein was a good match), and also chatted about open Park space in the Channelside district, as the City of Tampa looks to open more park and open space in the downtown area similar to Curtis Hixon and Cotanchobee Park along the river. She is VERY concerned about the city and its growth and progress, I let her have it when I exclaimed DENSITY is the key in the Inner Core of the city, and although we should discuss height, it will be important for Tampa's future to look at further density close to downtown areas, and much less sprawl...IN MY OWN OPINION. Last but not least, we were both very happy to see Mass Transit and BRT/Light Rail on target for the future.

Family Visit from Colorado and a Buddy visits from Boston

Tuesday evening one of my older brothers and his clan(wifey, 3 kids, and 3 dogs) arrived at my house after they made a cross country trek to Florida from Colorado in their 35' RV - like s mall house. I had the whole family over, parking the RV in the driveway, and getting Cappy's Pizza with a Large Greek Salad for take-out. Still my favorite pizza in the Tampa area!

Wednesday morning a good buddy of mine flew in from Boston for some good times. We went over to harbour Island for lunch at Cafe Dufrain, it was nice to sit outside along the Channel with great views of downtown Tampa, and an awesome lunch experience of Chicken Rigatoni and the Southwestern Salad, very prompt and friendly service. It was a nice ride back along Bayshore Blvd, getting home just before the thunderstorms starting popping up. The evening had us going to the monthly Hyde Park Music Series, the weather really cooled down due to the afternoon storms, and made it very comfortable outside. We grabbed a bite at the Wine Exchange(service was very weak), some Chicken/Artichoke and BBQ Chicken Pizza's, Cuban Salads, Lobster Ravioli(which was comped because it came out 15 minutes after everyone else ate), and some chilly beverages. Afterwards we went out in the Village, where there were lots of people around, listening to the live music and socializing. Afterwards it was on to Dubliner, great looking crowd for Liter night, then a stop by Taquiero Q for a few tacos, MacDintons, and a taxi back home for a quick one at Green Iguana Westshore.

Thursday, we took the dogs to Picnic Island in the morning so they could run around on the beach and play, and then grabbed some breakfast at the Brunchery on MacDill Ave, which was just ok on this trip, having a Western omelet and Bayshore Benedict. We stopped by the house a grabbed the Tennis Rackets to play a few rounds of Tennis at the City courts on Himes Avenue. A nice lunch followed later at the Green Iguana Westshore - Baja Chicken and a Meatball Sandwhich which was a special of the day, and actually VERY good.
The evening brought us to Ybor City, with some .25 cent wings(Thai and Buffalo style) at Streetcar Charlies - very HUGE wings, crispy and tasty, I believe I found a new wing spot for Thursday nights. We meandered through Ybor, stopping by Spurs and Lounge 714, before retiring at home.

The weekend brings us to the Florida Keys and Key West---be back Monday!

Rainy Downtown Tampa Day/Night!

Saturday we awoke to what is very familiar around here in the semi-tropical Tampa Bay area during the summer months, Thunderstorms and Torrential rainfall, but typically these happen in the late afternoons, unless there is some kind of 'tropical' disturbance lurking around, which was the case this weekend. A great time to figure out somethings to do indoors in the area. So we headed downtown Tampa, and first stop was the Florida Museum of Photograpic Arts. A small venue with a few exhibits, one from Len Prince, and another from Children of the Bay area. It's a great museum for those into photography, there are several sitting areas where you can read through photography books about the exhibits, relax, and enjoy the art....and they change the exhibits nearly monthly. The staff is very friendly and on hand to explain the pictures, photographers, and any other questions you may have around the art of photography.
We then walked up to Skypoint, the newest condominium tower, to try a new place called TAPS Beer and Wine Merchants on the first floor of the tower. On the way there, we passed by the Tampa Bay Rays store, which was very busy, people buying tickets for the games against Chicago this weekend, and lots of merchandise, shirts, hats, etc, they even had sample seating from Tropicana Field. TAPS Grand Opening isn't until June 28th, but as we walked in, we found it kind of rude that know one acknowledged or greeted us, just a couple of looks from the woman server on the floor, and some guy behind the bar area on the wine section. We sat and waited, and waited, until a very arrogant woman approached us, and mumbled something, then brought over the extensive wine and beer lists...we told her we wanted to eat, she then grabbed a couple of menus. The beer bar area was lively, and the bartender behind the bar was chatting away with the patrons, maybe we should've sat there at the bar. Regardless, there are over 300 beers from around the globe, you can even take purchase to take home as well. Its a nice new space, good tunes playing and sports on the flat screen tv's. Our Ahi Tuna salad sandwich and fancy BLT were very delicious, and came with a side salad with sliced strawberries, also very good. They just need to work on the service and friendliness of some of the staff, and this will be a great place to visit when downtown.
After our lunch and a couple of international beers, we walked over to Tampa Theater for an afternoon Independent film in this historic theater, 'Before The Rains'. Great movie, and always an interesting scene at Tampa Theater, I could spend hours just looking around the old theater and all the artifacts and scenery.
On the way back to the car, we stopped by Indigo Coffeehouse where we relaxed inside with some nice tunes and a friendly barista behind the coffee bar. Before heading home, we drove up to Tampa Heights neighborhood, just north of downtown, to visit a friend of mine, she lives in a restored 1900's bungalow in the Heights, as most of that neighborhood is going through a Renaissance of some sorts, very slowly. She has started learning Yoga, and showed us a few moves before we left her house.

