The first of the two new restaurants to open at the Shops at Wiregrass mall is the fifth location of Irish 31, which opened on July 7.
Although I missed the actual Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on July 6 (I arrived a little late; the ribbon-cutting photo on this page was taken by Steve Miller of Stephen John Photography), Irish 31 owner Jay Mize and general manager Mike Forsyth were on hand for it โ as was former Tampa Bay Lightning star and New Tampa resident Brian Bradley (who works for the Lightning; he gave away some cool memorabilia), as hundreds of people found their way inside to check out the cool dรฉcor, the unique menu and the South Tampa vibe of Mizeโs newest Irish 31.
I have only sampled a few items so far on Irish 31โs chef-driven menu, but I did enjoy the boneless wings with Thai chili sauce and the corned beef and cabbage and loaded โboxtyโ (almost tennis-ball-sized balls of mashed potatoes, mixed with generous helpings of corned beef and cabbage, or bacon, Velveeta cheese and chives, and fried to a golden brown), served with an โEmerald Isleโ dipping sauce.
Also among our favorites, at least so far.: The fried zucchini appetizer, the Ploughmanโs salad (mixed greens, bacon, roma tomato, hard-boiled egg, bleu cheese, candied pecans and avocado tossed in Irish 31โs really tasty Guinness vinaigrette) and the โFarmerโs Fried chicken — two boneless chicken breasts breaded with seasoned flour, then fried golden brown, and served with mashed potatoes and onion gravy, with a nice side ofย fresh market vegetables.
For more information about Irish 31 (28358 Willett Way), visit Irish31.com or call (813) 907-2306. Irish 31 is open every day at 11 a.m. (at 10 a.m. on Sun.) and stays open until midnight Sun.-Wed., until 1 a.m. on Thur. and until 2 a.m. on Fri. and Sat. I havenโt checked it out yet for live music or for Sunday brunch, but the website claims that Irish 31 is renowned as one of the best brunch spots in the Tampa Bay area!
(L.-r.) Manager Colin & Chef Rob Reinsmith, Will Perez & TJ Thielbar of the new Noble Crust at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.
About a year ago, when we first started our seemingly neverending updates about the anticipated opening of the new Noble Crust in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, my fiancรฉ Jannah and I started visiting the original Noble Crust location on 4th St. in St. Petersburg.
We were hooked from the moment we walked in. The vibe…the buzz…the enticing aroma of fresh garlic in the air inside owner TJ Thielbarโs not-fancy-but-nice creation had everything weโve been looking for in a true mom-and-pop addition to the Wesley Chapel dining scene.
I was fortunate that Noble Crust Wiregrass managing partner Will Perez โ who worked his way up the ranks in St. Pete โ is a long-time Wesley Chapel resident who pushed his friend and business associate (Thielbar) into expanding so close to home I can almost taste it from my apartment.
It also was Will who sought me out โ as the restaurant coordinator for the recent Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, to make sure Noble Crust would participate in that event.
I feel lucky just to know these guys, much less get to sample the incredible Italian cuisine with a Southern flair given life by Noble Crustโs Chef Rob Reinsmith.
Hereโs all of the dishes we already love at Noble Crust โ the too-tasty-to-be kale Caesar, topped with a deep fried soft-boiled egg (Will says he spent most of his first day at the St. Pete location carefully hand-peeling those eggs); the Southern fried chicken parmigiana (with al dentรฉ bucatini, or hollow spaghetti); the current grouper special (served with succotash, mashed potatoes, a frise salad and the best chimichurri sauce ever); the beef, pork and veal meatballs; the Noble Pig (with house-made sausage and incredible pepperoni) and Margherita pizzas; and our surprise current favorite special โ the cauliflower gratin (pictured) with crumbled bacon.
Yes, although I still canโt get an amazing Cowboy ribeye at Noble Crust, the fact its prices are less than half the cost of dinner for two at Dempseyโs Steak House at Saddlebrook Resort (my other favorite), make this hot new eatery my #1 favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel! Now, I just have to convince them to open for lunch, at least for me!
Noble Crust Wiregrass (28330 Paseo Dr.) is open every day for dinner at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. on Fri.), and at 10 a.m. for brunch on Sat. & Sun. It stays open until at least 10 p.m. every day (til midnight on Fri. & Sat.). Ask about their โSunday Gravyโ early dinner on Sundays and please tell them that you read about Noble Crust in the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News! For reservations & info, call (813) 703-2602 or visit Noble-Crust.com!
Lindsay Rewald works on a craft with her daughters Hayley (left) and Madison. The Rewalds decided to drop in to Go Craft Yourself on Cross Creek Blvd. after a doctorโs appointment.
