I'll take Popeye's any day over Publix fried chicken, which I think has too much breading. Church's spicy isn't bad in a pinch. But I agree, home cooked is best. We had it every Sunday when I was growing up until my mom rebelled and that's when I learned how to cut up chicken and fry them. Always used a brown paper bag and still do today. I've tried other methods but it's not the same....

That's too bad about the bones, RibDog. The chicken I had there with Mild Bill was spot on. I'm surprised no one ever mentions the Chattaway. I think it has some of the best fried chicken around. I actually prefer it to their better known burgers. But nothing around here matches Beach Road chicken in Jacksonville. Hands down the best fried chicken I've had in Florida, at least since Palios is gone. I'm going to try Manna again to make sure I didn't just luck out. In fact, I almost went there today but got lazy...

Have you tried Colonial Corner on 49th St. N, just south of Park? It's a tiny Philly kinda place. Very solid subs and cheese steaks.

I meant to write Basil Leaf Thai. http://basilthaisushibar.com/

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Basil Leaf
24 S Babcock St, Melbourne, FL 32901

Basil Thai, St. Pete Beach. Serene atmosphere, exceedingly fresh food.

Paddy O'Sullivan's in St. Pete Beach - excellent black angus, lamb, wagyu, wild boar, alligator, and dozens of excellent beers.

You're absolutely right. As I said, it's their website and they make the rules.

Well, of course people want to drive traffic to their own content. What's wrong with that? Chowhound wants journalists to acknowledge when they use Chowhound as a resource, which is only fair (and which I have done, both in print and on chowhound) but they don't want those same journalists to share their work on chowhound? Sounds like a one-way street, but I guess that's what happens when something like chowhound goes corporate....

Yes, but my employer (the St. Petersburg Times) would not be pleased with that. We don't like it when anyone takes our content without linking to it so why would we make an exception for Chowhound? I think they need to take another look at their guidelines and start following what has become standard practices across the web - brief summary with a link. It's not that big a deal, as long as it's not spam.

I may be the source of this problem.

I'm guessing here, since the thread has since been restored, but I got an e-mail from chowhound today asking for permission to remove the link to the blog post that started the thread. Their guidelines prohibit links to websites if posted by the person who wrote it. So you could post the link, but I can't. They do, however, allow someone to duplicate the story on chowhound without a link, which obviously is intended to keep people from going somewhere eIse. I pointed out such a policy violates not only standard web practice but also copyright. Anyway, this just discourages people like me from posting on chowhound, but it's their site and they can do what they wish.

The Korean fried chicken I had at the Big Wheel Provisions food truck in Orlando a couple weeks ago didn't have sauce, but there was a vaguely Asian flavor to it and the skin was extremely crispy, which was awesome. Must have been a dwarf chicken, though, because they were some of the smallest pieces I've ever had (but there were four so not so bad).

Excellent oysters at Guppy's in Indian Rocks Beach (wish the were 10 cents!). Walt'z Fish Shack at John's Pass Village in Madeira Beach has the freshest fish and a convivial bar. The Undertow on St. Pete Beach has the best beer selection (haven't tried the food). The Wharf in Pass-a-Grille has good fried oysters, and it's right on the intracoastal. I could swear I saw flamingos fly past the last time I was there but maybe it was the beer....Hey, welcome back to paradise!

Be sure to check out Tap Tap, a Haitian restaurant in South Beach without the usual South Beach pretensions (excellent mojitos, too). Puerto Sauga for casual Cuban. But Todd's right, check the Miami board....

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South Beach
777 Gulf Blvd, Boca Grande, FL 33921

Ready when you are for the Burro salsa!

