Miss E's Profile
Where to Eat in Lakeland...or Should We Just Drive to Orlando?
Bosphorous is on my list for our next visit to Lakeland.
We had a good dinner at La Porta Rossa last weekend--not great, a bit overpriced, but excellent service, a nice wine list, lovely desserts. (Avoid the gnocchi.)
Its sister restaurant, The Red Door Market, which is also on my list, looks more casual; it was packed on Saturday night, surely a good sign.
http://lprlakeland.com/
http://www.reddoorwinemarket.com/
Base Camp: The Don (St. Pete Beach)
Ha, not exactly! On a recent trip we squeezed in a second dinner, lol. So it can happen!
Base Camp: The Don (St. Pete Beach)
Thanks so much, julie and joan, these are great ideas! We've heard about Middle Grounds for years, so maybe we'll finally make it over there.And we're already booked for the Sea Porch one night. As for the other places, they ALL sound good--how many meals can we eat in 2 1/2 days??
Base Camp: The Don (St. Pete Beach)
I know I've been absent from this board for a bit (lurking, actually), but I'm hoping y'all will overlook that and help me out anyway with a locals question...
SO and I are taking a long weekend break at the Don over Memorial Day. We live in Tampa, but spend woefully little time at the beach or in St. Pete. So--I'm looking for ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a couple of locals who still don't know their way around over there.
Drinks and wine are a major plus; neither of us eats meat, but seafood is great; any cuisine is also great, exotic and spicy are welcome. I've heard the brunch at the Don is a must--is it? I think we'd like at least one "nice" dinner, but otherwise, fanciness is not necessary.
I look forward to your thoughts, thank you!
Tampa recommendatons please (Researched!!)
The allegations I have heard include not paying servers and vendors, and I absolutely do not want to support a chef who treats her staff and other businesses in the community poorly. Do I know these allegations to be true? No. But I have heard enough from good enough sources to believe they cannot all be false. So it's my decision to miss out on KB. I would not try to convince anyone else to do so; it's my call.
Decent casual restaurant near Tampa airport?
I agree. You could do worse than Ocean Prime or Roy's, both nearby, both consistently good, but you could also do much better if you're willing to drive a short distance. Is there something you're craving? (Stone crabs are in season...)
Jeannie Pierola and Kitchenbar
We have reservations, but I am thinking about canceling them. The bad press about Pierola's questionable business practices, together with lukewarm reports about KB4, are making me think twice.
Tampa recommendatons please (Researched!!)
Bummer. She'd better be careful. Tampa's a small town, and even a culinary genius like Jeannie shouldn't burn too many bridges.
We have reservations for next week. I was put off by the hagiography surrounding her, but realized that that's unfair and was finally convinced by way too many great reviews of previous KB popups to give it a go. We shall see!
Xmas Eve Showdown- China Yuan or Yummy House?
Yes, it's been discussed, but I'd like to revisit the question, b/c I do think the "occasion" nature of the 24th warrants it.
I tend to think that China Yuan does better with meat dishes, and Yummy House with seafood, tofu and veg. I realize that this is a bit too general, but I don't eat meat and while I read a lot of beef dishes at CY being praised here, I have always preferred YH. So that became my theory!
So I'd pick YH, but which location?? There's the rub...
An afternoon in Tampa?
I think a walk around Hyde Park would be lovely, too. One could have a nice lunch at Sophie's (limited to soup/salad/quiche/sandwiches), The Wine Exchange or Timpano. None are as iconic as The Columbia, but they're good, and the restored bungalows in the neighborhood, the mature trees, and Bayshore Boulevard make for very pleasant strolling.
Ybor is unique, so I hesitate to say anything against it; it's certainly redolent of Old Tampa. But the trashy bar quotient is high.
The Refinery (Tampa)
I have had one really badly executed dish at PR, out of many dozens. It was truly inedible, and arrived after a very long wait. (This happened right after the expansion, and I think the kitchen was overwhelmed.) But the waiter replaced it with many apologies, Kevin came over to apologize, and then returned with a bag of baked goods for us as further apology. Mistakes happen; it's how they are handled that sets a great restaurant apart from the rest.
The Refinery (Tampa)
I think comparisons between restaurants so disparate in size are basically unfair--Pane Rustica is what, 3 or 4 times bigger than the Refinery? That's why they can change their menu daily.----but I certainly understand spending your dining dollars on a sure thing rather than a gamble. And unfortunately, I have to agree that The Refinery constitutes a bit of a gamble. I am constantly impressed by the unusual, even audacious flavor profiles of some of the dishes; and I am constantly disappointed by the way the kitchen kills its proteins and main course vegetables dead. It's the Top Chef, $64,000 question: do you reward ambition or execution? The Refinery needs to marry the two once and for all, perhaps lose of a bit of the romantic, rock-and-roll attitude and devote itself to the pursuit of perfection every time, no excuses.
That said, I, too, have had some incredible dishes there, and have even enjoyed those dishes that were partly great, partly lousy because the great prats were that great. Which is why I keep going back and giving The Refinery another chance.
As for service, I think the bar staff is exceptional and the dining room staff is fine. I have not experienced their rough side!
