Recapping The Year In Dining 2018 In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

When Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in 1859, there’s no way he could have had our distribution areas in mind.

But, for Wesley Chapel’s already-crowded dining scene, it surely is fair to call 2018 “the best of times,” and equally fair to say that for New Tampa, “it was the worst of times” in terms of its restaurant scene.

Among the new eateries that opened in already-dining-rich Wesley Chapel in 2018 were Bahama Breeze (photo), Mellow Mushroom, Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Batter & Dough, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Umu Japanese & Thai, Pomodoro Pizza, Chipotle, Jake’s Pizza, MOD Pizza, the Gallery Restaurant at the new Hyatt Place Hotel, the Garden Grille & Bar at the new Hilton Garden Inn, the Top Shelf Sports Lounge at Florida Hospital Center Ice, plus new locations for temporarily closed local favorites Amici Pizza and O.T.B. Café and a second Wesley Chapel Culver’s location on S.R. 56.

There were others, but you get the idea.

And, even though Woody’s Pizza & Wings closed in the Wesley Chapel Village Market, a new pizzeria called Fratelli’s Pizza & Café recently opened in Woody’s old spot, and we’ve been told it’s a must-try.

Meanwhile, over in New Tampa, the dining scene took an even uglier turn for the worst in 2018, with favorites like Las Palmas Cuban Café, Café Olé, Ruby Tuesday and Casa Ramos all closing their doors. The only New Tampa newcomers to speak of were the Bayscape Bistro at Heritage Isles Country Club (owned and operated by former Wharton High culinary arts teacher Ed Bujarski) and two restaurants in the Palms Connection Plaza on E. Bearss Ave., just west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — Prost Kitchen & Bar and Don Julio Mexican Restaurant. 

The good news for New Tampa is that the widening of BBD, which for years has dealt a severe blow to many businesses from Bearss Ave. to the Pasco County line, is for all intents and purpose, Bruce B. Done (thank you for that one, John Cotey).

And, although not many new eateries are expected to open in New Tampa in 2019, there are a few supposedly coming soon, including the Humingbird Jerk House in the former Dairy Queen location on BBD in North Palms Village, the Coffee Speaks & Tea Talks Café in Las Palmas’ former location and hopefully, the return of Las Palmas itself in a new location rumored to be near its old location in Pebble Creek. Also, it appears Chef’s Of Napoli Ristorante Italiano will be opening soon in the old Beef O’Brady’s location in the Cross Creek Commons plaza off Morris Bridge Rd. 

But, there’s even more to look forward to in Wesley Chapel in 2019, from Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar to Lutz favorite Rice & Beans (in the former Cody’s Original Roadhouse locale), as well as the Sweetea Café on S.R. 56 and even the deli at the new Earth Fare, which will open in Feb. or Mar., as well as new locations for Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’ Donuts, Steak ’n Shake and Twistee Treat.

So, here are some of our favorite dining experiences at new restaurants that opened in 2018 in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel:

1. Bahama Breeze — Although my opinion is that an “Island Grille” should have more fresh fish options, Bahama Breeze does have some tasty Jamaican jerk pasta and a great bar.

2. Bayscape Bistro — A great place for excellent burgers, sandwiches, salads and specials.

MOD Pizza

3. Garden Grille at Hilton Garden Inn — Although it’s not open for lunch and I’ve only eaten there once since the hotel’s delicious Grand Opening event, you should check out the Garden Grille for dinner sometime for the ribeye steak and “sticky finger” ribs.

4. Prost Kitchen & Bar — German-style cuisine, including some great schnitzel with broccolini (bottom far right), make this hidden gem on Bearss Ave. a must-try.

5. MOD Pizza — It’s only about 11-inch pizzas and create-your-own salads at MOD Pizza, but the pizzas are great and take only a few minutes to make and serve. Fast casual indeed.

6. Top Shelf Sports Lounge — This is where Jannah and I watch Lightning games, not only because of all the TVs but also for the burgers, dry rub wings and the sautéed veggies.

Culver’s To Open In New Wiregrass Ranch Location Later This Month!

WHEN I think about fast food, I can eat an order of fries from that golden arch place or an occasional burger from that supposedly royal place or two pieces of fried chicken from the Colonel’s hangout.

But, that’s why I really don’t like to call Culver’s — the Midwestern tradition making major inroads here in Florida — “fast food.” Yes, they serve you quickly and yes, there is a drive-through, but Culver’s is actually perfectly priced, fresh food with plenty that I can enjoy…The fact Culver’s also is famous for its better-than-ice-cream frozen custard is just a bonus.

The other bonus is that Jannah and I live only a mile from franchise owners Ann and Marty Roeske’s location between Starbucks and Chick-fil-A on S.R. 56, in front of Costco, so you know I’m checking the specials board every day for my old and new favorite custard flavors.

