Category: Business

The Lucky Dill Deli — A True NY Deli, But So Much More!

When Alex Mitow, the son of Kim Mitow, who first opened The Lucky Dill Deli in Palm Harbor way back in 1991, emailed to ask for advertising rates in the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, I’ll admit I was a little confused.

Why would a deli restaurant located in Palm Harbor (that I personally had visited many times over the past 31 years because it is a true New York-style deli) want to advertise itself to two communities located at least 45 minutes away?

During my most recent visit, Lucky Dill general manager Ron Garcia explained it this way to me:

“We know that pretty much everyone in Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and even New Port Richey and Clearwater pretty much already knows who and where we are and what we serve,” Ron said. “But, our goal is to bring in and introduce a whole new group of customers to our ‘destination restaurant’ because we know that if they give us a try, they’ll keep coming back — and tell their friends about us.”

Ron, who has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality business himself, has been the GM at The Lucky Dill since 2020. He told me that it was important to him to maintain the family feel Kim and her family created with delicious, top-quality food and outstanding service.

Kim and her children Jason, Tanya, and Alex, worked hard to bring the New York way of life, along with its commitment to top-notch food and great value, to Lucky Dill Palm Harbor. Over the years (according to its website), “Lucky Dill has been heralded as not only one of the best restaurants in Palms Harbor (it’s nominated again for that honor by Creative Loafing), but one of the top NYC delis in Florida. A loyal following of New York transplants…have grown to call Lucky Dill their home away from home.”

And, for good reason. It had been a couple of years since I had visited The Lucky Dill, but I was excited to give it another try, because it offers a few of my favorite New York deli items you really can’t find anywhere else near here, including real matzo ball soup and savory Jewish-style brisket of beef (not to be confused with BBQ brisket) with real au jus for dipping.

“We use real steamer trays and collect the brisket drippings to make the au jus,” Brian, the head bartender at Lucky Dill’s full liquor bar (with great craft cocktails) told me. We don’t use any of that canned or powdered crap other places use for their au jus.”

The menu at The Lucky Dill is huge, but the variety of deli sandwiches — with favorites like corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, turkey and even chopped liver — is definitely the star of the show. Those who like their sandwiches as big as their heads definitely should try one of the “skyscraper” options, like the Empire State Stacker (shown above, a nearly 9-inch-tall combo of corned beef, pastrami, turkey and roast beef with Swiss and provolone cheeses on marble rye). Lucky Dill even offers “old school” NY Deli Delights like tongue, silky smoked whitefish salad and “Nibbles & Noshes” like Gabila’s Coney Island knishes, Lower East latkes (potato pancakes) with sour cream and chunky applesauce and Hebrew National hot dogs.

But, in addition to those deli classics, The Lucky Dill also offers “A Taste Of Little Italy,” with favorites like clams casino pasta, chicken Alfredo and Vinny’s mozzarella stack.

Breakfast, Bakery & More!

Breakfast at The Lucky Dill includes The Bagel Noshery, with classics like The New Yorker with Nova Scotia salmon, the BEC (Bacon, Egg & Cheese) deluxe, with thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs and chipotle apple aioli.

There’s also a variety of bowls and toasts, like Awesome Avo + Egg toast and an Aussie Brekkie Bowl with poached egg, farro grains, fresh veggies, avocado, grilled halloumi cheese and pickled onions, as well as a variety of traditional egg and omelette dishes and “Bennies,” including the Brighton Beach Benny with smoked Nova Scotia salmon, wilted spinach, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce on an English muffin with a side of home fries. I’ve had the Bananas Foster French toast, which is literally to die for.

The Lucky Dill’s Brooklyn Bakery has a huge variety of cakes, pies (the peanut butter pie is decadent), cookies (including the best black & white cookies I’ve had outside of NYC) and a cannoli bar, where you can custom-design your cannolis with a variety of fillings and toppings. The Bakery counter also serves as The Lucky Dill’s to-go area.

The Lucky Dill also features The Ditch Plains Surf Bar, the first-of-its-kind in the Tampa Bay area. Serving up a slice of Hamptons sophistication in Palm Harbor, this new bar celebrates laid-back beach life with its own beachy menu and refined takes on fresh summery cocktails, quenching frosés and craft beers from New York breweries.

