proboscidian's Profile
Chinese in Tampa/St Pete?
Pho Quyen is mediocre at best. In Tampa, try Saigon Deli or in Pinellas Park, Thang Long.
Korean in Tampa / St. Pete?
The two I have been to in Tampa are Sari One, on Cypress off Dale Mabry, and Rice on Waters Ave. I liked both, Rice a little more. It's been a while so it's hard to give many specifics.
Filipino Home Cooking
I do! We should say hello next time. I'll probably be there Friday.
Filipino Home Cooking
I think you may have been there the last time I was. You were just finishing up, and Mercel pointed out that you came back for Sisig I think she's always a little surprised/amused when non-Filipinos order things like pig ears.
Viet & Banh Mi - St. Pete
Thuy Cafe has great banh mi, I just had a lemongrass sausage one there yesterday. They also have a bigger variety of boba tea than the other places. The ginger boba tea is a real change from the usual, very strong spicy taste.
I go to Thang Long Vietnamese Food on Park between 49th St and US 19 for chicken soup and a variety of other dishes. Their banh xeo is amazing- sort of a cross between an omelette and a crepe, light and crisp and filled with shrimp and vegetables. I've had it at a few other places and nothing has matched theirs. The owner is very nice; she knows I'm attached to my computer with an umbilical cord, so she always tries to find me a seat near an electric outlet.
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Thuy Cafe
5944 34th St N # 22, Saint Petersburg, FL 33714-1257
Thang Long Vietnamese Food
4648 Park Blvd, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
Filipino Home Cooking
Mercel's Bakeshop moved out of the tiny room crammed with boxes she was in, and into a new place down the street with more space and nicer decor. Same great food, and a lot more variety - or maybe she had everything before, but now that she has a printed menu I'm discovering more.
Filipino food is varied, with a mix of influences from China, Spain, America and other Asian countries. There are plenty of dishes that can be appreciated by the less adventurous, and more than enough to satisfy the person looking for something different.
Adobo is probably the best known Filipino dish, chicken or pork cooked in vinegar, soy sauce and fresh garlic. Mercel's is tender, moist and has plenty of flavor.
If you like organ meats - and I love them - this is the place for you! Papaitan is a slightly vinegary goat tripe stew that is absolutely delicious. Another favorite organ meat dish is Bopis, a spicy stew made out of sautéed pork heart in tomatoes, chilis and onions.
As you might guess from the name, Mercel is also a baker. Her cakes are fantastic, light, creamy and not too sweet. She makes a lot of traditional Filipino sweets too.
http://www.mercelsbakeshop.com
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Mercel's Bakeshop
8500 49th St N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
Florida-Style BBQ?
Eli's is great, I have been going there for years. The Bar-B-Q Queen in Clearwater is even better. Both have a similar style of barbecue. I went to Sonny's... once.
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Bar-B-Q Queen
1621 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33756
Looking for good pizza places in Tampa, Florida!
If you are willing to cross the bay, Cafe Milano has great Italian style pizza (as in from Italy, not from NY or Chicago). Wood oven, thin crust that's a little crisp, great toppings. The only downside would be if you wanted to design your own pizza - he frowns on deviating from the menu.
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Cafe Milano
105 N Fort Harrison Ave, Clearwater, FL 33755
Roadside barbecue goes indoors - Clearwater
I have never had barbecue at a restaurant that measured up to the barbecue from the better roadside stands that are open on the weekends. Up until recently, my favorite was Eli's in Dunedin. That was until I went to the Bar-B-Q Queen.
Phillis, the owner, has a roadside stand on Highland, but has recently moved indoors to a small store on Gulf to Bay, just a little east of Crest Lake Park. The ribs are meaty, smoky and moist, and you can choose from eight different sauces from mild to hot or sweet to not. The smoked collard greens are a specialty of hers. The baked beans are like molasses candy. She also bakes a variety of cakes and pies, including traditional favorites like sweet potato pie, and inventions of her own with names like "Better than Sex".
At the moment she is only open Thursday through Saturday, but hopefully as the business grows she'll be back to five days a week.
http://www.bar-b-q-queen.com
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Bar-B-Q Queen
1621 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33756
CLEARWATER INDIAN restaurant
Laziz isn't bad, but if you can drive out to Tampa I like Jai Ho better than the other Indian restaurants I have been to in the area. If you go on a weekend they have a really fantastic buffet so your son can try a lot of different things. The weekday buffet is good, too. The food is very fresh and varied, some hot and some mild, both vegetarian and meat dishes. They often have South Indian dishes like uttapam and dosa, which you don't find at other buffets.
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Laziz
2475 N McMullen Booth Rd Ste J, Clearwater, FL 33759
Persian dive in Rockville - Sadaf Halal
I'm from this area but left a long time ago. Boy, has Rockville changed! This was one of the good changes. Nice, unpretentious Persian food. Unfortunately they were out of saffron ice cream.