But, Ann and Marty agree with me that Culver’s isn’t really  “fast food.”

“It’s good food done fast,” Marty says. “Every item on our menu is fresh, served quickly and priced right, especially when you consider the quality.”

Ann and Marty are natives of Wisconsin, where the chain started with its original location in 1984. The Roeskes purchased one of the first 100 franchises there, sold it and moved to what they felt had to be an untapped market in Florida. Their Wesley Chapel/Lutz location was one of the first in the Sunshine State and there are now nearly 700 locations in the U.S. and nearly a dozen across the Tampa Bay area, including Ann and Marty’s second Culver’s — which is getting ready to open on Monday, December 31 (not a misprint), also on S.R. 56, in Wiregrass Ranch, just east of the Shops at Wiregrass, near Audi Wesley Chapel.

“The new location is even closer to where we live in Wesley Chapel,” Ann says. “We’re really excited about it. This is such a great area to live and work.” She adds that all Culver’s locations also will be open on New Year’s Day.

As For The Food…

Of course, Culver’s is famous for its Butterburgers, so called because of the butter grilled into the buns, and they are a cut above most any other burger in their price range. I also really enjoy the Midwestern-style fried pork tenderloin sandwich (delicious with pickles and melted Swiss), the chicken tenders and even the homemade soups, including the chicken noodle, chicken with wild rice and the clam chowder.

But, my favorite item on the menu to date is the beef pot roast, which you can get on a slightly gravy-soaked hamburger bun or as a meal with two sides.

The pot roast is similar to my Mom’s brisket recipe except for the gravy. But, the brown gravy is excellent (perfect for the mashed potatoes, too) and the pot roast itself is still fork tender, juicy and truly delicious. The crinkle cut fries are always hot and crispy and I even love the salads and lightly seasoned green beans with chopped onions. Fast food place, my bum!

One menu item that I personally don’t order but every Midwesterner in town is sure to love are Culver’s famous fried cheese curds.

“People really are crazy for the curds,” Marty says. “Anyone from Wisconsin, Minnesota or almost any Midwestern state will drive here just for them. They’re truly authentic.”

What’s For Dessert?

No one had to explain how good Culver’s frozen custard is to me. Every boardwalk in New York and New Jersey offered custard and I always liked it better than any soft serve, including my beloved Carvel. It has a higher fat content (surprise, surprise) than even most ultra-premium ice creams, and it’s so rich that even though I like to order a scoop with extra hot fudge, it becomes at least two or three decadent servings for me. The custard also is served in shakes and in Culver’s super-thick Concrete Mixers.

But, it’s the flavors of the day that keep me coming back for more. Any flavor with peanut butter, caramel, butterscotch and/or chocolate bars (Kit Kats, Snickers, etc.) already mixed in is a can’t-miss for this editor.

In other words, if you’re not already a Culver’s fan and you’re not craving any of the outstanding items described above, I suggest checking both your taste buds and your pulse!

For more info about our two local Culver’s, visit Culvers.com. The store in front of Costco is located at 2303 Sun Vista Dr. (33559) and can be reached by calling (813) 949-1414. The soon-to-open Wiregrass Culver’s is located at 28831 S.R. 56 (33543). And please tell Ann & Marty and their super-friendly crew that Gary at the Neighborhood News sent you!!!

The Ever-Changing Landscape In The Chap; Plus, My Take On ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

For those of you who remember (as I do) when Wesley Chapel’s “hotel scene” was Saddlebrook Resort and no others, and the restaurant scene included only Denny’s (which actually was located inside a motel), Waffle House and Brewmasters, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype that is “The Chap” these days.

Yes, almost all of the new restaurants that have been opening on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) and S.R.s 56 & 54 are chains, but many of them are at least chains I had never tried before — including MOD Pizza, Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar and even our under-construction Earth Fare grocery store — and the hotel scene continues to add not just more hotel rooms but some really nice, upscale, tourist-friendly places to not only stay, but also enjoy some really great food.

The North Tampa Bay Chamber “Celebrating Excellence in Business” awards gala at the new Hyatt Place Hotel & Sierra Conference Center was the first time I sampled the hotel’s catering fare and it was pretty good. I enjoyed the crusted fried chicken on the bone, grits and collared greens, as well as both the salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing and the muffin-cup-sized mousse for dessert, which was available in both chocolate and strawberry.

Even better, however (at least in one editor’s opinion), is the Garden Grille & Bar at the new Hilton Garden Inn (located across both S.R. 56 and I-75 from the Hyatt Place), which celebrated its official Grand Opening on Oct. 7, with everything from housemade egg rolls and fried wontons to a beef tenderloin carving station and most impressive of all, a pasta station featuring four delicious offerings — one with ground sausage and spinach, another a putanesca style, one a unique primavera and the last was fettuccine with white clam sauce. The clams (thankfully, I’ve never had my shellfish allergy to them, at least not yet) and the sausage pastas were my favorites, but all four were served al dente and they were all excellent. Really.

