Robert R's Profile
Any peanut doughnuts to be found in Tampa Bay area?
I believe Fray's has peanut donuts, but if I'm not mistaken, theirs is a chocolate cake donut dipped in peanuts. You may want to call them to confirm. I usually go to the 66th St. location, 4419 66th St N, Kenneth City, FL (727) 544-3688, which makes very good, fresh donuts. I also grew up in Western New York State, and you are right, the peanut donut is a mainstay up there. Fray's has multiple locations in St Pete and Pinellas Park.
Orlando Cuban Restaurants? Recommendations please
Rolondo's corn fritters are to die for.
Publix Subs - What's so Great?
Very fresh bread, really like the multi-grain bread. The toppings are also very good. My big pet peeve, though, is that there is never a lot of meat on it. Seriously, very little meat, otherwise, it is a really good sub.
Beirut Cafe - St. Petersburg
I'll have to check this place out. I already love Baklava, so if this is better, and dunked in rosewater...
Beirut Cafe - St. Petersburg
Sounds good. I love all the things you mentioned. I'm out that way a lot at Total Wine, so I will need to try it. What was the best thing you had? Also, how is bahlawa different from baklava?
Fresh Local Seafood in St Pete Beach
Dockside Dave's and Snappers would probably be the two best on SPB that have a specific focus on seafood. Both have very fresh local fish. Snappers is more upscale. They have an early bird menu, etc, but don't let that dissuade you. I'm still a big fan of Dockside Dave's, and I actually prefer the SPB location over the Madeira Beach location. They still make the best grouper sandwich. A full half pound either beer battered, blackened, grilled, or breaded, for about $12.00. I always get the blackened grouper sandwich with provolone. The sweet pickles they serve on the side go so well with it. I also like their battered vegetable appetizer. It has onion rings, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. And their onion rings are some of the best ever. Really thick cut, heavy battered and sweet onion inside.
Also, a little up the road in Treasure Island is Middle Grounds Grill, which also has some creative fish dishes. It is also a little more upscale. And very fresh.
Need Wine Recommendations for Berns in Tampa
You might also want to consider ordering "by the glass". Bern's always has a unique offering of wines by the glass. They are one of the few places that might have a 20-30 year old wine or two on their nightly by the glass list. They usually have some nice, high-end reds on their by the glass list. This way, you could sample a few different wines.
Indian Grocers in Pinellas County
My favorite is Mahal Bazaar on East Bay in the Sweetbay Plaza in Largo. It is in the middle of the strip plaza on the NE corner of East Bay and Keene. I would call to make sure they are still open, as it has been probably about a year since I have been there (hard to believe-need to go back soon). Their # is 727-536-2178. Here is their website http://www.mahalbazaar.com/401.html
They have a nice supply of frozen items, better than a lot of places. Very reasonable prices. Lots of herbs and spices and various sauces and other dry goods as well.
Tampa Burger Aficionados------ ACHTUNG!
OMG that burger looks awesome. The chipotle sauce looks like a flavorful, smooth, silky "glue" that holds it all together. I'll have to check it out next time I'm out that way.
Great review BTW.
CLEARWATER INDIAN restaurant
Mirage is not an Indian restaurant. It is a Persian/Arabic restaurant. They do put on a nice buffet, however. They have a mix of meat and veg items, subtly spiced.
I haven't been to the Fifth Element, but have heard it is good.
Deeya, at Tri-City Plaza, on East Bay at US 19, near the Largo/Clearwater border, has a real nice lunch buffet, and would be another choice. Theirs is a little bit larger than the typical area Indian lunch buffet. They often also have at least one spicier dish.
Another Indian Food Option (St. Pete)
I tried it recently for takeout. I thought the food in general was quite decent and a very good value. The pizza reminded me a little of Papa John's. It was tasty and all, and for $5.00 for a large cheese or cheese and pepperoni, you can't go wrong. Way better than Little Ceasar's. I liked their breaded chicken wings a lot. They were very large and perfectly cooked. I actually used some of my own sauces to cover them with - they were the perfect canvas for any good wing sauce.
As for their Indian food, I thought it was good, and it was great to go to one restaurant and have the kids be happy with Pizza and I could get Indian food.