I give Chef Greg all respect for his commitment to locally sourced ingredients and to building a real food community, farm to table, in Tampa; and again, I salute his palate and his ambitious recipes. Surely this man can find a way to roast a chicken, or some egggplant, that isn't tough as shoe leather! I hope he reads this and understands that the criticism is meant constructively.
Looking for good pizza places in Tampa, Florida!
Cappy's (Bay-to-Bay in S. Tampa, or Seminole Heights) for NY style pizza--the best, hands down. Pizza eaten with a spoon is an abomination to me, but if Chicago style is your thing, I've heard theirs is great, too.
Pane Rustica's flatbread is awesome, even though it doesn't quite scratch that pizza itch for me. But it does mean I can have Cappy's one day and Pane's the next!
Where can I buy fresh ravioli in DC?
Thank you, both of you! I will try Vace. Jeserf, I'm planning to serve the ravioli as part of Thanksgiving dinner--when would I have to ht the U street market, do you know, to have it in time?
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Vace
3315 Connecticut Avenue NW, DC 20008
Where can I buy fresh ravioli in DC?
Can anyone recommend a place to get fresh ravioli to take home in DC? They can be frozen, to cook at home, but freshly made--does that make sense?? Pumpkin or butternut squash ravioli would be wonderful! TIA!
Tampa - Place for a Cocktail
Well, we can walk to Ciro's, so I think we'll finally check it out this weekend--safety first, lol! But yes, do we need a password?? Did you call ahead?
Please help... need to bring out the big guns for mother-in-law's visit!
Consider Cafe Dufrain on Harbor Island. Lovely view of the channel and downtown, especially if you sit outside, and a nice seasonal menu.
http://www.cafedufrain.com/
Good luck!
Taco Bus Coming to Downtown Tampa
In the form of a restaurant, though, not a bus :-)
http://www2.tbo.com/news/flavor/2011/aug/02/1/taco-bus-coming-to-downtown-tampa-ar-247911/
Franklin Street, opening in November--yippee!!
Al Gusto (Tampa)?
Someone told me Al Gusto (on Kennedy at Boulevard in S. Tampa) closed, but I haven't been by myself--is that true? That would be a real shame, so I hope not.
Favorite markets in Tampa
Sweetwater also holds a Saturday market day in season, so you can go check them out before committing to a membership.
Favorite markets in Tampa
As an alternative to Whole Foods, try Rollin' Oats sometime, at the corner of MacDill and Cypress in Tampa. They stock a lot of the same brands and products, have good prepared food, and a smaller, friendlier vibe than WF, IMO. (It used to be locally owned but was bought out by a small chain.)
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Rollin' Oats Cafe
2842 Dr Martin Luther King Jr St N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33704
Why bother posting...
Well, I was with you until that last bit, lol. You have got to go Yummy House! The service does not always suck, and the food is divine--really. Who cares what the place is called?
See, the mods need to consider that they want people who are passionate about food to post here, and passionate people can get unruly, right?
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Yummy House
2202 W Waters Ave Ste 1A, Tampa, FL 33604
Why bother posting...
...if editors are going to remove threads instead of doing the hard work of editing them? I mean, I have no idea what was wrong with the Yummy House thread apart from the fact tat some of us dared to disagree with each other, but I assume whatever sins were committed could have been purged. Instead, we now have no information about the new location on this board; and people who took the time to write lengthy reviews (with which I may have disagreed, but so what?) wasted their time.
So someone tell me, why should I bother posting here at all?
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Yummy House
2202 W Waters Ave Ste 1A, Tampa, FL 33604
Another Yummy House coming to Tampa
First of all, with a bullet, if you are an enthusiast of the original YH, you should know service has never been their forte. I can't defend it, it's not OK, but it is an unfortunate fact. So are long waits. Calling your experience at a restaurant that just opened that night "bleak" and "horrific" is absurd and causes me to doubt the rest of your account, as well as your ability to weather genuine misfortune. If that night was "bleak" and "horrific", what would you pull out of your thesaurus for pestilence, or famine?
And then comes this:
In other words, you wanted a free dish. Why on earth would you ask for such a thing? This isn't Starbuck's or Dunkin' Donuts. And then you dare to suggest the waitress tried to mislead you into paying for the special dish, when she was probably just confused by your tacky request.
Based on this review and your even lengthier blog post, I say you, sir, are no friend of independent restaurants in Tampa Bay if you decide to trash a brand new restaurant based on one experience *on its opening night*.
TAMPA IS GETTING A NEW FOOD TRUCK!
Cool! Any idea of hours? I try to avoid that end of Howard Thurs-Sat after a certain hour--makes me feel too old, lol!
Dim Sum in Tampa?
Agreed! Btw, Yummy House had a cryptic sign up this past weekend that promised Dim Sum coming soon, but it didn't say where; it also promised The Country Pumpkin Restaurant...???
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Yummy House
2202 W Waters Ave Ste 1A, Tampa, FL 33604
Lunch near Peter O Knight Airport, Davis Island
Please click on the link I posted, they ARE open for lunch, although they were not always.
Lunch near Peter O Knight Airport, Davis Island
I agree, Pane Rustica is awesome, my favorite place in Tampa for lunch or dinner. I would add Bailey's, which is right on Davis, to the list if you will be lunching more than once.
http://www.baileycatering.com/
