Sazón, which used to cook up its Spanish-Caribbean fare at 6690 Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach, moved to the Kenwood area of St. Petersburg.
The building at 2924 Fifth Ave. N. is larger than the restaurant's previous, with art-adorned walls and white tablecloths. While lunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, dinner lasts from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
Each Sazón entrée — including shrimp and calamari stew in criolla sauce (tomato, onion, cilantro, peas) — is served with bread and two sides. Papas rellanas, Latin meatballs and mofongo are among the other menu items.
Those driving along Fourth Street North watched construction on Noble Crust, a Southern-inspired Italian joint, progress since last summer. The now-open eatery sits in a corner building at 8300 Fourth St. N., the former site of the landmark Hideaway bar and Haymarket Pub.
Run by founding partners John Mays and TJ Thielbar, industry vets who were part of Bonefish Grill's founding team, Noble Crust serves rotating offerings like sweet potato ravioli, braised short ribs and pimento cheese arancini (fried and stuffed rice balls).
The classic-Italian-with-a-twist dishes, headed by executive chef Rob Reinsmith, highlight local seasonal ingredients. There's a wood-burning oven for pizzas such as the "Sausage + Collards" with olives, Fresno chiles and more, too.
Casual yet refined, the restaurant features an open kitchen, a bar and an outdoor lounge-style patio. Draft beers, craft cocktails and wines on tap round off the beverage lineup.
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2015.