The Lucky Dill Deli (33180 US Hwy. 19, Palm Harbor) is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. For more info, call (727) 789-5574, visit LuckyDillDeli.com and join the email list and receive a $15 gift card emailed to you on your birthday.

Lucky Dill

Nibbles & Bites: Authentic Vietnamese heading to New Tampa, and more

Ha Long Bay Vietnamese To Open On BBD

Congratulations to my new friends Nhan Nguyen and her husband Hai Chu and their family, the owners of the new Ha Long Bay restaurant, which is expected to open (hopefully) by the end of this month in the space previously occupied by Aroi Thai-Tsuyu at 20685 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

Several months ago, we announced in these pages that the restaurant would be a new location of Hana Sushi, but when that deal fell through, Nhan, Hai and their family jumped at the opportunity to open the fourth location of Ha Long Bay (the others are in St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Largo). Nhan and Hai also previously owned Ocean Blue Sushi Bar in Carrollwood.

The new Ha Long Bay will feature a variety of Vietnamese and Asian fusion favorites, including pho, banh mi sandwiches, Chinese-style stir-fry dishes, poké bowls, rice combination plates and a large variety of boba teas. Check our Facebook page for updates about Ha Long Bay’s opening. — GN

Even More New Eateries Are Now Open At The KRATE Container Park!

Almost all of the restaurants at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel have now opened — and the word is definitely getting out that KRATE is a great destination for a wide variety of cuisine types from all around the world.

The newest KRATE to open is Boba Mac’s Tea & Eat, which combines the seemingly unlikely pairing of a variety of teas with boba pearls (made of tapioca starch from cassava root, not gelatin; photo below left) and a number of varieties of macaroni and cheese, as well as some Filipino dishes. I sampled the frozen banana tea with bobas and it was both super-tasty and filling like a smoothie.

“We’re still trying to add some employees,” said owner Rich Bussey the day we went to press with this issue, “so we’re just opening with the boba teas for now, but we will add our full planned menu when we really get rolling.” — GN

Carrabba’s Opens On The North Side Of S.R. 56!

Speaking of Italian, Jannah and I were fortunate enough to be invited to the pre-opening of the new Carrabba’s Italian Grill, located at 25298 Sierra Center Blvd. (between Bonefish Grill and Aussie Grill, on the north side of S.R. 56). The restaurant officially opened to the public on Sept. 13, and there’s no doubt it’s going to be a local favorite.

The newest location of the chain, which serves 130-year-old recipes created by the family of founders Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, is one of more than 200 in nearly 30 U.S. states, with about 70 of those being located in Florida.

And, while I’ve never been the biggest fan of most chain eateries, the new Carrabba’s is beautiful, has a great bar area and I already like many of the made-from-scratch dishes I’ve sampled, including the lasagne pictured above, the Tuscan-grilled pork chops and steaks, the mezzaluna ravioli and more.

For more info, call (813) 261-2691 or visit Carrabbas.com. — GN

Get A Brand-New Kitchen In Only Five Days With Kitchen Tune-Up

If you would love to have a new kitchen, but the thought of months of remodeling fills you with dread, Tampa Palms residents Al and Zein Aita want you to know they have the perfect solution for you.

As owners of the local franchise of Kitchen Tune-Up, they offer fast, clean, and affordable solutions for a complete kitchen makeover.

Kitchen Tune-Up has been around for more than 35 years and has more than 200 locations throughout the United States. Over the last few years, the company has grown tremendously, including the Aitas’ expansion into the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area a little more than two years ago.

It’s the best of both worlds, says Al, because, “we are locally owned and operated, but we have the support of a large company.”

That means lower prices because the corporate entity buys in bulk. And while, these days, everyone is experiencing delays and supplier shortages, being a larger buyer, Kitchen Tune-Up is able to get priority faster than other companies, so access to materials hasn’t been as delayed as it has been for others in the industry.

Kitchen Tune-Up can help if you are looking for a complete, custom kitchen remodel, but they also offer much easier and quicker solutions that can update and refresh nearly every home.

