Author: Gary Nager

Lima Peruvian Cuisine Celebrates One Year With New Menu Items!

I remember very clearly when I first met Oscar Escudero, the owner of Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine in the New Tampa Center plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

It was when Oscar opened, only a couple of weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the world in March of 2020. We wondered together not just if, but also how long, the pandemic would affect his new eatery.

Needless to say, it wasn’t an ideal time to open a new restaurant. But, while Lima is a true sit-down restaurant, it also adapted very well to take-out (and delivery) only and, while it’s been a rough 15 months, Lima has weathered the storm, thanks to its outstanding food and an owner committed to success.

When I did my first review of Lima, I mentioned that Peruvian food has long been considered the best of the Latin cuisines and was actually named the #1 cuisine in the entire world by Bloomberg.com in 2017.

But, whether Peruvian food is already among your favorites or you’ve never previously tried it before, you owe it to yourself to give Lima a try.

When you walk into Lima, the heady aroma of Peruvian-spiced rotisserie chicken immediately lets you know you’re in for a delicious meal. But, while the crispy skin and moist, delicious chicken is hard to resist, it’s far from the only reason to visit Oscar’s place. Last year, I told you about the Conchitas Parmesana (baked scallops on the half-shell, topped with butter and parmesan cheese) and the perfect fresh fish Ceviche de Pescado appetizers (there also is a fish ceviche served with a trio of sauces, and a shrimp, mussels and calamari ceviche, too), as well as the Lomo Saltado Lima, which is hearty beef tenderloin tips wok-sautéed with spices, sliced onions, fresh tomato wedges, cilantro and a touch of soy sauce and vinegar, served over a bed of crispy French fries.

Speaking of wok-sautéeing, I also mentioned that I was surprised that Peruvian cuisine was heavily influenced by the Chinese engineers and builders who came across the Pacific and settled in Peru to help build the railroad that went from the desert coast of Lima on the Pacific Ocean to and through the Andes mountains that divide the north from the south of the west coast South American country.

Among the wok-sautéed dishes available at Lima include the “lo mein”-style Tallarin Saltado de Pollo that features pulled “a la brasa” (rotisserie) chicken (although you also can have it with steak or seafood), with sliced onions, tomatoes and cilantro, blended with delicious lo mein noodles, soy sauce and vinegar. The fried rice has scallions, egg and a distinctively nutty taste and is topped with everything from chicken and crispy noodles to the Arroz con Mariscos (seasoned rice topped with mixed seafood — shrimp, clams, calamari and mussels).

Speaking Of Seafood…

As you long-time readers know, I’m highly allergic to shrimp, mussels and lobster, so I can’t indulge in many of the newer seafood dishes on Lima’s menu. However, since my last review of Lima in these pages, I have found at least one new favorite — the Pescado a la Chorillano (fresh snapper or basa fillet, lightly fried and topped with sautéed onions, tomatoes, cilantro, spices and a splash of wine) shown in the top left photo on the previous page.

However, in addition to the new fish dish I love, Oscar says the pandemic caused him to add some new menu items to make sure he utilized all of the seafood he already was ordering, so I had photographer Charmaine George, who took the pictures on both of these pages, sample Oscar’s other new seafood options on the menu.

Among those are the Jalea, which is breaded and seasoned seafood deep-fried and topped with Peruvian salsa, and the Pescado a la Macho, which includes a mix of seafood atop a breaded filet of fish sautéed in a creamy yellow pepper/wine sauce. Charmaine and another patron at Lima the day we shot most of these photos gave enthusiastic thumbs-up to all of these dishes.

Lima also features Cusquena Peruvian and other domestic and imported beers, plus delicious soups, salads and chicken and beef tenderloin sandwiches, as well as sides of yuca, tostones (fried plantain slices) and some of the tastiest black beans and rice I’ve ever tasted.

Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine (19062 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.) opens every day at 11:30 a.m. and stays open until 7 p.m. on Sun., 8 p.m. Tues.-Thur., and until 9 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. For more info, call (813) 304-0205, visit LimaTampa.com or see their ad in our latest issue for a great 15%-off coupon!

lima peruvian

Pick Of The Week: Falabella Family Bistro!

Congratulations to Steve and Micaela Falabella and their entire family and staff on the opening of the amazing Falabella Family Bistro, located at 6027 Wesley Grove Blvd. in the Village at The Grove plaza in Wesley Chapel!

Steve, who also owns 900º Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass, also is looking forward to the opening of his second 900º Woodfired location in The Grove, right next to his family’s “delicioso” new Italian bistro.

