Where do you go for lunch?
A random sampling of Tampa Bay artists, journalists, chefs and other dedicated eaters produced a wide range of answers to The Question, from decisive to discursive to downright surprising. See if you share their tastes; we've added contact and address info after each email excerpt so you can investigate for yourself.
Hana Cowart, Tampa Bay foodie: "If I'm grabbing lunch during the work day, it's at La Yucateca in Largo. It's a taco stand the size of a cubicle with great food served quickly enough that I can get back to my cubicle. I normally get their tacos or a torta." La Yucateca, northeast corner of Starkey and Ulmerton roads, Largo, 727-459-6093. 930 a.m.-4 p.m.
David Jenkins, Artistic Director, Jobsite Theater: "Taqueria Monterrey is a no-brainer, boasting the same great quality we've come to expect from Taco Bus coupled with the best salsa bar in town. Taste of India is a new favorite… including the most diverse set of offerings I've ever seen at an Indian buffet… The New World Brewery's Weigh-Yer-Plate BBQ Lunch (W-F) is one I wish I could enjoy on a weekend afternoon, you know, with beer in hand, but since I am usually working later in the day they're nice enough to pump me full of Diet Coke while I enjoy the Smoked Bird along with whatever other surprises they have in store for my belly." Taqueria Monterrey, 2320 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa, 813-977-6808, taqueriamonterrey.com; Taste of India, 1241 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-341-8100; New World Brewery, 1313 E. Eighth Ave., Tampa, 813-248-4969, newworldbrewery.net.
Janet Keeler, Food & Travel Editor, St. Petersburg Times: "When I am eating lunch in downtown St. Pete, I like to go to Red Mesa Cantina for the duck tacos. They make their own corn tortillas and the duck meat is garnished with tangy goat cheese and little bits of red chili jelly. I splurge on the chips and their awesome guacamole, too. When I want to drive, I head up Fourth Street N. to Harvey's 4th Street Grill. It's sort of a Northeast neighborhood hangout and it's not uncommon to spot a former mayor or two eating there. I love Harvey's chili. It has a sweet tinge to it; very red. I always get it with cheese and onions. I usually order the red-eye chicken salad. It's sort of like Buffalo chicken bites over a mound of ice-cold iceberg with lots of shredded Cheddar plus red onions and tomato wedges. Harvey's blue cheese dressing is excellent — very chunky." Red Mesa Cantina, 128 Third St. S, St. Petersburg, 727-896-6372, redmesacantina.com; Harvey's 4th Street Grill, 3121 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-821-6516, harveys4thstreetgrill.com.
Okie Tilo, Marketing Director, The RITZ Ybor, Director, Square One Creative: "My two favorite lunch spots are Bamboozle Cafe (downtown) and Da-Kine Hawaiian Cafe (Palma Ceia). Excellent food quality and abundance of menu variety aside, both offer food selections that cannot be found or duplicated around Tampa. And coming from someone who never fails in stuffing his face silly when dining, I absolutely love that I never leave those two places feeling uncomfortably full." Bamboozle Cafe, 516 N. Tampa St., Tampa, 813-223-7320, bamboozlecafe.com; Da-Kine Hawaiian Cafe, 3316 S. Dale Mabry, Tampa, 813-531-3035.
Jeff Houck, Food Writer, Tampa Tribune: "Favorite lunch spot — West Tampa Sandwich Shop." 3904 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa, 813-873-7104, westtampasandwichshop.com.
Todd Sturtz, Tampa Bay foodie: "Favorite lunch spot — Pane Rustica." 3225 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-902-8828, panerusticabakery.com.
Adam Richards, USF senior, CL intern: "I live in Temple Terrace and my first choice would be Taqueria Monterrey on Fletcher… I can't stop ordering the taco/quesadilla with pork, steak, avocados and pineapple. My second choice would be Noodle N' Thai, which is right beside Monterrey. It is family-owned and the service is great. I think they have the best Pad See Ew in town. The price is fair, too." Noodle N' Thai, 2602 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa, 813-971-8999, tampanoodles.com.
