FloridaFoodHound

Final Two Weeks in Tampa

This post is a bit overdue, due to limited Net access until two days ago, but I thought some of you would still be interested in how our last two weeks of dining in Tampa went before our move up to Gainesville.

The weekend before last, we decided to stop into Castellano & Pizzo Italian Gourmet Foods on Henderson one last time.  This time, instead of bringing my parents, we went with Traci's dad.  In addition to enjoying another pressed Cuban sandwich, we also ordered dessert this time from their  bakery, too.  Mazzaro's is the king of local Italian markets/delis, but I will still miss Castellano & Pizzo.

We hadn't been to Interbay Meat Market in several months, but were looking for a cheap and quick meal one night that was close by and thought of Interbay.  On our previous visits, we had stuck to deli sandwiches, but on this visit we went with some of their cafeteria-style Cuban food.  It's hard to beat a big serving of ropa vieja, black beans and yellow rice for five bucks (and no, I don't want to think about how long that food may have been sitting there).  No frills and good food always works for me.

Speaking of no frills, we also stopped into El Taconazo aka "the Taco Bus" on Hillsborough in Seminole Heights one day for lunch.  While I didn't love the place after my first visit maybe a year ago, the Taco Bus has grown on me with each subsequent visit.  The "specials" for lunch - two soft tacos with refried beans and rice- are a good deal.  The tacos are small but tasty (you do have to be a fan of cilantro to like 'em) and the thick green hot sauce on the table makes things taste even better.  The Bus will be missed.

On our last week in town, in a break from packing, we hit Mel's Hot Dogs on Busch one day for lunch.  I ordered a "Reuben" dog and Traci went with a "Chicago" dog.  Mel's is a cool little place full of history and I'm glad that multiple readers suggested we visit Mel's before we moved.  Mel himself unfortunately wasn't there when we stopped in, which, from what I understand, is part of the unique experience.

I also re-visited another reader favorite, the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, one day for drinks after work.  To me, the  Brewing Company's new location in Centro Ybor doesn't have nearly the charm of their previous location a few blocks away, but the beer selection is still great (I'm a light beer wimp and like their True Blonde Ale the best).  The outdoor bar and patio area at the new location is a good addition.

We also couldn't leave town without having going-away drinks one night at Kahuna's, a favorite neighborhood dive bar of ours on Gandy across from Derby Lane.  The food at Kahuna's can be dicey, but the drinks are  stiff and priced right.  People that think this place has a rough crowd probably spend too much time in SOHO.

Finally, we went ahead and splurged with a Sunday brunch at the Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach.  While the Vinoy and Oystercatcher's may have better brunches, we have a warm spot for the Don since Traci grew up in South Pasadena/St. Pete Beach and we used to spend a lot of time in the area.  For me, the fresh seafood selection was the highlight of the brunch.  Traci liked the made-to-order pasta station.  We were also able to get a table near the window with a direct view of the beach and the gulf.

There's lots of additional local restaurants we would have liked to hit before we moved, but we ran out of time.  While some of the criticism of the Tampa Bay food scene is justified, the area certainly isn't starved for good food and good local restaurants either - if you know where/how to look.  Granted it does take time, effort, experimentation (you can't find "hits" without being willing to eat at a fair share of "misses" as well), talking with your friends and neighbors, and just keeping your eyes and ears open.

And with that, it's time to start focusing on restaurants here in Gainesville...
 

Thailand Restaurant: Looks Can Be Deceiving

Looks can be deceiving.  Especially at the dully-named-but-tasty Thailand Restaurant on S. Dale Mabry, SOG and just a couple of blocks from the base.

From the outside, the restaurant looks semi-abandoned with paint badly peeling (could this be the original coat of paint from when the place first opened in 1979?) and with letters missing from the sign on the restaurant's exterior.  Inside, though, Thailand Restaurant is clean and surprisingly better decorated than many mid-priced Thai restaurants and the polar opposite of how the place looks outside.

We first tried Thailand Restaurant a few months ago, were pleasantly surprised by the food and service, and have been back several times since.  On our most recent visit last Friday evening, we ordered the chicken satay, which are grilled chicken strips served with a peanut dipping sauce and freshly sliced cucumber, as our appetizer.  For our main course, I ordered the panang curry with pork and Traci ordered the hot & spicy chicken.  We asked for both dishes "Thai hot", which elicited a warning from our server, until we explained we love spicy food and that I grew up in New Orleans. 

The satay was good, but not outstanding.  My panang curry was tasty and Traci's hot & spicy chicken was a mix between being painfully and enjoyably spicy in a good way.  On a previous visit, I enjoyed the pad thai with chicken.  The Thai coconut soup was also good.  We also tried the chicken curry puffs on a previous visit.  They were interesting, but I wouldn't try them again.   Overall, the food at Thai Restaurant has been good, the service is friendly and prompt and the atmosphere is pleasant.

The only other Thai restaurants in Tampa I've tried are Royal Palace Thai on SOHO and Thai Thani at Channelside.  I enjoyed Royal Palace, but Thailand Restaurant is more convenient for us.  Thai Thani seemed overpriced with mediocre food and service, which I guess is to be expected at Channelside.  Thai Sweet Basil on Northdale sounds like a winner.  For those of you in St. Pete, a good choice for lunch is 9 Bangkok Thai Restaurant on Central Ave.  The place doesn't look like much on the outside, but has good lunch deals.  Ratchada Thai Restaurant on First Ave N. is also pretty good.    

I do have to ding Thailand Restaurant for a whopping 14 critical violations on its inspection last fall.  These violations were all corrected on a follow-up visit.  Good thing I don't check these beforehand.    

So what's your favorite Thai restaurant in Tampa Bay?

