Frank Geivelis (far left), Sabani Ferhatovic & Sabani’s wife Ferzeta Omerovic & Sabani and Ferzeta’s grandsons Beno & Anthony Ferhatovic of Café Zorba.
The day I drove up to and found out that the Tutti Frutti Café in the KRATE at The Grove container park had closed, a gentleman sitting in front of the nearby Café Zorba (5804 Grand Oro Ln. #102) told me that he and his friend sitting with him were now the new management team at Café Zorba, which previously was only a Greek/Mediterranean restaurant but now also is serving traditional Bosnian/Balkan food, in addition to the usual gyros, Greek salads, stuffed grape leaves (dolmades) and souvlakis (below left).
The two men — Fotios (he goes by Frank) Geivelis and Sabani Ferhatovic — invited me to attend the Grand Reopening of Café Zorba, which was held on May 3 and was going to feature an almost-40-lb. lamb roasted outside on a rotating spit grill.
Well, as a true lamb lover who had never sampled Bosnian food before, I brought along photographer Charmaine George to sample and take pictures of some of Café Zorba’s new traditional Bosnian/Balkan cuisine.
We started with an order of cevapi — small sausages made of lamb and beef served with ajvar (red pepper sauce) inside a tasty flatbread. Cevapi is a popular Balkan street food that tasted a little like lamb-infused, well-grilled breakfast sausages.
We also saw Sabani’s wife Ferzeta Omerovic take the foil wrap off a pot of the most beautiful-looking stuffed peppers (called punjene paprike; far right photo), so we asked her for a sample. Now, I honestly have never even liked stuffed peppers, but the mild red bell peppers were cooked to soft perfection and stuffed with ground beef, rice, tomato sauce and a variety of spices so tasty that Charmaine and I were both hooked.
We also got a sample of Ferzeta’s Bosnian stuffed “sour” cabbage rolls known as sarma, which are fermented (pickled in some kind of vinegar base) cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat (I forgot to ask if it was veal, lamb or beef), minced onion, beef stock and paprika. Sour is correct. Charmaine actually preferred the sarma to the punjene paprike.
I then returned alone four hours later to check out the roast lamb, which Sabani was busy getting properly spiced when Charmaine and I first arrived. He definitely loved cooking the lamb, as he was handing out freshly carved samples of the most tender, garlicky delicious sliced lamb I had ever tasted — better than the lamb chops at most high-level restaurants! And, Ferzeta’s creamy tomato and cucumber salad served with it also was outstanding!
But, if you missed out on the Grand Reopening lamb, don’t be sad — Frank promise me that they will be roasting a whole lamb “at least once or maybe twice a month. Follow us on Instagram to find out when we’ll have it next!” For more info, call (813) 388-5987 or order online from DoorDash or Uber Eats.— GN
I have known Mark Birkin, the owner of Birkin’s Steak & Sushi restaurant on N. Florida Ave. in Lutz, for about 14 years — since he first opened PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. back in 2011.
Since then, Mark has changed the PJ Dolan’s name to The Wexford, but retained the Irish pub menu and feel. Before Mark bought it, PJ Dolan’s previously also was Remington’s Steakhouse, Cody’s Roadhouse and the Bullseye Saloon.
And, although Mark had some success with both PJ Dolan’s and The Wexford, neither matched the drawing power of the original Remington’s or even Cody’s.
But, Mark has had great success with Birkin’s, his upscale steak & sushi concept, and felt he could bring a more casual, popularly priced new steakhouse to just outside of New Tampa.
He did his research and found that the only active use of the Remington name — in honor of the renowned “Old West” artist Frederic Remington — were two Remington’s Grills in North Carolina, so he got permission from the owner of those “fast casual BBQ & burgers” concept locations to use the original name that so many New Tampa residents loved and renamed it “Remington’s Steak & Seafood.” The unveiling of the new name and menu could happen by the time this issue reaches your mailbox but will more likely take until at least the Mother’s Day weekend — May 10-11 — before the sign goes up and the new eatery becomes a reality.
