Only lasting about a year was Mo Cookies, the cookie store that replaced my beloved Urban Sweets at 5903 Goldview Pkwy., Unit #103, in the KRATE at The Grove container park in Nov. 2024.
Already claiming that spot as its own is Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake (photo, above), which has an original location on 56th St. in Temple Terrace and a newer location at 19406 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa. As we told you in Apr. 2025, “the “Twisted Rolls” at the dessert location are an Eastern European treat made of dough and sugar that is rolled around a stick and then baked in an oven until hot and semi-crispy…then dipped in a variety of glazes and rolled in one of nine different toppings. Like the other locations, the Twisted Rolls at the KRATEs also will serve ice cream, crepes, cheesecake, waffles, pancakes, coffee and smoothies. For more info, visit TwistedRollsChimneyCake.com.
Owner Giovanni Gocaj or Giovanni’s Flooring, Kitchen & Bath invites you to visit his showroom. in the SuperTarget-anchored Northwoods Plaza on BBD Blvd. (Photo by Charmaine George)
Whether you’re looking to replace your old carpeting with luxury vinyl plank (LVP) or tile, or you want to completely remodel your kitchen or bathrooms, Giovanni’s Flooring, Kitchen & Bath, located in the SuperTarget-anchored Northwoods shopping center on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of County Line Rd., is a great place to start. Owner and licensed contractor Giovanni Gocaj transformed a former flooring-only store in the same location and opened the doors to the second full-service remodeling destination for his company last year.
With roots dating back to 2004, when his father Luk opened his location in Trinity, the business officially passed to Giovanni in 2011.
“My father came from Albania 20 years ago and opened the business,” says Giovanni, adding that his father is still very much involved in the day-to-day work and continues to collaborate on all projects at both the Trinity and Wesley Chapel locations. “It’s a family thing,” says Giovanni. “Most of my crew also are family members.”
Remodeling ‘Bundles’
Giovanni’s customers often benefit from bundled pricing when opting for a full-home remodel. “A complete remodel will get a discount depending on the house size,” he says. This all-in-one pricing model simplifies the process for homeowners by bundling design, labor and materials into a single package.
The company operates without subcontractors, something Giovanni proudly emphasizes.
“Each person we employ specializes in something — flooring, kitchens, or baths — and that’s what they do every day. You’ll never get someone who was randomly hired the day before and doesn’t know what they’re doing.” This hands-on, family-led structure ensures quality control and accountability from start to finish.
The Wesley Chapel location has already attracted many loyal clients, and local awareness continues to grow. Of Giovanni’s 20 Google reviews so far, every one of them is 5 stars out of 5.
For example, in his 5-star review, customer David Paloscio wrote:
“I recently had my bathroom remodeled from Giovanni’s Flooring Kitchen & Bath and they did a wonderful job replacing the whole shower, vanity and toilet. The tiles in the shower look beautiful. The shower, toilet and sink work great and they also adjusted the flooring to fit the vanity, which also was excellent. I highly recommend this company for anyone who wants remodeling done in their home.”
The showroom reflects everything that’s trending in home design.
“Right now, it’s all about the light wood-grain colors and European oak finishes,” Giovanni explains. “We’re also seeing a move away from traditional garden tubs to sleek, free-standing bathtubs (before-&-after photos above and left).” He adds that where people used to use a lot of different colors, monochrome has become the go-to: “Now, it’s all about tone-on-tone and different shades of the same color family.”
When asked to describe the customer experience at Giovanni’s, the owner says his clientele appreciates the smooth, no-hassle process, where customers can choose all of their finishes in the showroom. Design and pricing are finalized as quickly as possible. Installation begins on schedule and the same dedicated crew works on your home until your project is completed — with no interruptions and no bouncing between jobs.
“We commit to timelines,” Giovanni says. “If we say 10 days, it will be done in 10 days.”
The company’s commitment to quality and professionalism is what sets it apart.
“You can buy the most expensive tile or cabinets out there, but if the person doing the job doesn’t know what they’re doing, you’re not going to be happy,” Giovanni says. “We don’t take those chances. We know our crew and their specialties.”
