There are quite a few Indian restaurants in New Tampa, but one thing is for certain — none of the Indian restaurants in our area also served American breakfast — until now.
The Kabob Café & Grill, located at 18101 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. (in the same location that also has been Sukhothai and a couple of other restaurants) recently added Breakfast Kitchen & More, which serves American breakfast every day (except for Mondays, when the restaurant is closed) from 7 a.m.-11:30 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Kabob Café & Grill offers a lunch buffet with a large variety of Indian (predominantly North Indian/Pakistani) items. The buffet begins at 11:30 and the restaurant’s full Indian menu is available every day for lunch and dinner (it stays open until 8:30).
While that may seem a little confusing, owners Javed and Rabia Mubin hope you will come try Chef Keith’s tasty breakfast items, including the bacon, egg & cheese croissant sandwich (left) and Protein Power Bowl (top photo). Please note that because Kabob Café’s entire menu is Halal, the bacon on the bacon, egg & cheese is beef (not pork) bacon, which I don’t believe I’d ever had before, but Jannah and I agreed it tasted very much like pork bacon. The chicken in photographer Charmaine George’s Power Bowl combined egg whites, grilled chicken, spinach, feta cheese and avocado, which also was quite tasty. The Breakfast Kitchen also serves waffles, French toast, oatmeal and Greek yogurt bowls, omelets, Benedicts, breakfast wraps and more.
We also sampled the buffet, which has many Indian favorites, like Tandoor oven-baked chicken and Naan breads, as well as chicken biryani (above right photo) and butter chicken, as well as some items I’d never tried before, like goat qourma (or korma), tender beef nihari (which tastes a lot like my mom’s brisket/pot roast, but slightly spicy), and vegetarian dishes like palak paneer (curry with spinach, cheese, tomato & creamy sauce), channa masala (chick peas with spices, tomatoes & onion) and halwa, which is a sweetened semolina flour mixture that can be a side dish or dessert. Speaking of dessert, the banana pudding with vanilla wafers was my favorite, but there’s also Gulab Jaman (deep-fried dough soaked in rose-flavored sugar syrup), Rubri Kheer (Indian-style rice pudding) and more.
For more info about Kabob Café & Grill, which has a 4.9-star (out of 5) overall Google rating on 900+ reviews, and Breakfast Kitchen & More, visit KabobCafeGrill.com or call (813) 405-8740. — GN
When you’ve known someone for more than a quarter of a century, you might think you “really” know them, but sometimes, you might be wrong to make that assumption.
Case in point: I first met my friend “Steve” (left) when he first opened his Bagels Plus in a former (but already closed before he bought the building) Bruegger’s Bagels location on E. Fletcher Ave., less than a half-mile west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., way back in 1998.
I also thought I remembered Steve telling me that he bought an H&H Bagels location in New York not long after it was revealed that Kramer, the kooky character on the hit NBC-TV show “Seinfeld,” had been on strike for years from the original H&H Bagels in Manhattan.
Well, it took a kitchen fire and the shop being closed for five months — Bagels Plus finally reopened at the end of March — for me to find out just how wrong I was on both counts.
First, although everybody still calls him Steve, my friend the bagel maker’s real name is Monsieur (yes, like “Mister” in French) Aziz.
Second, Steve never owned an H&H location, “They were my competitors when I had my first Bagels Plus in Roslyn, Long Island.”
One thing I did not get wrong, however, was that Steve did bring the ability to make true New York-style bagels with him when he moved to Florida — “to get away from the snow” — even though most New Yawkas say that there are no “real” bagels in Florida because we can’t duplicate the water in the Empire State.
Steve showed me the five special water filters he has in Bagels Plus to reduce the “hardness” of the water here, even though New York is one of the few cities in the U.S. that doesn’t filter its water because of its natural “softness” and purity.
But, he attributes the authenticity of his bagels to the way he makes them. “We use wheat flour and some vegetable flour, yeast and water to make our bagels,” he says. “That’s it. We don’t add oil, salt, malt, sugar or any of the other things you don’t need that other people use to make bagels.”
Photographer Charmaine George and I watched Steve make a batch of bagels and we agreed that he did not use any of the ingredients he mentioned that other people do use.
He says that one of the most important things is that “real New York” bagels have to be kettle-boiled before they are baked.
“And, you need the right kind of kettle,” he says. “The kettle isn’t a very expensive piece of equipment, but you really need it to make the bagels correctly.”
