I have found fresh galangal root (rhizome?) at the Sanwa "Farmer's Market" (not a true farmer's market, it's more like an cheap, ethnic Costco--cheapest produce prices around and the best selection too). I have also found frozen kefir lime leaves (and frozen galangal also) at Oceanic Oriental Supermarket which is on the edge of downtown, a block north of 275. Note that I haven't searched for lime leaves in 1-2 years because I still have plenty in my freezer.

In addition to those two stores, MD Oriental on Fowler in North Tampa is also a good Asian market. I can't help with the nurseries unfortunately.

I'll be the one to post the latest rumor of Trader Joe's opening in Tampa. The rumored location is Swann and Dale Mabry in South Tampa. This seems like an ideal part of town for them to open their first Tampa Bay store. Hopefully Hillsborough and Pinellas will see many TJs in the years to come.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business...

I am going to agree with fdobbs; Downtown St. Pete is probably closest to what you're looking for. I live in Seminole Heights and while I love the neighborhood, it doesn't have a dense concentration of restaurants like you are looking for (not to mention, there are no hotels here and it's not particular safe for walking around at night.)

Downtown St Pete definitely has tourists milling about, but plenty of locals are there as well; and it's not a chinzy tourist area like, say, Clearwater Beach. There are areas of South Tampa that have a good concentration of restaurants (Hyde Park/Soho), but the area is not really scenic or unique enough to warrant a two-night stay.

Have a great trip.

Glad someone brough tup Hot Rod's. I've heard of this place. What I want to know is how is their Que? Specifically, the pulled pork.

Great. Where in Mexico (and Cuba) are you visiting?

That's great news for Gainesville.

I'm curious as to why they have so far chosen to open in smaller metropolitan areas in Florida (Naples, Sarasota, now Gainesville) and have not made annoucements on opening in the larger cities. Seems like they would be very successful being within the regions of South Florida, Tampa, or Orlando. In time, I suppose.

Since someone else brought up hibiscus, I was reminded of agua de jamaica, aka hibiscus tea. I thought it originated in Mexico, but after some brief googling I've learned that it is consumed in many corners of the world. including Egypt and Thailand.

DF = Distrito Federal = Mexico City

I'm in North Tampa, a fair jaunt from Dunedin. Good to know there's a source for lime leaves for North Pinellas hounds.

Got the leaves at Oceanic. They are in the "vegetarian" section of the freezer near the produce area in the back of the store. They seemed reasonably priced at 19.99/lb; I believe I got about twenty leaves for a buck sixty. Also, I was very pleased to find that Oceanic sells *fresh* galangal. There's going to be some serious feasting going down in the coming days at my house. Thanks Andy.

Really. I've been to two of those three in the last month looking for them; guess I didn't search thoroughly enough. So they are refrigerated and not frozen then? Do they go bad quickly and what has been your experience freezing them? Thanks a ton; you've given me hope.

Instead of creating a new thread on an existing topic, I thought I would bump this one to bring up the discussion once again. It's been nearly three years since this thread was created and perhaps someone has found a source for kaffir lime leaves (and maybe even the fruit itself) here in Tampa. I've visited several oriental/Viet markets in West Tampa looking for this ingredient that keeps showing up in nearly every Thai recipe I attempt. I've found frozen galangal (small Thai/Viet market on west side of Armenia just south of Waters) but no lime leaves. Anyone else have any luck?

Agave is more of a Mexican restaurant whereas Red Mesa is more Southwestern. Personally I prefer Red Mesa. The menu is a more unique and the presentation more creative; however I have only been to Agave once so I may not be the best judge.

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Red Mesa Restaurant
4912 4th St N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33703

Great ideas, thanks! I especially dig the banh choux. I like the idea of puddings, but the crowd will be mostly non-Asians and I'm hoping for something handheld.

I'm catering an small event which calls for Vietnamese hors d'oeuvres. The savory side of the menu is taken care of, however we'd like to serve hot and cold Vietnamese coffee afterwards. I am trying to think of something to nibble on that would go with the coffee and still be Vietnamese. If I weren't restricted, I could think of dozens of Western-style pastries that are made to be consumed with coffee. To my surprise, I haven't been able to find something comparable from Vietnam, despite the French influence. One idea I had was to make pâté chaud with a sweet filling instead of pork. Maybe guava paste, but now I'm afraid I'm straying into Cuban territory. It seems like most of the desserts I've come across are rices and soups. Does anyone have any advice to offer? The only requirements are that the item be Vietnamese (or related/riffed from Viet cuisine) and that it can be eaten by hand from a small plate or napkin. Gluten-free would be a great bonus.

I hope someone's got a suggestion, I'm stumped.

Hey don't bring me into this, I had no part in it.

