Month: May 2016

Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill For Authentic Middle Eastern Cuisine!

Next month, Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill, located near the intersection of Cross Creek Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd., will celebrate one year in business. It’s been a good year for owner Bilal Saleh and his wife Abida, who created the recipes used at New Tampa’s most authentic Mediterranean restaurant.

Even so, Bilal admits, “Some people still don’t know we’re even here. I know if they do find us, they’ll keep coming back.”

It’s hard to argue with Bilal’s logic, as Zaytoun (which literally means “olive tree” in Arabic) already has a loyal following of people who enjoy authentic dishes of Syria, Lebanon and Greece prepared with the best and freshest ingredients, and with so many people eating healthier these days, “We have so many vegetarian and gluten-free choices here we know you’ll keep coming back.”

In fact, Bilal and Abida, who also runs two other local businesses (Florida Aesthetics and the Neuro Center), agree that although Zaytoun has attracted many of the Muslim people who live in New Tampa (the mosque the Salehs belong to is 1/3 of a mile north of Zaytoun on Morris Bridge Rd.), “most of our customers are not from the Middle East. They just like good food.”

A Few Of The Favorites…

ZMG_Fresh-Kebob-SandwichWEB — Fresh Kebob Sandwich

Of course, I always try to tell you about my favorite dishes at any of the restaurants I review, and I have quite a few at Zaytoun.

My favorite starters are the fattoush salad — which features romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, mint, sumac and extra virgin olive oil, topped with toasted pita chips — and the traditional Greek salad. You can add chicken, shrimp beef or kufta kabobs to any salad for $2.99-$3.99 and the salads themselves are only $4.99-$8.99.

I will say that Zaytoun’s homemade hummus might just be the best I’ve tasted, although I’m not usually the biggest fan. I’m also not usually the biggest fan of grape leaves, falafel, tabbouleh or baba ghanouj, but many of my Zaytoun-loving friends rave about all of them. There’s also two appetizer platters on the menu, one which combines salad, falafel, grape leaves, hummus, baba ghanouj, muhammara and tabbouleh (for $12.99) and the Zaytoun Sampler Platter ($16.99), which has yogurt salad, tabbouleh, grape leaves, hummus, fried kebbeh, muhammara and baba ghanouj.

There’s also two homemade soups on the menu — lentil soup and freekeh, which is an aromatic soup made with tender chicken, smoked green wheat and spices.

Zaytoun’s grilled entrées are definitely my favorites, especially the perfectly seasoned grilled lamb chops — which are soaked in lemon, garlic and extra virgin olive oil marinade and served with veggies and rice —and the Zaytoun mixed grill, which features grilled kufta (spiced ground beef and lamb) and tender beef and chicken shish kabobs.

ZMG_Fresh-Falafel-SandwichWEB — Fresh Falafel Sandwich

I also enjoy the chicken shawarma platter (the kabobs and shawarma are all available as sandwiches, too, rolled in fresh, warm pitas straight from the oven and served with Zaytoun’s special garlic sauce).

And, although I can’t eat the shrimp kabobs on the menu because of my shellfish allergy, Bilal says he has many customers asking for them — and for more seafood.

“We do have a wild-caught salmon special sometimes, when we get salmon we like,” says Bilal. “But, we’re very picky.”

Speaking of picky, Abida promises that although she isn’t at Zaytoun every day, she does go into the kitchen and sample different dishes every time she does come in, “just to make sure the quality is what we and our customers expect,” she says.

In addition to the puffy pitas, Zaytoun’s hand-crafted brick oven also creates some wonderful entrée pies. My favorite is the spinach pie, although I did also enjoy the sfeeha, or ground beef pie. I’ve yet to sample the feta cheese or zaatar (thyme) pies, but they look and smell wonderful as they go by at Zaytoun, and you can get a single piece of each baked pie in Zaytoun’s Pie Sampler for only $9.99.

Before we get to the decadent desserts, let me not forget to mention that Zaytoun also is known for its fresh mint lemonade — it’s like a mojito without the alcohol, since no alcohol is served at the restaurant.

I also really love Zaytoun’s hot tea and Nespresso-brand espresso drinks, especially the cappuccinos and lattes.

But, I really hope you’ll plan to save room for dessert at Zaytoun. The signature dessert is called knafeh, which is shredded dough which bakes up extra crisp, filled with a thick (and not overly sweet), homemade cream filling, sprinkled with chopped pistachios and drizzled with orange blossom syrup. Whatever you think it sounds like, to me, the knafeh is decadent, like the crispiest hash browns you ever had, but for dessert, stuffed with a cannoli-style cream. Awesome.