The Bistro is a casually elegant new place for tasty — and affordable — Italian favorites using the Falabella family’s recipes from both New York (where Steve grew up) and Milan, Italy.

Also offering beer, wine, wine cocktails and espresso drinks, Falabella Family Bistro has everything from small plates like bruschetta and chicken parmigiana to full-sized entrées like a savory vongole (spaghetti with white clam sauce) to items like true Italian-style lasagne (with bechamel sauce instead of ricotta), Sam’s meatballs, antipasto boards (shaped like Italy), gnocchi, sausage & peppers heros, pressed panini sandwiches and more.

Best of all, almost all of the items on the menu are only $8.95-$14.95 (with only the large-size antipasto board costing more).

Top it all off with house-made desserts like tiramisu, NY cheesecake and a perfect cappuccino and you’ll become a regular at the Bistro.

Falabella Family Bistro is open every day, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (10 p.m. on Sat.-Sun.). For more information, call (813) 428-6957 or visit FalabellaBistro.com. — GN

Fallabella

Nibbles & Bytes!

Have You Seen Our Latest Dining Videos?
If you’re looking for updates on all of the new restaurants in Wesley Chapel (and New Tampa — and even beyond), look no further than our “Neighborhood News” page on Facebook.

Because so many new eateries keep opening in our distribution areas, we have increased the number of dining-oriented videos we’ve been releasing, including my latest “Neighborhood Dining News” segment, which was shot at the getting-ready-to-open Falabella Family Bistro, but also includes sneak peeks at the coming-soon Ice Dreammm Shop and Bluefin Sushi, plus food pics from the now-open Omnivorous kitchen inside Double Branch Artisanal Ales. All of these newcomers are located in the ever-expanding Village at The Grove, but there also are updates on the new Token Ramen at the Shops at Wiregrass, as well as from the new Señor Tequila (see story, left) in the former Bonefish Grill location on BBD.

Another well-received recent dining video was a look at the truly delicious Vesh Bistro at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, even though it’s in Zephyrhills. It’s my pleasure to keep you informed, both in print and online, about all of these new places because I truly love sampling them — almost always on my own nickel.

Pick Of The Week: Vesh Bistro At SVB!
I remember when I first met Mark Vesh of Vesh Catering. It was at a groundbreaking event for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and I remember being so impressed with the food being served, I asked to meet him. Since then, I have enjoyed Mark’s delicious finger foods at any number of local events, but until recently, I had never had a complete meal created by him and his staff.

And, to date, I have not been disappointed. From appetizers like the ahi tuna bruschetta and specialties like the cauliflower crust caprese & pesto flatbread and some of the best chicken salad in town on a baked-in-house croissant and so much more, the food at the Vesh Bistro is always on-point. There’s even an all-you-care-to-eat Sunday brunch buffet with an omelet station, perfect candied bacon and a rotating menu of lunch favorites.

The Vesh Bistro is at the SVB Tennis Center (6585 Simons Rd., Zephryhills). Call (813) 517-0707, visit VeshCatering.com or watch the video on our Facebook page.

Checking Out The New Señor Tequila!
I’m pretty confident that our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page was the first to tell anyone (on May 25) about the opening of Señor Tequila in the former Bonefish Grill location in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just south of S.R. 56.

Very little seems to have been changed inside the new Mexican restaurant, the fourth link in a local chain which has existing locations on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. and in Westchase, as well as Winter Springs, and after sampling a few menu items, the food and service are both pretty good.

Jannah and I enjoyed the sizzling fajitas for two on our first visit and photographer Charmaine George and I also gave thumbs-up to the steak tacos, the steak Tampiqueño (ribeye steak grilled with onions) and the pollo ranchero (grilled chicken breast with sautéed onions, tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro). Also try the house-made chips with semi-spicy salsa and the full liquor bar with an impressive tequila/margarita selection.

Wesley Chapel’s Señor Tequila is located at 1640 BBD Blvd. For more info, visit TheSenorTequila.com or call (813) 428-5411 & please tell them I sent you.

Batter & Dough Closes Storefront!
So, while scrolling through Facebook, I noticed that Batter & Dough, the unique dessert and breakfast place located on S.R. 56, in the same Cypressview Square plaza as Capital Tacos, announced that it had closed its storefront location to concentrate on catering. The Facebook post I saw said, “We thank you for all the memories you created with us. Words cannot express our gratitude to the love and support we have received. We have closed our location but we will continue to make large catering orders. You can contact us through IG, FB or at Thebatterandough@gmail.com.”

While I will miss their waffle ice cream sandwiches, I may have to order some of their great desserts like this Chocolatey Peanut Buttery Pie (photo) — and others — sometime soon.

