Union 72 BBQ Is So Much More Than Just Another BBQ Place!

Ok, so I freely admit that while I love cooking on a grill, I’m not the biggest fan of barbecue food, especially at most places. One advantage (or disadvantage?) for me as I’ve aged is that my stomach just can’t handle most BBQ sauces.

But, the casual, new Union 72 BBQ in the Shops at Wiregrass mall is not your usual BBQ place. Yes, there’s a slew of smoked meats from which to choose — and there are some unique options among those that I am excited to tell you about — but it’s quite honestly mainly the non-BBQ-style offerings at Union 72 that really do it for me, even though, at one time, I consumed full racks of ribs in one sitting. I still love ribs, but these days, I usually just stick to enjoying one or two of someone else’s ribs (at the most) before I give up.

Well, Union 72 co-owners Jeff Martin and Bharat Chhabria and pitmaster Geoff Zukosky definitely have my attention. One bite of graphic designer Blake Beatty’s Union 72 St. Louis-style ribs and I was hooked. The ribs are prepared with Union 72’s own house-made dry rub, marinated overnight and slow-smoked to perfection. They’re served wet or dry, so I was glad that Blake ordered his dry (the marinade creates a glaze that gives these fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs a nice crispy edge), even though the photo above (provided by Union 72), are shown wet. I’m also partial to Union 72’s Texas-style beef brisket and I enjoyed tastes of the pulled pork and even the country-style sausage.

As I said before, however, I am even more impressed by Union 72’s non-smoked items, like the southern fried hot chicken tenders, which are buttermilk-battered and rubbed with Union 72’s chef-created “Fire” rub. If you like the Nashville hot chicken at that fast food chicken joint, I’m betting you’ll love these super-crispy-outside, tender-and-juicy-inside beauties even more.

I also absolutely loved the Conquistador sandwich, which is still smoked pulled pork, but Spanish-spiced (like at a great Cuban place), topped with a green chimichurri sauce, caramelized onions and topped with a perfect sunny-side-up egg that absolutely oozes into every bite, all on a tasty brioche bun.

Other chef-created Union 72 favorites at our office include the tacos — available with brisket, pork or your choice of smoked meat — the dry-rub (think spicy blackened) hot wings, the pulled chicken salad and the marinated, slow-smoked half chicken.

There are a couple of Asian-influenced sandwiches at Union 72 I’m planning to try on my next couple of visits — the Vietnamese-style Banh mi sandwich (photo, right), which puts slices of that slow-smoked brisket on a baguette, topped with pickled vegetables, cucumbers, bean sprouts and spicy aioli; and the Far East sandwich, which is slow-smoked, chopped pork topped with kimchi, drizzled with Union 72’s house-made Sticky Asian barbecue sauce, and finished with fresh cilantro, scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Some of these sandwiches are served with your choice of a side and so far, I’m pretty much loving all of ‘em. The corn on the cob, collared greens, fries, house-made slaw, smoked bacon mac & cheese and the smoked, loaded baked potato all get high marks from me. I’m not a big fried okra fan, but lots of Union 72 regulars seem to love it, too. I’ve only sampled three or four of the six  house-made sauces to date, but my favorites are the white BBQ and Sticky Asian.

Speaking of folks who already visit Union 72, which has been open about two months at our press time, 900Âș Woodfired Pizza (also located in the mall) owner Steve Falabella and Little Italy’s (on S.R. 54 in Lutz) owners Carl and Jessica Meyers rave about the place, as did everyone in my office who got to try it the day I wrote this article.

The Brass Tap Connection

Martin is probably familiar to a lot of you, as he opened the first Brass Tap (in the space adjacent to what is now Union 72) in the mall more than eight years ago. Today, Martin and a variety of partners and some franchisees now have 39 Brass Taps in more than a dozen states. The Wiregrass location which previously had only served dozens of beers from around the world and a variety of wines, recently added full liquor, which has only brought in more people to an already popular watering hole and night spot.

Chhabria met Martin when he bought a franchise and the two shared a love for great barbecue and wanted to be able to offer good prices for their “flavors of the world.” Martin even says that Union 72 is now adding a variety of small, shareable appetizer platters — like unique nachos and more — to better serve his thirsty (and often hungry) customers at the Brass Tap.

Speaking of beverages, I love the local Cigar City craft lager on draft (served in mason jars) and house merlot and chardonnay also are available.

And, by the time you read this, you’ll be able to check out Union 72’s expanding catering menu, which you should consider if you want everyone to rave about the food at your “Big Game” party. Union 72 will even provide employees to work your party, to make sure everything is perfect. And, based on my experience so far, it will be!