Please note that the knafeh takes 25-30 minutes to bake, so the servers all suggest ordering it when you order your meal, so it will be perfect when you’re ready for it.

I also rave about Zaytoun’s homemade baklava and the sticky, smooth cheese roll with cream also is very tasty.

So, stop in at Zaytoun and try a few of these great menu items. You may just end up letting them cater your next party or event.

For more information about Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill (10970 Cross Creek Blvd., behind Dunkin’ Donuts), call 345-2515, visit Zaytoun-Grill.com, or see the ad in our latest issue for some great coupon values. Zaytoun is open Mon.-Thur., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. and noon-9 p.m. on Sun.

Wharton’s Jared Bell Makes Class Valedictorian A Family Tradition

Jared Bell, the Class of 2016 valedictorian at Paul R. Wharton High has advice for those striving to finish at or near the top of their class.

Relax.

Have fun.

“Not too much fun,’’ he says. “But, don’t get too caught up in all the technical stuff and GPAs. It is important, but you should try to enjoy your time in high school, too.”

Sage advice from a guy who was following in the footsteps of his brother, 2014 class valedictorian Earl, and the son of two Wharton teachers — math teacher Dave and English reading teacher Diana Bell.

Pressure?

What pressure?

Jared, who will attend the University of Florida next year, finished high school with a 7.49 weighted grade point average.

“I didn’t really decide to be (class valedictorian), but after my freshman year I was first and my dad just said, ‘let’s try to stay in first,’” Jared says. “And we did.”

Having parents as teachers helped, although Bell says there really wasn’t any added pressure. But, he says the right frame of mind was instilled in him early on.

“We started at a young age with their education,” Dave says.

That included math games played in the car on long trips, no volume and closed captioning subtitles when they watched their favorite television shows, and plenty of reading time with their mother.

“They get their smarts from their momma,’’ Dad says.

Obviously, Jared not only had his parents as examples, he also had his big brother. Following in Earl’s footsteps certainly put a little charge into the process.

“I would say I put more pressure on myself than he did,’’ Jared says. “But my brother definitely helped me a lot.”

Earl was able to help Jared avoid some of the “prep pitfalls,” while also steering him clear of classes and teachers he didn’t think his brother would like.

Dave says both boys were, “typical teenage boys. They didn’t want to do homework. We pushed them a little bit. We stayed on them.”

Jared modestly declines to run down the list of all of his high school accomplishments, but says he was “active” in school. He joined several clubs, and was president of Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society.

He wrestled for three years, and says he worked with 15-20 clients as a private tutor to make a little spending money. He recently completed his final credits and will graduate with an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree in Business from HCC this summer.

For fun, he says, he enjoys exercise and working out, hanging out with friends, and playing ultimate frisbee.

Jared only makes being class valedictorian sound easy. He does describe it as “very, very tough,” and said the biggest key, and struggle, is time management.

A typical high school day his sophomore and junior year would generally start at 6 a.m., with school until 3 p.m., then wrestling practice until 6, and home by 7, where he would do homework for a few hours before going to sleep.

“Then, repeat,’’ he says.

Jared is undecided about what he will study at Florida. He is attending the university in Gainesville on a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship, and will serve four years in the Army following his graduation. He said he will probably focus on the sciences for a major.

And, he and Earl will live together in Gainesville.

“Both boys worked very hard,” Dave says. “We are proud of both of them. Super proud.”

And, while two class valedictorians from one family is impressive, consider that the Bells may not be finished.

Earl and Jared’s sister Victoria is wrapping up her freshman year at Wharton.

Freedom Valedictorian Maya Patel Parlays Excellence Into Bright Future

Maya Patel, a senior at Freedom High in Tampa Palms, has already graduated.

From college.

When she graduates again, as Freedom’s Class of 2016 valedictorian on Wednesday, June 8, 9 a.m., at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall, it will just be the icing on the cake.

Maya is one of many exceptional students in the New Tampa area, but the Tampa Palms resident makes a strong case for being at the top of that list.

She is graduating with an 8.6 weighted grade-point-average, believed to be the highest ever at Freedom.

And, she already has an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree with highest honors in Business Management from Hillsborough Community College. She also was president of five clubs at Freedom.

She even started a nonprofit organization with her best friend, Milan Shah (see below), dedicated to donating used books across the globe.

While she will attend the University of Tampa in the fall, declining opportunities to attend, among others, the prestigious University of Cambridge — the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world — and Kings College of London, England.

And, get this – Maya says she still found time to have some fun in high school. “Of course, of course,’’ she says, laughing. “High school is not just about academics; it’s also about fun. I have done Indian dance (called Bhangra) since I was five, and I did typical high school things like movies and the mall. I always made time for fun.”

