Limited-time eats: Winter menu items, specials to get while they last

A few Tampa restaurants have food and drink offerings that won't last forever.

In honor of National Comfort Food Day on Dec. 5, South Florida-based BurgerFi introduced a limited-edition sandwich, something it calls the Grilled Cheese Burger Melt. This seriously stacked sandwich, available until Jan. 29 at Tampa's SoHo location, features three griddled buns, two Angus patties, caramelized onions, and aged Swiss and American cheeses. For diners who know someone with a BurgerFi obsession, a restaurant promotion will grant them one free $5 bonus card for every $25 they spend on gift cards through Jan. 1.

Ocean Prime, a modern American restaurant chain located at Tampa's International Plaza, is highlighting a smoking tower of shellfish served with seasonal Champagne through December. The featured bubbly? A non-vintage blanc de blancs varietal of Ruinart (which has been in the Champagne business since 1729) made entirely of chardonnay. Selected by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants Director of Beverage Ryan Valentine, the Champagne comes by the glass or bottle. The price of the tower appetizer is up to diners, too, who get to customize their shellfish selections; they'll choose from lobster, crab, shrimp and oysters.

You know the sushi-go-round that also calls International Plaza home? Well, YO! Sushi has a new item on its winter menu: sumo bowls. Too big for the kaiten sushi restaurant franchise's conveyor belt and big enough for an ambitious eater to take on (or share), the bowls, which start at $7.50, are packed with huge helpings of Japanese food. Chicken, shrimp or tofu katsu curry; spicy seafood udon; and chicken teriyaki and beef and garlic teriyaki with steamed rice have been sumo-sized. Patrons can save money on their bill throughout winter by signing up for YO! Sushi's mailing list.

This article appears in Dec 1-8, 2016.