Bottom-line:  Ignore the bland name and the ramshackle exterior.  The nearly 30 year old Thailand Restaurant turns out very good Thai food at reasonable prices in a surprisingly nice environment. 

Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: October 2006 violations - Critical (14), Non-Critical (4).

Gengiz Khan: Good Neighborhood Turkish Restaurant

We were in the mood for something new and different this past Saturday, so we decided to try the misspelled-but-correctly-spelled Gengiz Khan, a little Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant located south of Gandy (SOG) on MacDill.  We had never been to Gengiz Khan before, but were familiar with it since it is located in the strip center (Shoppes of Interbay) across from Interbay Meat Market.

Gengiz Khan was opened by two Turkish business partners in the fall of 2005.  When we visited last Saturday for lunch, we had the place largely to ourselves, save for two other tables (including one large family).  The restaurant's space is nicely decorated and service was friendly.  Things did run a bit slow as there was only our one server in the front and we suspect just one cook in the back.

For a starter, we ordered the country style eggplant, which came with slices of fried eggplant topped with a garlic yogurt sauce.  I guess you could say I liked the eggplant appetizer as I used the pita-like bread that was provided for the table to lap up what was left of the sauce.  For our main dish, I decided on the doner kebab (thinly sliced lamb) with rice and grilled vegetables, while Traci chose the chicken adana (chopped chicken with red bell peppers and seasoning) with rice and potatoes. 

While we had to wait a little bit longer than we would have liked for our food, we both enjoyed our meals.  If you go during lunch time, you'll save a few bucks as Gengiz Khan offers lunch specials.

The only other Mediterranean restaurant we've tried in the area is the much more well-known Byblos Cafe at the corner of Bay to Bay and MacDill.  Maybe we caught Byblos at a bad time (it was early one evening so there weren't any belly dancers and we were seated in a corner), but the food was very average.  Byblos is definitely a trendier-feeling place with a bar and higher-priced menu to match, whereas Gengiz Khan is more moderately priced and more of a neighborhood place.

So what's your favorite local Turkish or Mediterranean restaurant and why?

Bottom-line: While the service and kitchen could be faster, for quality Mediterranean cuisine at reasonable prices, Gengiz Khan, a relatively new neighborhood restaurant SOG, is worth a try.    

Interbay Meat Market: Good Sandwiches S.O.G.

On Saturday we ventured South of Gandy (SOG) to Interbay Meat Market about a stone's throw from MacDill Air Force Base. I had never been to Interbay Meat Market before but knew it was well-known for its sandwiches. I did some quick reading before our trip and found out that Interbay is owned by the Shoubaki family and has been a SOG staple for the past 20 years.

Now if you're looking for an upscale deli in a fancy neighborhood then Interbay Meat Market is definitely not your place. However, if you're looking for oversized and tasty sandwiches at great prices (one of the specials on Saturday was a large fried chicken sandwich, fries and a drink for $4 bucks!) than you'll love Interbay. The place is a combination grocery/butcher shop/deli and it was busy on Saturday when we stopped by for lunch.

I ordered a grouper sandwich "all the way" in Interbay lingo (with everything on it) and my fiancee Traci ordered an Italian sausage sandwich. We also split a side order of black beans and rice. The crispy Cuban bread Interbay uses is some of the best I've had and the black beans and rice were tasty.

Next time I plan to try one of their Cuban combo plates. I had a few bites of Traci's sandwich and thought it was good too, although the sausage was milder than I like. Both sandwiches were stuffed and for being "regular" size were more than enough to eat.

My grouper sandwich was easily one of the best I've had since I've lived in Tampa (keep in mind I've been here about a year now after living in Orlando for seven years), although I must admit that I'm just not a big fan of the grouper sandwich. Fish sandwiches to me in general tend to not have enough flavor and are too mild. Now fried shrimp, oysters or soft shell crab poor-boys (on French bread of course for this New Orleans native) are a different story.

Bottom-line: This no-frills sandwich shop & deli serves up great sandwiches at equally great prices. Most people get their sandwiches to go, but there is also picnic tables outside.

RattleFish: Still Tasty, But For How Long?

On Friday night we headed over to RattleFish Raw Bar & Grill which is tucked away off Westshore and Tyson in south Tampa. RattleFish is located on the edge of the planned NewPort Tampa development and is also next to the new WestShore Yacht Club.

In June, the Trib reported that the owners of RattleFish are selling the popular restaurant and the marina, which has only been open a few years, to a developer who plans to turn the spot into a high-end "dockominium" for boaters. The developer reportedly intends to make RattleFish into a private restaurant/club house within 16 months. The restaurant plans at least sound foolish.

I could live without some of the try-too-hard-to-be-trendy crowd that frequents RattleFish (particularly the bar area), but the place consistently has good food and a relaxing island vibe that doesn't feel like Tampa. Too bad the food quality is likely poised to head downhill when the place gets converted (how many really great meals have you ever had at most country clubs? I've had very few!). Anyway, I guess we can enjoy the "real RattleFish" while it's still here.

On Friday night we had warm crab and spinach dip with chips as an appetizer. I ordered the chopped salad with grilled shrimp and Traci had a blackened chicken sandwich (the bun was soggy, not good) with slaw and fries. My salad was tasty and the New Orleanian in me loves that RattleFish's croutons are spiked with Tabasco.

My favorite dish out of our several visits to RattleFish has been the fish tacos (not unique anymore, but tasty) and the seafood margarita (a delicious chilled salsa and seafood dip). The outside deck area is great for drinks and sunsets.

Bottom-line: Check out the "real RattleFish" sometime soon for good seafood and a relaxing island vibe before it gets absorbed into the latest South of Gandy upscale development.