Buddha Lounge
3 stars
1430 E Seventh Ave., Tampa, 813-242-0400 or buddhaloungetampa.com.
When you hear that a place called Buddha Lounge is opening in Ybor City, it creates certain expectations. Restaurants, clubs and bars have been referencing the pudgy, spiritual soul of temperance for over a decade in places like Philadelphia, New York and Las Vegas, linked by similar design schemes devoted to plush, chic interiors accented by monumental statues of the spiritual man overlooking the crowd. Temples to luxurious surroundings, elegant food and cocktail lists that tend to reference the Buddha's joyous excess in his early years more than his famed later restraint.
And, at first glance, Buddha Lounge is a reflection of those bigger businesses around the country. The long, shotgun space at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 15th Street is beautiful, luxurious even, with rich gold, black, red and brown comfortably meshed together in accents and on painted walls. An overstuffed leather banquette covered in scattered pillows lines one side, backed by windows covered in sheer fabric. There's a small sushi bar in front, with a regular bar in back. Black tablecloths. Attractive waiters. It fits the bill, until you get to the food.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2010.