I ordered the Chicken Vindaloo, soup of the day which was a Curried Indian Chicken & Potato, and the chicken samosa. The entree was $9.99 and came with a small salad (which was very fresh), rice and naan. The naan was decent, it wasn't just a pita type like Tunduree in Tampa uses. It is actually baked, but not freshly baked for each order like a good Indian restaurant does. Perhaps they are baked daily or every couple of days. I still enjoyed it. It actually reminded me a little of Malaysian roti canai - not really fluffy, more flat with buttery layers.
The Chicken Vindaloo was pretty spicy, but a little over-oniony for my tastes. The potato in it did not have the moutfeel of freshly cooked potatoes, but rather, had very little texture when you bit into them. That leads me to believe that the dishes are prepared ahead of time and reheated. The samosa was unique-never have had a chicken samosa before. They actually were more like empanadas, and pretty good. The soup was one of the best things, very creamy texture and very nicely, mildly spiced.
I recently had a full Indian meal at Taste of Punjab as well, and the food at Punjab is much more carefully put together - and a good bit more expensive.
I do look forward to trying Little Pepperoni again. It is hard to judge a place after one meal, but I got a good sense of it. Maybe next time, I'll try the biryani and tandoori chicken.
I do want to state that for $30.00, I brought home a lot of good food, and the family enjoyed it a lot.
Another Indian Food Option (St. Pete)
Good find! I never heard of this place. Yet, I've probably driven by it dozens of times. I just thought it was a pizza place. Here is the link http://www.littlepepperoni.com/
I looked at all of the menu items and the prices do look very low compared to most local Indian restaurants.
Will try to get there soon.
Rec's for Indian Food South Pinellas
India Grill moved to their current location a year or so ago and to the best of my knowledge, they are still open. Here is their website: http://www.indiagrillinc.com/.
Ivanova mentioned Ajanta may be closed. She may be right as I have not been there in a while and it did look very dead when I drove by there recently.
I also agree with laboheme that Tampa has a few better Indian restaurants. I still have not made it to Jai Ho, but intend on trying it. Taj and Cilantro are both very good Tampa Indian restaurants.
For a Pinellas buffet lunch, however, I would say Deeya is pretty clearly the best choice.
I do wish more Indian restaurants would offer a lunch menu, with lower prices and smaller portions than their dinner menu. The only full service Indian restaurant in FL that I've ever seen have this is Amrit Palace in Ocala http://amritpalace.com/. When my wife and I lived in Gainesville when she was finishing up her schooling at UF, we used to drive all the way to Ocala a lot just to eat there.
Rec's for Indian Food South Pinellas
Though it is more Mid Pinellas, I would recommend Deeya for lunch. They have a few more items than the typical Pinellas Indian Buffet, usually at least one spicy dish and the food is usually refilled promptly and the food is fresh. I do not believe there are any Pinellas Indian restaurants that offer menu service at lunch. It is located at 5166 East Bay Drive
Largo, FL 33764 in the Tri-City Plaza at the corner of US 19 and East Bay. Phone: 727-539-0273. http://www.deeyaindiancuisine.com/. They usually have freshly made Tandoori Chicken, usually another chicken curry type dish and some other type of meat dish, another two or three vegetarian dishes, naan bread, an appetizer and a dessert.
Other choices in S Pinellas are Green Chili Indian Bistro at 310 Central and India Grill at 409 Central, both in downtown St Pete a block from each other. I have never been to Green Chili as it is owned by the people who used to own Mahal, and their style of cooking is too subdued for my tastes. I haven't been to India Grill in a while, but would expect them to have a pretty good lunch buffet.
There is Ajanta Indian at the Ramada in at 5005 34th St N (US 19). I haven't been there in a while, they used to have a pretty good lunch buffet. I believe Curriez is still open at 7201 66th St N in Pinellas Park, just around the corner from Taste of Punjab. I have never been to this new location since they messed up a take out order very badly and didn't return my voicemail concerning it.
Norman Love's new place
What is the new place? Where is it?
I assume the old place, the main chocolate store near the airport in Ft. Myers is still there?
Every time I drive to Miami from Tampa Bay, I have to stop at Norman Love's for some of the best chocolate. Each piece is like a little piece of artwork.