A quick rest at home, and it was off to Channelside for a birthday party some friends of mine were having at the newly opened Seaport Apartments in Channelside. Great amenities, these are the only rental units in Channelside, and it was great to see alot of people that I dont get to talk to often, the party was in the clubhouse along side the pool. There is a streetcar stop just beside the Apartments, on our walk to the stop we just saw the streetcar pull away, and didnt want to wait another 20 minutes for the next, luckily it was Saturday night, and taxi's were cruising up and down Channelside Drive, and within a minute we were able to hail a cab up the street to Ybor City to finish off the night---Streetcar Charlies, Club Czar where after doing a shot from the extensive Vodka Bar we proceeded to smash the frozen shot 'glass' against the brick walls(shots are poured in frozen shells, not really glass), Club 714, James Joyce Pub, Blues Shark, New York New York Pizza, Green Iguana--and a taxi back home to South Tampa.

Sunday morning it was a quick cab ride back to my car I left in Channelside, Taxi Tim picked us up at my house, he writes an interesting blog called Tampa Taxi Shots. We decided on breakfast at Zelda's Cafe and Deli, across from Ventana Condos in the CHannelside neighborhood. Although there werent many patrons in the place, service was very slow, my omelet was overcooked, had to get up for butter, and most of my breakfast was broght out one piece at a time(first the omelet, then a few minutes later the toast, and then a few minutes later the hash browns)....Big Thunderstorms again all day Sunday, with the Sun peaking out from time to time...finally the grass is green, we are getting much needed rains almost daily now!!

Burgers and Foosball and a NOT so Happening Movie

Friday we went out to Square One Burgers in South Tampa, already wrote about this one, and since I liked it the first time, went back to try a different style burger(there are thousands of ways to have a burger - sauces, toppings, meats, etc.) - did the healthy Buffalo Burgers, and some unhealthy Cheesey Fries. Service very fast and friendly, the bar area and restaurant was VERY busy this Friday evening. Afterwards we went over to a favorite local dive that has been in Tampa since 1930, The Tiny Tap Tavern. A tiny old gas station in Hyde Park behind Xtreme Fitness, turned into small pub with CHEAP beers, some snacks, and always fun and interesting people. Mens bathroom is outside in the back, grab an icey pitcher out of the cooler and tell the overly friendly staff your beer choice, and there are two pool tables, a Foosball table and killer jukebox. A few rounds of Foosball and some chilly ones, and it was time to get closer to home to enjoy the rest of the night, so Green Iguana Westshore wrapped up the night with great people, and great live music.

Sunday afternoon there were some huge thunderstorms, and the clouds and sun were at a tug of war with each other, so we went to AMC Westshore theaters to see M. Night Shymalan's new movie "The Happening"..was not too happening, actually I enjoyed the first fifteen minutes but the very dry acting, and story were not up to par with some of his other movies like 'Signs' or Sixth Sense'. I wouldn't even recommend for rental.

Work takes me to Richmond VA, Charlotte and Raleigh NC this week.

Birthdays and Berryism in Tampa

Monday met up with a friend at Wooden Door, a few blocks form my house, they have expanded the outdoor patio. Jen our server was extremely friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed, we enjoyed listening to some great tunes outside, with the fans going it kept things nice a breezy out on the patio this evening. Afterwards I got a call to meet up with some other friends for a 30th Bday party, at The Tapper Pub. Its been ages since I've been here, I remember years ago for Happy Hour when they would put a huge cheese wheel in the middle of the bar with crackers...less than a mile from my house in the Britton Plaza, this place has been keeping people happy since the 60's. They always had great food like sandwich's of all kinds, the menu is all on boards across the top of the bar, only the prices have changed a bit. It looks like a typical store from the outside, but walk in and there is a huge A-frame wooden ceiling, very long large wooden bar, and some pool tables and darts in the back. We played a few rounds of darts, and listened to some great tunes on the juke box.

