Friday, December 13, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.; & Sunday, December 15, 4 p.m.-6 p.m
At the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Each year, performances of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” ring in the holiday season as a long-held tradition celebrated around the world. In the Tampa Bay area, the Tampa City Ballet (TCB) brings together audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in this classic family event. For tickets (reserved seating costs $30-$50) & more info visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/events.
In the Dec 10 issue of New Tampa Neighborhood News (see below), we said that both Shake Shack and Chicken Guy! Were expected to open by one day this weekend, but as of today, both restaurants have told us that the expected openings of both fast casual eateries is now not expected until one day next week, with exact opening dates not yet set by either one until they receive their Certificates of Occupancy from Pasco County, pending final inspections.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page and the December 24 Wesley Chapel and January 7, 2025, New Tampa issues of Neighborhood News for updated opening dates for these hotly anticipated eateries.
Chicken Guy! & Shake Shack Both Expected To Open On Or Around December 13-14!
The long-awaited opening of the Tampa Bay area’s first-ever Chicken Guy location was scheduled at our press time on or around Saturday, December 14 (please check our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page regularly for a more precise opening date). Chicken Guy (top photo), founded by celebrity chef Guy Fieri and restaurateur Robert Earl, currently has a dozen locations, going up quickly to 18, including our “Cypress Creek” location at 25769 Sierra Center Blvd.
The “Mayor of Flavortown” menu features hot and “O.G.” mild crispy (or grilled) chicken tenders (and “Big Bite” sandwiches), plus salads, fries, American slaw, mac & cheese and shakes (sound familiar?), although it does also sometimes feature “Limited Time” offers — such as pepperoni chicken parm sandwiches and chopped cheese & chicken egg rolls, fried chicken dumplings and more. The “Boss of Sauce” also offers everything from Nashville hot honey to avocado crema and many more sauces created by the Chicken Guy himself!
Now with an expected opening on or around Friday, December 13, less than a 1/4-mile from Chicken Guy, is the Wesley Chapel/Lutz location of Shake Shack, in the former slot occupied by Wendy’s, at 25600 Sierra Center Blvd. (photo left). In addition to its variety of burgers — from black truffle to avocado bacon — as well as 100% Vienna® beef hot dogs, Shake Shack also offers (surprise!) crispy chicken sandwiches and bites, crinkle cut fries and shakes (including limited time shakes like Christmas Cookie and Apple Cider Donut), but with the added bonus of vanilla or chocolate frozen custard, which also can be included in your root beer or Creamsicle® float.
For more info, call (813) 696-6752 or visit ShakeShack.com. — GN
(Above) The Wiseman family participated in the “Trot for Tessa” 5K run at Tampa Palms Elementary, where principal Angela Gluth (bottom left photo) talked about former TPE student Tessa Wiseman (bottom right), who passed away at the age of 28. (Trot for Tessa photos by Charmaine George)
What’s the best way to start a day when you know you’re going to consume large quantities of food, like on Thanksgiving? With a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run, of course!
And, the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area hosted three such runs, with nearly 3,500 total runners taking part. The largest of these was the 12th annual Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot, hosted by the New Tampa Rotary Club at the Shops at Wiregrass, with more than 2,100 runners and walkers.
At the same time, BayCare Wesley Chapel Hospital hosted the BayCare Wobble at the Tampa Premium Outlets, with more than 1,100 participants, who enjoyed the cool weather, a fun costume contest and DJ music. I was there to photograph this race, which was won by Land O’Lakes resident Alejandro Peña, in an outstanding time of 15:34 (photo below left).
Baycare Wobble Photos by Gary Nager
But, photographer Charmaine George was on-hand at the first annual “Trot for Tessa,” a non-sanctioned 5K fun run at Tampa Palms Elementary (TPE) that was created to honor a former student at the school, Tessa Wiseman, whose mom Robin also is a current second grade teacher at TPE.
Tessa, who passed away from liver cancer in August of last year at the age of 28, was an avid runner who not only logged 6-7 miles per day and ran marathons, but also served as a guide runner for visually impaired athletes who ran road races.
After high school, Tessa earned her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was a year from graduating from the University of Virginia Law School in Charlottesville, when she tragically lost her second cancer fight. She worked for the American Immigration Lawyers Association in Washington, D.C., where she was focused on immigration and refugee advocacy and was an inspiration to her family, friends and colleagues. She wrote an op-ed piece for Glamour magazine in 2017, following her first cancer diagnosis and again made national headlines when she was released from the Moffitt Cancer Center to attend Taylor Swift’s final Tampa performance only four months before she passed away.
TPE principal Angela Gluth said that not only was the run named in Tessa’s honor, a magnolia tree was planted at the school to remember her.
“Every time you see that tree, you’ll be reminded to live a little more like Tessa with kindness, generosity and that love for life…If there is any money left over from (the 200+) race registrations, we will donate it to our school’s Vision Department, to create Braille resources for our students. and the Wiseman family will be selecting some of Tessa’s favorite childhood books so our students here can continue with their love of reading [in Braille].”
Tessa’s father Todd Wiseman told those in attendance that Tessa “would have loved running with you through Tampa Palms today.” — GN
Owner Mark Birkin invites you to check out his Birkin’s Steakhouse & Sushi Bar on N. Florida Ave. in Lutz.
When we first showed and told you about Birkin’s Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, located on N. Florida Ave. in Lutz (a little north of W. Bearss Ave.) back in June, the then-new restaurant’s main dining room was the main attraction — and it definitely attracted an upscale clientele that appreciated owner Mark Birkin’s selection of prime steaks and fresh sushi.