First, if you still love your kitchen but it’s looking a little worn, the “original tune-up” includes a deep cleaning and wood reconditioning. Cabinets are cleaned to remove all dirt, grease, wax, smoke and dust, and any imperfections or discolorations are restored, including repairing scratches and dents. They’ll make your old cabinets look like new with a penetrating oil or fresh coat of finish, and you can even add new accessories, such as hardware, roll-out drawers inside your cabinets, or new countertops or backsplashes.

If you no longer love your cabinets, but you still like the color, Kitchen Tune-Up can replace all of your doors and drawer fronts with new ones that are color-matched to your existing cabinet boxes in a process called “redooring,” which includes new, soft-close hinges, pulls and knobs.

Changing the color isn’t hard, either. Al says most customers choose this option, which is called “refacing.”

“Refacing is perfect for customers who like the layout of their kitchen and don’t want demolition mess,” he says.

This includes redooring, but also adding a veneer layer to the cabinet boxes so you’re not limited to your current kitchen color.

“Most kitchens are done in four days at about half the cost of a new kitchen,” Al says. “It’s a beautiful transition without the hassle and the mess.”

He says his job is something like being a detective, listening to the customer and making recommendations about what would work best for them. With any of the available options, Kitchen Tune-Up technicians can customize the job to include upgrades such as adding an island, additional cabinets, or whatever the customer wants in order to have the kitchen of their dreams.

For those who don’t like their current kitchen layout or need more extensive help, Al says working with Kitchen Tune-Up allows customers the benefits of the large corporate backing for full kitchen redesigns, with 3D designs and quality technical support for any unusual circumstances.

He says current trends include two-tone kitchens, with white cabinets on the top and grey or blue cabinets on the bottom. Many customers are choosing natural colors — such as a soft green — for their cabinets. Al says having the support of the national Kitchen Tune-Up corporation helps him to stay up-to-date on all trends and new ideas.

With any option, customers can add on accessories, such as a farmhouse sink, which is a popular option right now. Al says his customers also love having rollout trays inside the cabinets.

“They don’t have to go digging deep in a bottom cabinet anymore,” he says. “Just roll it out, and it’s very smooth and practical, so you don’t have to be on the ground looking for your pots and pans.”

The process starts with a phone call, where Al strives to understand exactly what each customer wants and needs, and then schedules a free, in-home consultation and estimate. Everything is custom made, so careful measurements are taken, and then it takes about three weeks to order and receive materials.

The Five ‘Trust Points’

Al says he often hears stories about problems with contractors, but Kitchen Tune-Up has a very strict set of “Trust Points” that every franchisee is expected to provide.

These Trust Points include:

• We listen carefully.

• We communicate promptly.

• We respect your home.

• We arrive on time.

• We provide solutions.

“We want to ensure our customers have a good experience, so we emphasize these trust points,” Al says.

Al and Zein have lived in Tampa Palms for six years and say they always dreamed of running a business together. Al’s background is in retail and sales, and Zein’s is in accounting, although she also holds a Master’s degree from the University of South Florida in Project Management. So, Al works with the customers to ensure they get the kitchen of their dreams, while Zein handles the accounting for the business.

The couple has a 16-month-old daughter, Julia.

“It’s been challenging taking care of a baby and running a business,” Al says, “but we’ve gotten used to it and are getting better every day.”

He says they love it when they get to reveal a finished kitchen to their customers.

“It’s very rewarding to start on a Monday with one kitchen and end on Friday with a completely different kitchen,” Al says. “It’s the best part of the job and we’re happy to help our customers with that.”

Cheryle White recently had her cabinets refaced, after buying a new home with cabinets she didn’t like.

“They didn’t have handles, didn’t open and close properly, and my kitchen looked old and dated and needed to be refreshed,” Cheryle says. “At the same time, it had brand new quartz countertops that we didn’t want to waste, so we looked at our options.”

She says she’s thrilled with how her kitchen turned out.

“A lot of people don’t know that if your cabinets are in good shape, you don’t need to tear them out,” she says. “If you just don’t like the aesthetics, you can change them.”

Kitchen Tune-Up offers several options for financing, which currently includes a 12-month interest-free option.

Kitchen Tune-Up will come to you for a free in-home consultation. For more information, (813) 822-5911 or visit KitchenTuneUp.com/tampa-north-fl.

