The Westin Tampa Waterside is getting a new restaurant and bar. Part of the waterfront hotel’s recent renovations at 725 S. Harbour Island Blvd., Blue Harbour will replace lobby-level bistro 725 South with sea-inspired cuisine and carefully made cocktails.
While 725 South was a casual-style place to grab a quick bite, Blue Harbour is going for “more of an upscale beach food type of vibe,” according to food and beverage manager Derek Rowe. Ultra-fresh ingredients are the focus, especially when it comes to the beverage program.
Forgoing premade mixtures for freshly squeezed juices and in-vogue smoking techniques, the cocktail list is set to feature sippers like the Watermelon “Martini” with gin and puréed watermelon, a Manhattan that arrives in a smoke-scented glass with Bulleit Bourbon and the essence of orange peel, and the El Primo Margarita with Patrón, agave nectar and lemon sour.
There will always be a big bourbon presence, but Rowe says a majority of the drinks call for tequila. In fact, to take the much-loved agave spirit one step further, the team is working on scoring tequila barrels, which would be used to age cocktails in-house.
As for breakfast, lunch and dinner, executive chef Tony Van Hang is behind Blue Harbour’s familiar yet elevated menu. Van Hang — who previously served as executive chef for Le Méridien Arlington and has been with the Westin property for more than a year — is passionate about using seasonal and local produce, as well as sustainable seafood.
Diners can expect dishes made with below-deck favorites delivered fresh daily. A grouper sandwich and the chef’s award-winning lobster roll are planned, alongside pan-seared scallops, oysters, and crab cakes mixed with red pepper and loaded potato.
This is all served up in a relaxed-meets-refined setting with about 80 seats. As Rowe puts it, the restaurant and bar aims to cater to the business clientele in its neck of the woods with top-notch drinks and service, plus those solo diners who wouldn’t usually drop in for dinner by themselves.
The hotel’s renovations are scheduled to wrap up at the end of the year. Blue Harbour is targeting an opening of the first or second week of December.
This article appears in Nov 9-16, 2017.