That gives me even more hope for the next major hotel with a restaurant on the horizon — the Marriott-branded Residence Inn that hopefully will soon begin construction off S.R. 56 in Wiregrass Ranch, adjacent to the new RADD Sports indoor sports complex (see page 1). The Residence Inn will not only have a full-service restaurant, but also Wesley Chapel’s first rooftop bar. The hotel is being developed by the same Mainsail Lodging & Development folks who developed not only the Epicurean Hotel in South Tampa, but also recently renovated the beautiful-again and historic Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, which now features the Hew Chophouse that Jannah and I will be sampling sometime soon.

In other words, the dining scene in Wesley Chapel is going to continue to evolve and will give those of us who live and/or work here a lot more reasons not to leave The Chap.

Have You Seen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody?’

I was living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the 1980s when I first really saw with my own eyes how many men and women there are sharing this planet with us who were attracted to people of the same sex.

I’m not going to lie, I was shocked when I first saw two men kissing on the street, as well as some of the flamboyant “costumes” and makeup some of them wore. I even assumed that lifestyle was actually a creepy “choice” they made.

Even more shocking to me around that same time was when I found out I had not only friends, but also members of my family, who were gay. Worst of all for me (and many other heteros) was that also was when the AIDS epidemic first took hold in the U.S., primarily in the homosexual male population. So, it was easy for some people to hate on those we blamed for turning the “Free Love” generation of the late-’60s and early ’70s into the “must use condoms” generation of the ’80s in one fell swoop.

My sister Bonnie was working as an intensive care Registered Nurse at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan from 1982-85, when the first AIDS patients, largely in New York, San Francisco and other major cities, began dying from it. It was a scary time and it was easy to blame the gays, even though they also were fully responsible for re-energizing previously blighted neighborhoods like the West Village and others.

But, the thing that really turned my attitude towards homosexuals around was the rock music of that era. If geniuses (please don’t even try to argue that fact) like David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Elton John (I was never a fan of the latter) were reputedly at least bisexual, I was willing to stop judging those who loved the same music I did who also happened to be gay or bi.

So, when it was first announced that the late Freddy Mercury of the rock group Queen had AIDS, I was as heartbroken as I was when L.A. Lakers star Magic Johnson (who is still alive today) announced that he was HIV-positive.

As chronicled in the Oscar-worthy new movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddy (portrayed by Rami Malek, right) was another musical genius who at first tried to pass himself off as hetero.

But, Mr. Mercury truly was more than just another gay rock star. His music forced millions of heteros who were literally dancing in the aisles at Queen concerts to accept that just because someone was gay, it didn’t mean they didn’t have talents and abilities that could transcend the hatred so many automatically felt towards them, if those folks didn’t think their sexuality alone made them bad people.

I hope those who are still certain that everyone who is LGBTQ is “diseased” and “all going to hell” will see the movie, sing along to Queen’s hits with Malek and at least try to understand that someone would have to have other serious mental problems to choose that life.

Legacy At Highwoods Preserve Resident Celebrates Her 106th Birthday In Style!

My mother’s mother lived until three weeks before her 92 birthday and my beloved Nana’s older sister lived until a week before her 100th birthday, so long life thankfully runs in my family.

Even so, both my Nan and Great Aunt Molly were still quite a few years younger when they passed than New Tampa resident Frances Brassey, who just celebrated her 106th birthday last month.

Frances is a resident of The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve Assisted Living & Memory Care (a Lifewell Senior Living community), located at 18600 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. (where West Meadows meets Richmond Place) who was born on October 4, 1912 “the same year the Titanic sunk,” Frances reminded folks in attendance at her birthday party at The Legacy.

Frances got to celebrate her 106th birthday with her son Wayne and her daughter-in-law Dorothy at an event attended not only by her family and the other residents and staff at The Legacy, but also by District 38 State Rep. Shawn Harrison and District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist, both of whom not only posed for pictures and chatted with Frances and her family, they also each brought a framed item for Frances to keep.

Comm. Crist’s was a proclamation, signed by all seven commissioners, that said, “The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to recognize Frances Brassey on the celebratory occasion of her 106th birthday, and applauds her for uplifting, inspiring and sharing knowledge with people throughout her well-traveled life.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Harrison brought a framed letter he wrote to Frances that said “It’s good to be able to celebrate with you again. I’m so happy to share this special day with you. You are a great inspiration, and I’m sure that your full life has impacted many people in many positive ways.”

Although I didn’t get to talk to Frances because I got there a little late, as the party went into it’s third hour, but I could see how much Frances loves The Legacy and her fellow residents.

