New dim sum debuts in Tampa, St. Pete’s first Whole Foods is about to pop, and more local food news

Grand Fortune A new dim sum-focused restaurant just made its debut in North Tampa, and its massive menu and dining room may set it apart from the dozens of other Chinese restaurants throughout the Bay area. Grand Fortune soft opened at 1104 E Fowler Ave. earlier this week and is now open daily for lunch and dinner service. Located in the same plaza that houses MD Oriental and Boil Spot Hot Pot and BBQ, the concept's large dining room boasts about 20 tables, a stage for performances, tanks filled with live seafood and a few private rooms that are still under construction. Folks can indulge in Grand Fortune’s regular menu of family-style entrees like Mai Fun noodles, salt and pepper shrimp, roasted Peking duck and sweet and sour spare ribs or opt for traditional dim sum service where a variety of dumplings, steamed buns and other small plates are wheeled from table to table on carts. 1104 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. Grandfortunetampa.com

Dave’s Hot Chicken Last summer, Dave's Hot Chicken opened its first Tampa location near the University of South Florida, and now the popular West Coast poultry chain is ready to double down on the area. Dave's second Tampa location will debut this Friday, Feb. 2, at 2961 N Dale Mabry Hwy. The new outpost will be open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m, and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-midnight. For the unfamiliar, the main event at Dave's are the hot chicken tenders—which range from "no spice" to the fiery red "reaper" level. The menu also includes fries, kale slaw, mac and cheese, and a variety of milkshakes. Outside of Tampa, there are just three other Dave's Hot Chicken locations in Florida, with spots in Orlando, Lake Mary and Altamonte Springs. 2961 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa.daveshotchicken.com

Five Bucks Drinkery Seminole’s newest bar—5 Bucks Drinkery's third location in Tampa Bay—made its debut at 7498 Seminole Blvd. out of the former Sea Hags Bar & Grill earlier this week and the new bar and restaurant was met with droves of soon-to-be regulars and folks that live in the neighborhood. Like its newly-opened sibling in Pinellas Park, Seminole's 5 Bucks offers a variety of beers, wines, seltzers, shots and craft cocktails alongside a menu of casual fare like burgers, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, loaded mac and cheeses, salads and more. 5 Bucks Drinkery is also known for its “Big A$$” 32-oz margaritas, mules and Long Island iced teas which shockingly used to be only $5 each. The 6,755 square-foot bar and restaurant features a massive, wraparound bar, a large dining room and patio, about 70 TVs, and tons of free parking spaces. Five Bucks’ third Tampa Bay location is now open from 11a.m.-1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.7498 Seminole Blvd., Seminole. fivebucksdrinkery.com

Coming Soon

St. Pete’s first Whole Foods Rumors of a Whole Foods coming to St. Petersburg have been floating around for over a decade, but now it appears one will finally open later this month. The new 40,100-square-foot location will officially debut in the Sunshine Plaza at 201 38th Ave. N on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 9 a.m., says the company in a press release. The grand-opening festivities will include free coffee and breakfast bites, as well a free tote bag for the first 300 customers, and coupon books with up to $100 worth of savings. The company says the new St. Pete store will feature over 800 locally-sourced goods, as well as full-service meat and seafood counters, an artisan cheese counter, a hot bar, a bakery, a "Whole Body" wellness and beauty department, and more. 201 38th Ave. N,St. Pete. wholefoodsmarket.com

Events

Brunched Day-drinkers and mimosa-lovers on both sides of the bridge are in a constant search of the best brunch in Tampa Bay, and one annual Creative Loafing event helps them find exactly that. The 2024 rendition of Creative Loafing's Brunched event—where we team up with local bars and restaurants to dish out breakfast samples and daytime cocktails—returns to the Tampa River Center ( 402 W Laurel St.) on Saturday, March 9 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Just a handful of local bars and restaurants participating in this year's Brunched include: Small Giant, The Brinehouse, Daily Eats, Raw Smoothie Co., Oystercatchers, Haiku, Baby Brisket and Elevage, with more concepts being announced soon. In addition to a wide variety of Brunch bites and both boozy and N/A sips—as well as access to live music—guests can also participate in the annual “Best Bloody Battle” by voting for their favorite rendition of the classic daytime cocktail. Brunchedtampabay.com ICYMI

Check out Visit Tampa Bay's new book, 'Tampa’s Table: A Culinary Evolution' No Tampa table is complete without the quintessential deviled crab which was first made popular with the city’s Cuban community. Thanks to a new book released this month, those ready to don their chef hats can make Six (stylized “SiX”) at JW Marriott’s deviled crab cakes recipe, a fusion of the Cuban deviled crab croquettes and Maryland’s traditional crab cakes. The instructions come from a collection of Tampa recipes in “Tampa’s Table: A Culinary Evolution.” It is the second volume of Visit Tampa Bay’s cookbook and features 52 Tampa restaurants and 54 different recipes interlaced with flavorful narratives of Tampa’s history and its gastronomic culture. The Bay area’s fishing communities offer recipes like shrimp and grits (Datz) and cobia collar (Rooster & the Till) while its Latin communities showcase paella (Columbia) and street corn, while each dish is imbued with cultural history. Other local staples in the collection include La Segunda's Palomilla steak, Ulele's okra fries, Boulon Brasserie's Best of the Bay-winning crab beignets, and Alessi's Italian wedding cookies.—Suzanne Williamson

National chain Duck Donuts recently opened its second Tampa Bay location at 14926 N Dale Mabry Hwy. in Carrollwood, and now dishes out out a variety of made-to-order doughnuts. Its menu boasts seasonal flavors like chocolate raspberry and "jelly lovers" PB&J alongside fan favorites including the meaty "bacon in the sun" and common options like cinnamon bun, coffee cake and French toast. Duck Donuts also offers breakfast sandwiches, coffees and milkshakes, and is now open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m every day.

Don't worry health freaks, St. Pete's debut Sweetgreen is still on track to open sometime in 2024, bringing its popular salads and bowls to the EDGE district. St. Pete Rising says that The 'Burg's debut Sweetgreen is slated to open this summer after many months of construction-related delays.

Local, fast-casual spot Greenlane recently announced a partnership with Mother Kombucha and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, in which 10% of sales from every  gut-healthy Trop Colada slushie will benefit the nonprofit's mission of trauma counseling and other types of mental health support. The salad-focused drive thru at 4495 W Gandy Blvd. plans to expand its local footprint with more locations throughout Tampa Bay this year.

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