By Gary Nager
The hardest thing, for me, about being the dining reviewer for this publication is trying to say enough nice things about places I don’t really love to fill a full-length feature. But, as those who have read me for any period of time surely know, the best and easiest part of this job is telling you as much as I can — with both pictures and words — about independently owned restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel that have delicious food, especially when they also offer great value for the money.
Therefore, the only real challenge for me about telling you the food story about the new City Grill, located on S.R. 54 in the Wesley Chapel Village Market (at the corner of Bruce B. Downs [BBD} Blvd.), was making sure I had enough room, both for assistant editor Matt Wiley’s great photos of City Grill’s truly outstanding cuisine (created by chef Kasia Lavigne) and for the ebullient words with which I planned to describe this unique eatery.
Many in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area have fond memories of Winners Grill. Winners was a busy sports bar and grill at the same location in the Village Market.
Despite its popularity, Winners founder Gerry Malynowsky sold the Wesley Chapel location in 2008 and repossessed it in 2013. Given the state of the business and lack of upkeep when he took it back over, Gerry and Kasia decided it was better to start with a fresh concept instead of trying to save the bruised image Winners got from his predecessors.
What he has created is an attractive, somewhat upscale mix of sports bar and grill, pub and family restaurant. “There is literally something for everyone here,” he says.
For example, although City Grill isn’t a true “sports bar,” it does offers plenty of TVs, plus dart boards and a pool table. If you’re looking for wings and burgers, they’re on the new menu and even the simplest items so far have been incredible.
But if, like me, you’ve been looking and hoping for something more than just “pub food,” like truly fresh, local grouper or freshwater tilapia with your choice of different sauces and spectacular sides, you can do “Fishing Your Way” six different ways at City Grill, including my two favorites so far, the Mediterranean and the Tuscan.
The Mediterranean style is a 5-1/2-oz. thick cut of fresh grouper, grilled and topped with diced garlic tomatoes, pomodoro sauce, and parsley basil pesto with mashed potatoes. The Tuscan style is herb crusted in a robust caper-tomato sauce, with roasted garlic and fresh basil over linguini. Both melt in your mouth and the sauces couldn’t be more spot-on.
Other fish preparation options include the “Big City” (my next to try, it’s baked and topped with lobster and crab and a sherry-spiked cream sauce over linguine), Asian, Creole gumbo and “drunken,” all for just $14 for grouper or $12 for tilapia.
Craving a great steak? City Grill offers three different cuts, each prepared with any of four different sauces. To the left on this page are City Grill’s tender, terrific, chimi-churri-style 8-oz., against-the-grain flank steak ($12) and the truly spectacular 8-oz. hangar steak ($14) with “mushrooming” sauce, which is topped with a zesty truffled
mushrooms and red wine reduction Bordelaise sauce. Both preparations are perfect and served with your choice of fries, mashed potatoes or rice, plus great grilled veggies.
There’s also a petit filet available for $16 and all three steak cuts can be topped with the chimichurri, mushrooming, cheesy (a decadent bleu cheese and sherry-infused melted compound butter sauce), or my next option to try, the Frenchy (with a peppery and cognac-based “au poivre” sauce).
A note about the hangar steak (I’ve also seen it spelled “hanger”), aka the “butcher’s steak” because butchers used to keep the cut for themselves, which is so called because it hangs from the diaphragm of the steer. It’s texture is between that of the flank steak and the tenderloin (filet) and City Grill’s version definitely is full of flavor!
Amazing Starters, Sandwiches & More!
But, rest assured, City Grill also has uniquely tasty options all up and down its menu. Among our office’s favorite “Firsts” are the Cuban Cigars (legally hand rolled wontons filled with Mojo pork, smoked ham, Swiss cheese and pickles with a mustard mayo dip, $6); the fresh-shucked Gulf oysters with bloody merry cocktail sauce (you’ll want to order extra), crackers and lemon; the ahi tuna lettuce cups, which include 4 ozs. of sliced, blackened and seared tuna, served with a signature mango Asian slaw, a ginger wasabi aioli and five-spice wonton crisps), the overstuffed lobster crab cakes, and the spicy ahi poke tartar.
We haven’t had a chance to sample many of the sandwiches at City Grill, but assistant editor Matt Wiley says the grilled tequila-and-lime-marinated “drunken chicken,” which is topped with cheese, grilled corn salsa, and smoky chipotle aioli, is outstanding, and Gerry says people also are raving about the fried chicken breast waffle sandwich, with grilled fresh corn salsa and chipotle slaw, spicy & sweet glaze, between cheddar and scallion waffles. There’s also standards like a Buffalo birdie, corned beef Reuben and I have to try the City-battered fried soft shell crab “bug on a bun.”
There’s also great “Plates,” like lobster mac & cheese, Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, chicken Cordon Bleu, plus cabbage-wrapped beef-and-rice Eastern European “golabki,” which are full of fresh herbs, topped with a tangy tomato sauce and served with mashed potatoes and truffled mushrooms. And, all six items on City Grill’s kids menu are just $5.99 each.
Had enough? Save room for decadent desserts like a warm donut flambé, creme brulée with fresh fruit and even a root beer float, plus all of your favorite premium cocktails, craft beers and fine wines.
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Reservations are never required at City Grill (5429 Village Market), which is open Sun.-Tue., 11 a.m.-11 p.m., & 11 a.m.-midnight Wed.-Sat. For info, call 973-9988 or visit CityGrill.us or Facebook.com/CityGrillWesleyChapel.
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