The Independent
4 stars
5016 N Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-341-4884.
When the folks behind St. Pete’s iconic beer bar — The Independent — announced they’d be opening up an outpost in Seminole Heights, a lot of locals felt that it was about time. Not for the place to expand, per se, but just that Tampa’s pepretually up and coming bohemian neighborhood would finally have the kind of neighborhood beer bar that would suit Heights denizens. Add in the outdoor space under the roof of the converted old gas station, some clever seating built from stained two-by-fours in the interior, and the Independent’s wonderful selection of ever-changing taps and bottles, and you had a place that seemed destined for the Heights.
The only thing missing was food, something that the Independent’s mothership in downtown St. Pete never fussed with. Then, about a month ago, that changed. This Independent would have a menu, and it sounded promising — just a small selection of casual dishes designed more as beer accompaniment than dinner destination, a convenience for folks out for a beer who didn’t want to drive dow the stret to Ella’s or the Refinery for a nosh.
Who knew that this simple idea would result in one of the best examples of pub grub in the entire Bay area?
Well, Chris Tolan had an inkling. He’s the driving force behind the Independent’s menu, and he waxed poetic to me about his culinary dreams almost six months ago when he ran a miracle berry booth at CL’s Sensory Overload arts fest. At the time, I was intrigued. Then, when I saw the final menu recently, I was pleased but unexcited. It took a meal at the Independent, complete with the beer that’s the bar’s raison d’etre, to truly appreciate Tolan's vision.
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2010.