When she wasnโt working as a software salesperson, or in real estate or defense manufacturing, Samantha Harrison says she was working on crafts.
Many of her projects โ other than adding an artistic touch to her young daughtersโ rooms and their home โ were gifts for friends that always seemed to be a hit. Combined with a Pinterest account burgeoning with projects she was hoping to get around to one day, the road to a crafting career was already in the works.
โYou know, you should do this for a living,โโ her friends would tell her, and one day, Samantha agreed.
In February, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center off Cross Creek Blvd., Samantha and her husband Brian opened Go Craft Yourself, a concept that combines crafting with affordability and availability.
While Go Craft Yourself does hold crafting events and themed outings, its scheduling flexibility is one of the things that make it stand out from its few competitors in the Tampa Bay area.
Itโs this simple: Do you want to craft? Then come on in.
Samantha and Brian Harrison opened Go Craft Yourself in February of this year.
โYou can walk in the door anytime,โ Samantha says. โYou pick a project and do it, and take it home with you that day. You donโt have to make an appointment; you donโt have to come to a scheduled workshop. Weโre open every day but Mondays, so weโre pretty much always here.โ
Go Craft Yourself is located right across the way from the popular Childrenโs Dentistry office of Dr. Greg Stepanski, and shares the plaza with a number of other kid-friendly businesses where parents are often stopping by so their children can see doctors and dentists and take their music and martial arts lessons.
โIt seems like everybodyโs kids go to the dentist right across the way,โโ Samantha says, laughing.
Thatโs how New Tampaโs Lindsay Rewald discovered Go Craft Yourself. Her young daughters, Madison, 12, and Hayley, 9, were visiting their doctorโs office when they noticed the crafting center.
The three of them walked right in, found a project they liked, and started crafting.
โItโs a great concept,โโ says Rewald, who was stenciling the family name over the letter R onto a rectangular piece of wood she planned to hang in the family room of their home. It is Go Craft Yourselfโs most popular project, Samantha says.
Madison and Hayley were working on a similar project, painting their first names to hang in their bedrooms.
โItโs fun,โโ Hayley said.
โAnd, we will definitely be back,โโ her mom added.
One of the things Rewald says she liked about Go Craft Yourself is the workspace. The shop is more than 3,000 sq. ft., with a half dozen or so large, square wooden tables set up to handle large groups.
While the Harrisons looked around for the right studio, more expensive locations right on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. didnโt fit their needs. For a better price, they chose a far more spacious locale.
โThe space is one thing that definitely makes us different,โโ Brian says.
The Harrisons made the distinct, dark wood tables in the studio themselves, as well as the front counter and the wood-slatted wall behind it.
There is a childrenโs area in one corner, with chalkboard walls, and in another corner is a work area. On Fatherโs Day, children were able to fill a squirt gun with different colored paints and then fire away at a stencil, creating a unique gift for their dads.
Most of the crafts offered are wood-oriented, like signs, custom serving trays, planter boxes and wall decorations, although the studio also has painting for kids and various other crafts. Pricing is per project and varies depending upon the project.
Though you can walk right in and start crafting, Go Craft Yourself also offers workshops for serious crafters ages 18 and older, and is available for private events.
Go Craft Yourself is currently running โChristmas in July,โ where crafters can come in and make gifts for the upcoming holiday, or festive decorations for the home and tree.ย With Halloween and Thanksgiving quickly approaching as well, crafting season is about to kick into full gear and the art shop plans to offer a number of season-themed activities.
โWe are versatile,โโ Brian said. โWe had a whole bridal shower come in one time, and they wanted something that we typically donโt offer. But, we showed them something else, and they ended up making really nice custom-designed pieces for the wedding.โ
Samantha said that as the business grows, it will offer kid camps, with room to handle 70 budding artists at a time. She also is hoping to work with nearby schools on projects. She is already working with Benito Middle School, where currently, students can come in and decorate pavers for $10, which will then be used for a pathway at the school.
Samantha was born and raised in Melbourne, FL, and studied business and religion in college at Stetson and Liberty universities. However, the jobs that followed, she says, lacked a connection for her.
โThey werenโt very creatively-driven jobs,โ she says.
Two years ago, the Harrisons moved to West Meadows for Samanthaโs new sales job. However, since college, she says she has always imagined herself as a CEO or owner of a company, leading to Go Craft Yourself.
โI just never knew what that looked like, until we figured this out,โโ she says. โThis fulfills that desire.โ
Samantha says that while there are similar crafting studios in Tampa Bay, there arenโt any this area. And, there also arenโt any where you can walk in, sit down and begin crafting something special at a momentโs notice.
