St. Petersburg’s The Spot Grill, known previously for its bar food staples like burgers and wings, debuted a revamped menu and new décor Friday. The Spot now serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and a special Sunday brunch.
“We churched it up a bit,” says owner and chef Ben Harris. “We were just another burger joint.”
Harris took over The Spot last July after the previous owner decided to sell (Harris had worked for the previous owner as a cook).
Breakfast includes coffee and espresso, homemade muffins, and heartier items like Sriracha-crusted molasses chicken and blueberry waffles. For vegans, there’s even a hash made with sweet potato hash browns smothered in wild mushrooms, peppers, onions and vegetable gravy.
For lunch, try the Spotter, an Angus burger with sautéed onions, peppers, bacon, guacamole, and spicy ranch. Or go for the Huntsman, grilled and sliced filet mignonette served with onions and melted provolone on a hoagie.
For dinner, there are small plates like grilled asparagus with garlic-toasted ciabatta bread, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. For the hungry man, opt for beef tenderloin medallions with grilled shrimp, lump crabmeat, and horseradish sauce.
Brunch features dishes like polenta with shrimp or sausage, and hash with duck meat and potatoes. Florida Beer Company brews are now available in bottle or on tap.
Harris recently teamed up with new partners Aaron and Jackie Long. That partnership allowed for a new menu, and the opening of Harris’s downtown bar, The Shelter.
Housed in the old Sake Bomb spot, The Shelter opened about a month ago. Renovations there are also underway with six taps featuring Florida Beer Company brews and other local ales. Horror films are on an all-night loop, with DJs on the weekends. Harris plans to expand the bar and obtain a full liquor license for the establishment in the coming months. The Spot, 1437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. The Shelter, 187 Ninth St. N, St. Petersburg.—Daniel Figueroa IV
In October, the former World of Beer on north Fourth Street reopened as Social. The bar features handmade cocktails, beer, and wine. Last week, the Social debuted a new menu touting “all local and all organic” ingredients.
“We source 90 percent locally and all of our vegetables and meats [are] local and organic,” the Social announced on its Facebook page last Wednesday. Some of the items featured include the roasted goat flatbread with eggplant, sunflower shoots, and locally made goat cheese. Chef Melissa Taylor even concocted a Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale Cheesecake with Cigar City Brewery beer. Social, 5226 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-525-4589.—Arielle Stevenson
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2013.