When the ambitious foodporium that is Heights Public Market opened earlier this year, it was hard to get a drink from the crowded specialty cocktail stall. The need to score a quick adult beverage before perusing what HPM had to offer drove marketgoers, including this food editor, to seek out alternative sources when quenching our thirsts on-site. Enter the sangria whipped up behind the counter of modern Cuban food purveyor Hemingway’s. The staff can regularly be seen cutting up fresh fruit to replenish their house-made stockpile of irresistible sangria, which seemed to fly under the radar as a best-kept secret when HPM first opened (at least for a while — you’re welcome, guys) and comes in two varieties: white or red. I’m partial to the red, but the white is just as downright delightful. Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave., Tampa. 813-435-6482, hemingwaystpa.com. —Meaghan Habuda
Food & Drink: Feast on this massive celebration of local comestibles and imbibables.
- Runner Up: Ulele
- Runner Up: Columbia Restaurant
Eastern minimalist Asian desserts are usually too simple and underwhelming for a Western culinary sensibility. Happily, Pin Wok & Bowl’s choice to combine Banana Coins with coconut ice cream is an inspired mashup. Slices of banana are wrapped in little phyllo packets, fried till crisp and golden, then drizzled with honey and topped with a light sprinkle of white-and-black sesame seeds. House-made coconut ice cream is creamily scrumptious, drizzled with lightly caramelized condensed milk and paired with some fresh whipped cream. I urge you to try them together as we did by serendipity. It’s a match made in heaven, or at least downtown St. Pete’s version of Bangkok. 445 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-575-7167. —Jon Palmer Claridge
Thuy Le’s kitchen produces nuanced plates are often revelatory, and same goes for the edamame appetizer. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had plenty of these soybean pods over the years — and they’re mostly the same: steamed, sprinkled with salt and pleasant, yet notmemorable. Asie’s version knocks me on my ass. They’re simply superlative. The spicy pods are slightly charred and in a viscous soy-garlic sauce that’s as surprising as it is delicious. As if that weren’t enough, they’re garnished with tiny bits of crispy pork belly. Don’t miss ’em. 437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-898-4300, asiepanasian.com. —JPC
- Runner Up: Clearwater Bagels
- Runner Up: Dunedin Bagels & Deli
- Runner Up: La Segunda Central Bakery
- Runner Up: Publix
- Runner Up: Bad Santa Bar Crawl - St. Pete
- Runner Up: Tampa Noles Pub Crawl - Ybor
- Runner Up: Engine No. 9
- Runner Up: Clear Sky Draught Haus