At our press time, some of the renovations were still being finalized, as Mark decided he was going to keep The Wexford open until the official switchover takes place.
“I’m excited about Remington’s Steak & Seafood,” Mark says. “This will be a locally owned, reasonably priced steakhouse that definitely should be able to compete with the popularly priced chain steak places in our area.”
Mark also says that, in addition to its renovated main dining areas (both inside and on the spacious patio) the new Remington’s will have two private dining rooms suitable for parties and an all-new fun “feel,” but that still leaves the one burning question…
What About The New Menu?
Mark literally let me know that he had received approval to go with the Remington’s name two days before Our Apr. 29 New Tampa issue went to press. It had been several months since Jannah and I had eaten at The Wexford and our photographer Charmaine George had never eaten there with us, so we had to move quickly.
I first asked Mark if any of The Wexford’s menu items were staying and, even though he said that all of the coming-forward items are going to be given upgrades, we sampled the potato skins, Shepherd’s pie quesadillas, fish & chips and the bacon cheeseburger & fries — and the latter two items appear above and below.
Mark didn’t want us to use a Birkin’s steak picture for this story, so I found the generic top sirloin with baked potato picture shown on this page to give you a feel for the style of cuisine at Remington’s because, as Mark says, “The steaks will be the stars of this new show.” And, as you can see from the extensive sampling from the menu in the ad on the next page, there will be a wide variety of what he calls “Choice +” steaks, all at a few dollars less than the local chains.
So, whether you’re craving a ribeye, NY strip, filet mignon, T-bone, top sirloin or even lollipop lamb chops, Remington’s will satisfy you. The only steaks I see missing are a bone-in ribeye/ tomahawk and prime rib, but those could be added down the road. In the meantime, the most expensive steak on the menu is the 23-oz. T-bone with two sides for $34.95. The 14-oz. NY strip is just $24.95 with two sides!
As for the seafood side of the menu, there will be escargots and shrimp cocktail appetizers, grilled salmon, fried and grilled shrimp dinners and the aforementioned fish & chips.
Remington’s other entrées will include country fried steak or chicken fried chicken, grilled chicken breast, a boneless BBQ pork chop, Shepherd’s pie, mac n’ cheese and a limited supply each night of a half or whole rotisserie chicken. There also will be a daily Happy Hour menu (served 3 p.m.-5 p.m.), with some of the items mentioned above, plus two sides, for just $14.95!
Speaking of sides, Remington’s will offer everything from mixed veggies, green beans and kernel corn to sautéed mushrooms, baked or mashed potatoes, hand-cut fries and sautéed onions. And yes, the restaurant also will offer bone-in and boneless wings, clam chowder, French onion and a Soup of the Day, burgers, sandwiches, salads and an $8.95 kids menu (for ages 12 & under), plus decadent desserts.
In other words, once it opens and people get to sample the new Remington’s, Mark believes it will be here to stay!
Remington’s Steak & Seafood is located at 2836 E. Bearss Ave. The hours have not been officially set, nor does it have a phone number or online presence yet, but check our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page for updated info!
Whether or not you think you’re craving Caribbean-American cuisine, you should definitely visit the new Tallo (pronounced “Tie-yo”) Restaurant, located in Downtown Avalon Park at 4424 Friendly Way, Ste 105 (next to the also-new Rudraksh Indian Cuisine). Owners Ramon and Kelvin and Chef Juan Soto invite you to enjoy a unique (especially for Wesley Chapel!) dining experience that blends the rich, flavorful traditions of Caribbean cooking and American cuisine, plus great craft cocktails, all in a beautiful, elegant setting.
Tallo’s public Grand Opening is this afternoon at 6 p.m., but the Neighborhood News team already has sampled quite a few delicious items from the restaurant’s “soft opening” menu, including the Asian “pig wings” (bone-in, glazed pork riblets), short rib dumplings, chicken skewers, the “Cuatro Carnes” (four meats) flatbread, the pistachio pesto bucatini pasta, pan-seared salmon and perhaps the best lemon “airline” chicken (a boneless breast with the wing bone attached), with garlic broccolini, I’ve ever tasted.
