Discovery Village At Tampa Palms Offers Luxurious Assisted Living

At Discovery Village at Tampa Palms, residents enjoy a fun and outstanding lifestyle, whether they need supervised independent, assisted living or memory care.

Tampa’s newest and most advanced senior-living community is now open! Discovery Village at Tampa Palms, located in New Tampa, is located just minutes from the area’s best shopping, entertainment and health care facilities.

This 105-unit residence features suites and upgraded one- and two-bedroom apartment homes, and offers three levels of care, making it the perfect community for seniors of any lifestyle.

Our Supervised Independent lifestyle is ideal for independent seniors who desire only minimal assistance with everyday activities.

For those seniors needing a bit more support, we offer an all-inclusive, no care level Assisted Living lifestyle which provides complete assistance with all activities of daily living.

Lastly, Discovery Village’s all-inclusive no care level Memory Care lifestyle is designed to accommodate seniors with dementia-related diseases. Each lifestyle comes with our exclusive three-year “rent lock” program which provides a financial value unlike any other senior-living community in Hillsborough County.

Discovery Village at Tampa Palms is established from a new era of bold, energetic senior living, complete with resort-style amenities and a wealth of social and recreational activities. The community’s Grande Clubhouse offers a sensational dining room that provides three gourmet meals with tableside service daily, as well as a private dining room for special family celebrations.

There also are numerous social areas that are convenient for entertaining and mingling with neighbors, including a game room complete with a full-size pool table and several card and other game tables for hours of friendly competition.

Residents can enjoy daily happy hour celebrations or evening nightcaps in The Legends Club & Bar. The clubhouse also hosts the luxurious Silver Cinema Movie Theater, complete with a theater-style popcorn machine, so residents can keep up with the newest releases or reminisce with one of their favorite childhood movies.

Of course, to ensure they always look their best, a full-service, professional beauty salon and spa with barber shop is available to all of the residents of Discovery Village.

Happy & Healthy

Health and wellness are top of mind at Discovery Village at Tampa Palms.

The senior-equipped fitness center includes state-of-the-art exercise machines, as well as free-standing weights and yoga mats, ideal for even the most health-conscience enthusiast.

Year-round water fitness can be enjoyed in the outdoor heated pool, which boasts a gradual-entry ramp to streamline access. For residents who might be feeling a bit under the weather, relief is always close by with a fully monitored nursing station available on-site.

The Discovery Zone Media Center will blow residents’ minds with a plethora of cognitive brain fitness tools, as well as a multifunctional craft center and activity room for inspiring the creative soul.

Additional services include an on-site medical director, on-site therapies and an on-site, Medicare-certified home health care agency to ensure all of your health and wellness needs are met.

But, what makes Discovery Village at Tampa Palms so unique are the six lifestyle programs that come together to create a senior living experience unlike any other.

These programs provide residents with fun, stress-free and easy living. Socialize with neighbors, enjoy fine dining, get out and about with chauffeured transportation and take advantage of the health and wellness opportunities. Plus, weekly housekeeping and concierge services all make life the best it can be.

Sensations – Dining

Some of the most exciting times happen three times a day at Discovery Village. That’s when residents sit down in the “Sensations” dining room to enjoy healthy, delicious meals made from scratch, complete with friendly tableside service, sparkling china and linen tablecloths and napkins.

Our Executive Chefs prepare daily menus filled with international cuisines and artistically prepared meals to suit every palate. Using the freshest ingredients available, our chefs create mouth-watering appetizers, entées and desserts that keep our residents’ taste buds tingling. You’ll also love the selections during themed parties and other special events.

Celebrations – Activities

Stay active and continue to enrich your life with Discovery Village’s Celebrations program. Our full-time Activities Director ensures that there is always a variety of activities and events going on. From exercise to parties, seminars to games, you’ll find something to enjoy with friends and neighbors each day. Whether at the community or on-the-town, you’ll find it difficult to decide what to do next!

Dimensions – Wellness

Social, intellectual, spiritual, physical, medical and emotional wellness are important aspects of life at Discovery Village.

Residents have ample opportunity to get involved in our comprehensive wellness programs. From yoga to water aerobics, educational classes to spiritual gatherings, there is always something fun and interesting going on at our communities to fill your mind, body, and soul. Our professional team members are always nearby to help you enjoy the best possible quality of life.

Connections – Transportation, Maintenance, Security

When you need to get out and about, our professional drivers will get you there with our complimentary scheduled transportation. Check the schedule for regular trips to nearby locations such as dining, shopping, religious services and other fun excursions or for personal appointments, like going to your doctor’s office. Just make a request with the Concierge a couple of days in advance and we will make sure you get there on time.

Impressions – Housekeeping

Our housekeeping team makes a lasting impression in keeping your community and home clean, allowing you more time to do the things you enjoy. Expect excellence from dedicated and conscientious team members who are committed to the utmost in quality for the care your home deserves.

Expressions – Concierge Services

Concierge services at all of our communities take the hassles out of your life and put conveniences in.

