GrillSmith Is Reader’s Choice In Wesley Chapel

Stonewood & GrillSmith Take Top Honors In Our 2016 Dining Survey

900° Woodfired Pizza, Hungry Greek & Burger 21 Also Grab Crowns; Three Wesley Chapel Residents Take Home This Year’s Free Dining Prizes!

There’s no doubt that New Tampa and Wesley Chapel both have a lot of restaurants, even though both areas continue to be dominated by national, regional and even local chains.

In our 2016 Reader Dining Survey & Contest, the top three restaurants — according to more than 500 readers who submitted surveys — in both of our distribution areas were all part of small local or regional chains and in New Tampa, seven of the top ten also are links in (albeit small) chains. The interesting thing to me was that the larger national and regional chains, which could only receive Write-In votes on our Dining Survey again this year, got fewer votes and points than ever before.

In fact, this is the first time ever that Bonefish Grill, Outback Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse all failed to make the top 25 in Wesley Chapel, even though they’ve all always been among the most crowded restaurants in town. And likewise, neither Olive Garden nor Red Lobster got nearly as many write-in votes as they had in our previous contests.

It should be noted that Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Longhorn Steakhouse all opened too late in the process (our voting was from September til November) to receive many votes at all.

Stonewood Grill & Tavern made it back to the top spot as our readers “Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa.” Last year’s winner, Burger 21, dropped to #3 with our readers and last year’s #5 — Ciccio Cali — moved up three spots to #2. In fact, for the third straight year, the same ten restaurants in New Tampa received the most points from our readers as last year, although once again, the orders of those ten restaurants has changed.

Meanwhile, in Wesley Chapel, GrillSmith and The Hungry Greek took home the top two spots for the second year in a row, while Pizza Mania (#4), La Prima Pizza (#5), Dempsey’s Steak House (#9) and Wolf’s Den (#10) all moved into (or back into) our readers’ top-10. I will tell you more about many of these restaurants next issue, when I show you my 2016 Dining Favorites.

Congratulations go out to this year’s Dining Survey contest winners — all of whom happen to live in Wesley Chapel. The winners were selected by a random number generator from among the more than 500 properly-filled out entries. The 2016 winners are Roberto Davila of  Lexington Oaks , who will receive a $200 gift card to the restaurant of his choice in the Tampa Bay area; Angela Haraf of Quail Woods, who wins a  $100 gift card to the restaurant of her choice; and Melissa Spear of Meadow Pointe, who snags a $50 gift card to any restaurant she chooses.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out an entry form. Look for my restaurant favorites in our next issue and for some of these listings to appear on future episodes of WCNT-tv.

Your Favorite Restaurants In Wesley Chapel (WC)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. GrillSmith

2. The Hungry Greek

3. Vallarta’s WC

4. PizzaMania

5. La Prima Pizza

6. PrimeBar

7. Burger Monger

8. Bonsai Sushi

9. Dempsey’s Steak House

10. Wolf’s Den

11. Pinchers Crab Shack

12. Yamato Japanese Steakhouse

13. PDQ

14. 900 Woodfired Pizza

15. CineBistro

16. Asian Buffet

17. Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & catering

18. Amici Pizza

19. Buttermilk Provisions

20. Best NY Pizza

21. Capital Tacos

22. Hibachi Express

23. NY NY Pizza

24. Latin Twist Café

25. (tie) Don Pan International Bakery

365 Caffe Italiano

John C. Cotey
Assistant Editor
The New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
Neighborhood News
P.813.910.2575
F. 813.910.2483

www.ntneighborhoodnews.com

Nibbles and Bytes

Joe Whiskey’s Thriving In Former Skinny’s Location

If you’re a smoker, but you happen to prefer to drink alcohol to beer or wine, you might want to check out the new Joe Whiskey’s Sports Bar, located at 27429 C.R. 54, in the Pinebrook at The Grove shopping plaza, in the same plaza as Best NY Pizza, right next to Cody’s Original Roadhouse.

Yes, like Skinny’s Sports Bar, which previously was in the same location, Joe Whiskey’s is still a smoker-friendly sports bar with pool tables, some electronic video games, karaoke and live entertainment. The difference is that Skinny’s only served beer and wine, while Joe Whiskey’s has a full, premium alcohol bar with very fair prices.

For info, call 973-8336 or stop in noon-2 a.m. and tell them that the Neighborhood News sent you!

Nibbles and Bytes

O’Brien’s Adds Thursday As Second Karaoke Night

Regular readers of these pages know that I really like the food, the drink prices and the staff at O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Grill in the Wesley Chapel Village Market.

About the only thing I didn’t like about O’Brien’s was the fact that management reduced the number of karaoke nights from two to one by keeping it on Wed. nights but doing away with it on Thur. nights.

Well, thanks to popular demand, karaoke with my buddy Gary Carmichael of Heart & Soul Karaoke is back at O’Brien’s on Thur. nights, too, usually starting no later than 8 p.m.

For more info, call 973-9988 or visit ObriensWesleyChapel.com.

WCCC Honors WCNT-tv & Wesley Chapel Nissan’s Troy Stevenson!

I love a good surprise as much as the next guy, but I was absolutely stunned by the turn of events when I attended the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) annual meeting, which was held Dec. 6 at Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, and which was the program for the Chamber’s monthly business breakfast.