The public ribbon-cutting and Grand Opening are at 6 p.m. today. But, whether you make it to that event or not, you owe it to yourself to give the delicious new Tallo a try!
For reservations (which are definitely suggested) and more info, call (813) 355-3603, visit TalloRestaurant.com or “@Tallo_Resturant” on Instagram. Also, look for a more complete update about Tallo in the May 27 New Tampa and June 10 Wesley Chapel editions of Neighborhood News!
Owners David Calcador and Deborah Curler invite you to try all of their newest products at Your CBD Store of New Tampa, located in the Pebble Creek Collection, just south of Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)
David Calcador and Deborah Curler own Your CBD Store of New Tampa, a franchised location of the national chain, located less than a mile south of the Pasco County line in the Pebble Creek Collection on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
The first Your CBD Store was opened in Bradenton in 2018, and the husband-and-wife team of David and Deborah opened their store just a year later, in 2019.
Now, Your CBD Store is the largest brick-and-mortar CBD chain in the U.S., with more than 600 stores, selling its proprietary Sunmed products, which is a premium, hemp-based line of wellness products tested locally for quality.
Deborah and David are quick to emphasize that they’re not a smoke shop or a cannabis dispensary, but a wellness resource offering solutions to many health problems.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of more than 100 cannabinoids that grow on cannabis, of which both hemp and marijuana are varieties. CBD originates from hemp, but contains less than 0.3% of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the ingredient that causes a “high,” while marijuana has much higher levels of THC.
Most of the products at Your CBD Store of New Tampa are offered as “full spectrum,” which are generally stronger but still contain no more than the legal limit of 0.3% THC, and “broad spectrum,” which have no THC at all.
“CBD can help you with what’s going on in your body,” explains Deborah. “From chronic pain to anxiety, there are so many things it can do for someone.”
CBD comes in both flavored and flavorless tinctures, oils, pills, gummies, weight-loss products, as well as a skincare line, bath bombs, lotions, massage oils, pain creams and even products for dogs and cats.
Deborah and David say that they love educating their customers and clearing up misinformation about CBD. Their CBD products won’t get you high, aren’t illegal, won’t make you impaired and you don’t need a medical cannabis card to purchase them.
Deborah explains that all Sunmed products have a QR code on them that anyone can scan to see detailed information, from where the hemp was grown that was used to make the product (Deborah says the hemp used in her store’s products are all from Oregon and Colorado) to a lab report that explains exactly what’s in the product, as tested by a third party, to ensure quality and safety standards.
New Products
Deborah shares that the store is always offering new products, in addition to the staples they’ve had for years.
For example, full-spectrum water soluble CBD has been available in 900 mg and 1,800 mg versions, but is now also available in 2,700 mg and 5,400 mg, too. Deborah says these products are great for stress, anxiety and panic attacks, as well as general health and wellness.
“Neuro is a special blend for neurological issues and is CBG-enriched for fighting inflammation,” Deborah says. (Note-CBG is another non-psychoactive cannabinoid that also is known as “the mother of cannabinoids.”)
For longer-lasting effects for pain relief, Deborah says tinctures provide up to 10 hours of pain relief and are available in 1,000 mg, 2,000 mg and 3,000 mg.
Your CBD store also offers topical creams, sprays, gels and roll-ons for isolated pain.
The store recently added Nowadays, which is an adult beverage that gives a buzz without a hangover, and Xite Delta 9 milk chocolate and dark chocolate candies and popcorn.
Your CBD Store also carries a variety of edibles such as anytime gummies, all-in-one mushroom gummies, and super greens daily gummies, which help to support daily well-being.
Products For Pets, Too
If your pet suffers from separation anxiety or skin “hot spots,” Your CBD Store of New Tampa has an all-natural product that may help.
A variety of pet products to help dogs and cats also are available at Your CBD Store.
For example, Chillen is a pet treat that can help with issues such as separation anxiety or to help pets relax during fireworks, travel, or any stressful situation.
