Openings

King State Quite a few “yuhs!” may be heard reverberating throughout downtown St. Pete as the doors of its newest restaurant, bar and all-day cafe open for the first time. St. Pete’s King State soft opens on Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 8 a.m.-midnight, and according to its latest Instagram post, reservations for dinner service are highly-encouraged but not required from 5 p.m. onward. “If you’ve been to KS Tampa, first off, thank you! We wouldn’t be here without you!! Secondly, KS St Pete is its own place and concept,” owners Tim McTague and Nate Young write on social media. “We brought the same focus, detail and vibe from Tampa that makes us who we are, but with the opportunity to build a restaurant concept that we’re so stoked to crush.” A grand opening party happens this Friday, Dec. 8, complete with a DJ set from Alien House’s Justin Depth and plenty of flowing booze and beers (although the kitchen will be closed starting at 4 p.m). King State’s second location shares space with CoHatch, a shared work space that will also celebrate its grand opening on Friday. 15 8th St. N, St. Petersburg. king-state.com

The Foodie Labs Downtown St. Petersburg’s Central Avenue and Beach Drive are known for their plethora of bars and restaurants, but the owners of a virtual food hall and test kitchen are determined to launch a culinary hub of their own just a few miles away in the Warehouse Arts District. The Foodie Labs is home to several St. Pete-based ghost kitchens, a shared commercial kitchen for at-home businesses and caterers, and an event space for pop-ups and demonstrations. Its name is a homage to the experimental nature of cooking—a place where both science and art are celebrated in a culinary-focused way. After a year and a half of build out, The Foodie Labs’ warehouse space—located within the Arts Xchange complex—celebrates its grand opening on Friday, Dec. 8 by welcoming Tampa Bay’s food-enthusiasts, chefs and aspiring restaurateurs into its multifaceted space. Beer, wine and coffee will be on deck, alongside a variety of good eats from Foodie Labs’ tenants and live music from Chad Stivers. Guests can explore the 5,000 square-foot warehouse, experience guided tours throughout its many kitchens, and take a first glance at Chad Mize’s newest murals throughout the space. 515 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg. thefoodielabs.com

Events

Epicurean Hotel’s ‘Feast of the 7 Fishes’ dinner The Epicurean is known for its fine dining restaurant and cocktail lounge, annual Epic Chef competition and a variety of specialty, ticketed dinners. Next week, Berns Steak House-owned hotel in South Tampa, hosts its second installment of its Feast of the 7 Fishes dinner, Executive Chef Jon Atanacio’s interpretation of the Catholic-based, Italian-American Christmas tradition.The modern Italian dinner happening on Dec. 14 will feature shrimp-stuffed calamari putanessca, lobster agnolotti with caviar and bay leaf-infused mascarpone, bay scallops with truffled gnocchi and braised conch carpaccio complete with preserved lemon, fennel, pine nuts and white anchovy. Tickets next week’s Feast of the 7 Fishes dinners—which also include wine pairings—run for $250 each and can be purchased directly on the hotel’s website. 1207 S Howard Ave., Tampa. epicureanhotel.com Highball Each year, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay aims to answer the loaded question of “who makes the best cocktail in Tampa Bay?” at its annual Highball party. 2023’s Highball event and competition happens on Friday, Dec. 8 at St. Pete’s Nova 535. Just a few of the local restaurants and bars that are participating in this year’s Highball competition include American Social, The Dunedin Smokehouse, Jotoro, Red Mesa Cantina, The Living Room, Blur Nightclub and The Hangar, alongside several other concepts. Several different types of alcohol will be featured in the competitor’s highball samples, from gin and vodka to whiskey and bourbon. Early bird general admission tickets run for $65 each and include unlimited cocktail samples from Highball competitors, photo ops and the chance to vote for your favorite drink in each spirit category, as well as “Tampa Bay’s Best Highball.” 535 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. highballtampabay.com Wild Child’s Chanukah pop-up The dedicated brunch-goers of The ‘Burg know that Wild Child’s latkes (compete with crema, dill, chives and salmon roe) are no joke, and you can indulge in the savory potato pancakes and then some at its Chanukah-themed event next week. On Tuesday, Dec. 12 starting at 5 p.m., Wild Child hosts its annual “One Crazy Night” pop-up where a food and drink menu of Jewish-inspired delicacies will surely sell out. Next week’s first-come-first-serve pop-up falls in the middle of 2023’s Chanukah season, which runs from Dec. 7-15. Latkes, beloved Jewish doughnuts known as sufganiyot, schnitzel, and plenty of other kosher dishes will be featured on Wild Child’s one-night menu, alongside a variety of specialty cocktails.
2710 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. wildchildstpete.com Over 20 New Year’s Eve dinners, parties and events happening in Tampa Bay It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is already upon us, but it’s finally time to start thinking about New Year’s Eve plans (and we just hope you don’t have to go to work the next morning). From EDM parties, fireworks shows and swing dancing to high-end prix fixe dinners, midnight champagne toasts and complimentary hot dog bars—here over over 20 events in Tampa Bay to help you bid farewell to 2023.

ICYMI

Seminole Heights’ Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe is for sale—but not closing anytime soon Enjoy your pork rib bloody marys while you can, Tampa, because a restaurant that more or less embodied the spirit of Seminole Heights is up for sale. After 15 years of operation, Melissa Deming is looking for someone to buy Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, the perennial Best of the Bay-winner she opened in 2009. She called putting the establishment on the market one of the hardest decisions she’s ever had to make and said that she’s put her heart and soul into the business and neighborhood for 17 years. “But it’s time for me personally to move on and start a new chapter in my life. Hospitality is a fast-paced business. I am ready for life to slow down a bit and to move on to other ventures,” Deming told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Deming named Ella’s for her grandmother and constructed the building from the ground up with her late father. She raised her now 15-year-old son Henry there and has watched the Seminole Heights change around it. Deming is not taking the sale and its potential impact on the community lightly and would be thrilled to find someone willing to either keep Ella’s going with the same name, or bring in a concept that would be a good fit for Seminole Heights. Whoever takes over, she said, will be someone who “understands that this neighborhood is about more than just property, development, and money.” 5119 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa. ellasfolkartcafe.com—Ray Roa

Seminole Heights’ Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe is for sale—but not closing anytime soon [PHOTOS]

Seminole Heights food hall Flocale is on the market for $3 million Earlier this week, popular Tampa restaurant Ella’s was listed for sale and now another Seminole Heights concept is up for grabs. The space that formerly housed Flocale (stylized as “FLocalé”) is currently for sale, with an asking price of $3 million. The food hall was previously home to King of the Coop, Westshore Pizza, Slide hot dogs and burgers, and even an axe throwing concept, but just a year and a half after opening, the concept abruptly closed last October. Located at 5910 N Florida Ave, the 8,568-square-foot space comes with a new roof and HVACs, a rear parking lot, a 3 a.m. “wet zoning” permit, as well as a city-mandated three-inch water main, making the space “Brewery Ready,” says the listing. The building was built in 1973, and was originally a service garage. Throughout the years, the space eventually would play host to restaurants like Fodder & Shine and the second iteration of The Refinery.—Colin Wolf