And, when asked about the secret to her long life, Frances said, “drinking a Coke a day,” which is not only a pretty decent testament to Coca-Cola, it also reminded me of something said at a luncheon following my Great Aunt Molly’s funeral, which was held at a Jewish delicatessen in North Miami.
My cousin Arthur, the younger of Molly’s sons, asked everyone to raise their sandwich as he said, “Mom, you always said the salted, cured meats and French fries were the secrets to long life, and after almost 100 years of life, who could argue with you?” I’m pretty sure no one’s arguing with Frances, either.

The Legacy also recently welcomed two new top-level staff members — executive director Virginia Rice and chef Dennis Millet.

For more information about or to schedule a tour of The Legacy, visit LegacyatHighwoodsPreserve.com or call (813) 375-9858.

Do Not Miss The First New Tampa Brew Fest On Nov. 10!

When I was at the University of Florida, I remember asking a friend after at least six hours at a dorm party, “So, how much beer is too much beer?”

His response was, “The question is, how much beer is enough beer?

Well, those who attend the first-ever New Tampa Brew Fest, presented by Kling Law of Tampa, on Saturday, November 10, 6 p.m.-10 p.m., at the Venetian Event Center in front of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church (9724 Cross Creek Blvd.), may actually be able to answer both of those questions. (kidding)

Hosted by the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon (the club I belong to), which meets Wednesdays at noon at Mulligans Irish Pub inside the Pebble Creek Golf Club, this first-ever New Tampa Brew Fest is likely to become an instant classic.

Thanks to the efforts of club members Jeff Ulbrich, Lisa Hickey, Dr. Steve Dau and multiple others, the Brew Fest will feature at least 75 different craft and brand-name beers including (but not limited to; more may still be added):

*Big Storm Brewery — Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout & Lightning Lager
*Big Top Brewing Co. — Trapeze Monk, Hawaiian Lion & Conch Republic
*Blue Point Brewing Co. — Toasted Lager, Citrus Plunge & Prop Stopper
*Bold City Brewery — Duke’s Cold Nose, Mad Manatee & 1901
*Coppertail Brewing Co. — Free Dive, Unholy Trippel & Independent Pilsner
*Florida Avenue Brewing — Lager, IPA & Brown Ale
*Founders Brewing Co. — All Day IPA, Solid Gold & PC Pilsner
*Funky Buddha Brewery — Floridian, Pineapple Beach Blonde & Hop Gun IPA
*Goose Island Brewing Co. — 312 Urban & English Style IPA
*Highland Brewing Co. — Gaelic Ale, Mandarin & Daycation IPA
*Kona Brewing — Longboard Lager, Fire Rock Pale Ale & Big Wave Golden Ale
*Mr. Dunderbak’s — Biergarten
*Swamp Head Brewery — Stump Knocker, Big Nose IPA & Cottonmouth
*3 Daughters Brewing — Beach Blonde, Rod Bender & Floating Dock
*Uinta Brewing Co. — Pale Ale, Baba Black Lager & Lime Pilsner
We don’t yet know exactly what brews the following will be bringing,
but there also will be samples at the event of:
*Brew Hub *Dunder Brau Brewing *Keel & Curley Cider
*Lagunitas Brewing Co. *Liquid Garage *Two Henry’s Brewing Co.
*White Claw Hard Seltzer *Wiregrass Brewing *Yuengling Brewery

Great! So, How & Where Do I Buy My Tickets?

Tickets to the New Tampa Brew Fest have been reduced to just $25 per person and that includes as many samples of all of the great beers that will be on hand as you desire.

The food trucks listed below will not be inside the event (the food will not be included with the cost of your Brew Fest admission) and each truck charges different prices for the different kinds of food they serve.

Kling Law will be providing FREE Uber rides home for any Brew Fest attendees who need them and designated driver attendance tickets cost just $20 apiece for those who want to check out the event without sampling the beers. And of course, you must be at least 18 to attend and at least age 21 to drink any of the brews at the event.

Best of all, the net proceeds from the New Tampa Brew Fest will benefit the New Tampa Noon Rotary Foundation, which supports and does service projects to benefit organizations that serve U.S. military active duty and veterans and other first responders, as well as schools, the elderly and service projects from Fire Station No. 20 on BBD to as far away as India, Nepal and Kenya. Rotary International, the world’s largest service organization, with thousands of clubs and more than 1 million members worldwide, is also the organization that is within just a few cases a year (in mainly war-torn, impoverished countries) of completely eradicating polio (which once crippled and killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide per year).

To pre-purchase New Tampa Brew Fest tickets, visit NewTampaBrewFest.com or search “New Tampa Brew Fest” on Facebook. Tickets also will be sold at the event that night.—GN

 

And, Outside The Brew Fest, These Food Trucks Are Scheduled To Be On-Site!