Author: Gary Nager

Acropolis Greek Taverna — If It’s Been A While, Try It Again Now!

Acropolis New Tampa owners Eddie Nasr & Stacy Esposito.

When Acropolis Greek Taverna opened a dozen or so years ago in the Oak Ramble Plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (just south of Tampa Palms), it became an instant hit, with its great Greek and Mediterranean cuisine and entertainment every weekend.

Neighborhood News readers and yours truly both kept Acropolis at or near the top of our respective annual surveys for “Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa,” as there were few, if any, other places in or near zip code 33647 for authentic Mediterranean food or the great vibe you felt every time you visited Acropolis.

The last few years, however, several other less expensive Mediterranean restaurants began opening in New Tampa, and while some of that competition has since closed, Acropolis had started dropping both with our readers and with a certain hungry editor.

A Fresh Approach

But, on April 1 of this year, new owners Stacy Esposito and her husband Adib (Eddie) Nasr took over the New Tampa location of what is now a five-restaurant mini-chain (with other locations in South Tampa, Ybor City, Riverview and St. Pete) and have brought new energy to what was already a great concept.

Together with new general manager (but long-time employee and manager) Jason Stiger, the New Tampa Acropolis is definitely waking up taste buds once again in our area.

Eddie, who is Lebanese, has upgraded this location’s fried kibbe appetizer and a couple of other dishes with his mother’s recipes, but he and Stacy also have improved other dishes simply by selecting the finest produce and quality meats available — and it shows.

My two favorite dishes at Acropolis always have been (and still are) the Frenched rack of lamb lollipops, which are all-natural, antibiotic-free and no added hormones) and the Athenian fish, which is a lightly breaded and seasoned filet of whatever fresh fish is available each day and topped with a dollop of a unique fresh pesto sauce. The lamb chops are served over lemony Greek-style potatoes and the fish is served with fresh roasted seasonal veggies over Greek-style orzo rice. Both of my favorite dishes are even better now than they were when Acropolis first opened.

Another long-time favorite on the menu is the yummy saganaki cheese appetizer, which is set on fire and served with perfect pita triangles.

We also loved the authentic spanakopita (spinach pie) appetizer, the calamari and photographer Charmaine George gave thumbs up to the shrimp appetizer in a creamy lemon sauce, topped with cheese and served with toast points. Those seeking more adventurous, authentic tastes should try the grilled octopus, Ouzo mussels, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), tirosalata (a creamy blend of feta cheese and garlic topped with oregano and extra virgin olive oil), avgolemono (lemon) or lentil soups, hummus or baba ghanouj.

Among the other great dishes to try are the gyro trio (traditional lamb, pork and chicken, served on pita and with crispy fries), the authentic “Yia Yia’s Recipe) mousaka (Greek-style lasagne, but with potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, ground beef and creamy bechamel sauce with tomato sauce and feta cheese), the whole grilled red snapper, or the pork, chicken, beef or kefta (ground beef) kabobs. Mine and Jannah’s newest favorite is the chicken Rhodes — two grilled breasts in a garlic parmesan wine sauce sautéed with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and olives, topped with crumbled feta. It’s a true taste sensation!

Do not skip dessert at Acropolis, either. Stacy and Eddie are rightfully proud of the decadent chocolate “bombe” (filled with white and milk chocolate mousses), the outstanding baklava (topped with Haagen Dazs ice cream), baklava cheesecake and the addictive pineapple upside down cake that also is set on fire to give it a creme brulée-style outer crust. OMG!

And yes, Acropolis still has weekend entertainment like George, the buzuki player, the incredibly talented and lovely belly dancer Gypsi and Stacy promises that the dancing servers and plate-breaking will be coming back soon. Stacy and Eddie also are proud of the recently revamped outdoor patio, which offers a variety of your favorite hookah water pipe flavors. And, both indoor and outdoor bars offer the finest in Greek beers and wines, plus premium alcohol and so much more! Can you say “Opa?”

Acropolis Greek Taverna is located at 14947 BBD Blvd. and is open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight) and 11 a.m.-1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit DineGreek.com or call (813) 971-1787.

Acropolis

Nibbles and Bites: Sweet Party closing.

Very soon, New Tampa will have no party stores, as the Sweet Party store located at 20310 Trout Creek Dr., west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (behind Burger 21) will close, most likely sometime immediately after Halloween (Sunday, October 31).

Owner Maher Alagal says that although Sweet Party is still making money, he is ready to retire and spend more time with his family. He also has been looking to sell the store, which became the only party store in New Tampa after the Party Scene store in the Pebble Creek Collection on BBD closed in 2017.

