By Gary Nager
Yes, faithful readers, this is our biggest-ever response to our annual Dining Survey & Contest, as nearly 1,200 entries poured into our offices over a three-month period. The previous record was just under 1,000 entries a couple of years ago. So, thanks to everyone who took the time to enter this year’s contest, which was not only the most difficult for us to tabulate, but also the most difficult for those who did enter to stay within the contest rules.Continue reading
By Gary Nager
As a primary media sponsor of the event, I am thrilled to be able to announce that the Rotary Club of New Tampa, in conjunction with five other local Rotary Clubs (New Tampa Noon, New Tampa Evening, Wesley Chapel, Temple Terrace and Tampa North), will host the tenth annual — and newly expanded (see below) — “Rotary PigFest,” the weekend of February 21-22, at the Primrose Park off Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms.
By Gary Nager,
Even though Wesley Chapel has had its own Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant (in the Village Market shopping center) for years, I hope you’ll check out the new Vallartas, which opened in November in the former location of Ciccio’s Lodge (at 16023 Tampa Palms Blvd. W.) in the Publix-anchored City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.
This newest addition to the Vallarta’s family, which includes locations in Temple Terrace and in the Wesley Chapel Village Market (among others) is perhaps the most upscale-looking of this family-owned local chain, but still delivers on the same promise of tasty Mexican fare at very fair prices.
I recently enjoyed Vallarta’s steak a la Mexicana, which is a deliciously grilled steak sautéed with fresh jalapeños, tomatoes & onions and served with rice & beans. Yum!
For info, call 978-3761 or see the Vallarta’s ad on pg. 37 for coupon offers.
Updated Dec. 14 2013
By Gary Nager,
If you’ve been salivating for the long-awaited new location of Ciccio’s California, at 17004 Palm Pointe Way (in the Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms), your wait should just about be over as this issue is reaching your mailbox. Manager Robert Garofano says the totally revamped Ciccio’s, which will open in the former World of Beer location on Tuesday, December 10, will be a fast/casual version of its previous incarna- tions in it’s old City Plaza location (which closed in january), with a menu that no longer has all of your favorite dishes from the original Ciccio & Tony’s and none of the menu items from The Lodge.
But, Garofano assures, the concept has been streamlined and improved tremendously, as the Ciccio’s Restaurant Group (which also features The Lodge, Daily Eats, The Green Lemon and Ciccio’s/Water concepts) expands its presence in the Tampa Bay area, from S. Howard Ave. to St. Pete, Brandon and now back in New Tampa.
Garofano also says that the new Ciccio’s will not have a full-liquor bar (it will offer beer and wine only), but will once again be open for lunch, dinner and late-night dining.
For additional information, visit CiccioRestaurantGroup.com.
By Matt Wiley,
A Wesley Chapel man has been charged with driving under the influence, following a crash on I-75 in which his vehicle struck six people.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), John Hegarty, 47, of Meadow Pointe, was traveling south on I-75 in the outside lane, just south of the S.R. 56 interchange, in his 2004 BMW sedan.
At the same time, FHP reports, a 1997 Honda Civic was stopped in the outside lane of southbound I-75 with its emergency lights flashing. In front of the Civic was a 1998 Toyota sedan, which had a flat tire. The six occupants of the two vehicles all were outside, between the two cars, while the flat was being changed.
The FHP report states that, as Hegarty approached the vehicles, he tried to switch from the outside lane to the center lane, but lost control of his car. The front of Hegarty’s BMW struck the left rear of the Civic, propelling it into the back of the Toyota.
The colliding vehicles, the report states, struck all six of the pedestrians, with each sustaining varying degrees of serious injuries. Jerrick Vann, 24, Nagy Ferguson, 24, and Kenneth Collins, 19, were transported to Tampa General Hospital, while Brittany Vaughn, 19, Erica Berry, 22, and a 17-year-old were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.
Hegarty was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.10 (just above the legal BAC limit of 0.08) and was charged with felony DUI with serious bodily injury, driving with a suspended license with knowledge of it being suspended, failing to drive in a designated lane and violating business-purposes-only restrictions on his driver’s license. Hegarty also admitted to deputies that he had taken two Xanax pills prior to the incident. He since has been released from the Pasco County Jail on a $3,500 bond.