It's at 7204 Central in west St. Petersburg, pretty much the last commercial block before you hit the causeway to Treasure Island. It doesn't have anywhere near the ambition of BT's, and certainly not the absurd prices (but then what does?) Just had a banh mi and a cup of lobster bisque for $6. The sandwich was a special, so it hasn't found a permanent spot on the menu, but the owner said it will if customers like it. Nice crusty french bread, pate, ham, prosciutto, and the usual extras. Very nice. They've been open less than a month, so they're still working through some kinks (the bisque was lukewarm when it came out, but they quickly replaced it). But it was full at lunchtime. I think the folks on this side of down are grateful to have something this nice open in the neighborhood? Not sure it's worth a drive from Tampa, unless you're heading to the beach or something.

http://www.alesiarestaurant.com/

I've been once and plan to go back, maybe today for lunch. The owner said she and her sister are Vietnamese and grew up in Paris (it's named after the street where they grew up), so the menu is French and Vietnamese. I had a pretty good Pho, and my wife had a nice chicken salad (not the American version all chopped up with mayo but grilled chicken on a bed of very fresh greens with a light vinaigrette ). They didn't have bane mi, but said they planned to add it to the menu soon. Overall, a really sweet space with a nice outdoor dining area (too bad they are not open later than 7 p.m., since it's too hot to sit outside right now, but she said they may try later hours on weekends). Overall a welcome addition to the westside neighborhood, which is badly in need of good restaurants.

The Country Market and Deli is now at 2128 9th Ave. N in St. Pete Papa J's wife and son run the place. It's not quite as small, room for a few people at the counter but not much.

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Country Market
32670 Blue Star Hwy, Midway, FL 32343

Papa J's Cafe
1458 Highway 41 N, Inverness, FL 34450

Here's a story from the Times: http://www.tampabay.com/features/food...

I have fond memories of the Burro. Hope you'll share the recipe!

It's also $60 per person. But that does include champagne....

Alcohol is allowed on Treasure Island (for now anyway) beaches and Madeira Beach.

What she said! I live in TI, too, and those are all great suggestions, including avoiding the long drive to Ybor (I think it's more fund during the day if you're into historic buildings). Downtown St. Pete has a lot more dining options and very walkable.

At the beach, I would add Walt'z Fish Shack at the otherwise touristy John's Pass Village, where sitting at the bar and tucking into fresh fish is a lot of fun. And the Pearl, which has expanded its bar area and has lots of great Mediterranean choices (and an affable owner, Karim). If you go to Middle Grounds, check out the sno ball place next door. They make them just like they do in New Orleans (the owners are from New Orleans).

Right next door is Ceviche, which is a fun tapas place a historic building. Bella Brava and Ceviche are just a block or two away. If you like craft beer, check out the Ale and the Witch, which also has a nice courtyard where they often have live music. Gratzzi, a cozy Italian place, is a short walk, as is Z Grill, a very modernist spot with great food. You have more choices within a short walk than anyplace in the Tampa Bay area. Enjoy.

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Bella Brava
515 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

True, that! Same with Philly cheesesteaks. You can start a fight over Cheese Wiz. vs. provolone (or white American).

Andy has spent more time researching this than I, so I'll defer to him, but I'm pretty sure it was the Anglos in Tampa who started calling mixto sandwiches Cuban sandwiches because that's who was making them, and sometimes they included turkey, which no one would consider authentic any more. And while sometimes they were pressed, they often were not. I moved to Tampa in 1980 and pressed Cuban sandwiches were not nearly as common as they are today. At the Silver Ring and La Tropicana, two landmarks in Ybor City, the sandwiches were warmed in an oven, if you wanted, though the default sandwich was cold. I think it was non-Cubans who added mayo and lettuce and tomato, so that probably wouldn't be "authentic" and doesn't work well when pressed. And only in Tampa do they include salami; Miami Cubans don't think the Tampa version is authentic (and they slice their ham too thick, imho).

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La Tropicana Cafe
1822 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605

Actually I think "authenticity'' limits creativity. Who cares if it's authentic if it tastes good?

If it was authentic it wouldn't be pressed!

Love Pane Rustica; not sure it's within 10 minutes (tops) of the airport....and you'd have to drive right by Bailey's anyway. I haven't been yet, but Jim Webster liked it:

http://www.tampabay.com/features/food...

I agree, that macaron spread at the winefest was amazing. Since Chocoloate Pi owner Kim Yelvington is now the pastry chef at Bern's Steak House, is it possible macarons are on the dessert room menu?

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Steak House
7380 State Road 100 Ste 12, Keystone Heights, FL 32656

They have a Facebook page so someone COULD post a link from this to that....