Senior Tequila SVB Vesh

Check Out Rhythm & Brews At Double Branch June 19!

Where can you enjoy a variety of craft beers, delicious food and listen to some outstanding music, all to support a couple of great causes?

On Saturday, June 19, 4 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Double Branch Artisanal Ales, located in the Village at The Grove shopping plaza, will host the Rhythm & Brews Festival to benefit the Joshua House (a safe haven residence for abused, abandoned and neglected children) and the Rotary Club of New Tampa Foundation.

The Rhythm & Brews Festival is free to attend if you just want to hang out and listen to some great live music (starting at 4 p.m.) by Bob T & Friends. But, from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Altered Craft Distribution and Double Branch are offering an amazing Craft Beer Tasting, which will include unlimited 3-oz. samples of an outstanding selection of craft beers, for $30 per ticket in advance or $35 per ticket at the door.

“Bob T” is New Tampa Rotary After Hours Satellite Club chair Bob Thompson, and club members will be volunteering during the event.

In addition to Double Branch, the other Altered Craft brewers offering samples at the event include Bayboro Brewing Co., Bullfrog Creek Brewing Co., Cueni Brewing Co., Dissent Craft Brewing Co., Gulfport Brewery, Overflow Brewing Co., Pinellas Ale Works, Southern Lights Brewing Co. and Troubled Waters Brewing.

The event also will feature food vendors, including Omnivorous, Double Branch’s outstanding in-house kitchen and the Neighborhood News is proud to be a sponsor of this much-needed, fun event.

Double Branch Artisanal Ales is located at 5956 Wesley Grove Blvd. For tasting tickets, scan the QR code in the ad on pg. 32 of this issue or, for more info, visit dbaa.com. — GN

Don’t Shoot The Messenger! A Hopeful Update About Olympus Pools

Gary Nager

There’s no doubt that it’s been a difficult several months for Olympus Pools, the swimming pool contractor that has built more pools in the Tampa Bay area than any other company.

Following a flurry of complaints on Facebook by a plethora of Olympus customers with unfinished pools, which prompted a number of investigative news reports on several Tampa Bay-area TV stations, followed by pending lawsuits and even reported investigations by local law enforcement agencies, Olympus owners (and long-time New Tampa residents) James and Alexis Staten knew they had to do something.

And, considering that there were close to 300 customers reported to have partly or (in many cases) fully paid for, but unfinished, pools, and so many of them were complaining about a lack of communication from the company, the Statens had to not only act quickly, they had to seek help.

To that end, according to a news release sent on May 25, a highly-rated Tampa Bay-area pool company had jumped in to help Olympus Pools, thanks to a new partnership between the two companies and their owners.

Specific terms of the partnership were not disclosed, but Jordan Hidalgo, a general contractor who founded Pools by Jordan, a high-end pool construction company based in Pinellas county, has partnered with Olympus to help assist and help restore the company to its pre-Covid standing.

“I saw what Olympus’ customers were going through on the news, but I also know the high quality of Olympus’ work and their capabilities. So, after weeks of negotiations, I’m happy to say we’ve reached an agreement, and we’re excited to get to work on sorting this all out,” said Hidalgo.

Hidalgo, who also runs a management consulting firm for pool companies called The Pool Consultants, and his team have taken over administration, accounting, permitting, purchasing and customer relations for Olympus.

James Staten, who founded Olympus Pools, will remain on board and out front, running sales, field operations and business development.

Olympus Pools, which was founded in 2010 by Staten, has generated more than $150 million in revenue over the last decade and completed more than 3,000 pools.

The release also promised more direct access to ownership, improved customer relations, and those who have been waiting for their pools to get started can expect work to begin sooner, thanks to the new partnership.

“Some things are going to happen immediately, and (others) are going to take a little bit of time as we dig into things, but we’re ready to get all of these pools done as quickly as possible and work on rebuilding the positive image that Olympus worked so hard to achieve,” said Hidalgo.

The news of the partnership comes amid a flurry of recent work activity, including reports of dozens of pools finally started and/or completed.

“I’m looking forward to putting this chapter behind Olympus and showing what our talented teams are capable of accomplishing together,” said Hidalgo in the release.

I told the Statens that I would pull their advertising until things improved for them and that rather than jump on the media bandwagon maligning the company, my primary concern was trying to help those customers, especially those who still had unfinished holes in their yards.

Some will say that despite the new partnership, it’s all still too little too late for Olympus (which is still taking some lumps online), but the Statens’ promise to complete every unstarted/unfinished pool and not take on new customers until those pools are done is definitely a step in the right direction.

olympics