And sleep, she says. Maya says that despite her many responsibilities, she always got 7-8 hours of sleep a night, even after she added a part-time job at Taco Bell to her already busy schedule.

She says it’s pretty simple, really — use a calendar, make lists and just follow them.

Cheryl Bernales, Maya’s Latin teacher and World Language Department head at Freedom, as well as an American Government honors teacher, thinks the secret might be more about math than lists.

“I don’t know how she does it, but she does seem to have found a few extra hours in a day,’’ Bernales says.

The only child of V.C. and Nila Patel, pharmacists with the Suncoast Community Health Center in Palm River, Maya says she never set out to be the class valedictorian. She did, however, want to be in the top 10 percent.

But, once she started taking dual enrollment and AP classes, “I realized my level of rigor was pretty competitive.”

Her initial goal, laid out with intricate planning, was to graduate with her A.A. degree from HCC, which she did on May 6. Then, she added Class Valedictorian to her to-do list.

Her sophomore and junior years were the toughest, she says, as the classes and assignments could pile up at times, causing a few brief moments of self-doubt.

“I felt at those times that I needed to keep going on,’’ Maya said. “Such a big thing like valedictorian doesn’t come easily. So, I would get a snack and a drink, and get back at it.”

Maya had no idea who else was close to valedictorian status. When she found out her closest competitor was good friend Junie Kim, who had gone to school with Maya at both Chiles Elementary and Liberty Middle School, she was thrilled.

“Had it been anyone else, I would have also been happy for them, but it was even sweeter that it was a friend,” Maya says.

Maya credits her parents for being “pillars of support” in her academic quests. She says they never pressured her, and only encouraged her to reach the goals that she had set for herself.

Those goals now include becoming the first dentist in her family. At the University of Tampa, which she chose in part because of its “positive vibe” and proximity to her Tampa Palms home, she will study biochemistry and work towards a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, while trying to get into a top dental school.

She also will continue to help run MSMPC (her registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit), which stands for Milan Shah Maya Patel Collaboration, in the fall of 2014.

The two fell in love with reading at a young age, and over a discussion about what to do with their old books, hatched a plan to donate them, as well as others they would collect.

The MSMPC has donated more than 4,000 books in less than two years to places ranging from local community centers to Zambia, India, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The organization also has partnered with Books For Africa to donate more than 2,000 books.

Maya admits it all sounds like a lot for an 18-year-old to juggle. But, she loves it.

“I don’t understand where she gets all this time,’’ Bernales says, “but she’s always positive, always high energy and never comes to school like it’s a burden or a task. She goes all out and does her absolute best job on everything, and does it with a smile on her face.”

If you want to contribute books to Maya’s nonprofit, please visit MSMPC.weebly.com.

Wounded Warriors Project Shows Competitive Side At The YMCA

WoundedWarrior4 By Christen Caporali

The New Tampa Family YMCA in Tampa Palms is well known for its impact on the community. On April 29, it expanded this impact to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Wounded Warrior Project provides free programs and services focused on the physical, mental, and long-term financial well being of injured veterans, their families and caregivers.

As of April 1, 2016, this 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization has served 87,264 veterans as well as 17,872 family members.

The New Tampa Y hosted 40 warriors from all over the southeastern U.S. — as far away as North Carolina — for the project.

WoundedWarrior The warriors participated in games like “Capture the Flag,” rock climbing, basketball and baseball, and completed a water fitness & therapy class conducted by a YMCA personal trainer.

The warriors and their families also took classes regarding healthy eating habits and diabetes prevention. New Tampa YMCA executive director Tony Kimbrough, who also ran the Wounded Warrior Project event, says that the goal is to make this an annual event for the Warriors.

“We are definitely looking to expand this program in the future,” Kimbrough says.

For more information about the Wounded Warrior Project, volunteer information, or to make a donation, please visit WoundedWarriorProject.org. For more information about the New Tampa Family YMCA (16221 Compton Dr.), please visit TampaYMCA.org/locations/new-tampa.

Attorney Kevin Astl Leads Brandon Legal Group’s Local Office

His shingle outside his office may state that his area of expertise is family law, but Kevin D. Astl is a man who wears many hats.

He’s the compassionate listener who hears it all and gently nudges a box of tissues across the table; he’s the gimlet-eyed analyst who parses statutes to find the perfect legal weapons to argue your case; he’s the family man whose 9-year-old’s artwork adorns his office walls; and he’s the rock-and-roller who goes home and takes the stress of his day out on a drum set. Most important is that Astl is an attorney you can trust to fight for your child, your family and your livelihood.