“People said I put Party Scene out of business when I opened, but I actually tried to buy that store from its owner before it closed,” Maher says. “I honestly believed that there was room for two party supply and costume stores in this area.”

But now, with Halloween less than six weeks away as this issue arrived in your mailbox, Maher says that everything in his store must go, including his huge selection of Halloween costumes for men, women and children. And yes, at our press time, the selection of available costumes at Sweet Party was still pretty sizable, but moving fast, especially with the entire inventory of costumes up to 70% to 80% off their regular prices.

Maher says similar savings are available on party supplies, balloons and other unique merchandise — but don’t blame me if anything mentioned here is gone before you get there!

For info, call Sweet Party at (813) 994-4900 or visit SweetPartyTampa.com. — GN

Jeremiah’s To Expand To Wesley Chapel

Congrats to partners Pete and Dru Patel, who opened their first Jeremiah’s Italian Ice franchise earlier this month at 7936 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, which was opened at its original location in Winter Park, FL, in 1996 by founder and Philadelphia native Jeremy Litwack, now has 60 locations in Arizona and throughout Florida.

The good news for Wesley Chapel isn’t just because of Jeremiah’s unique gelati (Italian ice layered with soft-serve ice cream), but also because the partners also plan to open two Wesley Chapel locations. Visit JeremiahsIce.com or call (813) 438-5754 for more info.

Sweet Party

AHCI Introduces New Global Prospects Academy Hockey Director

If both of your kids played high school ice hockey, as mine did, more than a decade ago, there was no way (or place) locally for kids who were good enough to play travel hockey to play youth or high school hockey at the highest level while also receiving a great education.

My kids both decided to play hockey, instead of the competitive sports they grew up with, after the Tampa Bay Lightning won their first Stanley Cup championship back in 2004. They weren’t alone, as many outstanding young athletes at that time also either first took up or decided to focus on hockey because of being bananas for the Bolts.

Thirteen years later, the same developers who built the Brandon Ice Sports Forum — where kids from high schools in and near Tampa had been practicing and playing — finally opened Florida Hospital (now AdventHealth) Center Ice (aka AHCI), right here in Wesley Chapel.

The new place was (and still is) a palace for both hockey players and figure skaters, especially when compared with any other ice skating facility in the entire Tampa Bay area — with three NHL-sized rinks, one (larger) international-sized rink and a mini-rink, plus a great pro shop and an actual restaurant. AHCI, the largest skating facility south of New York, even offers curling, a cult favorite Winter Olympics sport.

In 2019, the Lightning were again favored to win the team’s second Stanley Cup at the start of the 2019-20 season, despite a disappointing first-round sweep at the sticks of the Columbus Blue Jackets to close out their 2018-19 campaign, which saw them win the President’s Cup for having the NHL’s best regular-season record.

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic shortened that 2019-20 season and caused the entire Cup playoffs to be played in two “bubbles” in Canada, but somehow, the Bolts did prevail and brought Lord Stanley’s chalice home to Tampa. And of course, the Lightning then repeated as Cup champs to end of the 2020-21 season.

It just so happens that 2020-21 also was the first year that AHCI offered its Global Prospects Academy (GPA), combining top-notch hockey training and lots of ice time for 15 young players, as well as a full-fledged private school experience affiliated with North Tampa Christian Academy (NTCA), which is located just three miles from AHCI on County Line Rd. in New Tampa.

AHCI co-owner Gordie Zimmermann hosted a press conference on August 12 to announce the intended expansion of the rink’s GPA program and the hiring of new Academy Director of Hockey, former NHL player Glen Metropolit, whose career included 400 games with six NHL teams (including two games with the Lightning), followed by six years of international experience with top-level European clubs.

“Our goal is to establish an elite hockey program,” Zimmermann said at the media event, “in order to keep them here in Florida before they turn 16 and move up north to Boston or Michigan to play. There haven’t been any programs here with academics and hockey training.”

Zimmermann also introduced former Lightning star Brian Bradley (who still works for the team) at the event, and admitted that AHCI’s success, “also has to do with the Lightning’s success.” He also said that he expects the rink’s GPA program to double in size this school year (to 30 or more students) and ultimately, to 300 or more — and promised to expand the GPA to include figure skating in the future.

Stephen Herr, the Head of School at NTCA, also spoke at the press conference and said that the school will offer GPA students in-person classes at both NTCA and at the rink (with on-site teaching staff), plus Zoom classes.

