BEST HANGOUT
Malio's
He's a great guy. I've known him for 45 years, when he had the restaurant on Buffalo and since he moved over to Dale Mabry. Lotta friends. Good people. And they got good food. Very reasonable prices.
Malio's, 301 S. Dale Mabry, Tampa, 813-875-3927.
BEST PLACE FOR A QUIET DINNER WITH MY WIFE
There're a lot of places in Tampa to have a nice quiet dinner, depending on what kind of food you want to eat. I enjoy Fleming's. Another place we go to a lot is Iavarone's, Malio's brother's place. I like the Columbia. We go to few Italian restaurants in Palma Ceia. We go out a lot.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 4322 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa, 813-874-9463; Iavarone's Steak House and Italian Grill, 3617 Humphrey St. W., Tampa, 813-932-5241; Columbia Restaurant, 2117 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 813-248-4961.
BEST BEACH
The one that I live on: Redington Beach. It's quiet, very laid back. There's beautiful sand. Nice neighbors. I have a home on Redington Beach and live over in Avila.
BEST DAY TRIP
Longboat Key
I enjoy Longboat Key. A good friend of mine, Tony Gonzalez, has a home over there. We go over there and enjoy the day. Play a little golf, do a little fishin'. Walk around Longboat key and have dinner at a couple nice restaurants there. Long Boat Key is a real nice day trip.
BEST REASON TO GO TO A RAYS GAME
An evening with family, with friends, and to support the team to ensure that this'll be a successful and lasting franchise in the Bay area. You're gonna get a good effort from the players every night. Our inexperience and our greenness shows at times, and we still haven't won with the consistency that I'm sure we will here over the next few years, but you're gonna get your money's worth. The team plays hard every night.
BEST THING ABOUT TROPICANA FIELD
Air conditioning and the fact that you're not gonna get wet.
BEST REASONS TO MAKE TAMPA BAY HOME
It's come along, this area. You got the beaches, you got great restaurants. A very stable job market. Good educational system, you've got technology moving into the area and you've got the performing arts. Wonderful attractions like the zoo, Busch Gardens. You've got major league sports franchises. It's a great place to bring up a family. And it's relatively less expensive to live than a lot of areas in the country.
BEST PLAYER YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE ON THE RAYS
Alex Rodriguez (the Texas Rangers' $25-million-a-year shortstop).
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.