Whatever Steve and his happy crew have been doing to them, there’s no doubt in most local bagel lovers’ minds that Bagels Plus had the closest-to-New-York bagels anywhere near New Tampa or Wesley Chapel prior to the fire that caused Steve to not only shut his doors but basically rebuild the interior of his shop from scratch.
“The fire ended up being a blessing,” he says. “Because when the fire inspectors came to take a look afterwards, they said that one of the support beams in the front of the store (now replaced) was ready to fall down. Without the fire, we would never have known about it.”
Steve, who also previously owned a men’s clothing store in Manhattan, also had opened a similar men’s store in the Target-anchored University Plaza behind what is now his bagel shop.
“I was thinking about moving the clothing store to this building, but when I heard that it had already been a bagel shop, I made the owners an offer on the spot.” And the rest is history.
Oh, Those Bacon, Egg & Cheeses!
Although both of my sons now live in Lakewood Ranch, when I told them Bagels Plus reopened right before my most recent visit to them, they both insisted that I bring them Steve’s famous bacon, egg & cheese (BEC) bagel sandwiches.
“I’ve tried to make a bacon, egg and cheese like Bagels Plus at home,” my older son Jared — who wants to open a Bagels Plus franchise near him — told me. “I just can’t get the eggs the way they make them.”
Truth be told, many New York bagel shops make their bacon (or sausage or ham), egg and cheese sandwiches with fried eggs — and Bagels Plus will make yours with a fried egg, if you prefer — but anyone who works the grill at Steve’s shop knows how to pour just the right amount of the already-cracked real eggs onto the hot flattop griddle and fold those eggs into the perfect size to just stick out on all sides of the bagel.
And, if you like your bacon crispy like I do — I know there are people who prefer their bacon “wet,” which I try to not hold against them — there is always a ready supply of perfectly crisp bacon waiting to be placed in generous amounts atop your eggs. And then, a single thick slice of yellow American cheese is gently placed atop that combo, which melts the cheese just enough.
Steve’s BEC makers, led by his manager Trista, also are happy to add salt & pepper or, for folks like me, to “scoop out” your bagel before assembling your sandwich. That not only gets rid of about 1/3 of the bagel’s calories, it also allows it to toast up extra crispy, especially when it is put through the conveyor belt toaster twice. The only time they won’t put it through the toaster is when your bagel has just come out of the oven.
Bagels Plus also offers a large variety of cream cheese options — from regular and light plain to bacon scallion, light strawberry and a salmon cream cheese that is made with real smoked salmon. You also can get a generous portion of sliced smoked salmon with your choice of cream cheese on your favorite bagel (left photo). There’s also a variety of fresh salads (tuna, egg and chicken), roasted turkey and Black Forest ham available, plus freshly baked croissants, muffins, black-&-white cookies, delicious apple or strawberry turnovers (photo below), almond horns and cinnamon rolls.
And yes, Steve still pretends to pocket new customers’ credit cards and throw an empty coffee cup at them to make them think it’s full. He’s a character, but it’s hard to dislike a guy who has been keeping it New York real for 27 years!
Bagels Plus (2706 E. Fletcher Ave.) is open Mon.-Sat., 6 a.m.-4 p.m., and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sun. For more info or to pre-order bulk bagels (because they do often run out), call (813) 999-1216.
The friendly, professional staff of Family & Cosmetic Dentistry (on BBD Blvd., in front of Live Oak Preserve in New Tampa), is led by Dr. Neeraja Jasthi (far left) & Dr. Linda Park (far right). (Photo provided by Dr. Jasthi )
At Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in the small plaza next to MidFlorida Credit Union in front of the Live Oak Preserve community in New Tampa, Neeraja Jasthi, DMD, says her practice offers family-oriented, comprehensive care for patients ages four and older.
“We are a place that takes care of all of your dental needs,” explains Dr. Jasthi. “We are friendly, safe and give quality treatment.”
Dr. Jasthi moved her practice to its current location in 2005 after opening in a smaller office in the Highwoods Preserve area of New Tampa in 2002. She has been practicing in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area since 1998, after earning her DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry) degree from the Tufts Dental School in Boston, MA, in 1996.
Linda Park, DDS, joined the practice in 2018. Dr. Park earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2005 from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in Loma Linda, CA.