ALDI Stores: Quality Products at Deep Discount??
Yeah,
The .89 house brand gummies aren't that great. They are made in Mexico. They are very soft and have strange colors and flavorings. When I was eating them, I was thinking, "I don't think these things are too good for me".
Most of their other candy, especially the chocolate is really good.
Robert R.
Deep Dish Pizza in Pinellas
My favorite is Michele's Chicago Pizza on Walsingham in Largo (Corner of Ridge and Walsingham-across from 7-11). If you are going, go on her website and check out the mapquest, because there are two Ridge's and two sections of Walsingham as well. http://micheleschicagopizza.com/
They have four styles of Pizza. From thinnest to thickest: Chicago Thin Crust, Thick Crust,
Pizza in the Pan (kind of like Gino's Style), and Stuffed Pizza (kind of like Giordano's Style).
The two thicker styles are really thick. Each Pizza weighs several pounds. A very fussy food snob I know (kind of like me) really enjoyed it, when he visited from Miami, declaring it authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.
They also make really good wings. I haven't been out there in a while, but now I need to go soon.
Robert R.
Ted Peters in Saint Petersburg
I don't know if I would recommend the mullet at Ted Peter's if fishyness is a concern as it is very fishy. Try the Mahi or the Salmon there.
Anyone else tried Gulf Coast Po' Boys Restaurant?
I've seen that place, but haven't gotten a chance to try it yet. Have you tried Ricky P's Po Boy Shop at 6521 4th St North, St Petersburg, FL 33702? Friends of mine rave about Ricky P's. I like Ricky P's, but have had better sandwiches in my life. Just curious how you would compare them if you have been to both. http://www.rickyps.com/
Who Has the Best Onion Rings - Tampa Bay
Dockside Dave's, with locations in Madeira Beach and St. Pete Beach, has very good, large onion rings. They are the beer battered variety and freshly made. At certain times of the year, the onions are sweeter than other times. They also have a breaded/ fried veggie appetizer platter which includes various vegetables breaded and fried the same way as the onion rings, and some of the onion rings are included in the veggie platter.
Indian food in St. Petersburg or southern Pinellas?
Yeah, Laziz has pretty decent food. Actually, around 2005-2007, Laziz was very nearly approaching "great" in my opinion. They were truly hitting it on most cylinders. Great apps, great naan, very good rice, very full flavored food, made extra extra spicy, if requested. Very in-depth sauces that differed a lot dish by dish, very good meat quality. Perhaps areas that kept it from "great" were the service and the lunch buffet. I believe in late 07 or early 08 or so, they had a change in ownership. I've only been out a couple times since, and while still quite decent, it doesn't really merit a special trip from Seminole. (The old Laziz did).
http://www.lazizonline.com/
I still haven't made it out to Jai Ho in Tampa but supposedly they have some unique dishes, a good lunch buffet, and full flavored, spicy food. http://www.jaihofoods.com/Home.php
I've been to most of the ones in Tampa as well. Bombay Masala on Waters, Angithi and Taj on Fowler, Shalimar downtown, and Cilantro on 56th St N.
Shalimar used to be part of the same ownership as Deeya in Largo/Clearwater. Most of these are also about that same level, good to very good, but not great. I've had good meals at all of them. Cilantro has a very nice atmosphere, some unique dishes and very full flavors. I haven't been out there in a while, but they were close to "Great" the last time I was there. http://cilantroindiancuisine.com/default.aspx
I also think Taj is a very good Indian restaurant. Very classic Indian cuisine. Every time I've been there, I've had a very good meal. http://www.tajtampaindiancuisine.com/
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Bombay Masala
4023 W Waters Ave Ste 15, Tampa, FL 33614
Shalimar
204 N Morgan St, Tampa, FL 33602
Laziz
2475 N McMullen Booth Rd Ste J, Clearwater, FL 33759
Indian food in St. Petersburg or southern Pinellas?
I am going to be pretty brief, and discuss only Mid Pinellas southward. I had done a whole big post and then inadvertantly looked up an address, and lost the whole post.