Tracy Midulla Reller, Creative Director, Tempus Projects: It's always a tossup between breakfast-for-lunch at Nicko's — basted eggs, dry English muffin and crispy hash browns (yum)! Or The Independent for veggie BLT and mixed green salad (amazing)." Nicko's Fine Foods, 4603 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-234-9301; The Independent Bar and Cafe, 5016 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, 813-341-4883, independenttampa.com.
Michelle Baker of The Refinery (on behalf of Chef Greg): "Greg has four places that he frequents for lunch a LOT. Pho An Hoa on Waters Ave. (he's there every Monday), The Independent in Seminole Heights, Cafe Dufrain on Harbour Island and The Bricks of Ybor. Favorites: Any of the pho and pork & eggroll bun at Pho an Hoa; The Cure at The Bricks; Pear Grilled Cheese at Indy." Pho An Hoa, 1420 W. Waters Ave., Tampa, 813-931-8380; Cafe Dufrain, 707 Harbour Post Drive, Tampa, 813-275-9701, cafedufrain.com; The Bricks of Ybor, 1327 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa, 813-247-1785, thebricksybor.com.
Lily Reisman, CL Sales & Marketing Coordinator: Last year when I worked from home my two favorite places in St. Pete were Central Cafe & Organics and Moon Under Water. Central Cafe has a jerk chicken salad that is DELICIOSO! I would always add feta and onions to it. It's a bit pricey at $10 and change, but could easily be two meals… I would go to Moon Under Water for tofu curry, a good selection of beer, and to sit outside on Beach Drive." Central Cafe & Organics, 243 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-824-0881, centralcafeandorganics.com; The Moon Under Water, 332 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, 727-896-6160, themoonunderwater.com.
Tara Schroeder, Promotions Manager, Tampa Theatre: "While I most often bring my lunch, I splurge on eating out to catch up with friends. There are lots of places downtown that I love for different reasons. Fresh and Paninoteca for the salads. Eddie & Sam's and Pizzaiolo for the pizza. Also adore Sono at TMA — outdoor noshing on the terrace overlooking the river + aprés-lunch walk through the museum or park = mini vacay during the workday." Fresh, 507 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-229-5500, eatfreshdaily.com; Paninoteca Mediterranean Cafe, 519 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-341-2525, paninotecacafe.com; Eddie & Sam's, 203 E. Twiggs St., Tampa, 813-229-8500, eddieandsamspizza.com; Pizzaiolo Bavaro, 514 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-868-4440, pizzaiolobavaro.com; Sono Café, Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, 813-421-8367., tampamuseum.org/information/cafe.
Joran Oppelt, CL Marketing & Promotions Director: "My favorite lunch spot is El Puerto. The service always sucks so bad, but the food is so worth the wait." El Puerto Restaurant & Grill, 1623 E. Fifth Ave., Tampa, 813-248-8222, elpuertoybor.com.
Lissette Campos, Director of Community Affairs, WFTS-TV ABC Action News: "I love Biff Burgers and Buffy's BBQ in St. Pete — the ribs are out of this world and the hamburgers are heavenly! Near the TV station, I run over to Amarilly's Café on Tampa Bay Boulevard as often as I can for their café con leche, guava pastelitos and Tamal en casuela!" Biff Burger & Buffy's BBQ, 3939 49th St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-527-5297, biffburgers.com; Amarilly's Sandwiches & More, 3413 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa, 813-443-0904.
Daniel Cura, USF senior, CL Receptionist: "My favorite spot for lunch is at Larry's Deli in Land O' Lakes. Honestly, they have the best Cuban sandwiches I've ever had and that says a lot coming from a Cuban kid who grew up in West Tampa. It beats the pants off of any Cuban I've tried thus far in Ybor City. It is not a sit-down restaurant. It is set up like your typical deli/small grocery store. It is nice, though, because it is on a lake and they have tables in the back to enjoy your lunch on the water." Larry's Deli & Sandwich Shop, 4526 Land O' Lakes Blvd., Land O' Lakes, 813-996-3976.