Outgoing Board chair Tracy Clouser of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel thanked this year’s deserving “Volunteer of the Year” and Ambassador Troy Stevenson of Wesley Chapel Nissan, who not only actively participates in every Chamber and Wesley Chapel Rotary Club event, but also supports the community with his awesome Acme Outdoor Movies truck.

But then, between the introduction of the Chamber’s ambassadors (below) and new Board chair Jennifer Cofini of the Parks Auto Group and her Board of Directors for the 2017 Fiscal Year, Clouser made an announcement I truly was not expecting — that WCNT-tv, the five-month-old partnership between yours truly and outgoing WCCC Ambassador/new Board member Craig Miller of Full Throttle Intermedia, had won the 2016 Chairman’s Award.

Clouser, the marketing director at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC), has spent quite a bit of money on behalf of our in-the-process-of-being-expanded, state-of-the-art hospital in these pages, and she bought into the project created by myself, Craig and WCCC president and CEO Hope Allen by agreeing for FHWC to be the Studio Sponsor of WCNT-tv for the first 16 episodes of the show, 13 of which have already aired since our launch on June 23.

In other words, I should be giving Tracy and Hope an award, not the other way around. The cheers from the crowd of more than 100 people when the surprise announcement was made was proof positive that we’re doing something right with the show, but neither Craig nor I had any idea or we would’ve prepared speeches, instead of the dumfounded looks and silly muttering we mustered.

For more info about the WCCC, visit WesleyChapelChamber.com or call 994-8534. — GN

Cantina Laredo Adds New Menu Items, Offers Offsite Catering & More!

WHEN I talk to most people about Cantina Laredo, the upscale Mexican restaurant located next to the new Union 72 BBQ (see ad on facing page) in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, the first thing many of them tell me is that “it’s too expensive.”

OK, so this Texas-based chain, which now has 37 locations in 18 states, is a little pricy. If you’re looking for two-for-one fajitas for $9.99, you’re in the wrong place.

But, that doesn’t mean Cantina Laredo doesn’t have very good food or good value for your money. It just means that if you’re looking for a Mexican place that’s a little more elegant, with better-quality food and a gorgeous bar area featuring a nice variety of everything from agave tequilas to red, white and sparkling wine and from premium vodkas and whiskeys to Mexican and domestic beers with great Happy Hour specials (see below), I recommend a visit to Cantina Laredo, whether during your next shopping trip to the mall or for a drink and a bite after work.

And, Wesley Chapel general manager Chris Cintino and his outstanding staff promise to make every trip to the Cantina well worth the cost.

Before I get into the new menu items, I just have to say that normally, I’m not a big fan of guacamole. Superfood or not, avocados are virtually tasteless to me, but when you add just the right amount of diced tomatoes and onions, jalapeños and a generous amount of fresh-squeezed lime juice — and the whole concoction is prepared tableside for you, I think this gluten-free delight is well worth the $10.29 price tag, especially with Cantina Laredo’s endless free chips and salsa. There’s also a new Queso y Guacamole Combinacion, which includes chili con queso (queso cheese dip with chili peppers) and the guacamole, but I haven’t sampled it yet.

So, What Else Is New

Our office enjoyed a recent trip to the Cantina and we did sample some of the great, new items on the menu.

There’s new chicken tinga, chicken fajita, ground sirloin and other new burritos and billing manager Stephanie Smith said her ground sirloin burrito was delicious and filling.

Staff writer Celeste McLaughlin also had high praise for the new Monterey chicken enchilada topped with poblano pepper sour cream sauce and poblano drizzle in a soft taco filled with fajita chicken and topped with lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese. I enjoyed the new Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice) soup.

But, my surprising favorite new item at Cantina Laredo is the new cascabel pepper-marinated, 16-oz. bone-in ribeye steak, which was just so tender after 21 days of aging and perfectly done to my medium rare liking. The steak was served with sliced red potatoes covered with cheese (I wish they were crispy, but they were very tasty) and grilled asparagus.

The cascabel pepper isn’t overly spicy, but it adds a unique flavor that I’m betting most will love but I know some won’t.

If you love sizzling fajitas, I’ve always enjoyed Cantina Laredo’s skirt steak and chicken fajitas, but someone else will have to let me know if they like the new shrimp or portobello mushroom fajitas. I’m allergic to the former and not partial to the latter. Other new tapas items include the chicken tinga Flautitas (flautas) with poblano pepper sauce, tamales and camaron (shrimp) and chorizo (sausage) empanadas.

Other favorites on the menu include the fresh Fish of the Day special (like an awesome pan-seared sea bass in a jalapeño beurre blanc sauce), the chicken chipotle lunch special and the grilled steak tacos. I also love the chewy Mexican brownie sundae shown above.

Catering, Brunch & More!

Cintino says that Cantina Laredo has a complete off-site catering menu and can also cater a private party on-site for up to 30 people in a private room or 75 people in the main part of the restaurant.

Cantina Laredo also recently added Sunday brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. With items like the crab cakes benedict shown at the bottom of the previous page to chorizos con huevo (sausage with eggs), all Sunday brunch items come with one complimentary mimosa, Bloody Mary or soft drink. Happy Hour specials (served at the bar only) are available Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-7 p.m. & 9 p.m.-close, plus 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat., with domestic beers for just $2, imports for $3, well drinks/house wines for $4 and Casa Ritas cost just $5.     

For info, stop in at 2000 Piazza Ave., see the gift card special in the ad on pg. 38, call 907-3068 or visit CantinaLaredo.com.