Downtown St Pete:
Green Chili Bistro/Raga http://www.greenchilibistro.com/ 400 block of Central Ave
India Grill http://www.indiagrillinc.com/ 300 block of Central
Green Chili is owned by Raga, who used to be in Largo, FL and before that on US19 at Mahal. Their food is a little on the bland side to me. Not my favorite style.
India Grill has always had very full flavored food to me, but the style is a little on the heavy side.
The one other place in St Pete is Ajanta in the Ramada Inn, about the 5200 block of 34th St - US19. The atmosphere here is not so great. Old style hotel restaurant, nothing specifically Indian about it, needs remodeling. The food is pretty good, though. Did a takeout order several months ago and everything tasted fine, kind of a typical Northern Indian style. They used to have a different menu with some very unique dishes.
In Pinellas Park, there is Curriez http://www.curriezcuisine.com/index.html 7200 block of 66th St N and Taste of Punjab http://www.tasteofpunjabindiancuisine.com/ 6500 block of Park Blvd. Both of these can provide very good meals, but have had off nights from each.
Curriez is a little more of a heavy handed style, while Punjab is a little more subtle. For example, the Palak Paneer at Curriez has a lot of texture and the Saag Paneer at Punjab is very silky. I will say, the service is a lot better at Punjab. Curriez routinely forgets items in takeout orders, occasionally burns food, etc.
There is also Deeya in Largo at Tri City Plaza (East Bay at US 19). They have a very nice lunch buffet. Their food is also mainly that Northern Indian style. Decent spicing and textures.
To sum it up, lots of choices, all are very serviceable Indian restaurants. All bake their Naan on premises, for example, its not just pita bread.
None of them is truly a great Indian restaurant, in my opinion, however. They each have their strengths, weaknesses and consistency issues. But I am comparing them to the best Indian restaurants that I have been to in NYC, DC, upstate NY, Chicago, etc. - and very few of those would I put in the "Great" category either.
For a long time, Mahal in Clearwater (no longer there) was the only Pinellas Indian restaurant, so for me, I am very happy that there are so many quality Indian restaurants in Pinellas.
HELP? Need Jewish deli near New Port Richey - Fast!
This isn't going to be that easy. I do not believe there are any Kosher restaurants of any kind in Pasco County.
There used to be Jerusalem Cafe in Palm Harbor, but their restaurant closed a few years ago. They still do catering, but only for large events 727-781-4041, like weddings or bar mitzvahs.
Now, your best bet is likely Jewish Style (but not kosher) Lucky Dill Deli at 2800 Alt 19 in Palm Harbor (727) 789-5574. I'm not sure if they have smoked fish, but they could likely put together a dairy meal along with some very nice breads and desserts. They have really good rugelach, black and white cookies and bobkas. They may have some Kosher deli meat as well, but it would not be Kosher enough unless you are paying a visit to reform Jews.
Stew's "House of Bagels" in Largo at 13469 Belcher Rd S, (727) 531-9823 at least used to be and may still be considered Kosher. They might be able to put together a nice bagel platter with some salads, etc.
Jo-El's in St Pete is the only place in Pinellas that has Kosher meat other than cold cuts.
2619 23rd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713 (727) 321-3847. I don't know where you are located, but they would be a logical choice if the family was religious.
Finally, there is KosherKaddy.com out of Valrico that delivers to Pasco, I believe only on Monday's. They deliver there pretty late, so if you see this, you could perhaps call them.
http://www.kosherkaddy.com/aboutus.php (813) 643-9796. They deliver Kosher products, including meat and groceries, I'm not sure if they do platters.
Best of luck.
Robert R.
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Lucky Dill Deli
2800 Alt 19, Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Old fashioned subs in St. Pete area?
Wow,
You had to go and mention DiBella's subs. I grew up in Rochester, NY and have been down in Pinellas for over 10 years now. I hate to burst your bubble, but there is nothing like DiBella's in Pinellas. I actually remember when DiBella's was just a single small deli. Now it is a pretty nice sized chain and has spawned imitators, including the Wegman's supermarket chain.
DiBella's different fresh baked rolls are all so good. Their toppings are abundant and the meats must be shaved every morning. The veggies are always so fresh and perfectly cut. And the meat and toppings are always so perfectly cold. (On the cold subs) Their sandwiches are just so well made and consistent. They have that quality that so few sandwiches do - they form a single perfect unit.
