BEST URBAN WADE FISHING
Bayside Flats, South St. Pete
Generally speaking, most anglers are loath to give up their sweet spots. But this one's pretty much an open secret, anyway — diehard wade fishermen and neighborhood kids alike have been getting wet to the waist here for years. Less than five minutes from Jannus Landing and downtown St. Pete's Central Avenue nightlife district, at the end of South Side residential street Bayside Drive, a tiny public park affords access to Big Bayou's dock- and grassflat-spotted shallows. From there, you can wade in either direction, and at times enjoy inshore fishing as good as that of noted spots like Weedon Island or Fort De Soto. I've caught everything from pan-size sheepshead and mangrove snapper to nice redfish and even some of the biggest snook I've landed to date. (I swear I actually saw one linesider that must've been close to 60 pounds, but nobody believes me.) But the area is probably best known for its population of spotted seatrout, or "specks." Trout love the seagrass that coats most of Big Bayou's bottom, and other game fish congregate near and under the residential docks, particularly those that feature both deeper water (bigger boats are generally a good indicator) and oyster beds. This stretch of shoreline can be notoriously hit or miss because when summer's frequent rains come, culverts dump a lot of water into the Bayou, and it can get pretty murky. But downtown residents who just want to get on the water for a couple of hours without having to go too far out of their way will likely score more often than they get skunked. One thing, however: If you go, please respect those folks whose waterfront property you're standing just 50 yards or so from. Stay off their property and docks, and away from their boats, and be deferential to people out sunning themselves or having a cocktail. I don't want anybody yelling at me because somebody else who came out here was a jackass.
BEST HANGOVER LUNCH
The Casual Clam
Look, we all want grease on those Saturdays or Sundays when we roll out of bed far past noon and only make it as far as the couch, where we spend the next hour chugging water and waiting for the painkillers to kick in. The omelet. The New York-style pizza. The General Tsao's chicken. But we really should balance that crap out with something healthy, or at least healthy before it gets battered and fried. Like fish. The Casual Clam's got hands-down the best blackened mahi sammich I've ever had, and its cornbread-battered fish 'n' chips make a tasty alternative to the British/Long John Silvers style. Because you can tell yourself you're doing your body a favor with the entree, feel free to balance things out by going hog wild on the sides — fried mushrooms, hush puppies, potato salad and another Clam specialty, super-thin onion rings in light batter that absolutely rule when paired with the horseradish sauce. The restaurant doesn't confine its menu to regional seafood and bar-n-grill sides, however, and a couple of pleasant surprises come in the form of the pastrami sandwich and Greek salad. The only way they could possibly make me happier is by delivering.
The Casual Clam, 3336 Ninth St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-895-2526.
BEST POPULIST GOLF
Mainlands Golf Course
Golf is fucking expensive. According to naysayers, it's also elitist and environmentally negligent. Which is probably true, but then again, the folks who say that have never stroked a ball clean with a 3-wood and watched it fly over 200 yards in its intended direction. And they've certainly never done it at Mainlands Golf Course, where the cargo-shorted hackers (like myself) and encroaching wildlife sometimes serve to render such allegations laughable. Mainlands is shorter than a regulation course at a par 63 rather than 72, but features one challenging par-five hole and many more par-fours than the most ambitious executive courses. In other words, you get to break out all your clubs, without breaking your budget. Even during the cheaper dog days (summer is considered Florida golf's off-season), walking 18 holes on the Bay area's more affordable par 72s will often run $25 or more, but at Mainlands, you can get a cart, drinks and dogs for well under $20. Hell, come by after its "twilight prices" go into effect at 2 p.m., and you can play the course walking for under 10 bucks. Granted, you're going to get stuck behind first-timers or out-and-out shitheads more often than at a more fiscally exclusive club, and there's neither beer for sale at the clubhouse nor many holes out of sight of the pro shop over which to drink some contraband ale. But the greens are usually in good shape — not to mention challengingly small — and after a round that generally takes an hour less than at bigger, more expensive courses, you've still got enough money to hit the bar on the way home and relive your best shots over a bevvie.
