Karma Juice Bar & Eatery, downtown St. Pete’s latest cold-pressed venture, has opened its doors at 209 First St. NE in the former home of Josie’s Boutique, which closed earlier this year.
To accompany its made-to-order squeezes, ranging from six signatures to a build-your-own option, the spot serves up fresh smoothies, acai bowls and healthful seasonal cuisine such as hummus and pita chips, roasted veggie and quinoa salad and naanwiches (toasted naan bread stuffed with fillings). Karma’s small-batch kombucha selection has offered rotating fermented flavors, with or without chia seeds, including lychee and lemon-ginger.
• In the SoHo space most recently occupied by Sunova Beach at 208 S. Howard Ave., general manager TJ Miller plans to introduce the region to Cask, a restaurant and bar whose name stands for Craft A’fare Social Kitchen.
The new joint will specialize in Southern-influenced grub as well as craft cocktails and brews. Inventive dishes like mac ‘n’ cheese crab cakes, pork belly Reubens with house-made sauerkraut, cornflake-crusted PB&Js and sweet tea barbecue chicken and waffles will be featured.
• Seminole Heights’ Reservations Gourmet-To-Go gained a fresh name and signage last month, making its new identity as The Olde Heights Bistro official. Under the direction of co-owners and chefs Phil Hutchenson and Hisashi Shimazaki, who goes by Shima, the casual eatery at 4703 N. Nebraska Ave. highlights world cuisine, sushi and New American eats included.
Diners can expect a medley of more than 30 sushi offerings, small plate items for lunch and dinner, sandwiches, entrees and soups.
• Launching its first Sarasota location just a few months ago, the Tampa-based Buddy Brew Coffee brand, led by David and Susan Ward, will join buzzed-about restaurant concepts such as On Swann, bartaco and Goody Goody in revitalizing South Tampa’s Hyde Park Village. The coffeehouse is set to debut in winter at 1605 W. Snow Ave., where Ashworth Artisan Chocolate was headquartered before it relocated to downtown Tampa.
• A fifth restaurant from Acropolis Greek Taverna will replace South Tampa’s four-month-old Global A’Fare at 3023 W. Kennedy Blvd. sometime in fall, premiering new dishes like the garlic aioli-dressed Castoria Chopped Salad with grilled chicken and Parmesan. Also happening in fall, downtown St. Pete’s Museum of Fine Arts will release the 50th anniversary cookbook, Food + Art: Cooking around Tampa Bay with the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, created with the Margaret Acheson Stuart Society. Yeoman’s Cask & Lion, formerly Yeoman’s Road Pub, is coming along at 202 N. Morgan St. in downtown Tampa, and the Tasty Stacy food truck, which opened four years ago with the slogan “Best Eats On The Streets,” served its final meal last weekend in Tampa.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2015.