Kitchen Tune-Up

‘Dr. Rosh’ Celebrates A Year Of Helping Patients Look & Feel Better

(L.-r.) Lisa Fahey (front desk and insurance specialist), Dr. Roshni-Ranjit Reeves and Susan Gregor (lead ophthalmic technician and first assistant) work together to help you not only see better, but look better as well. ***(Photos: Charmaine George)***

It’s been one year since Dr. Roshni Ranjit-Reeves officially opened her Oculofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Institute on S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets.

“Dr. Rosh,” as her patients call her, says her practice is growing, as people discover the benefits of coming to her for cosmetic services to improve the look of their eyes, faces, and skin.

“It’s aesthetics, but it’s also functional,” Dr. Rosh says. “I want to help people see better and feel better, too.”

Some patients receive insurance-based services, typically after being referred to Dr. Rosh by their primary care doctor or dermatologist. For example, some patients need surgery or treatment to restore the function of their eyes, for conditions such as droopy lids, eyelid malposition, thyroid eye disease, tear duct surgery or reconstruction after cancer surgery.

Others receive aesthetic treatments, such as lower lid surgery, laser skin resurfacing, ear lobe repairs, upper lip lifts, photofacials and laser peels.

Dr. Rosh, who recently was named a “Best of the Best” Cosmetic Surgeon in Tampa Bay, Gold Award winner, by the Tampa Bay Times, says that even functional surgeries often result in patients not only being able to see better and feel better, but also have a nice aesthetic look when they are done.

“The functional and cosmetic sides blend together a lot,” says Dr. Rosh, “like, if patients do upper lid surgery through their insurance but then decide they want lower lid and skin resurfacing, too.”

She says her cosmetic patients typically also want to look refreshed — or like a better version of themselves — but not change how they look.

“I feel like the word has gotten out,” she says. “We’re doing surgeries in our office that people are happy with in terms of speedy recovery, less downtime and it’s easier to come in and get picked up when there’s none of the stress involved with going to the hospital.”

She says she continues to get great reviews on the surgeries she does with her “magic wand,” a carbon dioxide laser that she says makes very precise incisions, which helps minimize both bleeding and recovery time.

The procedure she performs most often removes excess fat from under the eyes, and she typically adds laser skin resurfacing to remove fine lines.

“When we’re doing surgery in the office, patients can look at it right when we’re done,” she explains. “We sit them up and show them the mirror and their eyelids are lifted, the bags are gone, and the skin looks great.”

And, she adds, “Most surgical patients can drive in around three days and may be bruised or swollen for 1-2 weeks. And, most of the swelling resolves within a month.”

While surgery volume has picked up, so have patients coming in for non-surgical treatment options, such as photofacials, which require no downtime, and help to get rid of red and brown spots or patches on the skin, including helping patients with rosacea.

She says that at this time of year, people want to have a nice glow for the holidays without any down time. Her established patients often don’t see her over the summer while they’re busy traveling, which she says is fine as long as they are wearing sunscreen, using antioxidants to protect from UV damage and on a good medical-grade skincare routine.

“Then, they come in during the fall and let me laser away any sun damage from the summer,” Dr. Rosh says.

The week of August 15-19, Dr. Rosh will have a special camera in her office to look at blemishes, damage from the sun and ultraviolet light, and redness under the skin at a microscopic level.

“There’s a double mirror, so the patient and I can both see the same thing,” Dr. Rosh says. “It’s a nice way of looking at the skin in an objective way at a microscopic level and then, we can tailor our plans accordingly.”

She says any new or established patients who make an appointment with her the week of August 15-19 will be able to have Dr. Rosh look at their skin through the camera.

About Dr. Rosh

Dr. Rosh came home to the Tampa Bay area with her husband, Dr. Corey Reeves, and their baby daughter after completing a fellowship and practicing at Duke University in Durham, NC. Now, their daughter is a toddler and the couple has a baby boy on the way.

She says she’ll take a few weeks off this fall, so her schedule is very full leading up to her maternity leave, and her intention is to start performing surgeries again in October.

Dr. Rosh earned her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Anthropology and Biomedical Sciences from USF.