Mainlands Golf Course, 9445 Mainlands Blvd. W., St. Petersburg, 727-577-4847.
BEST GUITAR SHOP
Johnny's House of Guitars
Stevie B's Total Guitar runs pretty much neck-and-neck with Johnny's, particularly because it just opened a new location on the 600 block of Central Avenue in St. Pete that's just as cool as its Clearwater shop (30111 U.S. 19 N., Clearwater). Both Stevie B's and Johnny's boast courteous, capable staffers, far more high-quality instruments than beginners' equipment, and the kind of personal service that you rarely get at cavernous music marts — unless your friends and bandmates are manning the counter, that is. But if I've gotta go with just one of 'em, Johnny's still takes it simply because I've been going there for years, and it's always worth the 25-minute trip. The employees deal with their customers one-on-one, without any patronization, whether you're there for a set of strings or a vintage Gibson Firebird that costs more than some used cars. Because the shop deals most frequently with high-end used instruments and amplifiers, you rarely have to hear a motivated but woefully green youngster monkey-gripping his way through the latest Papa Roach single while you're eyeballing all those beautiful guitars that you'll own, well, probably never, really, but one can dream, can't one? Repair gurus Don Kessinger (electronics) and Chris Irvin (guitars) are likewise right on the ball, fixing you up and getting you out in as little time, and for as little money, as they can manage.
Johnny's House of Guitars, 12687 Seminole Blvd., Largo, 727-581-1035.
BEST USED BOOKSTORE
IN WHICH TO GET LOST FIGURATIVELY RATHER THAN LITERALLY
Wilson's Book World
Haslam's is a great place, but it's not the first place I go when I'm not looking for a specific book and just want to wander around a bookstore for a while until my curiosity has been satisfied. It's just got that warehouse vibe to it, you know? Bright lights, endless stacks, gaggles of bargain hunters. About the only thing Wilson's has in common with Haslam's (besides the books, naturally) is the fact that it takes up more than one room. Wilson's is smaller, however, and somehow gives the impression of being even more cozy than it actually is. The warm colors, personal decorative touches (particularly in its patron-friendly bathroom) and relative quiet lend the shop a ruminative vibe that's both inviting and library-like. But that doesn't mean you can't find what you want, even when you don't quite know what you're looking for. Wilson's has a great selection, from contemporary lit and classics to self-help, biography, horror and mainstream fiction. Owner Jeff Morris is also both a collector and purveyor of rare and vintage tomes, so be sure to pilfer any parental attic space you can before dropping by for a browse or purchase.
Wilson's Book World, 2394 Ninth St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-896-3700.
BEST AUTO REPAIR
Suncoast Auto & Tire
Blessed are those with the ability to walk into an auto repair shop without feeling at least a little bit like they morphed into some sort of meaty ATM machine when they crossed the threshold. I am not one of them. I'm not as automotively challenged as, say, my mother (though we've probably both heard the riot act from my father on paying too much for repairs about the same number of times), but I do have a tendency to just hand over the credit card when words like "master cylinder" and "compression ratio" are directed at me. Everybody dreams of a mechanic who's competent, trustworthy and not booked solid through the next six weeks. The guys at Pinellas Park's Suncoast Auto & Tire aren't exactly sitting around waiting for your car to break down. They are, however, about the most accommodating and affordable crew I've dealt with, and if you've ever ridden in my old Honda Civic hatchback (seen most recently lowering property values from a co-worker's driveway), you can attest to my experience as a repair-shop regular. Suncoast has been a St. Pete institution for more than a decade — it outgrew its original Fourth Street location back in '97 — and the shop's life span as an independent speaks to its reputation. Plus, bodywork notwithstanding, the crew can handle just about any problem that comes along; as manager Steve Martussi says, "we pretty much do it all, from A to Z." I'll just say this: One of those chains that mostly sell tires but also do repairs convinced me I needed a particularly expensive replacement part. When I took my truck to Suncoast for a second opinion, customer relations man Ken O'Connell put it up on a lift, took a thorough look with another mechanic, and informed me that I didn't need a damn thing.
Suncoast Auto & Tire, 6777 Haines Road N., St. Petersburg, 727-520-1148.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.