Go Craft Yourself definitely has an artistic feel to it, and even includes a sitting area with coffee and Wi-Fi for those taking a more leisurely approach to their project.
โPeople love the atmosphere,โโ Samantha says. โThereโs no time limit, no pressure, you can sit here all day if you want. We try to provide a calm, relaxing environment.โ
There also is the convenience factor, she adds. Instead of buying crafting supplies that you will use a few times and then store away until you end up with bottles of dried paint and crusty brushes, itโs more pragmatic to use what you need. No storage, no clean up.
And, itโs cheaper.
โWe make it easy,โโ she says.
Go Craft Yourself is ideal for a girls night out, birthday parties and team-building events, Samantha says, adding that her customer base has expanded every month.
โWeโve grown significantly since we opened in February,โโ Samantha says. โIโve really enjoyed getting to know new people. We get a lot of repeat customers, and I see a lot of them with the same passion for crafting I have.โ
Go Craft Yourself is located at 10311 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite A, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center, and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and 2 p.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 345-8498, visit GoCraftYourselfFL.com or see the ad on pg. 32 of this issue.
As youโre probably already aware, there are a lot of frozen yogurt and ice cream shops in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. So, how do any of them distinguish themselves from everyone else?
Jackie Chan (not his real name, but the name he goes by), the owner of the Frogury Frozen Yogurt Cafรฉ, has been open for almost five years, next to Five Guys in the plaza across from LA Fitness at the corner of County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
A few months ago, we told you that Jackie had added a taste sensation that is becoming popular all over the U.S., especially on and near college campuses โ rolled ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Jackie takes fresh cream and pours it onto an ice-cold, circular โpan.โ Heโs happy to mix in anything from Oreo cookies to almonds to a variety of fresh fruit, including the fresh banana he added to mine.
While the cream is chilling, Jackie mashes up your mix-in until as smooth as possible and then rolls it outย flat. He then takes a steel spatula and rolls the now-firm ice cream into, well, rolls. He then scoops up the super-cold rolls and places them side-by-side into a cup, adding virtually any topping you want. I tried to keep it healthy with fresh strawberries, although I also added chocolate syrup and whipped cream.
If youโve never had rolled ice cream, it is significantly colder and more dense than soft-serve yogurt or ice cream and most โhardโ ice creams, too. And the flavor? Out of this world!
As someone who still prefers โrealโ ice cream to any kind of frozen yogurt, I can tell you that if you havenโt yet sampled Froguryโs rolled ice cream, you owe it to yourself to visit and try it out today!
Boba Tea, Anyone?
Although Iโm not the biggest ice tea fan, either, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed my most recent foray into Boba, or โbubbleโ tea, which was first created in Taiwan in the 1990s and has been gaining popularity in the U.S. since the ear;y 2000s.
Bobas are ball-shaped, chewy bubbles of tapioca to which a variety of flavors, especially jellied fruit, can be added. Jackie had me try the traditional, โplainโ bobas in iced black tea (thereโs also green tea and other flavors) with milk, which was yummy, even though Iโm still not a big boba fan. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think. A woman visiting the shop named Suzy says she comes to Frogury every day, just for the tea. โItโs the best in town,โ she said. โItโs why Iโm a regular here.โ
Frogury (6431 County Line Rd.) is open Mon.-Sat., 11 10a..- p.m., & noon-10 p.m. on Sunday. For 20-percent-off your purchase or buy-one, get-one-free smoothies, see the ad on pg. 46 of our last New Tampa issue. For more info, call 994-1960 or visit Frogury.com.
Owner Ken Truong (far left) and his friendly, professional staff of licensed nail technicians are available to serve you at Lee Nails & Spa in The Grove at Wesley Chapel shopping center.
Between warm weather and casual fashion, gloves are seldom worn in the Sunshine State. But, since sandals so often are worn here, that means a lot of hands and feet are out on public display.
Keeping Wesley Chapel residents well-manicured is a job the crew at Lee Nails & Spa, located in an outparcel building at The Grove at Wesley Chapel shopping center (next to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce office), eagerly undertake seven days a week.
Available services range from a basic nail trim and polish (with many fashionable options such as American or French style in a rainbow of colors) to waxing and the trademarked Botanical Escapes Herbal Spa Treatments, such as an herbal detox formula or maybe a Chocolate Mint Bliss recipe.
While the menu of services is extensive, owner Kenny Truong says what Lee Nails & Spa really offers patrons is one of modern lifeโs most valuable commodities.
โWe provide relaxation.โ
The relaxation begins as soon as you cross Lee Nails & Spaโs threshold and enter a space of soft track lighting and mellow music.
