Ash & Alter Ego Proper House Group's two latest ventures are making their highly-anticipated debut at Water Street Tampa this weekend. Listening room and cocktail lounge Alter Ego will offer “energetic vibes and soulful hospitality,” while its daytime counterpart Ash specializes in modern Italian-inspired fare in an upscale setting, which includes an “effortlessly chic" blush-colored dining room, accompanying patio space and open kitchen. Proper House Group insists that its cocktail lounge, Ash, is not an actual listening room experience, adding that the concept will "feature live DJ sets in an intimate and inviting setting." Both locally-owned concepts are located on the bottom floor of the Asher building at 420 S Nebraska Ave. in the heart of downtown’s bustling Water Street district. Both Ash and Alter Ego’s official debut are slated for Friday, April 19, but both businesses are soft opening this Saturday, April 13. Reservations for both concepts are now available and can be booked on tock.com. A few dishes that folks can expect from Ash’s menu include a housemade Malfade pasta with toasted garlic, ramp top oil, pickled ramp bulbs, Dungeness crab and crab roe butter or its pan fried 22-ounce pork chop served with a date and spicy dijon mostarda and a radicchio and charred chicory salad. Alter Ego will feature a vast beverage menu of traditional cocktails with modern twists, utilizing top shelf spirits and seasonal ingredients. 420 S Nebraska Ave., Tampa. waterstreettampa.com
Samurai Cat Popular Japanese snacks like onigiri and fluffy fruit sammies have been hard to come by in the Tampa Bay area, but a new St. Pete cafe is definitely about to make the search easier. Located at Beans & Barlour’s former space in downtown St. Pete, new cafe and bakery Samurai Cat quietly opened its doors this week. Samurai Cat is the newest concept from Tampa Bay-based Majestic Restaurant Group, which also operates other Asian restaurants like Zukku-San in Wesley Chapel, ATO in Lakeland and Zukku Sushi in Tampa Heights. The menu features popular Japanese convenience store fare—from pillowy fruit sandwiches with whipped cream and smoked salmon onigiris to soft boiled egg sandwiches and a variety of milk teas. Other offerings include drinks like matcha strawberry lattes and coffee from Kahwa, plus bagels and cream cheese, avocado toast on thick-cut milk bread, pear lemongrass ice cream and a variety of Asian-inspired baked goods. Majestic Restaurant Group is also gearing up to open its newest concepts across the bridge, Ling's Dumplings and Han Hand Roll Bar, which are both slated to open at Armature Works soon. 407 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. @samuraicatdtsp on Instagram
Minano Ramen Clearly the ramen craze has yet to chill in Tampa, because the unsolicited noods just keep coming. New Japanese concept, Minano Ramen, soft-opened its doors on March 28 at at 11909 Sheldon Rd. in the Westchase/Citrus Park area. "Founded by a group of friends with a shared devotion to bringing the true flavors of Japan to your table, Minano Ramen is more than just an Izakaya – it’s a celebration of culinary artistry and cultural richness," reads the website. Ramen is the main event here, but the menu also features yakitori skewers, baos and buns, rice bowls, mochi ice cream, and more. The new ramen spot offers lunch specials, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and a daily happy hour from 4 p.m. -6 p.m. and from 8:30 p.m.-close. Follow @minanoraman on Facebook for more updates. 11909 Sheldon Rd., Tampa. minanorestaurant.com
Stoner's Pizza Joint A pot-inspired pizza chain is following through with plans to share munchies across the Bay. Last fall, Fort Lauderdale-based pizza company Stoner's Pizza Joint announced an aggressive schedule to expand in the Tampa Bay market, and now a new outpost is ready to debut in Valrico. The chain, which encourages customers to "Get Baked" and to "Legalize Marinara," will open in the former Romeo's Pizza location at 3428 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in the Lithia Crossing strip mall. While no exact opening date was announced, the chain says the new location will debut sometime in May, according to a press release. Besides its herb-themed branding, the delivery/takeout-focused concept features specialty baked pizzas, calzones, strombolis, smoked wings, boneless "Nugz," sandwiches, baked desserts, and "Quality Greens" (aka salads). The new Valrico spot will offer dine-in, takeout and delivery options. 3428 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Valrico. stonerspizzajoint.com
Coming Soon
First Watch A downtown Tampa mainstay of nearly two decades is making its return later this year. The Tampa Bay Business Journal says that First Watch’s newest breakfast restaurant will open at 400 N Tampa St. out of the current Nature's Table location, just around the corner from its OG downtown restaurant that closed in late 2022. The upcoming First Watch is slated to debut this fall. Bamboozle and the Dohring building in early 2023. The property’s new owners, Kolter Urban, paid a collective $11.64 million for the various parcels and is in the process of constructing the One Tampa condo building along the 500 block of N Tampa Street.First Watch is known for its health-oriented plates, which range from traditional omelets, a variety of Benedicts, pancakes and its prized “million dollar bacon” to lunch options like club sandwiches and chopped salads. Brunch cocktails, coffee and freshly-squeezed juices are on the menu, too. The Bradenton-based franchise operates more than 500 locations throughout the Southeast and Midwest, including roughly 30 restaurants in the greater Tampa Bay area alone. 400 N Tampa St., Tampa. firstwatch.com
Events