Astl is the managing attorney at the Brandon Legal Group’s New Tampa/Wesley Chapel office, located in the Central Bank building on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (just east of the corner of BBD and County Line Rd.). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Political Science in 1996 from the University of South Florida, and in 1999, received his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, GA.

At the local office of his firm (one of the three Brandon Legal Group offices in the Tampa Bay area), Astl handles all aspects of family law cases, but also has extensive experience in more than 35 aspects of law, including criminal, business and corporate law, music and entertainment law, as well as personal injury and medical malpractice cases.

Astl says that Brandon Legal Group is a, “full-service law firm. We have 7 on-staff attorneys, each very experienced in their own right.”

He adds that, in other words, “If I can’t help you with your legal needs (myself), there almost always is another lawyer in the firm who is able to help.”

Not Your Typical Lawyer

Astl says he was a musician before he was a lawyer and he still enjoys creative writing, songwriting and playing. “Playing drums keeps me sane,” he says.

In addition to belonging to legal organizations like the Florida Bar Association (since 1999), Florida Bar Family Law Section, Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, Florida Bar Association Entertainment and Sports Law Section and American Inns of Court Tampa Family Law Inn, Astl’s affiliations also include the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Florida Motion Picture and Television Association, and the Florida Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

“People can represent themselves, but the law is an extremely technical and complex endeavor,” Astl says.

What Astl offers clients that they cannot get on their own is not just nearly two decades of experience, but also a familiarity with case histories and with the vagaries of the various local court systems, courthouses, clerks and judges in the many surrounding counties.

Astl’s disarming friendliness and wry sense of humor help him connect with clients, and they also help him preserve his peace of mind in a field that can often be fraught with tension. He has to regularly fight client stereotypes about the billing habits of lawyers; and not a week goes by that a client doesn’t want to check Astl’s advice against something out of TV’s “Law & Order” or Google. “There’s more disinformation out there about what we do than information,” he sighs.

As someone who considered studying sociology or psychology before deciding on political science and, ultimately, the law, Astl enjoys not just the hustle and bustle of the courthouse, but also the more subtle sizing up of witnesses and personality assessments he has to conduct, often within moments.

Amy Mackler says she hired Astl to represent her during her divorce five years ago, and it’s a decision she says she’s thankful she made.

“He doesn’t come across as your typical attorney,” says Mackler, who now lives in St. Petersburg but was a New Tampa resident for 22 years. “Regardless of if your case is finished, he continues to maintain a relationship. He’d call and check up, follow up and make sure everything was good in my life.”

Mackler appreciates that Astl is efficient at what he does, but also that he’s open and honest.

“If he doesn’t feel like he should take your case, he’s not going to take your case just to make money,” she says. Not only did she hire him again a couple of years later for another matter, she’s referred him to many friends.

Astl is heading the firm’s northward expansion. His goals are to maintain a presence at the current Central Bank location, but also to expand to include another attorney and a paralegal by the end of the year. At the rate Astl is going — he’s signed up eight clients in just the past two weeks — that looks like an attainable goal. Although he’ll continue to do family law, he’s also interested in growing his representation of small businesses. As a 17-year New Tampa and Wesley Chapel resident, not only does he frequent local small businesses, he’s also watched numerous companies rise and fall, and would like to be able to help them succeed.

Having practiced on his own and in a large corporate environment for years, Astl loves his present setup.

“I like being part of a boutique firm,” says Astl. “It’s like I work with my friends. The way Brandon Legal Group is set up with the satellite offices, you just have to practice law,” explaining that the head office manages paperwork and finances so that he can do his job. “I can represent my clients…focus on them.”

Astl also says he appreciates the fact that the attorneys at Brandon Legal Group are encouraged to maintain a manageable workload — he has about 50 cases on hand at any given time — rather than take on every potential client. A manageable caseload means a reasonable separation between home and work, says Astl, which helps create the objectivity that he needs to be able to approach the case with clarity.

“A work-life balance is very important,” he says, especially when dealing with family law cases that can sometimes be brutal (except for adoptions; he says adopting parents are his favorite type of family law clients to represent).

Astl works toward that balance through family and creative endeavors. He tries to spend as much time as he can with his two sons: the 22-year-old veteran who served in Iraq and now attends the University of South Florida, and the 9-year-old who often spends afternoons in dad’s office.

The office of attorney Kevin D. Astl of Brandon Legal Group is located at 20701 BBD Suite 202, Tampa. For more information or to make an appointment for a consultation, call 933-7200, or email kevin.astl@brandonlegalgroup.com or visit BrandonLegalGroup.com.