With two doctors and five hygienists in the practice, Dr. Jasthi says appointments are almost always available quickly. If someone is in pain, they usually can be seen right away. And, new patients can often be scheduled within a couple of weeks, and Dr. Jasthi’s attentive administrative staff can often get patients in sooner, especially if another patient cancels an appointment and opens a spot for those who want to be seen quickly to be accommodated.
New patients also are happy to learn that, unlike some dental practices that require an exam first, before scheduling a cleaning, Family & Cosmetic Dentistry always provides an exam and cleaning at the first appointment. If treatment is required, however, the patient may need to come back for another appointment to complete that treatment.
Dr. Jasthi says Family & Cosmetic Dentistry feels like a family, and she always wants her patients to be able to bring the whole family to them. While she and Dr. Park typically see all family members ages four and up, they do sometimes see younger children, as well.
“For established patients of record who have children younger than four,” Dr. Jasthi says, “we will see them if they are cooperative.”
Beyond cleanings and exams of the teeth, Family & Cosmetic Dentistry offers fillings, bridges, crowns and many other necessary dental treatments.
As the practice’s name states, the team also offers cosmetic dentistry to help everyone achieve their best possible smile. This includes services such as teeth whitening, veneers and Invisalign® aligners to straighten the teeth.
“We are doing more Invisalign these days,” says Dr. Jasthi, “helping people with the aesthetics and functionality of their teeth.”
She adds that she also provides dental implants in-house, as well as restorative treatments, and that she is often able to use a veneer instead of porcelain for some cosmetic procedures, which allows her to not cut into the tooth structure.
“For example,” she says, “if someone has a peg-shaped tooth and wants to make it more of an ideal form, we do chair-side composites with injection molding. It’s good for the health of the tooth and it’s very economical, compared to the cost of porcelain.”
Dr. Jasthi says her practice continues to grow “by leaps and bounds,” thanks to many people in the community who support her.
Like Dr. Jasthi, Dr. Park (above) provides personalized service to her patients. (Photo by Charmaine George)
That includes patients such as Wesley Chapel resident Karina Fernandez, who says she has been a patient of Dr. Jasthi’s since she moved to Florida in 2015.
“They always have appointments available and are very flexible with their schedule,” Karina says.
She also appreciates that she never feels like she’s being sold something she doesn’t need. “They’re not trying to take your money,” Karina says, adding that she is absolutely thrilled with the Invisalign treatment she recently completed.
“I had no idea it would be so effective,” she says. “I thought I would need braces because my bottom teeth were so crooked. I didn’t think it could be fixed with a plastic aligner, but after a year and half, my teeth are straight.”
In fact, she adds, “what I like the best is that I can feel the difference in my bite. I used to have trouble chewing, but now I don’t. I’m really amazed by the difference.”
Karina says every member of her family is now a Family & Cosmetic Dentistry patient and she highly recommends the practice.
Another happy patient is Veronica Givens, a New Tampa resident who says she drove by the office many times on her travels up BBD and one day decided to make an appointment.
As a busy mom, she says she had put off going to the dentist herself, even though she had some concerns about her teeth.
“When I took the time to go in and see Dr. Jasthi and her team, they were open and friendly, and they listened to me,” Veronica says.
One of her concerns was that her teeth were crooked, so Dr. Jasthi suggested Invisalign. “She really transformed my teeth to completely straight,” she says.
“It’s really helped boost my confidence,” she adds. “I talk with a lot of people all day, whether it’s in person or on video, and Invisalign has made me feel more comfortable. I’m no longer wondering if someone is noticing my crooked teeth now. I’m just smiling, laughing and talking.”
Veronica says that, throughout the process, she was impressed with the professionalism of the staff, and how caring everyone in the office seemed to be.
“I always recommend Dr. Jasthi because she’s definitely the best doctor I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” Veronica says. “My teeth are straight and white, and I have healthy gums and no cavities. I’m really grateful for her and her team.”
Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, the office of Dr. Neeraja Jasthi, is located at 20441 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. Office hours are available Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; and 8 a.m.–4 p.m. on Friday. For more information about the practice, visit DrJasthi.com or call (813) 866- 9913.
(L.-r.) Belinda, Jackie, Lauren, owner Lee Alley, Nina & Dolys are the friendly, professional nail techs at Kay Nail Spa on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., across from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Lilliana Harrington is a huge fan of having her nails done by owner (and experienced nail technician) Lee Alley at Kay Nail Spa, located in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel, across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, in the same plaza as Dickey’s BBQ.
