By Gary Nager
I have known Stage Left owners and longtime New Tampa residents Brian and Isabelle Dunleavy since a year or two before they got married a few years ago. It just so happens that I also started stopping in to check on the progress of their amazing new “Bar & Kitchen” on S.R. 54 (at Oak Grove Blvd.) in Lutz several months before they opened the doors, but even during those sawdust days, you could tell this amazing couple was on to something big.
And, I’m not the only one who feels that way, apparently. “We saw that the New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Lutz/Land O’Lakes areas were underserved,” Brian says. “There just weren’t enough places to go for good, fresh, homemade food and nightly entertainment. But, that’s what we are and people are already finding us.”
Yes, they are. Considering it’s only been open a few months, Stage Left has hit this market — 10-15 minutes from most of New Tampa or Wesley Chapel — with a splash. From the moment it opened, people (including yours truly; it’s become my “neighborhood hangout”) have been raving about the food, the atmosphere (Isabelle says even the employees love coming to work and it shows), the drink prices (15-20-percent lower than the same drinks at a certain mall) and the entertainment.
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In fact, not long after Stage Left opened its doors, the Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary Club (of which I am proud to be one of nearly 100 members) changed its weekly meeting place from a restaurant at the mall to Brian and Isabelle’s place — and everyone has been raving about it.
“Stage Left just felt like home from the first time we came here,” says current Wesley Chapel Rotary president Kelly Mothershead. “It’s a perfect place for a vibrant, young club like ours…and the food is awesome.”
Speaking of the food, although Brian is the one with years of restaurant experience dating back to his days working for his dad in bars and restaurants in his native Massachusetts (and later owning his own), Isabelle says that Stage Left’s menu was inspired by the way she eats.
“When I cook at home,” Isabelle says, “I always use fresh ingredients and make a lot of vegetarian dishes. A lot of our dishes start out as vegetarian, although you can add meat or fish to any dish. We cook over a wood-fired grill and we literally have no microwave, freezer or fryer on the premises here.” Brian adds, “There’s love on every plate!”
I keep going back to Stage Left not just because of the Dunleavys or the atmosphere, but because of the food. I’ve made the grand tour of the menu and from amazing, homemade soups to dead-on delicious entrées, I can assure you that the quality is top-notch and the prices are more than fair.
Speaking of soups, I’m not usually such a big fan (except of my Mom’s chicken soup), but all three of the soups at Stage Left literally rock. My fave is the gluten-free (although I have tried to order mine with extra gluten; just kidding) fire-roasted corn & hormone-free chicken soup, which has some veggies and rice in a slightly spicy broth. I also love both of the gluten-free, vegetarian soups — the African peanut and carrot ginger — but cup or bowl, you can’t go wrong with any of the soups, especially at just $3 per cup or just $5 for a bowl!
I love the ingredients on all three of Stage Left’s flatbreads ($11-$12, perfect to serve two), and when I told Isabelle that I like my flatbreads to crunch a little more, they started coming out a little more “well done” and I’m a big fan of both the white garlic (think “margherita style,” only better) and spicy Thai chicken, although some Stage Left regulars tell me they like the BBQ flatbread (with grilled chicken) best of all.
The four salads ($6-$11) on the menu are all great, although my favorite is the Mediterranean (with spinach, cucumber, tomato, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, & lemon-pepper vinaigrette) and I’ll add grilled chicken (for $3 more) or hummus ($2) if I’m having it as a meal or sharing it. You also can add Stage Left’s shrimp ceviche to any salad for $8, although my dreaded shellfish allergy doesn’t allow me to try it that way.
There also are four great sandwiches ($9-$10) on the menu, two that are vegetarian (although you can add grilled chicken to either for $1) and two that have meat. Our office’s favorites are the steak panini (love the homemade chimichurri sauce) and the Farmhouse Melt (think caprese salad on crunchy bread; gluten-free upon request), with an excellent balsamic reduction.
The tapas menu (each item $5-$10)features the aforementioned shrimp ceviche, fish tacos (it says grilled tuna on the menu, but the photo above was with mahi-mahi), a vegetarian Mediterranean plate (featuring hummus and kalamata olive tapenade and more), your choice of shrimp, Thai chicken, BBQ steak or just veggie skewers (I love the steak and chicken skewers, but I order them extra-grilled, so the onions and peppers are more fully cooked) and some of the best crab cakes you’ll find anywhere.
“We had a couple who told us before they tried the crab cakes that they were from Maryland,” Isabelle remembers with glee. “They told me after that they were even better than what they get at home.”
Each of the five entrées ($10-$14) are big, shareable portions and you can add grilled chicken ($3), flank steak ($5) or shrimp ($6) to any entree, although both vegetarian entrées on the menu — the cold Thai noodles (page 42) and Mexican gumbo — are really tasty without adding meat.
My favorite entrées are the chimichurri steak (page 42), the Caribbean stir fry with jerk-style chicken over black beans and rice with a veggie skewer) and the 16-spice rub, which comes with your choice of blackened chicken, steak or tuna with rice, a side of grilled pineapple and a veggie skewer.
Brian and Isabelle want you to know that Stage Left has two private dining areas that are perfect for renting for lunch or for any private party. One room can accommodate up to 55 adults and the main dining/stage area can seat about 100. They are happy to work with you to create the best menu possible for your private party, too.
There is great live entertainment five nights a week (Tue.-Sat.) at Stage Left. I recently competed in Stage Left’s Tuesday Open Mic Night for local musicians and the live music the other nights runs the gambit from pop/rock to country to smooth jazz, Latin and more. Please note that weekends are already packed at Stage Left, but with its reasonable food & drink prices & great music every night, I hope you’ll first try it for lunch or on a Tues.-Thur. night, because then, you might not mind the wait when you visit on the weekend!
Stage Left Kitchen & Bar (24400 S.R. 54, Lutz) is open for lunch & dinner from 11:30 a.m. every day except Sunday & Monday. For more info, including the ever-changing entertainment lineup, visit StageLeftTampa.com. Call ahead seating is available for dinner, so call 949-4334 and tell Brian & “Izzy” we sent you!
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