Quality Products
Giovanni’ also is proud of the quality of the products he offers.
“We carry high-end brands like engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl plank and top-quality tile and fixtures,” he says. “We do not carry mirrors or lights, but we help customers pick the ones they want online, and we’ll install them, too.” Both the Wesley Chapel and Trinity showrooms feature extensive sample displays, giving customers plenty of inspiration and variety.
When it comes to materials, Giovanni is selective and focused on products that last. From exotic hardwoods like Brazilian cherry and Santos mahogany to eco-friendly vinyl plank options, everything the location carries is backed by warranties and is designed to last.
Speaking of eco-friendly, Giovanni is particularly proud of his vinyl plank flooring options, which include:
• Low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials, which release minimal harmful chemicals into the air.
• Phthalate-free products, avoiding synthetic chemical additives that are linked to health risks.
• California Air Resources Board (CARB)- Certified selections, which meet strict indoor air quality standards.
These choices and others highlight the company’s commitment to both health and sustainability without sacrificing performance or style.
“When you purchase the higher-end products, you may spend a little more,” Giovanni says. “For example, on a 100-square-foot bathroom, the difference between what you can buy at a big-name store and ours is about $50 to $100. But with ours, you’ll get a lifetime warranty on the materials and installation. It’s worth that few extra dollars.”
From bathrooms (before & after photos in the middle of the page) to kitchens (above), Giovanni’s can remodel your home to your exact specifications. (Photos provided by Giovanni’s Flooring, Kitchen & Bath)
Customer Robert Wilson agrees. In his 5-star Google review, Wilson wrote:
“My wife and I had a leak [at our home] while we were out of town. Our floors and kitchen cabinets were ruined. We stopped in to Giovanni’s just to look around. The attention and knowledge we received from Andy was very attentive and comforting at the same time. The entire process was very easy. I also want to commend their installers. They were informative and meticulous in their work. I would highly recommend this company and look forward to doing business with them in the future with our bathroom remodels.”
Meanwhile, Giovanni says he hopes to expand to four or five locations across the state.
“But, we want to grow in a way that doesn’t sacrifice quality,” he says. “Our eyes are on areas like Riverview and possibly Naples.”
He also notes that he is a licensed general contractor in the state of Florida, “while many others are only licensed and insured in the county. We can help our customers anywhere in Florida — from their design needs, to choosing the right products and completing the job. We are a one-stop shop.”
The Former Location Of Ginza No Longer Offers All-You-Can-Eat, But Is A Big Step-Up In Quality!
I can honestly say that I’ve never been a big fan of all-you-can-eat restaurants. Especially when you don’t know which dishes you even like at a place, all-you-can-eat basically means you’re “forced” to sample a number of different items in order to find the ones you like — and by then, you’re usually too full to enjoy those items.
Once you’ve been to a particular all-you-can-eat restaurant more than once, and know what items you like there, I’ll admit that there is a certain value in this type of dining, but it usually causes you eat more than you normally might to “get your money’s worth.”
That’s why I wasn’t upset when the owners of the new Sushi Time restaurant — which opened a couple of months ago in the former location of Ginza All You Can Eat Sushi & Hibachi (on E. County Line Rd., next to LA Fitness, just south of the Pasco County line) — decided to do away with Ginza’s all-you-care-to-eat concept.
In fact, the first thing those of you who loved Ginza should know is that even though you no longer receive unlimited food for one price, the quality of the food — especially the sushi — at Sushi Time has been upgraded significantly, as has the presentation of that food (as evidenced by photographer Charmaine George’s beautiful pictures on this page).
Let’s start with the sushi. Jannah, Charmaine and I were treated to a beautiful and delicious sushi boat (top photo), which included three rolls — Jannah’s favorite California roll, a spicy tuna roll topped with avocado and a black dragon roll (tempura shrimp and avocado with eel and eel sauce on top) that I couldn’t eat but Jannah and Charmaine both loved. The grilled eel on top was so sweet that they both thought it was cooked banana — and loved it! It was Jannah’s first time ever even eating eel and she was stunned to find she actually enjoyed it!
