BEST PLACE TO BUY RIPE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Whaley´s Food Market
I get awfully tired of Publix (or insert any major grocery store chain here) and their hard fruits and vegetables tasting more of cardboard than apples, tomatoes or avocados. It´s no wonder so many people feel compelled to avoid fresh veggies. Luckily, Whaley´s cares about taste. Each week, I walk into the unflashy digs of Whaley´s Market, where I smell a peach and it smells — omigod — like peach. Not just peach, but a ripe, perfectly soft, fragrant peach. The way nature intended it. If it´s in season, Whaley´s has it, and it´s ready to eat.
Whaley´s Market, 533 S. Howard Ave., Suite 4, 813-254-2904.
BEST UNDERAPPRECIATED SCENE IN TAMPA BAY BY SOUTH TAMPA SNOBS
Downtown St. Pete
I mention going over the bridge to some of my more bridge travel-averse compatriots, and they shrink in horror: ¨You mean … LEAVE South Tampa?¨ I began exploring St. Pete when my ¨circle of influence¨ began reaching over yonder a few years ago. I loved Grand Finale (R.I.P.), enjoyed Ambrosia (also R.I.P.), and now admire Café Alma. How cool is it that your evening can be filled with great, innovative wines by the glass at A Taste For Wine, tasty grub like mussels in garlic Dijon broth at Café Alma and live music at Jannus Landing … all without reaching for your car keys. It´s truly urban living, with a funky, artsy feel that Hyde Park can only envy.
BEST PLACE TO MAKE OUT
The Balcony at Tampa Theatre
It´s dark, you´re lounging under the fake, twinkling stars, and you´re hand-in-hand with your honey. In between scenes of the latest art flick or indie film, sneak a kiss and a snuggle with no guilt. Around you is the best, most romantic movie theater Tampa has to offer, so take advantage of your surroundings.
Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-274-8982, www.tampatheatre.org.
BEST POOL HALL
West Coast Billiards
A friend of mine spread the gospel about this pool mecca about a year ago and I´ve been an addict ever since. It kinda falls in between dive bar and fancy joint, since it´s clean yet still has the interesting, nefarious characters who mill around clutching Miller tall boys. The regulation-size tables are immaculate, no beer stains or cigarette burns, and you have plenty of room to shoot. Cheap hourly rates of $3.30 per person after 6 p.m., $2.90 before.
West Coast Billiards, 6801 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-521-4344.
BEST PLATE OF FOOD IF SOMEONE ELSE IS BUYING
Anything at Salt Rock Grill
It´s amazing when you bite into something and your toes curl. Doesn´t happen at many places, but when it does, it makes a lasting impression that you crave like crack. When I need a fix, I hotfoot to Salt Rock Grill. Best of show on its menu: Rack of Lamb, Pan Seared Tuna, and the Chimichurri Pork Tenderloin. Damn, I´m drooling.
Salt Rock Grill, 19235 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores, 727-593-7625.
BEST PLACE TO SEE A CONCERT
Jannus Landing
I hate to be predictable and love Jannus Landing like everyone else, but I do. Sweating in the heat doesn´t seem to suck as much at Jannus, since you fall into music nirvana with 1,500 other moving, sweating bodies around you. The beer is cheap, the tickets are affordable and the dancing room plentiful.
Jannus Landing, 220 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 813-896-2276, www.jannuslanding.net.
BEST PLACE TO BUY PET FOOD
Pet Supermarket
It ain´t fancy; it´s a down-and-dirty kinda pet store. Various displays clutter the floor and it´s hard to navigate, but they have the best deals on cat food I´ve found besides Sam´s. The sales people are really helpful and always have that ¨I´m so happy to be here¨ attitude which hurts when you´re painfully hung-over on a Saturday morning. And, if you´re looking for tactile pleasures, they have fluffy bunnies and hamsters you can play with if you ask nice.
Pet Supermarket, 2330 N. Dale Mabry, Tampa, 813-877-5550, and several other locations throughout the Bay area.
BEST DRAFT BEER SELECTION
Bar Louie
When I walk into Bar Louie, I freakily forget about wine. The extensive galley of beer taps offers so much selection you feel like a schmuck even thinking about wine. Luckily for this fancy beer novice, the bartenders know how to navigate the 48 draft choices, holding your hand when your beer vocabulary doesn´t sneak outside of Mich Ultra.
Bar Louie, International Plaza, 2223 West Shore Blvd. N., Tampa, 813-874-1919.
BEST RESTAURANT THAT HAS WEATHERED MANY, MANY STORMS
Wine Exchange
Not sure how Wine Exchange´s Dave Tyler did it, but he has survived 14 years in Hyde Park Village. The restaurant opened when the village blossomed, and hasn´t jumped off the island and moved to the fancy, generic digs at International Plaza like the rest of the village tribe. Wine Exchange stayed hip, pouring wine when wine wasn´t cool, and serving baked brie long before it became trés chic. Thankfully, it thrives on regulars like myself who keep coming back for more, year after year. Keep it up Dave; I´m a fan.
Wine Exchange, 1611 Swann Ave. W., Tampa, 813-254-9463.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.