She’s such a fan, in fact, that even though Lilliana sold her home in Wesley Chapel and moved to outside of Orlando, she now travels more than two hours every three weeks to have her nails done by Lee.
“When you find someone who is so extraordinary,” Lilliana says, “you can’t leave them.”
Lilliana says she, her 19- and 11-year-old daughters and even her husband all go to Kay Nail Spa for pedicures and manicures, despite the drive. They discovered Lee at her first salon in Wesley Chapel — Colorful Nails in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54, which Lee and her husband Chris still own.
The Alleys bought Kay Nail Spa just a few months ago, in November 2024. They also previously owned Lavender Nails at the Tampa Premium Outlets, but Lee made the decision to sell that salon when the opportunity presented itself.
“[Lavender Nails] was very successful,” says Lee, “but someone offered us a good deal and I thought three salons was too much, so we let it go.”
Lee says she loves the location at Kay Nail Spa, since it’s close to her home and even closer to her two-year-old’s day care. Lilliana says she’ll follow Lee anywhere, but she particularly likes Kay Nail Spa.
“It’s a very clean place,” Lilliana says, noting that there are never any stray items on the floor and that it doesn’t have a strong chemical smell, as some nail salons do. “It’s very beautiful, very calming and very uplifting. All of her places are wonderful, but I fell in love with the chair at Kay.”
And, while Lilliana has a strong loyalty and prefers that only Lee do her nails, she says that whenever she’s had her nails done by other technicians at Lee’s salons, she’s still always has been happy with both the quality of the work and the customer service she’s received.
Lee says she worked at a salon when she first came to Wesley Chapel with her husband in 2019. She says she was often booked all day from people requesting appointments with her. She loved the work, and knew she wanted to go into business for herself.
Now, she’s busy managing the day-to-day operations at both salons and Chris, who also works as an information technology (IT) professional, supports the salon with IT, paperwork, payroll, marketing and other administrative functions. Lee still makes time for her loyal clients as much as she can, but fully trusts her employees to care for those clients, too.
She says the most important thing to everyone at Kay Nail Spa is providing not only good quality manicures and pedicures, but also excellent customer service.
Growing up in Vietnam, Lee says her family owned a small nail salon, so she was always around it. She left her home country to work on a cruise ship, where she got a job as a casino dealer.
Lee explains that, as an employee of a huge company that trains thousands of people in customer service, she learned a lot of lessons that she now applies to her nail salon businesses.
For example, she says it’s important to always put relationships first.
“We treat our customers like friends and family,” she says. “We have to make them feel welcome. If any issues happen, we try to understand them so that we can build a strong relationship.”
Lee also says that, because of that mantra, clients often become friends, too.
“I tell my employees that they can improve their skills over time, and if they mess up, their customers will give them a chance to fix it,” Lee says. “But, if they’re mean or rude, people won’t come back.”
Lee says another thing she likes about her shop is that there are nail technicians of many nationalities. “We have Spanish, Asian and African technicians,” Lee says. “I don’t care where they come from if they do nails well and have a good attitude.”
Lee says Kay Nail Spa offers all nail services such as acrylic, gel and dip powder. “If it’s available in the market,” she says, “we do it.”
While Kay Nails was not previously known for offering nail art, now that Lee’s technicians are there, they are proud to offer those trendy and beautiful nail art designs, too.
And, Lee says, customers can rest assured their nails will last. “We guarantee our nails for at least five days,” Lee says. “We fix anything for free within five days. After that, we are happy to take care of any issues that arise. But, if it’s not our mistake, we may charge a small fee to fix it.”
Kay Nail Spa offers a number of discounts, including 5% for members of the military and seniors ages 65 and older. Lee says she’ll also take 10% off all services on your birthday.
The spa also offers a loyalty card, where each service of $30 or more equals one point. Once you have 10 points, you’ll receive $10 off any service.
Kay Nail Spa is located at 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite 104, in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel plaza. It is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.,; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. To make an appointment, call (813) 527-6524 or visit KayNailSalon.com.
As part of AdventHealth’s commitment to community-based health care, the hospital company’s AdventHealth Zephyrhills is hosting a FREE “Grand Opening Community Celebration” tomorrow — Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. — to unveil the new freestanding Meadow Pointe ER! The event will include food trucks, safety education, giveaways and of course, preview tours of the new ER! For more info, visit MeadowPointeER.com.
