Greg Baker on 'Somewhere South'
I had no clue Greg Baker had smoked mullet ambitions, but he laid them bare on an episode of PBS’ “Somewhere South” where he headed to Terra Ceia Island for his first try in the town’s annual competition. Baker, who famously started Seminole Heights down its path to becoming a foodie destination, didn’t win, but he did get to share his love of Florida with viewers across the country. chefgregbaker.com —Ray Roa
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Best of the Bay 2020 Food & Drink: Our critics and readers pick all the best things that made their mouths water in 2020.
Food & Drink Critics' Picks
Best Coffee Shop Boss Who’s More Than That
Best End To The Week (That’s Not Happy Hour)
Best Gastronomic Antidote to 2020
Best Gluten-Free & Vegan Bakery
Best Greek Diner That’s Not a Diner
Best Irish Pub That Survived the Quarantine
Best Kosher Food For The Restaurant Worker Soul
Best Locally-Published Comfort Food Cookbook
Best Making The Best Out Of A Shitty Situation
Best New Use For An Old Favorite
Best NY-Style Pizza (St. Pete)
Best Place To Fill Yuh Nalgene With Beer
Best Place To Own The Libs
Best Restaurant Design Revelation
Best Way To DIY Japanese Cusiine At Home
Best Way To Support Your Local Coffee Shop While Ity’s Closed And Adapted To Coronavrius
Best Well-Intentioned Knee-Jerk Reaction
Best You Giveth And COVID Taketh Away
Worst COVID-19 Coffee Shop Casualty
Food & Drink Readers' Picks
Best Ice Cream/Gelato/Frozen Yogurt
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
Best Neighborhood Bar, Hillsborough
Best Neighborhood Bar, Pinellas
Best New Brewery, Hillsborough
Best Seminole Heights Restaurant
Best Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant
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'Pint And A Pocket'
Ron DeSantis’ lack of a plan to combat, track and contain coronavirus is extremely bad news for bars and breweries, and while many of them are still navigating the governor’s fuck up, several took Halsey Beshears (DeSantis’ Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation since Jan. 2019) upon his 509 restaurant license loophole that basically let any bar open if it served food. None pointed out the ludicrousness of the 509 gimmick louder than Dissent Craft Brewing Company which offered a Hot Pocket and pint of beer special to patrons both desperate to get out of the house and pour money into one of their favorite breweries. dissentcraftbrewing.com —Ray Roa
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Winner: SOHO Juice Co. sohojuiceco.com
Second Place: Sweet Soul ilovesweetsoul.com
Runner Up: Escape Root Juicery escaperootjuicery.com
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Winner: Red Mesa Restaurant redmesarestaurant.com
Second Place: Bella's Italian Café bellasitaliancafe.com
Runner Up: Bern's Steak House bernssteakhouse.com
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Gourmet Pizza Co.
Netflix and chillin’ with your vegan or gluten-free boo might be a bit cumbersome when you don’t know what takeout to order. Gourmet Pizza Company’s menu is flush with delish options literally anyone can enjoy, and it’s constantly adding new allergy-friendly ingredients. Plus, you can add vegan cheese to just about anything, and you might feel a little less guilty about your carb coma if you opt for the cauliflower crust. gourmetpizza-company.com —Alexis Chamberlain
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7th + Grove, Oxtails
“Rude Boy” is a comfort food supernova. Perhaps because my late mother introduced me to them in my youth, braised oxtails hold a special place in my heart. If you’re a fan of lamb shanks, you’ll be delighted with these. There’s so much collagen that the meat is the lushest imaginable. It sits on a creamy, balanced sage and garlic mash with some braised veggies and crispy cornbread nuggets that have soaked up all the juices, but maintain their crunch. A sprinkling of thin green onions on top finishes off this wonder in style. 7thandgrove.com —Jon Palmer Claridge
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Winner: St. Pete Bagel Co. stpetebagelco.com
Second Place: Bella’s Bakes Cakes and Bagels bellasbakescakesandbagels.com
Runner Up: 18 Bagels Co. 18bagelsco.com
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Winner: Mazzaro's Italian Market mazzarosmarket.com
Second Place: La Segunda lasegundabakery.com
Runner Up: Alessi Bakery alessibakery.com
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Winner: Mazzaro's Italian Market mazzarosmarket.com
Second Place: The Cake Girl thecakegirl.com
Runner Up: Bake'n Babes bakenbabes.com
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Curious Cat Bakery
Curious Cat Bakery owner and one-woman band, Natalia Lima, got crafty once coronavirus forced a switch-up in the small business game. The vegan baker began offering free virtual lessons via Instagram live for all of her bored and ambitious fans practicing social distancing in their homes. On top of lessons, Lima began offering free delivery and weekly pop-up menus for customers (she could safely whip up in her commercial kitchen in St. Pete). Lima also made headlines back in October for making vegan versions of dishes from Netflix's “Great British Bake Off.” Talk about a bakery boss up. curiouscatbakery.com —Jenna Rimensnyder
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