The restaurant has done so well that Mark decided that the sushi bar side — which previously was where live music was played when the restaurant was the “LA” (Lutz-Area) Hangout (and the Twisted Rooster after that) — needed and deserved an upgrade so that his ever-growing roster of customers wouldn’t have to deal with a wait on the weekends.
Well now, with more than 100 additional seats in a variety of both cozy four-top and larger 8-10-top booths, as well as a few large round tables, Mark and GM Doug Scagliola say the revamped Birkin’s sushi side is quickly becoming the location of choice for many of their regulars.
“It’s only been open three or four weeks,” Mark said at our press time, “but we already have people requesting to sit in the sushi bar area.” (Note- Now that the weather is cooler, Birkin’s also-all-new, large outdoor patio with its own huge bar area, is sure to become another hotspot for his customers.)
The guess here is that the remodeled section also will help increase sales of Birkin’s outstanding fresh sushi — from basics like California and Rainbow rolls and thick-slice tuna, yellowtail and salmon sashimi to more exotic options like Caterpillar Roll (eel roll topped with avocado and eel sauce), Giant Buda Roll (tempura shrimp with mayo, crab, smelt roe and avocado, all deep fried and topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo), to my new go-to, the Yummy Roll (with crispy baked fish, tempura crunch and roe, topped with avocado, eel sauce and spicy mayo; above photo). Birkin’s doesn’t yet have as large a variety of sushi as some Japanese restaurants, but perhaps the best thing about it is that you can still order from the restaurant’s full menu on the sushi side.
It was Happy Hour (Wed.-Fri., 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.) during our last visit, so Charmaine, Jannah and I shared a few of the Birkin’s Happy Hour food specials. We all loved the steak kabobs, made with filet tips and grilled onions and peppers (top photo) with house-made chimichurri sauce ($10 for two kabobs). Charmaine raved about the tangy seafood ceviche (which I couldn’t sample because it’s made with shrimp), served in a martini glass (left photo), for only $6. And, we all enjoyed the crispy potato wedges with blue or peppercorn sauce (I preferred the latter), also for $6. There’s also a Big Burger for $10 and tenderloin sliders for $12, plus Happy Hour California, spicy tuna and a couple of other rolls for just $6 each.
I effused last time about Birkin’s 12-oz. prime filet mignon, but after seeing the 28-oz. tomahawk ribeye (right photo) come out, that will be my next dinner option. But, whether you crave starters like escargots in butter, fried lobster bites or jumbo shrimp cocktail, entrées like a Surf & Turf (8-oz. filet & lobster tail), hand-cut Chilean sea bass (below photo), grouper piccata or lollipop lamb chops, or even Italian specialties like a thick, tender chicken parmesan or ravioli with portobella mushrooms, you can’t go wrong at Birkin’s. Some entrées do include side dishes, but there also are Family Style sides like a tasty sautéed vegetable medley, mac & cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green beans, creamed spinach and more. I think Jannah, Charmaine and I have sampled most of them and all have been yummy.
Save room for dessert, because Birkin’s has a delicious Bailey’s Irish Cream cheesecake, an apple crumble and brownie with vanilla ice cream and more.
And, Birkin’s definitely has your bar favorites covered before, during and after Happy Hour, when select glasses of wine, specialty drinks (including a house old fashioned and “Florida Ave.” margarita) and favorites like Tito’s, Jack Daniel’s, Four Roses, Captain Morgan and Herradura Repo tequila are all just $8.
If you’re planning a holiday party, Birkin’s even has a private room that seats up to 24 people.
The restaurant also will be open both Christmas Day and for New Year’s Eve, so why cook when you can make any holiday a little more special at Birkin’s?
Birkin’s Steakhouse & Sushi Bar (16411 N. Florida Ave.) is open 3 p.m.-11:30 p.m. on Wed.; 3 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Thur.-Sat. & 3:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. on Sun. (it’s closed Mon. & Tues.). For reservations (which are suggested, but not required, except when booking a party) & more information, call (813) 374-8002 or visit BirkinsSteakhouse.com.
It’s not every day that the Neighborhood News gets invited to restaurant openings in South Tampa, but when we got invited to the official Grand Opening of the new Barcelona Wine Bar (at 2907 W. Bay to Bay Blvd.), Jannah, Charmaine, Charmaine’s boyfriend Brendan & I decided to go check it out — and what an amazing place it is!
First of all, this location is one of only 22 Barcelona Wine Bars in eleven states (South Tampa is the only one in Florida) and it has a true South Tampa vibe and crowd and already has been packed every day since it opened. But, Barcelona is definitely worth a visit if you love an authentic, fine-dining Spanish tapas restaurant with a huge variety of options — including more veggie tapas (from charred broccolini & crispy Brussels sprouts to roasted carrots & crispy oyster mushrooms) than I’ve found anywhere else — plus charcuterie and cheese plates, paella and other large plates, an incredible wine list and a full ultra-premium liquor bar.
Reservations are pretty much a must, but after sampling a large portion of the tapas menu and the Paella Salvaje (Brarcelona’s all-meat paella with sausage, chicken, chorizo, pork belly, short rib & chickpeas), I can assure you that Barcelona will not disappoint! For reservations, call (813) 722-0202 or visit BarcelonaWineBar.com. For a full rundown of our first visit to Barcelona Wine Bar, see the Dec. 24 Wesley Chapel and Jan. 7, 2025, New Tampa editions of Neighborhood News & please tell them we sent you!
