University of Tampa students have a fresh hangout right in their backyard: The Station Grill. At 1001 W. Cass St., the bar and grill, loaded with flat-screen TVs, opened its doors around the beginning of August, showcasing live tunes and beverage deals on drafts and cocktails.
The comfort food-driven menu is tempting, too. Casual snacks — deviled crab and fried avocado among them — are paired with mains like the meatloaf sandwich, beer-braised bratwurst, and blackened or fried fish tacos. If tots, fries and mac ‘n’ cheese fit your sipping style better, those are on hand as well. There’s even a creative mac mashup for every day of the week.
• San Antonio’s New American pub Local Public House and Provisions has started an online petition through iPetitions.com as a response to the city’s proposed noise ordinance, which, if passed, would affect Local’s live music showcases, co-owner Curtis Beebe has said.
The ordinance, outlining penalties that include a fine limited to $500, seeks to regulate “unreasonably loud or raucous” sound from instruments, public address systems and more. Titled “Keep Live Music in San Ann!,” the petition has gained more than its targeted goal of 1,000 supporters.
At Local’s older sibling Pearl in the Grove, late September will bring a major menu revamp to the Dade City eatery.
• Sip85, a sophisticated restaurant and bar in Palm Harbor, debuted at 4940 Ridgemoor Blvd. last month. Executive chef Rob Trabulsi prepares soups and salads, starters and entrees, alongside snazzy add-ons like bearnaise and Cognac peppercorn sauce. His signature “chalkboard specials” have included Korean beef tacos and local mangrove snapper with braised spinach. Local craft beer and wines with global roots are offered, too.
• Operating in New Tampa and Brandon, Koizi Endless Hibachi & Sushi Eatery quietly opened its latest location in New Port Richey back in June. The restaurant at 4120 Little Road features specialty sushi rolls of tuna, salmon and the like, as well as a variety of items (tofu, shrimp, ribeye, chicken) served with veggies and fried rice on the hibachi side. Appetizers, soups, Japanese sodas and a kid-friendly menu round out the offerings.
Little Road is also where diners will find Dave’s Pit & Pig BBQ inside a Mobil gas station. The barbecuery, launched at 9247 Little Road in July, specializes in regular- and jumbo-size sandwiches, smoked chicken dinners, loaded baked potatoes and other soul-warming plates. There’s a no-frills selection of sides, and many meats may be ordered by the pound.
• In Tarpon Springs, the Cajun-influenced ShrimpWrecked opened at 210 Dodecanese Blvd. with several land and sea options, a large dining area and a granite bar along the water. Downtown St. Pete’s Engine No. 9 is expanding into the next-door space that formerly housed the Freshly Squeezed clothing store, while Row Boat in Ybor City closed at 1820 N. 15th S. And if you haven’t checked out the months-old Aloha Dude (which the minds behind the Dude and His Food and Aloha to Go mobile kitchens established) at 19711 Gulf Blvd. in Indian Shores, Hawiian eats and cheesesteaks await you.