Union 72 BBQ (2000 Piazza Ave., Suite 150) is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. every day & until 10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. For info, call 575-9999, or visit Union72.com. Please tell Jeff & crew we sent you!

Thanking Our 2016 Advertiser Of The Year — Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel!

EDITORIAL

Considering that my birthday is in January, I always find the New Year to be a time of reflection, even more so for me than it is about resolutions for the year to come.

We have an awful lot to be thankful for here at the Neighborhood News. We continue to thrive in a market saturated with other publications, we helped launch WCNT-tv and we have provided our 100,000+ readers in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel with more news and information about their communities than any other single media source. I’m not making that up — virtually every day, someone seeks me out to tell me that and thank me for what we do.

It’s been a while since I gave one business our “Advertiser of the Year” award, but there’s no doubt in my mind that one local business has not only spent the most money with us in 2016, it also is at the epicenter of life in our area — Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC). FHWC’s marketing director Tracy Clouser has not only purchased ads in both editions of the Neighborhood News for the hospital, she also stepped up to be the Studio Sponsor for at least the first 16 episodes of WCNT-tv. That sponsorship has allowed my partner — Craig Miller of Full Throttle Intermedia — and I to create 14 episodes of that show to date and not have to worry about losing our shirts while trying to reach a new audience with something so fresh and innovative.

Tracy Clouser

But, FHWC is about so much more than just advertising. The hospital’s presence and visibility on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., a little more than a mile north of the Hillsborough-Pasco county line, has been a major reason why the Porter family has been so successful in developing the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI).

Yes, we’re also happy that the Shops at Wiregrass mall (which opened a couple of years before the hospital), Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus, North Tampa Behavioral Health, Raymond James Financial and The Beach Assisted Living — and some of the most beautiful, new neighborhoods in Wesley Chapel (Estancia and The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch, etc.) — have all found their way to the Porter Family Trust’s 5,000+ acres, but I honestly believe that FHWC is literally the heartbeat of our area.

The hospital’s CEO Denyse Bales-Chubb also has been visible and approachable and FHWC itself is as technologically advanced as any hospital in the country. Perhaps best of all, the upwards expansion of FHWC already has getting ready to open and will be completed soon, probably before the end of January. I will admit that I did not know much about the Seventh Day Adventists before this jewel of a hospital opened on BBD, but I appreciate and even admire the kind of investment they have made in both of our distribution areas.

Don’t forget that in addition to FHWC, the Adventist Health System also took over what used to be called University Community Hospital on BBD and Fletcher Ave. The renamed Florida Hospital Tampa (FHT) also has been a prominent advertiser in these pages (predominantly in our New Tampa issues), so it’s hard for me to not sing the praises of both local hospitals, especially knowing how many improvements also have been made at FHT — and are still to come in the future.

And, A WCNT-tv Feature Report!

Craig and I have been waiting for the go-ahead from Tracy (who also just completed her year as the Board Chair of our exclusive WCNT-tv webcast partner, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce) to produce a complete segment about the hospital’s expansion, but it is currently available for viewing now in WCNT-tv’s Episode 14, debuting on YouTube on Jan. 6.

We’re excited to take you on an exclusive video tour of everything FHWC is adding (including some amazing drone video footage from Brad Hall Studios) to make life in our area even better.

The Frost Family Opens Its 5th Local McDonald’s!

If you’re a fan of McDonald’s, you’re probably a fan of the Frost family. Patriarch Jack Frost (third from left in photo) got tired of the frost nipping at his nose in his home state of Wisconsin (where he opened his first McDonald’s), and relocated his family to our area more than 30 years ago, opening the first of five local Mickey D’s in 1985 on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Today, Frost and his sons John (left in photo) and Chris (far right) and daughter Jen own eight McDonald’s restaurants, including all five of the locations in our distribution areas (two in New Tampa and now three in the Wesley Chapel area). The most recent opening happened just before we went to press with our latest issue, as the 6,300-sq.-ft. (about as large as the location on 54, which is the second largest in Florida) McDonald’s on S.R. 56, between the new Longhorn Steakhouse and BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse (in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets) has opened.

Equipped with a large “play place” for the kids and with more sit-down space than most McD’s, Chris Frost says that the new location focuses on customer service, and after watching the pre-opening training of the location’s employees, I can assure you that you will be greeted by lots of smiles and  “let me get that for you right away” attitudes.

