Eclectic. Yes, let's call Taste Cafe — located in the three quaint downtown blocks of Safety Harbor — eclectic. You could also call this restaurant, which has received a surprising amount of buzz for a neighborhood spot in northern Pinellas, muddled, chaotic or unfocused, depending on your mood.
Taste serves three meals a day, starting with simple coffee and pastries at breakfast (plus a Sunday brunch), sandwiches and salads at lunch, and an oddly varied selection of tapas and entrees at dinner. There's also an extensive array of baked goods, a few beers on tap, and a small selection of wine by the glass and bottle.
Tables range from a massive high-top that dominates the center of the room to a cozy bar area, along with outdoor seating on Main Street's sidewalk. Look at the walls and you'll see modern paintings hung on metal latticework. Look toward the back and half-empty boxes of ingredients and drinks spill out into the dining room. Look to the counter and bins of Dum-Dum lollipops vie for space with a mish mash of cafe goods. Eclectic? Chaotic? I guess it depends on the time of day.
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2010.