She then completed her ophthalmology residency at the USF Eye Institute and an oculofacial and reconstructive fellowship at the Duke Eye Center. She is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Great Results

Lupi Butler attended the Grand Opening of Dr. Rosh’s office last year. She had been thinking about having a procedure done on her eyes and even had consultations with specialists, but hadn’t found the right doctor yet.

However, that changed when she met Dr. Rosh. “She made me feel so comfortable,” Lupi says. “I knew right away I wanted her to be my doctor.”

Last September, Lupi had a procedure to lift her upper and lower eyelids.

“I was so happy with Dr. Rosh,” she says. “I got the results I was looking for, but not only that, her people skills also are amazing. She’s just such a kind, caring, fair and honest individual.”

Lupi also appreciates that Dr. Rosh makes herself available to her patients.

“She basically held my hand the whole recovery. Every time I have something that concerns me, like a little bump on my eye, she says, ‘come see me.’ It ends up being nothing, but she takes care of me.”

Lupi says she recommends Dr. Rosh to all of her friends.

“I’ve always worked out and I’m in good shape,” says Lupi, “but age is something that nowadays you have the opportunity to have some help with, so hey, why not?”

Dr. Roshni Ranjit-Reeves’ Oculofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Institute is located in the same building as the Medi-Weightloss Center at 24420 S.R. 54 in Lutz. For appointments and more information, including current specials, see the ad on page 30, call (813) 303-0123 or visit DoctorRosh.com.

Dr. Rosh Oculofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Institute

Nibbles & Bites: More Eateries Now Open At The KRATEs

Only a few restaurants have yet to open at Phase 1 of the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel — and the word is definitely getting out that KRATE is a great destination for a wide variety of cuisine types from all over the world.

Bakery X (pronounced “Eeks” en Français) Authentic French Bakery did finally open on Aug. 3, and if you love authentic French croissants, breads and pastries as much as I do, you have to check it out! In additional to traditional butter croissants and a few varieties of French bread (the brioche is unlike anything you’ve had at local restaurants), Bakery X also bakes its own pain Suisse (Swiss-style croissants with custard), pain du chocolat or almond (chocolate or almond croissants) and more. Merveilleux!

Also now open at the KRATEs is Pisco Express Peruvian Chinese Fusion, which capitalizes on the fact that Peru is directly across the Pacific Ocean from China and the cuisine combines the best of Latin American with Chinese fare, like the Tallarin Saltado (Chifa), which is lo mein-style egg noodles with fresh veggies and your choice of protein (Jannah and I devoured the chicken Tallarin in the picture above). The Peruvian-Chinese fried rice also looked amazing and the fish ceviche was spot-on.

Also now open is the second Wesley Chapel location of Cafe 365 (the other is in the Shops at Wiregrass), which has delicious gelato (I loved the marshmallow flavor), desserts, coffee drinks and more. The only eateries yet to open at the KRATEs are Boba Mac’s (mac & cheese and boba teas) and Café Zorba Greek Cuisine. — Gary Nager

Falabella Bistro Adds Liquor & New Menu Items!

Congratulations to my friend and one of Wesley Chapel’s favorite restaurateurs Steve Falabella!

By breaking through a wall between his Falabella Family Bistro (6027 Wesley Grove Blvd.) and adjacent 900º NY Pizza at The Grove, Steve has been able to add full liquor to his beer and wine license at Falabella Bistro (only).

Jannah and I already loved Steve’s delicious Italian cuisine, but since we prefer full-liquor drinks when we dine out, we probably haven’t been to the Bistro as often as we might have otherwise.

But now, Fuhgeddaboudit! While Jannah sipped her delicious Cosmopolitan (and I enjoyed a new rum punch drink), we both gobbled down our favorite fried zucchini appetizer, shared Steve’s new filet mignon (photo) entrée with Marsala mushroom sauce (which we ordered on the side) and his chicken, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, and followed all that up with a slab of dessert chef Evelyn Barreno’s awesome chocolate mousse cheesecake. Need more prodding? Check out the ad on pg. 12 of this issue, call (813) 428-6957 or visit FalabellaBistro.com. — GN

Bakery X Cafe 365 krate Pico Express