Best known for jazz and salsa nights of heated seeing and being seen, this is actually a great place to write poetry or work on that one book lodged in your soul. It opens at noon. Usually at this time the garden under the banyan tree is perfectly serene, uninhabited by anything but squirrels and bold birds. The kitchen concentrates on Moroccan-influenced Mediterranean fare. The prices and food choices are broad, from hummus and baba ganoush to rabbit to highly creative daily specials. Several eloquent pastas articulate sensations from wild mushroom to marinated lemon rinds. The grammar of this realm is fresh, sharp tastes. Hindus believe the banyan tree houses good spirits. The Lord Buddha himself attained perfection under the banyan/bodhi tree. What struggling writer could seek less?
The Garden Bistro, 217 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-896-3800.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.