And, if you check out the ad on page 44 of our current Wesley Chapel issue, you’ll see a Grand Opening special of 20 McNuggets for only $5 (through Feb. 19). For more info, stop in 24-7 (or for the official Grand Opening on Sat., Jan. 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.) at McDonald’s (2609 Creek Grass Way, Lutz) or visit McDonalds.com.

Enjoy UFC, The NFL & More At Peabody’s Billiards & Games!

Don’t think for even one second that just because I moved our Neighborhood News office to Wesley Chapel three years ago that I have ever forgotten about my former neighbor in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms — Peabody’s Billiards & Games.

Peabody’s is one of the few things I miss about the old office. New Tampa’s entertainment complex tradition since 1998 (which has been non-smoking inside for several years now; there are tables outside for smokers) is still owned by Bryan Peabody and is one of the best and most underrated restaurants in our distribution areas.

First of all, I know you can get wings and burgers at pretty much any sports bar, but how many of them also serve true, NY-style pizza, by the whole pie and the slice? And, you can even get toppings on half a pizza at Peabody’s, so your cheese slice fans and pepperoni, sausage, etc., fans can both get what they crave.

But, while we’re talking burgers and wings, Peabody’s burgers (and sandwiches) are served with your choice of three kinds of fries — curly, crinkle- and my favorite, the skin-on, straight house-cut. Order ‘em extra crispy, like I do, and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Peabody’s super-popular house-cut fries are usually tossed in Kosher salt and parmesan cheese, but they’re a little messy that way for my taste, so I order them plain.

The burgers themselves are thick and juicy and I see a lot of the younger patrons going with the breakfast burger, which is topped with cheese, applewood-smoked bacon and a fried egg. It’s yummy that way, but I usually just get the Peabody’s classic, although there’s also cowboy (BBQ sauce and bacon) and black bean vegetarian options.

Even though I’m not the biggest wing lover, I’ve always thought that Peabody’s has the biggest, crispiest naked (unbreaded) wings in town. I order them extra crispy (of course), with a sauce (like the Daytona, sweet chili or hot garlic, among so many others) on the side (that I honestly only use sparingly because the wings honestly don’t need it).

Peabody’s also has great appetizers like a really popular spinach and artichoke dip, Spanish nachos (with homemade chili), loaded potato skins and brew-battered onion rings. The house, Caesar and blackened chicken salads are all great and I really like the agave balsamic and raspberry vinaigrette (and Caesar) dressings.

The place also is famous for its wraps and sandwiches. Editorial assistant Celeste McLaughlin and I both really enjoyed the new ribeye Philly cheesesteak sandwich and graphic designer Blake Beatty (a long-time Peabody’s fan himself) loves the New Tampa Cuban. There’s also great grilled cheese, grilled or blackened chicken sandwiches, an authentic cold Italian sub and Buffalo and West Coast turkey wraps, all of which have gotten high marks in our office.

And So Entertaining, Too!

If you’re like most everyone who lives in the Tampa Bay area, you’re probably aware that the NFL playoffs are about to begin and I assure that there is no better place to watch every NFL Sunday Ticket game — or all the big UFC fights.

And of course, Peabody’s has beautiful pool tables, dart boards and other games, plus great food and beverage specials every day, from $1 Taco Tuesdays to $1.25 pizza slices on Wednesday and many others, including great lunch specials for $10 or less. And, Peabody’s Palms Lounge has great DJ dance music every Wed.-Sat. night.

And, Peabody’s food can now be delivered by Uber Eats! In other words, you just can’t beat it!

Peabody’s Billiards & Games (15333 Amberly Dr. ) is open every day, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. For more info, call 972-1725 or visit PeabodysTampa.com. And, don’t forget to tell them that the Neighborhood News sent you!

‘Light Up The Night’ Event Starts With 5K Run Tomorrow

Saturday, January 14, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. — we hope you’ll check out the “Light Up the Night” event to raise awareness of and combat human trafficking which is being co-sponsored by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and the Shops at Wiregrass mall.

The event starts with the “Radiant 5K” road race, which will kick off from Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch at 4 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held immediately following the race at the mall, which also will host the Light Up the Night “Main Event,” starting at 6 p.m., with music, lots of great educational information and a great Kids Zone.

Proceeds from the 5K race will benefit four nonprofit organizations fighting human trafficking, including Bridging Freedom (logo above), the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, The Porch Light and Redefining Refuge.

For registration and more info, visit Active.com and search “Radiant 5K” or LightUptheNightTampaBay.com.