I recently moved (back) to Tampa after a stint in Bradenton where I grew spoiled by a wondeful Latino grocery store called Acapulco Tropical. I now live in North Tampa/New Tampa and miss the wonderful selection at that market, but most of all I miss the convenience of a nearby retailer of fresh tortillas. Does anyone know of a good tortillería in North Tampa? Wish I had the time and willpower to make my own every time I have a hankering for Mexican food (just about every day.) A good all-around Mexican grocer would also be a great discovery, the few I've visited on Fletcher were nice but quite small.

Siempre la he pronunciado como "po-yo", sin diptongo. A mi me parece que muchos hispohablantes la digan así. Además oigo dos maneras de pronunciar "calle" (por ejemplo); "kah-yeh" y "kye-eh", otra vez sin diptongo. ¿Estoy equivocado o no? Como usted ve, a este norteamericano los idiomas extranjeros le interesan.

I hope this helps to answer linguafoods original inquiry above: The word 'herb' probably entered the language in the 13th century or before. There never was an "h". Erbe [airb] in old (Norman) French became erb [urb] at some point in English, no surprise. Due to the various vowels shifts the English language has undergone, it is likely that it did start out being pronounced as in French. Hundreds of years later due to spelling revisionism which linked words to their Latin or Greek sources (relevant here: herba in Latin), we get a nice little -h- at the front of the word on both sides of the pond. Americans did not change the pronunciation, although the Brits apparently picked up on the spelling reform and change theirs.

Now, you tell me who is weird. (Insert anthropomorphic punctuation to indicate jocularity.)

<<This isn't a matter of individual liberties. Your argument amounts to saying that your rights as an individual are violated when businesses you wish to engage in commerce with are restricted by the government. I have no problem with this idea as a general philosophy, but it runs completely counter to American law and the British common law it derives from.>>

I'm not appealing to some perfect law system which existed before our rights to gargle trans fats were trampled. Although I wouldn't personally smoke marijuana, I see no reason to curtail your right to do so in an safe environment (ie not behind the wheel.) Just looking at the incarceration rate in this country is enough to suggest that something is flawed with our drug policy.

I have appreicated your opinions and insights.

The only type of right which is relevant. My corndog does not endanger your safety or property.

My right as an individual is violated when I cannot walk up to a restaurant in New York or LA and purchase FDA-approved consumables which that business is willing to serve me in exchange for currency. The restriction was created precisely to regulate the things we put in our bodies, the restaurants are simply the intermediaries. There's no logical reason not to ban trans fats from grocery shelves as well.

Good work on that etymological lineage. You need to pull that one out every time one of these haughty pronunciation threads pops up.

I think the word was Frenchified the moment it entered our language - from French. The word was orginally spelled sans -h- for a few centuries and the letter only added in the 19th to pay respect to the Latin source, herba. Seems like the Brits picked up on the anachronistic spelling and started to pronounce it that way.

I remember hearing about this proposed ban in NY a couple of years ago. It went into effect I take it? And now LA, too. Well I guess this is what the rest of America has to look forward to. It's good that people here seem to take care of their bodies, but is anyone concerned with government entities mandating what people put into their own mouths?

Yes to the twigs. Fortunately I get my whole grains from other sources nowadays, happily.

Thanks. Truffle or no I like your suggestion for the eggs. I'll have to try the shrooms, cheese, and nutmeg.

You are one hardcore gastronome, Caroline. Sounds like those chefs were pretty lucky to get a seat at your table. That does sound like a great special occasion meal, and I might even try it one of these days (must one rear the ducks and chickens oneself?) but it won't be this Christmas. Thanks for sharing your expertise. The fate of this little black truffle is still in great doubt.

Thanks to all who've replied so far. Sounds like no matter what gets made it won't suffer from a shave. I'm beginning to wonder how far I can stretch one walnut-sized truffle...

ghg, would those be scrambled, or any preparation?

While in France this summer my parents received a truffle (black, in a jar) from a generous host in the Perigord. I am making the Christmas Eve dinner at their house and they would like to use the truffle somehow in this meal. I have already got the Besh/jfood short ribs marinating in the fridge. We've also got some dried cèpes that I am thinking about using for a risotto. However, I can't imagine that adding truffle to the risotto would do any justice to the shrooms. I have considered making some kind of truffled polenta, but we always have grits with Christmas brunch the next day so perhaps not. In truth, the only truffle experience I have with an infused olive oil.

I would like to solicit the opinions of my fellow 'hounds. Considering that the only set part of the menu is the short ribs, how can I put this fungus to good use? It seems like it belongs somehow in the starch (risotto, polenta, mashed taters?), but perhaps it might shine in a special side dish or, even in... dessert? Any specific recipes or general advice are welcome.