The boat also included thick slices of raw tuna, white tuna (escolar), salmon and yellowtail, plus nigiri (sliced sushi on rice) of salmon, yellowtail and my favorite — red snapper. Slices of the snapper also were formed into a pretty flower and topped with ikura (salmon roe).
The boat alone would have been more than enough for the three of us, but we had already ordered Charmaine’s favorite Naruto Roll (above right), which is an extra-large sushi roll with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, spicy krab, avocado and tobiko (flying fish roe) wrapped in cucumber. Simply amazing.
Charmaine and I also really enjoyed the yellowtail jalapeño (above left). which was only slightly spicy, as well as a salmon “sprint,” which is slices of salmon wrapped around julienned cucumber in a mild chili sauce (right). And, since my companions loved the eel so much, we also had three pieces of eel nigiri. All of the sushi was incredibly fresh.
But, since Jannah is only a casual fan of sushi, we also got an order of crispy and delicious gyoza (fried pork dumplings; below left) and equally crisp Chinese-style pork egg rolls (below right). Both were yummy!
And, even though we were totally stuffed by now and took much of the food home with us, we wanted to sample (and of course, photograph) at least one hibachi dish, so we had the chicken hibachi, which featured big chunks of chicken and broccoli florets in a zesty sauce. Please note that Sushi Time does not have teppanyaki (hibachi) tables. The hibachi dishes are made in the kitchen, but are well worth having. Other hibachi options include tofu, sirloin steak, shrimp, scallops, king salmon and a variety of combos.
Other entrées include favorites like sesame, orange and General Tso’s chicken (or tofu), Mongolian beef or chicken, beef & broccoli and “Dragon & Phoenix” (shrimp with mixed veggies & General Tso’s chicken). There also are ramen and udon noodle dishes and all of the entrée categories feature vegetable-only options.
So, despite already being barely able to get up from the table, we finished off our meal with one order of fried (chocolate) ice cream (topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce; below right), an order of fried bananas (which were done to crisp perfection) and Jannah’s favorite green tea ice cream.
Best of all, Sushi Time is a pretty restaurant with a variety of Japanese (Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin) and other beers, plus red and white wine, green, jasmine and boba tea, as well as a variety of soft drinks, including Japanese soda.
The portions are large, the prices are very fair and as I said, the quality is a quantum leap above Ginza and other all-you-can-eat places.
Need more incentive to try Sushi Time? With the coupon in the ad below, you’ll save 20% off your total bill when you dine in!
Sushi Time (6417 E. County Line Rd., #104) is open every day for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more info, call (813) 907- 1688 or visit SushiTimeFL.com. Reservations are not required. Please tell them I sent you!
This location at 7803 Curley Rd. at Victory Crossing Dr. (near the Starbucks north of Overpass Rd.; see map) appeared to be ready to open (see photo) a couple of weeks ago, as the electronic menu boards were already operational. But, as of today, the new Wendy’s still looks no closer to opening. The restaurant, featuring a covered outdoor patio, is 2,239 sq. ft. and will have the usual Wendy’s fare, from breakfast items to burgers and chicken sandwiches to Frostys.
For those of us still lamenting the loss of Rock & Brews, which has now been demolished (photo), there is some small consolation that Portillo’s, the 6,160-sq.-ft. (with a 415-sq.-ft. outdoor patio) Chicago-style hot dog, sausage and burger place, will replace the giant guitar on S.R. 56. Although there will be no full-liquor bar (sigh), Portillo’s does serve beer to go with its Chicago-inspired fare. The Lutz/Wesley Chapel location will feature Portillo’s “Restaurant of the Future” design (rendering).
There currently are 77 Portillo’s locations in 10 states (including the closest location to us — on E. Fowler Ave. in front of the University Mall — and the company is in the process of an aggressive expansion plan to add approximately 920 more restaurants over the next 20 years, including both full-scale restaurants and pickup-only locations. Approximately 800 of these will be full-scale restaurants and the remainder will be pickup or drive-thru locations. We have no further information on when Portillo’s will open, but you can check Portillos.com.