Vegetarian Indian Drive-Through
I used to eat there pretty often. Haven't been for a while.
Tampa - Hidden Gems?
I love Thuy Cafe! For Banh Mi they are the best, and they have some really unusual boba (try the Ginger).
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Thuy Cafe
5944 34th St N # 22, Saint Petersburg, FL 33714-1257
Tampa - Hidden Gems?
Cafe Milano in Clearwater is good, although the owner is a little like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld - don't try to order anything not on the menu! Wood stove, crisp crust, good quality ingredients.
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Cafe Milano
105 N Fort Harrison Ave, Clearwater, FL 33755
It's not Mediterranean--it's GREEK!
Cabbage, with grated carrots, spring onions, olive oil and lemon is really common. It's called "laxanosalata". I have sometimes had a three-color salad with grated beetroot as well.
Vegetarian Indian Drive-Through
Jai Guru Hedi Urja is a tiny drive-through on US 19 in Clearwater. It's easy to miss because of the road construction. If you like spicy, authentic chaat it is a great find, though. My personal fave is Dabeli; this is a sandwich with a vey hot mung bean paste, nuts, pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander. My husband really likes batakapoha; this is a milder dish, with parched rice, potatoes, mustard seed, chilis, lemon juice and cashews. They have some of the best samosas I have ever had. The owner apparently is well known for his jalebi, which he supplies to many of the South Asian stores and restaurants in the area. He is very nice, and often gives us samples of various dishes.
This is purely a drive-through. There is no place to sit except in your car. It is wise to call an order in (727-531-7143) - although the sign in front says "fast food", the owner may have a different understanding of what "fast" means than most.
I am afraid this place is so hidden that no one will find it and it will go out of business, so please GO!! He says he gets his money from catering, but nonetheless...
Good Eats Around Sarasota/Bradenton
If Star Fish makes the Fulton Fish Market look like a goldfish bowl, I'll skip the Fulton Fish Market next time I go to NY. I went there today after reading this post and I was really disappointed. The food at the restaurant wasn't bad, although nothing to write home about, and the view was very nice. But the market! A few very tired looking clams, and the only whole fish (some mullet and sheepshead) had dull, lifeless eyes. Ward's in Clearwater has a lot more variety and fresher looking fish. Nowhere I have been since moving to the area comes near what I was used to in Greece, though; clams spitting out of the bucket, fish wriggling on the table, and SO much variety to choose from!
Since this thread is a couple of years old, I'll just assume Star Fish used to be better than it is now.
Dim Sum in Tampa?
Mmmm! Stuffed tofu at China Yuan! Crisp on the outside, silky smooth on the inside, delicious shrimp paste stuffing.
It's closer to St Pete Beach, but Halong Bay is mediocre. I can't think of any really good Dim Sum in Pinellas County.
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China Yuan
8502 N Armenia Ave Ste 1A, Tampa, FL 33604
Halong Bay
5944 34th St N Ste 40, Saint Petersburg, FL 33714
I want to like Tampa/Clearwater, but I don't. Please help.
If you want to stay in Clearwater, there are a few very authentic hole-in-the-wall Mexican places on Drew St. I like Don Huichos best, but in the boards here a lot of people like Cabana del Tio which is also good.
On Cleveland St., Greektown Grille is good. Their fried calamari is great - tender and crisp, and not greasy. It's better than the tourist traps in Tarpon.
BBQ in Pinellas County
My favorite BBQ is Eli's in Dunedin, on 580. They are only open Friday and Saturday and there isn't an indoor place to sit, but people line up to get served. Fantastic ribs, chicken, sausage and everything else. The baked beans have a great smoky bacon flavor. Homemade sweet potato and pecan pie, too.
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Eli's Bar-B-Que
360 Skinner Blvd, Dunedin, FL 34698
Tampa - Hidden Gems?
I was disappointed with their dim sum. I thought Ho Ho Choy in the same shopping center was better. China Yuan has great dim sum, of course.
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China Yuan
8502 N Armenia Ave Ste 1A, Tampa, FL 33604
Looking for a butcher with goat meat in SWFL
If you get to Tampa, try Java Village on Busch Blvd, just a little East of Busch Gardens. The goat there is younger and more tender than I have found at other butchers.
Tampa Recommendations
I had dim sum at both Ho Ho Choy's and Chopstix, and I thought Ho Ho Choy was much better. I was kind of disappointed with Chopstix since I read so many good comments in Chowhound.
Sahara Lebanese restaurant / Sami's Bakery (Tampa)
Sahara has good daily specials, too. The same family owns Cedar Market in St. Petersburg as well as Sami's Bakery. My favorite Lebanese in the area is the Kebab House in Dunedin, though.
