2.5 stars

401 E. Jackson St., Tampa, 813-412-5777

People have long lamented downtown Tampa's forlorn nighttime dining scene, but now that dinner is on a comeback thanks to places like Rawbar, what's next for urban dining? Jackson Street Bistro — a new spot recently opened in the SunTrust building by the owners of East Lake Cafe in Palm Harbor — might hold the answer.

Although casual downtown restaurant options have been on the rise over the past few years, there are few spots for a classy breakfast or lunch unless you want to head to a hotel. That may explain the sort of shocked surprise on my face the first time I stepped into Jackson Street Bistro. I expected a simple salad-and-sandwich cafe and found a place that was chic enough to be fine-dining, with a long bar, floor-to-ceiling windows and a nice outdoor courtyard. It was loud, the kitchen was in the weeds, and the servers were scrambling to stay ahead of the tide of people that mobbed the place. On a Tuesday. At noon.

One of the reasons for the crowd might be

This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2009.