Erik Kellar Photography

We can make reservations to local restaurants or a must-see show. Need a beautiful flower arrangement sent to a friend or family member? We’ll have them delivered. We’ll also help make your move smooth and stress-free. We can assist with scheduling your move, disconnecting household services, help with furniture layout and placement and offer complimentary interior design consultation. We are at your service!

At Discovery Village, residents are graciously cared for by a team of uniquely remarkable professionals offering the utmost in comfort, happiness and healthy living. The elegance and splendor of the community are carried throughout, from furnishings to décor to luxury-appointed senior apartment homes.

Every detail was thoughtfully executed to provide residents with a sense of elegance and pride. Discovery Village at Tampa Palms will forever change the landscape of senior living and deliver on our promise of exceptional care and exceptional value.

Call (813) 605-2400 or visit www.DiscoveryVillages.com to schedule a tour today and enjoy lunch on us!

Firehouse Subs — Serving Great Subs…And First Responders Across The Country

Sarrk Restaurants, LLC, is the owner and operator of nine Firehouse Subs locations in the Tampa Bay area. Through a valuable partnership with the Impact Group, Sarrk Restaurants, LLC, became one of the earliest franchisees to sign on with Firehouse Subs, with its first location that opened in New Tampa in 2002 that was later relocated to the Shoppes at New Tampa of Wesley Chapel plaza in 2012.

The New Tampa Firehouse Subs was the 51st location for the franchise. Since then, the company has grown to become a national & international brand in 44 states, as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico, totaling more than 1,000 locations, making Firehouse Subs one of the fastest growing fast casual restaurant concepts.

All restaurants have a focus to provide the highest in Quality, Service and Cleanliness, all based on a Firehouse Subs’ firefighter theme. And, for the Sarrk Restaurants, LLC, owner Sarju Patel and the public, the brand has become much more than that.

Firehouse’s current marketing drive focuses on a new slogan, “This Sub Saves Lives.” And it really does! Through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, the company’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, which has granted more than $25 million to hometown heroes in 46 U.S. states (plus Canada and Puerto Rico) since it was established in 2005 to provide lifesaving equipment to more than 2,800 first responder organizations.

All of Patel’s valued team members that make this company run to its optimum are expected to learn what the foundation is all about and, in turn, educate the community.

The life saving equipment that is provided is truly remarkable. This part of the business is so strong, that the company’s own analysis has shown that the restaurants that raise the most foundation dollars has a higher percentage of sales than restaurants that do not embrace this aspect of the business. The old saying “Giving is Receiving” is very much alive and true. Funds are raised in three ways — customers can donate their loose change into canisters at the register, they also can “round up” their Firehouse purchases to the next dollar and/or purchasing a five-gallon pickle bucket for only $2.

Firehouse of America will donate 0.13 percent of your purchase in 2017 at all U.S. Firehouse Subs locations to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. This percentage will result in a minimum donation of one million dollars.

The Foundation was founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Firehouse Subs co-founders, Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, traveled to Mississippi, where they fed first responders as well as survivors. As they traveled back to Florida exhausted and exhilarated, they knew we could do more and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born.

Locally, through the funds raised from all Firehouse locations in the Tampa Bay area, here is a list of some of the Equipment that local organizations have received to date, valued at over $100,000:

•AED Defibrillator — Pasco County Sheriff’s Office

•Personal Locator Devices – Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office

•Fire Prevention Safety materials to educate the community – City of Seminole Fire and Rescue

•See-Doo water craft and trailer, surf rescue sled, life vests, ropes and helmets – City of Treasure Island Fire Dept.

•John Deere Gator Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) and Medlite Transport Deluxe System – Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue

•RoboteX Inc Avatar Tactical Robot – Largo Police Department

•Extrication Equipment – Tampa Fire Rescue Station 13

•AED Defibrillator – Clearwater Central Catholic High School

What About The Food? — GN

Of course, most people still know Firehouse Subs for their steamed meat, toasted subs and everyone in our office has their favorite. I’m partial to the semi-spicy tuna salad sub and the steak-n-cheese sub (and I also really enjoyed the savory chicken noodle soup,too).

Graphic artist Blake Beatty and assistant editor John Cotey both prefer the NY steamer sub, which features corned beef and pastrami.

Sales rep Tom Damico enjoyed the hook & ladder sub, which comes with smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, and melted Monterey Jack.

And, billing manager Stephanie Smith said she really enjoyed the crispy, toasted sub roll on her meatball sub, as well as the zesty tomato sauce.

You can add your favorite dressings and toppings to any Firehouse sub, but the chain is famous for serving its subs “Fully Involved®,” or loaded, complete with mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a kosher dill pickle on the side. The pickles are pretty tasty, too.

And, the fresh-baked, fudgy brownies are to die for and everyone in the office enjoyed the white chocolate macadamia nut and chocolate chip cookies, the Miss Vicki’s chips and Coca-Cola “super fountain,” where you can combine more than 100 different sodas and sparkling waters.

The Wesley Chapel Firehouse Subs is located at 1824 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. For more info, call (813) 977-3181 or visit FirehouseSubs.com. Or, see the ad on page 35 of our current issue for $2 off when you buy a medium or large sub, chips and a drink.

