A James Beard Award semifinalist is behind the grub at a recently opened New Tampa restaurant. As the food and restaurant consultant for Vuelo Mexican Grill, chef-restaurateur Mark Estee has brought everything from street tacos to asada platters to the menu at 17641 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Vuelo, launched Oct. 25 in the old Señor T's location, has a medley of traditional Mexican food with Latin and South American spins and flavors — specifically, items like green chile enchiladas, oven-roasted shishito peppers and a Cuban torta. Brunch is coming soon, and thirsty diners can choose from a selection of specialty house cocktails and wine, as well as blanco, reposado and añejo tequilas in single servings or flights.
With a signature salsa bar, the restaurant operates 11:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday.
Joe's New York Diner at 11701 N. Florida Ave. is another Tampa newcomer. The 24-hour diner, featuring a retro vibe and outdoor patio, specializes in straightforward favorites. You know the ones — hot open-faced sandwiches, Belgian waffles, potato skins, char-grilled burgers and corned beef hash. And like any quintessential diner, Joe's has a dessert case full of cakes and other take-home sweets.
In St. Petersburg, a hefty lineup of sushi rolls, nigiri and sashimi can now be found at Mori Sushi. Bento boxes and hibachi combos offer additional lunch and dinner options. The Gateway sushi restaurant and Japanese steakhouse is located at 1136 94th Ave. N.
Nearby, Siciliano's has also arrived in St. Pete's Gateway area. The eatery, which opened its doors at 1106 94th Ave. N. five weeks or so ago, presents "a taste of Italy" in the form of pizza, salads, pasta and even chicken wings. Its menu is full of crowd-pleasing items.
Soul II Soul Cafe is dishing its own mashup of soul-warming food styles, focusing on Southern comfort and Caribbean flair. At 229 62nd Ave. N., the St. Pete restaurant cooks up "food that stirs the soul" — fried collard green wontons, crab chilau and curry chicken among them — for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus, UNION72 also made its debut to Wesley Chapel's Shops at Wiregrass at 2000 Piazza Ave., with its grand opening scheduled for this weekend.
This article appears in Nov 3-10, 2016.