Thursday evening, picked up a good friend of mine and had the BEST sushi in Tampa at Yoko's..Yoko herself came by to serve the Sushi and make sure things were good...I LOVE this place and have talked about it lots on this site...afterwards my friend said she had loved going to D'Lites for dessert, but a new place called Berryism opened up, and we thought we would give it a try. Its frozen yogurt, three different flavors, custard-like, wild berry, and green tea. There is about a dozen or so toppings, everything from fresh sliced fruits of all kinds, to Captain Crunch and Fruity Pebbles cereals, and the other typical toppings you would see. The yogurt was ok, kind of light and a little watery for my liking, they were very generous with the fresh berry toppings I had(blackberry, blueberry and raspberry).

I'm looking forward to the weekend with lots going on as usual, a few things to consider:

Live After Five downtown Tampa
Lion King Broadway Show - Tampa Performing Arts Center
Downtown Art Walk - St Petersburg
SudsFest - Florida Aquarium
TampaBay Caribbean Festival

Tampa Haircut, some Cuban/Argentinian Eats, an Art Walk and Bayshore Blvd BBQ-Pool Party

Back from a week of work in New Jersey, on Friday I went for my bi-weekly haircut at Westshore Mens Hair Shoppe, it just a few blocks from my house, and consistently do a great job with the trim of what ive got left on my head, lots of local neighborhood men get their haircuts here, alot of local flavor.
Friday evening, we all went to Black Beans Cafe on Westshore Blvd in South Tampa, which is also in my local neighborhood. It was my first time here, in the same small strip center as I get my haircut. They have a few tables outside for dining, we decided to venture in, a very authentic Spanish looking atmosphere, the place is split in two separate areas, one bar area that is soon to do mostly tapas specialties, and the other is an intimate dining room that also serves as dance area with a dance floor and lights/DJ booth for special event nights. Immediately as we were seated a very friendly server came by, she was the daughter of the owner, and we were also greeted by the son of the owner who sorta manages things throughout the restaurant. All the menu items are from special recipes handed down from generations in the family owned business, there are a few Black Beans Cuban restaurants in the Tampa area, but this one is unique and different than the others. They informed us that Red Sangria was just freshly made, so we ordered a large pitcher to share amongst us all. Ive had great Sangria at Red Mesa in St. Pete and Ceviche in Tampa, this was good, but there it was sans fruit and a little too sweet and watery for my liking. The owners son let us know they make it several ways, and found that most of the patrons liked it this way, a little thin and sweet. He would be more than happy to make it a little stronger if we requested. We started with the Cuban Salad, a very large plate that can be shared with up to 4 people, with crisp greens, cheeses and meats rolled together, and a great, light dressing on the side. For meals we tried the Beef Tips, Cuban Chicken and Roast Pork. All very large helpings, with two sides that included Arroz Moro, Red Beans and Rice, and Black Bean Soup and Rice. Very fresh and homemade taste, the Roast Pork was very tender and enough for two, Beef Tips were tender with mixed veges, and the Chicken was tender in a Mojo/Garlic sauce. All a great dining experience, they also offer a $10 lunch buffet which I may try soon, since it is right up the street from my home office.

Saturday, we ventured off to Ybor City for lunch, and the first ever Ybor ArtWalk, which will continue to take place on the first Saturday of each month. This was a great opportunity to explore all the arts and creative talents in Ybor City. Over 19 areas showcased local artists, their working studios, performance venues, and also the Italian Club and Ybor Museum were on the list as well. My favorite part was actually going into several of the artists studios, where they create some of their masterpieces, there were also some wine tastings, and just an opportunity to see creative folk around Ybor City. For lunch we stopped by El Puerto Argentinian Grill, on 5th Avenue near 17th street. A great find, nice open space with a bar, Argentinian music in the background, in an old historic building. A very friendly Argentianian server and Fresh Bread greeted us with Chimichurri Sauce and butter for dipping. We tried the Skirt Steak sandwich and Argentianian Sausage Sandwich's, both came with a large helping of fries and served on Fresh Baked soft hero style rolls. Tender marinated skirt steak sliced in small strips with onions and peppers, and a very flavorful sausage split in half with a light mustard sauce. We devoured the lunch with the Chimchurri sauce, i'm looking forward to trying out their dinner menu soon.
The afternoon was still very sunny and dry, so after getting back home from Ybor, we hopped on our bikes and rode across the Interbay Peninsula from Westshore Blvd to my friends condo tower on Bayshore Blvd. They were having a Pool/BBQ gathering. It was nice hanging with some good friends, with beautiful views of the Bay, Bayshore Blvd, and downtown Tampa skyline in the background.

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.