New arrivals at the spa are quickly attended to and escorted to one of nearly a dozen manicure stations or a plush pedicure recliner with a massage function.
If someone needs to take the edge off a busy day, a complimentary glass of wine, chardonnay or merlot, is offered with each pedicure. Chilled water is an option for non-imbibers. A magazine rack filled with the latest issues of People, Allure, Glamour and other publications offers a chance to catch up on some light, non-digital reading.
Tangible results also are an objective, says Truong, who has 15 years of experience in the cosmetology field. โWeโre dedicated to making our customers look beautiful,โ he says.
At Lee Nails & Spa, customers can have beauty without risking their nail health. Regular acrylic nails can look great, but they can leave natural nails under them susceptible to itching and even infection. Truong says his salon offers non-acrylic nail alternatives like NexGenNails to customers.
โItโs strong, but doesnโt damage your nails like acrylic does,โ he says. โIt also has vitamin E in it.โ
Informing customers about all of the options available to them that may provide a benefit to them is part of Truongโs business philosophy.
โWe also educate customers about what kind of manicure they should get and what kinds of products can soothe and protect dry skin,โ he says.
Lee Nails & Spa was opened in 2009 by Kennyโs brother Tony. Both of them emigrated from Vietnam, along with six other brothers.
Kenny and Tony each got their start in the cosmetology field while living in Cleveland, OH. Kenny took over Lee Nails & Spa last year when Tony moved to Orlando to open a new salon.
Maintaining a clean, safe and productive environment that focuses on delivering good customer service is an important element of Truongโs operation. He and his entire staff of nail technicians are all licensed through the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DPR)โs Board of Cosmetology.
According to Truong, he maintains strict sanitary standards by providing customers one-time-use liners for spa pedicures, and also uses commercially-packaged disposable materials like emery board nail files that are discarded after just one use.
There is onsite equipment to sterilize all of the durable tools that are reused.
โOne of the most important things that customers love about coming to my salon is the cleanliness,โ says Truong proudly.
An Emphasis On Service
Customers entering the salon are likely to be met by Truong personally, and he will graciously deliver them to a staff member who will provide the relaxing and enhancing services requested. Truong recognizes the success of his business is in the hands of the people he hires.
โOur staff is young and talented, to provide the best customer service,โ he says.
One such employee is Angela Butdee, who has been working at Lee Nails for two of the three-and-a-half years she has worked as a nail technician. She expresses appreciation for the overall atmosphere of the salon as well as the beautifying task at hand.
โItโs quiet and I like that we have lots of nice customers that come here,โ Angela says. โI love doing the designs for their nails.โ She adds there is another important attribute for nail technicians. โWhen you work with nails, you have to be calm and you have to make customers feel relaxed.โ
Sharon Gilbert appreciates that kind of customer experience when she comes in to Lee Nails every few weeks for a manicure or pedicure. โThey take their time and theyโre gentle,โ she says. โI feel special when I leave.โ
Gilbert also notes the hygienic standards of Lee Nails & Spa.
โItโs very clean and they use plastic linings in their pedicure tubs,โ she says, adding that she got into the habit of getting a professional manicure when she taught at The University of Ohio in Columbus.
โA handshake was the first way I was going to meet someone,โโ she said. โItโs a way of putting your best self forward. Now I just do it for myself.โ
While indulging in spa treatments may seem like an extravagant luxury, Lee Nails & Spa offers promotions to make its services more affordable.
Customers can join the salonโs VIP Program and get $3 off a single service or $5 off a combo service (does not apply to polish change or waxing), Monday-Thursday. To do so, text LEENAILS2 to 51660.
Other discounts, such as 10-percent-off for customers 12 years of age or younger (parents or guardians must accompany the child) and for ages 65 and older, are available, as are โpop-upโ specials announced on the โLee Nails Spa In Wesley Chapelโ Facebook page.
More special deals and samples of the work Lee Nails & Spa does can be found at LeeNailSpaofTampa.com. Lee Nails & Spa is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is located at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite #104. For more information or make an appointment, call (813) 907-8100.
The first of the two new restaurants to open at the Shops at Wiregrass mall is the fifth location of Irish 31, which opened on July 7.
I have only sampled a few items so far on Irish 31โs chef-driven menu, but I did enjoy the boneless wings with Thai chili sauce and the corned beef and cabbage and loaded โboxtyโ (almost tennis-ball-sized balls of mashed potatoes, mixed with generous helpings of corned beef and cabbage, or bacon, Velveeta cheese and chives, and fried to a golden brown), served with an โEmerald Isleโ dipping sauce. 
