Diner 437
3.5 stars
437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-822-4370
I freely admit that I'm a Domenica Macchia stalker. I first encountered this former Redwoods chef at MJ's Martinis and Tapas last year, when she wowed me and the rest of the Bay area food scene with her interesting and precise take on small-plate fine dining. Then, soon after the place opened, Macchia was fired by the owners of MJ's. And yes, I feel a little satisfaction that the jazz lounge/restaurant is now on a possibly permanent "hiatus" while it looks for a new location.
After a few months of looking, and some concern over her mortgage, Macchia hooked up with Dan Soronen — former owner of the Old Northeast Tavern — and concocted a gastropub menu for his soon-to-open Shackleton's Folly in south St. Pete. "Soon" became months, and finally Macchia left to find another new opportunity. Fortuitously, Greg Pugh — owner of Ringside Cafe — was interested in opening a new place. Fast. Diner 437 started slinging hash within a couple of weeks.
I love Macchia for her food, sure, but also for how she lays everything on the table when you talk to her, whether it's for a CL interview or just gabbing with strangers the counter at her new restaurant during a slow moment. She's frets — about herself, about her food, about the past and the future — and she's unabashedly candid about herself and her path to Diner 437. You can read all about it on CL's food blog.
The problem with love — familial and otherwise — is that it comes with expectations.
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2009.