Not many outstanding restaurants opened up this year, so Café Anna had the category all to itself. Only recently did the former chef of The Palm, David Crusoe, go out on that proverbial limb and open his own place with partner Louie Bevilacqua. Owning a restaurant was a lifelong dream for Crusoe, and he named Café Anna after his daughter. His adoring Palm public has followed him to his new South West Shore home, where he wows everyone who arrives. And he´s not just grilling steaks either. Seafood items like red snapper, ahi tuna, and shrimp and crawfish cakes pepper the menu, listed along with Cajun flatiron steak and sun-dried tomato and olive alfredo. Taste the duck quesadillas and you´ll become a Crusoe groupie too. An urbane New York atmosphere (complete with cool lounge music), chewy pretzel bread and a remarkable wine list add an edge to the traditionally boring café experience. In a word, Café Anna embodies the reason independent restaurants should be supported: passion.
Café Anna, 3671 S. West Shore Blvd., Tampa, 813-514-2662, www.cafeanna.net
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.