Other products include a probiotic blend that helps with potty issues, a treat that provides allergy relief, including skin support for pets that experience skin “hot spots,” and Movin’ Easy, which helps pets with joint pain.
“All pet treats are formulated by veterinarians,” Deborah explains.
Amazing Reviews
Deborah and David are proud of their store’s Google reviews, which average 4.9 stars out of 5, based on nearly 200 reviews.
“If you look at our reviews,” Deborah says, “you’ll see people love the products and that they’re changing lives.”
Recently, Florencia Stewart visited the New Tampa store and shared her experience in a 5-star Google review.
“I want to thank the owner! She is amazing,” Florencia writes. “I took my mom to get CBD and [Deborah] was extremely helpful, very patient, and explained everything to us. My mom is pain free!”
She goes on to write, “We love this store! All I can say is thank you, thank you!!! My mom has been able to sleep!”
Other recent reviews cite “exceptional customer service” and say that Deborah and David are both “extremely knowledgeable.”
Whenever you make a purchase, you’ll receive a card you can bring back on the third Saturday of the month to receive a prize. Every card is a winner, whether it’s an additional discount, a free item, or up to a year’s worth of CBD!
If you’re age 55 or older, Your CBD Store offers a 15% discount on all of your purchases, but on Mondays only. And, free local delivery or free shipping is always available for orders over $100.
Your CBD Store of New Tampa is located at 19651 BBD Blvd., Suite B-1. It is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and 1 p.m.– 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 994-0599 or visit GetSunMed.com.
The 13,000-Square-Foot, Freestanding Emergency Room Celebrates Its Grand Opening With A Huge, Free Community Event
With Wesley Chapel already known as the largest health care “hub” in Pasco County — with two hospitals open, two or three more (one pediatric) on the way, two major cancer centers, a mental health facility, an assisted living facility with an on-site rehab center and another rehab center under construction — one of the few facilities Wesley Chapel didn’t have was a freestanding emergency room (ER).
Well, you can scratch that one off your list, too, as the AdventHealth Meadow Pointe ER (AHMP ER) celebrated its Grand Opening with a free community event on Apr. 27. The 13,000-sq.- ft. ER opened to the public two days later.
I wondered why an ER in Wesley Chapel is a service of AdventHealth Zephyrhills and not the Wesley Chapel hospital, but I was told, “AdventHealth recognizes the growth happening in East Pasco, and while [AHMP ER] is a department of AdventHealth Zephyrhills, patients will have access to our large network of care in Pasco County and beyond.”
Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I were proud to be on-hand for the VIP preview, attended by about 100 people, of the new AdventHealth Meadow Pointe Emergency Room (AHMP ER) on Apr. 24, three days before the community Grand Opening event and five days before the AHMP ER actually opened on Apr. 29.
With beautiful food provided by CBK Catering & Events, the VIP preview was hosted by AdventHealth Zephyrhills (AHZ) president and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Murrill, who first thanked everyone involved with the planning, building and opening of the new ER, including his AHZ chief operating officer William Villegas, as well as the AdventHealth Office of Design & Construction, HuntonBrady Architects, Kimley-Horn Civil Engineering, the project’s general contractor Robins & Morton, as well as the AdventHealth West Florida division executive team, “including my boss, Jennifer Wandersleben (regional CEO for the West Florida Division).”
Murrill also noted that, “Pasco County is growing very rapidly and this is just a testament to our commitment at AdventHealth to grow alongside East Pasco County. This ER is a step in that direction to provide convenient, high-quality clinical care to emergency care to our communities. This freestanding ER is 13,000-sq.-ft., with 12 patient beds, two triage rooms, plus imaging and lab services, as well as a pediatric-friendly room “designed to take care of our littlest of patients. All of these elements help us meet the needs of the expanding community we call home.”
Murrill also introduced Dr. Javier Gonzalez, the Meadow Pointe ER medical director and chief of staff at AHZ.
