CL regularly presents focused listings of the best dining options in Tampa Bay's neighborhoods. This week we're giving you a guide to some of the newer spots in Tampa Bay that are worth a visit.
ALESIA RESTAURANT 7204 Central Ave., St. Pete, 727-345-9701, alesiarestaurant.com. Focused on casual French and Vietnamese cuisine, Alesia serves refined comfort food paired with a wine list packed with inexpensive but fantastic wines, and prices that belie the quality of the experience. The result is the kind of restaurant that you can eat at on date night, visit a half dozen times a week for basic sustenance, or take the family to for a big meal, all without stressing your wallet or compromising your desire for incredible food.
BAR-B-Q QUEEN 1621A Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater, 727-408-5289, bar-b-q-queen.com. Phillis, the "Bar-B-Q Queen," opened this Southern style barbecue joint to pay homage to her late mother, the "Bar-B-Q Diva," whose dream was to open a bona fide barbecue restaurant. Serving up ribs, chicken, pulled pork, smoked collards, baked beans and more. Be sure to try one of her famous cakes, from Red Velvet to "Better Than Sex." or a mini sweet potato or pecan pie.
BISTRO BLEU 2402 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-514-0691, bistrobleutampa.com. Despite the name and change of locale, Bistro Bleu (formerly NoHo Bistro on North Armenia Ave.) still serves up elegant New American cuisine for lunch and dinner and offers impressive wine and craft beer lists.
DOONERS 21 Third St. N, St. Pete, 727-623-4848, doonersus.com. An odd mix of cultures, serving fresh, made-to-order German- and Mediterranean-inspired salads and sandwiches. Located in the spot formerly occupied by Athenian Garden.
FRESHLEY'S CAFE 5420 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-361-8190, freshleyscafe.com. Move over, Taco Bus, there's a new food truck in town. Owned and operated by three generations of women — grandmother Karen, daughter Jackie and granddaughter and chef Ashley — Freshley's offers breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday out of a refurbished Airstream trailer in their permanent location at the northwest corner of Florida and Hillsborough Avenues.. Their healthy options include turkey sausage, banana wheat pancakes, an egg white frittata and grilled fish tacos.
JONNY RENO'S 800 Second Ave. NE, St. Pete, 727-896-SURF. The newest restaurant to open in The Pier (in a long while), Jonny Reno's is a "Florida-Cali-Hawaiian Board"-themed restaurant with an array of fresh seafood dishes (including grouper) and just about everything else you'd find at a beachside eatery in Tampa Bay. Entertainment includes live bands and salsa dancing on the weekends and "Sunday Funday" paddle board socials.
KURDI'S FRESH MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 777 N. Ashley Drive, Unit B, Tampa, 813-223-5800, kurdisgrill.com. A "quick casual eating establishment," located in the bottom of the Skypoint building, offering Mediterranean fare consisting of salads, kebob, shawrmas and pita sandwiches with marinated, charbroiled meats and lots of fresh veggies.
MICHELLE FAEDO'S ON THE GO Manhattan Ave. and Gandy Blvd., Tampa, 813-784-6933, facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Faedos-On-The-Go. After announcing the closing of her shop in East Tampa last May, Michelle Faedo is taking her famous devil crabs (and hopefully Cuban sandwiches) and going mobile. She opened for business on Aug. 8 at 10 a.m. and can be found on the corner of Manhattan Ave. and Gandy Boulevard in Tampa. Keep an eye on her Facebook page for updates.
PANKO 528 Oakfield Drive, Brandon, 813-655-4400, pankoonline.com. A "gourmet" fast food restaurant with a variety of burger, sandwich and salad options made-to-order with fresh ingredients (at surprisingly low prices). They pride themselves on their cut-and-fried-to-order french fries.
RUMBERO'S BISTRO (call or see website or Twitter feed for times and locations), 813-298-4436, rumberosbistro.com. Serving "Puerto Rican food on-the-go" at various locations in Brandon and Riverview, with offerings like empanadas, mofongo (fried plantain balls) and alcapurria (green banana patties) stuffed with meat, tostones and fried plantains.
T AND ME TEA COMPANY 2908 1/2 Beach Blvd. S, Gulfport, 727-331-5253, tandmeteaco.com. The new kid on the block in downtown Gulfport, T and Me is a cafe that specializes in loose-leaf teas from around the world, available loose or brewed. Their signature drink is the "Frost Tea": a freshly brewed tea slushy. Also serving a variety of light bites including spring rolls, rice bowls, crepes and frittata.
WESTY GRILLE & PUB 7220 Central Ave., St. Pete, 727-498-6540, thewesty.com. Sporting the basic look and layout of a typical neighborhood bar, Westy serves a mix of fancier fare — like bacon-wrapped dates and flank steak with Bearnaise sauce — pub grub and seafood dishes with a dozen or so taps of craft brews.
WICKED 'WICHES TRUCK South Tampa area, 813-369-9120, wickedwiches.com. Yet another new food truck on the Tampa scene, this one specializes in sandwiches (go figure) in every form — traditional, open-faced, panini, "kota" style (hollowed out South African bread) — and fashion — American, barbecue, Moroccan, Italian, Thai, etc. Check out their Facebook and Twitter feeds to track them down.
YUMMY HOUSE CHINA BISTRO 2620 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-237-3838. The new sibling of the original on Waters Avenue, this Yummy House offers the same menu of Chinese delights plus dim sum dishes. And of course, the favorite Salt and Pepper Calamari is still on the menu.
This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.