I've been searching Pinellas for over a decade and have found nice sandwiches and subs, but nothing that causes addiction like DiBella's. Williams Sub Shop in St. Pete near Tyrone Square Mall makes very decent subs. 3801 Tyrone Blvd N, 727-347-9497.
It is a small, independent sub shop that reminds me a little of the original DiBella's.
Colonial Corner Hoagie Shop specializes in Philly Cheese Steaks, but makes other very good subs as well. I do recommend trying the cheese steaks first as they do have a pretty addictive quality. 7201 49th St N, Pinellas Park, FL 727-541-4300. This is just North of St Pete.
You could also try Mazzaro's Italian Market, which is real experience. A very large gourmet market - very big city feel - great products, including the best cheese selection, in-house roasted coffee and coffee bar, great bakery and breads, homemade pasta, gelato, wine selection - and good subs. At least at Mazzaro's you can be assured that all the parts of the sub are good and fresh. Great meats that are shaved while you wait.
I would recommend going at an off hour as it is usually painfully crowded. Also, the service at Mazzaro's can be spotty at times. 2909 22nd Ave N, St Pete 727-321-2400.
But again, none of these places quite matches DiBella's. I am not driven to return to these places every week or so for subs. There was one year in the late 90's when my wife had an out of town afternoon meeting every week which was on my day off. We would start each of these excursions at DiBella's doing a takeout order and eat the subs all the way to Penn Yan, NY (about a two hour ride). I love how they wrap the subs as well. Believe it or not, it was not that messy. And such a good ride.
Here's a picture of a small Italian sub at DiBella's: http://www.flickr.com/photos/techmsg/2920025230/
Robert R.
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Williams Sub Shop
3801 Tyrone Blvd N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33709
Cheap eats Clearwater
I really enjoy Pierogi Grill. I love how their pierogi's sit in a little bit of oil and onion. Perfect. I haven't been there in a while but you all reminded me I need to go back.
Robert R.
HELP!!Seminole/Largo area new implants... from AZ! NEEEEEED Mexican food!!
I took the family to Agave today for lunch. I was very impressed by this place. The kids shared four ground beef tacos on corn tortillas. My wife and I shared a combo platter that had empanadas, tacos, chimis, and gorditas. I had wanted to get something more unique but the four year old was getting impatient, so when the waitress came by, we just ordered the familiar. It turned out great. Everything was very fresh. The exteriors of the tacos, gorditas and empanadas were made of fresh corn tortillas, two of the three were also fried in oil. Guilty pleasure! The chips were also served with a very nice pico de gallo with very ripe tomatoes, onion and jalapenos.
Next time, I will order some more authentic, unique items, but what I ordered really could not have been better.
Robert R.
State of Florida Database of Food Misrepresentation
I'm surprised there weren't more non-seafood issues. There was that one Chinese place that was serving turkey in place of chicken, and the Kobe beef issue at a few other places. Sometimes at Chinese restaurants, the "beef" or "chicken" truly does not seem like any beef or chicken I've ever eaten. Perhaps the state is not really focusing on meat.
Are there any Filipino restaurants around the Tampa area?
The only one I'm aware of is Regina's in Pinellas Park. I have driven by it many times, but have never been. I have heard some good things about it, though.
Here is their website: http://www.reginas.20m.com/
HELP!!Seminole/Largo area new implants... from AZ! NEEEEEED Mexican food!!
TampaAurora,
At the cart - La Yucateca, the kids had ground beef on corn tortillas. Very simple. No toppings. I had a bite and it was very good. I had the beef steak.
I actually did a very small takeout order at Senor Taco yesterday, two tacos, chorizo and chicken. I asked them to put the hotsauce on the tacos and it was a different hot sauce than La Yucateca. It was green. The other was an orangy-brown color. Both were good.
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Senor Taco
6447 Park Blvd, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
St. Augustine FL faves?
I really like Casa Maya at 17 Hypolita St. Very wholesome Mexican food. The restaurant is small, and the tables close together, so not romantic. Would be best for lunch. Nice soups, organic coffee, some veggie dishes. A bit of a hippy "world beat" type vibe.