“The new Meadow Pointe ER joins our eight other freestanding ERs in the Tampa Bay area and our fifth such location in Pasco County,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “This magnificent medical facility is another testimony to AdventHealth’s unwavering commitment to health services, coverage and quality in our communities. Our ER consists of highly skilled and experienced health care professionals dedicated to providing exceptional medical care. We also have an extensive and dedicated EMS fleet of 25 ambulances and th AdventHealth Air Star One medical helicopter dedicated to critical patient transport across the region.”
Dr. Gonzalez then introduced Shawn Whited, the operations chief of Pasco County Fire Rescue (PCFR), who said, “For us in the fire service, this is more than just a new building. It’s a symbol of something deeper — a partnership, progress and purpose. Our job as firefighters and paramedics often begins in the most critical moments. Our goal is always the same — preserve life, provide care, and get them safely to the next level of treatment. That’s where AdventHealth comes in. This hospital is more than just a destination as an extension of the care we give in the field. The relationship we have with AdventHealth is one built on trust, coordination, and a shared mission to serve our community with compassion and excellence. We train together, plan together and starting today, we will continue to respond together with greater speed, better tools and renewed commitment to every life that depends on us.”
Whited closed with, “On behalf of the men and women of Pascal County Fire Rescue, I want to say thank you to Advent Health, to the leadership and the staff of this fine hospital and everyone who made this facility reality.
We look forward to working side by side with you, strengthening in the partnership and delivering the best emergency care possible to our community. Congratulations on this incredible milestone. And welcome to the neighborhood.”
The final two speakers before the tour of the AHMP ER began were Mallory Davis, the director of emergency services for AHZ and Andres Sequera, AHZ’s director of mission & ministry, who led those in attendance in a prayer for the new ER and those who are now working there.
Davis said, “Over the past several months, our staff has undergone extensive training to prepare for the opening of this new location, and we are excited to officially begin starting our community next week. AdventHealth has invested $26 million into this off-site ER. We will open on Tuesday (Apr. 290 with 30 full-time employees. We are grateful the opportunity for to broaden our footprint in Paso County and bring a higher level of care. I’m so proud to work alongside great colleagues, including my CEO colleagues in Pasco County, Shane Bedward from Dade City and Ryan Quattlebaum at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. We work well together to serve Pasco County as a team and as a network of care.”
Three days after the VIP Preview event, AHMP ER hosted an amazing, free event to show off the new ER to the local community.
Despite temperatures that soared well above 90º, an estimated crowd of more than 1,000 people came to enjoy free food and beverages, provided by four hard-working food trucks, free pick-your-own bouquets of absolutely gorgeous flowers from Tampa Bay Posies (left), free fresh fruits and veggies from the AdventHealth “Farm-acy” (which Murrill himself helped give out), face painting, music provided by Miles DJ Productions, and of course, tours of the new AHMP ER.
It was clear that even though AdventHealth did its usual great job of engaging the community, the organizers of the event seriously underestimated the number of people who would show up.
During the celebration’s check-in (photo right), attendees were each given a punch card that entitled them to one free entrée with side dishes and a drink from either The Taco Boss (below left) or the Tampa Burger Company, one free dessert item from either Nikki’s Sweet Shop or Pineapple Express and a free bucket of lemonade, plus the flowers and the produce.
“We printed 450 cards,” said Katie Duncan, the senior marketing manager for AHZ and AdventHealth Dade City (AHDC). “And we ran out of the cards by 2 p.m. (an hour after the three-hour event began).” Attendees could still get the items promised without the cards, but both The Taco Boss and especially, Tampa Burger Co., had long lines throughout the afternoon and ran out of some of their food items.
Those lines probably also prevented folks (including yours truly) from getting off them to participate in the public ribbon-cutting, which ended up including only Murrill, Davis, AHZ COO William Villegas and Stephen Drake, director of business development for AHZ & AHDC.
“The place is beautiful,” one attendee told me after taking the tour. “But I gotta go get some ice cream and lemonade.”
The AHMP ER is located at 5170 Chapel Commerce Dr. For more info visit MeadowPointeER.com. But, of course, in any emergency, call 9-1-1.