Pinellas Pepper Fest Each spring for the past 17 years, lovers of spice (and heartburn) take over England Brothers Park for the annual Pinellas Pepper Fest, a two-day celebration of fiery eating competitions, local hot sauce vendors, food trucks, live music and more. Spicy competitions include its Lolli Lick-A-Thon, where heat-seekers take on the “world’s hottest lollipop,” and a jalepeño pepper eating contest, while folks can take some of their own spice home via locally-made hot sauces, seasonings, spice rubs and salsas. Organizers describe the Pinellas Pepper Fest as a “painfully delicious, hot n’ spicy food show that’s big on flavor and cooked up to be one of the hottest events of the season.” And if your spice tolerance caps at black pepper, don’t fret, because this foodie fest has a wide variety of non-spicy eats, from tacos and smoothies to ice cream, sandwiches and boba teas. This annual event is both kid and pet-friendly, but just make sure they’re not eating any stray jalapeños that may have fallen on the ground. There’s no cover for the 17th Annual Pinellas Pepper Fest happening Saturday-Sunday, April 13-14 at England Brothers in Pinellas Park. 5010 81st Ave N, Pinellas Park. @PinellasPepperFest on Facebook ICYMI
South Tampa’s Streetlight Taco earns Bib Gourmand in 2024 Michelin Guide The 2024 Florida Michelin Guide won’t be unveiled until next Thursday when Tampa hosts its first ever star ceremony, but the inspectors gave the food scene an amuse bouche earlier this week. Michelin says four restaurants earned their first Bib Gourmand in the 2024 Florida Guide, including South Tampa’s Streetlight Taco. Located at 4004 Henderson Blvd., Streetlight finds Executive Chef Michael Brannock tapping into his travels throughout Mexico in presenting a menu that leans on traditional cooking techniques found in restaurants, homes and street food stalls throughout Mexico. The guide had this to say about Streetlight Taco: “This South Tampa taqueria certainly ups the style quotient on the typical taqueria. From the black-painted, exposed ductwork to the tables lacquered with Mexican comics to the open kitchen, this fast casual spot delivers on contemporary flair, and Chef Michael Brannock’s food isn't pulling any punches, either.”As previously reported, Streetlight Taco's partners include Jack Murray and Nick Reader, who are also the managing partners of Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Rocca.
While Tampa hosts its first Michelin star ceremony this month, the local food scene wonders: what's next? It’s been 100 or so years since the Michelin guide started recommending restaurants to newly-mobile travelers across France, and its evolution from small tire company to worldwide dining authority has steadily spread across the globe since. While the prestigious guide has taken a century and some change to arrive in the Sunshine State, its beloved ranking system doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Only in its third year in Florida, the Michelin guide’s relationship with our restaurant industry appears to be in its infancy. On Thursday, April 18, for the first time in the city’s history, Tampa will host Florida’s Michelin ceremony, where the newest wave of restaurants will earn one of the most sought after—and sometimes controversial—accolades of their industry and join the exclusive club of about 200 Michelin-starred concepts in the U.S. In 2022, Michelin's first ever Sunshine State guide saw Tampa restaurants earn zero stars, three Bib Gourmands and a handful of “recommended” designations. Three Tampa restaurants—Koya, Rocca and Lilac—received the Tampa Bay area's very first stars last year. With the ceremony arriving next week, and the whole Michelin thing starting to feel normal, local food scene watchers may all be wondering: what's next? While the continuation of Michelin’s relationship with the state of Florida is contingent on various destination marketing organizations (aka DMOs) or tourism boards—which partially fund the guide’s establishment in newly-acquired areas—Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Tampa Bay, Patrick Harrison, says as far as he knows, the Michelin guide will have an indefinite presence here in Tampa and beyond.
Tarpon Springs Castle Winery is now for sale
A fully-operational winery is now on the market in downtown Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs Castle Winery, located at 320 E Tarpon Ave., just hit the market for $1.2 million. The sale includes the building, business and land, which features winery equipment, a bottling room, a tasting room, and a 1,150 square-foot owners’ suite with full kitchen and bath, according to the listing. The winery, which is being listed by Deanna Sapp Phillips of Century 21 Coastal Alliance, previously hit the market in 2018 for $928,000.
Here's how Barstool boss Dave Portnoy ranked Tampa Bay pizza spots
Last month, infamous Barstool Sports empire builder Dave Portnoy had eyes across Tampa Bay on him, as he brought his “One Bite Pizza Reviews” to more than a dozen local shops. For the uninitiated, the series finds the 47-year-old ordering a cheese pie and actually taking several bites before rating the pizza on a scale of 1-10, decimals and all. Not a polished food critic by any means (“football pizza” is one of his favorite descriptors, meaning he would it during a game), Portnoy in and out of these spots pretty quickly, although sometimes he attracts a crowd. A controversial figure who’s spouted anti-union rhetoric, and faced sexual assault allegations (which he’s denied), Portnoy serves the reviews up to more than 1.26 million subscribers on YouTube alone.
He’s keenly aware of the influence and never trashes a place, but he’s quick to heap praise on places he likes, including Forbici in Tampa’s Hyde Park Village, St. Pete’s Violet Stone, Clearwater’s Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza, and the Nona Slice House in Safety Harbor, which topped the heap of 22 shops One Bite Pizza last month. Have a look at the rankings, with a little commentary from Portnoy, below.
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