(This is an excerpt from The Columbia Restaurant, Andrew Huse's fascinating book about the history and cuisine of Ybor's iconic restaurant. Also from the book: Snapper Alicante recipe and Spanish Bean Soup recipe.
If you think Ybor is wild now, just read on.)
The Columbia Restaurant: El Rey, Pete, and Prohibition
The Columbia acquired one of its most loyal employees quite by accident. Gregorio Martinez worked in a nearby speakeasy during Prohibition. When federal agents stormed the bar, he fled across the street to the Columbia. Already dressed in a tuxedo, he behaved as if he worked there. Amused and impressed by his composure in such circumstances, management hired Martinez as a waiter.
Worried that the feds were still looking for him, Martinez grew a mustache. Coupled with his customary grace, it made him look exactly like King Alfonso XIII of Spain, earning him the nickname “El Rey” (The King).
The Roaring Twenties lived up to their name. The restaurant was no longer on the Florida frontier, but at the limits of law enforcement. Because the Columbia lay just inside Tampa city limits, brawlers, criminals, and bootleggers had only to run across 22nd Street to escape the jurisdiction of city police. Small hollows in the columns of the bar held stashes of hooch for special customers.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2010.