Tom Scherberger, Senior Editor/Breaking News, Food and Entertainment Writer, SP Times: "Lately I've been going to the new Pipo's on Central Avenue. Their Cuban sandwiches are good, and the roast pork is terrific (but nap-inducing, since I usually get black beans and rice with it). I also like the new Moscato's in the same block; they bake killer bread for sandwiches and their pastas are fresh and made in-house. I also like the chicken pizza at Buona Vita on 1st Ave. S…. The other day went to the Shubee Shack in North Redington for the fried crab balls. The owner is from Maryland and he knows the key to good crab balls (or crab cakes) is lots of crab and not much else… In Tampa I really like Sono Cafe's paninis (since they are a block from our office there). And on the rare occasion I am over there on the weekend, Pane Rustica never fails to impress." Pipo's, 437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-823-7476, pipos1979.com; Moscato's Bella Cucina Italian Cafe and Espresso Bar, 449 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-322-4313; Buona Vita, 330 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, 727-823-2100; Shubee Shack, 91 171st Ave., N. Redington Beach, 727-329-8821.
Holley Sinn, host of Studio 10, WTSP Channel 10: "For lunch, I love Bowled. It's right up Fourth Street — a quick drive from Channel 10, and the service is always super speedy… I really appreciate their sense of urgency. Plus, they have a vegan bowl that is to-die-for, and their daily specials are always great. On weekends, I love to sit outside at Gatsby's in downtown St. Pete and enjoy their hummus plate and a frosty glass of something….relaxing. I'm also partial to Sweet Sage on Redington Beach (also FABULOUS for brunch, and you can bring your dog!). I highly recommend their egg salad stuffed tomato!" Bowled, 3451 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-895-2695. bowledrestaurant.com; Gatsby's, 340 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, 727-896-1080; Sweet Sage Cafe, 16725 Gulf Blvd., N. Redington Beach, 727-391-0453, sweetsagecafe.com.
Peter Schorsch, St. Petersblog: "When I lunch, and I am not lunching for myself to explore a new place, you'll find me somewhere on Beach Drive for sure, most often Cassis or Bella Brava. Most of my friends in politics would probably also say, when St. Pete's politicos power lunch, it is often at those two restaurants." Cassis American Brasserie, 170 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, 727-827-2927, cassisab.com; Bella Brava, 204 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, 727-895-5515, bellabrava.com.
Jim Webster, Restaurant Critic, SP Times: "My favorite lunch used to be a cup of the mushroom bisque followed by the beet and goat cheese salad at Cafe Ponte. I would have that multiple times per month before he took the salad off the menu. But I still drop in for lunch now and then, even without the beets and goat cheese. It's in my general neighborhood, and as much as I like splurging for dinner there, the prices at lunch are a steal. Since I took this job, I don't have a chance to frequent too many places, but one of my favorite lunch spots that I've found is Serendipity Cafe on Main Street in Dunedin. It is dedicated gluten-free, and despite the fact that it is reportedly healthy, all the food I have had there is quite good. It's simple, but good. Kim Mohr, the owner, uses brown rice tortillas for her wraps, which had me pretty skeptical before I tried it. If I lived closer to Dunedin, I'd be there often. Another place I reviewed that I still sneak back to for lunch now and then is Senor Taco on Park Blvd. in Pinellas Park. The carnitas and the chorizo were my favorite tacos there." Cafe Ponte, 13505 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, 727-538-5768, cafeponte.com; Serendipity Cafe, 664 Main St., Dunedin, 727-483-9233; Senor Taco, 5447 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park, 727-289-7080.
Rommie Johnson, Foodie About Town: "When I first started working in downtown Tampa, the only question at noon was whether I'd have the club sandwich from the deli down the street or the club sandwich from the other deli around the corner. It's exciting how much the downtown culinary landscape has changed since then… I love Bamboozle, L'Eden and Paninoteca, but if I had to pick one spot, it would probably be Cafe Hey. They have WiFi, their coffee and tea selection is pretty unbeatable and the Ric Ross (Black Forest ham, jalapeno-jack cheese and sweet pepper jelly) is a total SILF. Funny, huh? All these exotic new options and I go right back to the good ol' sandwich. As for the "fancy" places, I'm a big fan of Mise En Place's surprisingly affordable lunch menu. The Russ Alba (chicken breast, spinach and raspberry goat cheese mayo) is close to perfect and their fries might be the best in town." L'Eden, 500 N. Tampa St., Tampa, 813-221-4795; Cafe Hey, 1540 N. Franklin Ave., Tampa, 813-221-5150; Mise en Place, 442 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-254-5373, miseonline.com
This article appears in Jun 16-22, 2011.