“Our primary goal is the same as Advent Health Center Ice’s goal,” Herr said, “helping students to become people of character and leaders.” For additional information, visit AHCenterIce.com/global-prospects-academy.

Provisions Coffee & Kitchen Is The First To Open At The KRATE Container Park!

A couple of weeks before we went to press with our Aug. 31 Wesley Chapel issue, the new location of Provisions Coffee & Kitchen (previously Buttermilk Provisions) became the first repurposed shipping container to open in the KRATE container park (at 5862 Goldview Pkwy., #s 102 & 104) at The Grove in Wesley Chapel.

Provisions Coffee & Kitchen opened with a larger menu for breakfast and lunch, a new coffee supplier (MADE Coffee, which is based in St. Petersburg) and tasty regular donuts to replace the gluten-free ones that were so popular at the old location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel (although there are still some gluten-free goodies, like pumpkin bread).

Owner Dana Morris said that although it’s taken about two years since she signed the lease to get open at KRATE, “Our customers seem to believe it’s been worth the wait.”

Morris also is getting ready to open another Provisions location in the former Seasons Fresh spot in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. (just west of BBD) and she says the new location also will feature her much-improved, expanded menu.

Sadly, neither she nor a spokesperson for developer Mark Gold knew when the other KRATE containers were likely to open. — GN

Buttermilk Provisions Provisions

Host Your Next Event At Omari’s Grille At Lexington Oaks GC!

When classically trained chef Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana Herrera purchased Lexington Oaks Golf Club about three years ago, I was excited about the prospect of having another real restaurant in Wesley Chapel.

And, although Anass at first revamped the existing golfer-oriented menu at the golf course’s restaurant, which he re-named Omari’s Grille, he ended up scaling back his everyday offerings of fresh fish, pasta and filet mignon, and has kept the menu smaller and simpler since reopening Omari’s after the Covid-19 pandemic shut it down for a few months in 2020.

But now, while Omari’s regular menu is still mainly comprised of burgers, sandwiches, wings and other fast, simple foods favored by the golfers who frequent his completely renovated golf course, Anass has brought back some of the dishes I loved on his original Omari’s menu as specials on Friday evenings.

*Owner/chef Anass El-Omari of Omari’s Grille fires up his sautée pan to create (below left & above right) delicious Cajun pasta.* ***(Photos by Charmaine George)***

Anass loves both cooking and talking about cooking. So, in conjunction with this article, we recorded our second “Cooking With Anass” segment that was released a few days before this issue arrived in your mailbox, where he made an amazing Cajun pasta (above), with both Andouille sausage and top sirloin steak in a semi-spicy cream sauce that’s as good as anything you’ll find in any fine dining establishment.

“Good food is actually really simple to make,” he said as he set some hot oil on fire before sautéeing the steak and sausage together. “The key is knowing what ingredients and how much of each to use. I love sharing my secrets.”

And, I love tasting his recipes, because Anass is a true culinary artist who serves up some of the best food in our area, even if many locals still don’t know it. So, whether you want to start with authentic Colombian empanadas, crispy calamari or shrimp tempura salad, or enjoy a great grilled chicken caprese or salmon teriyaki entrée, you can’t go wrong at Omari’s.

Great Events, Too!

Now that things have gotten a little more normal in this Covid-crazy world, people are again looking for great places to host events like weddings, quinceañeras, baby showers, anniversary parties and even memorial gatherings and you can’t go wrong if you host your next event for 20-80 people at Lexington Oaks.

Omari’s offers a complete appetizer catering menu — featuring burger sliders, mini-croissants stuffed with chicken and tuna salad and more — as well as a sit-down dinner menu for events, so you can serve London broil with mushroom sauce, orange chicken and a variety of shrimp dishes, plus a dessert bar. Anass and his staff also can custom-design pretty much anything else you’d want to serve.

And, while the indoor space currently is limited to 80 people, Anass says he plans to extend the room out to the existing patio area, so that up to 120 people could fit in the air conditioned, indoor space. And, there is an additional covered outdoor space that can fit another 60 or so people.

“I think Wesley Chapel really needs an event space like this,” Anass says, “and the food will always be good. “Plus, we have the area down by the water (photo above) for weddings (as in the photo above) and the people love it.”

Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club (16333 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) is open Wednesday & Thursday, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m., and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday. For additional information, call (813) 929-4217, visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com, or call the golf course’s main number — (813) 907-7270 — to talk to a catering specialist about scheduling, and designing a menu for, your event.

Lexington Oaks Omari’s Grill