Consider Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery For A Natural Burial

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery in the Trinity area of New Port Richey provides a unique form of burial in natural setting for your final resting place.

Laura Starkey grew up running through the old Florida woods that made up her family’s expansive cattle ranch, much of which is now the 18,000-acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve in the Trinity area of New Port Richey, just a short drive west of Wesley Chapel.

Now, her passion is conserving the land she loves, and connecting people to it.

To that end, she has created Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery, the first conservation cemetery in the Tampa Bay region. It opened this past fall, set on 41 acres of the original Starkey Ranch bordering the wilderness preserve, and Laura is the cemetery’s founder and executive director.

One of just a few conservation cemeteries in the entire state of Florida, Heartwood Preserve provides environmentally-friendly options for people looking for a more natural burial.

“The word ‘conservation’ in our name means that not only are we are providing a natural burial option for those who don’t want all the fancy bells and whistles of a modern burial with an expensive casket and vault, but we’re also really contributing to the permanent conservation of this ecosystem,” Laura explains. “We are both literally and figuratively becoming part of this land.”

Laura and Heartwood Preserve manager Diana Sayegh explain that first and foremost, the cemetery is about conserving the precious longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress dome wetlands ecosystems of the preserve.

“We invite people to come and take a walk, hike and get some fresh air,” Diana says. “You can park for free, use our picnic benches, and experience nature. There are woodpeckers, owls and butterflies, and we have free events, such as silent meditation walks, yoga and even frog-listening events. This place is gorgeous, and we want the community to experience it.” 

Laura explains that using the land as a conservation cemetery is a tool that will allow it to be preserved forever.

“Land conservation is kind of tricky,” she says. “Sometimes, you think you just buy the land and hold on to it, but you have to manage it and maintain it, including controlled burns, managing invasive species and different things you have to do to keep it healthy and protected. I am always looking for tools to do that. Sometimes land may become a state or county park, but there are other ways to do that, too.”

She explains that there are layers of protection in place to ensure that Heartwood Preserve will always remain a natural burial preserve, with no above-ground burials, such as in a mausoleum, and a lower density than a traditional cemetery. In addition, when someone purchases a space at Heartwood Preserve, a portion of that fee goes to permanently protecting that ecosystem.

She says that what started out as an intellectual idea for her has morphed all the way into a spiritual experience.

“A conservation cemetery is a practical tool to help pay for protecting the land, but on a community and spiritual level, it’s an opportunity for the community to be connected to the land in a really deep way” she says. “What a beautiful thing to say your final wish — your final resting place — will protect the land.”

Diana says the fact that Heartwood Preserve allows pre-planning sets it apart from other conservation cemeteries.

“Like making a will, pre-planning for your cremation or burial is a gift to your family,” says Diana. “Your family is not left with the burden of the cost or the decision making. They have peace of mind for when that time comes.”

She continues, “It is a cemetery, and it’s sad, but it’s not typical. It’s natural and beautiful and serene and peaceful.”

Heartwood Preserve doesn’t allow embalming or vaults, neither of which are required by law. “The full body can be placed into the ground, wrapped in a shroud or buried in a biodegradable, natural casket,” Diana explains. “We also allow cremated remains to be buried directly in the ground or in a biodegradable urn, but we don’t scatter ashes.”

Diana, who worked in a traditional funeral home for many years before joining Heartwood Preserve, says she had to learn about so-called “green burial” and, she says, “it was a big wakeup call for me.”

She says she now considers it her personal mission to educate people that other options are available to them.

“In my old job, I used to tell people, ‘This is what has to happen, and this is how much you have to pay.’ But, I’ve learned that you don’t have to be embalmed or purchase an expensive casket.”

Not For Everyone?

Diana says that Heartwood Preserve welcomes all faith and religions, but she understands that natural burial is not a good fit for everyone.

“It’s okay if you want a more traditional burial. I respect that,” Diana says. “But, we want people to know this is another option.”

Don Zegel’s son, Gregory, passed away when he was just 21. That was nearly five years ago and his son was cremated, but Don says that ever since, “I’ve been looking for something meaningful to do with his ashes.”

When he and his wife, Gay Wasik, were biking through the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, Gay had what Don says was a “magical” experience. When she returned home, she began researching the preserve and came across information about Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery.

Don says he looked at the Heartwood Preserve website and it really struck a chord with him. “I love the woods, I love old Florida, and I love nature,” he says.

“I was ready right then, but Diana told me I needed to come out and be sure that’s what I wanted for my son’s burial,” Donald explains. “I visited, and I fell in love with the feel of the place and with their philosophy. When I walked the property with Diana, I didn’t want to leave.”

He says the feeling of peace and comfort that he felt extended to the burial service that was held at the preserve. “It was a small family thing, and Laura and Diana were both there,” Don says, “It felt like they were welcoming us into their family, like they had this land and were allowing us to be a part of it.”

That’s exactly what Laura hopes people will feel if they choose Heartwood Preserve for their loved ones’ burials, or even their own.

“We’re growing a family here,” Laura says. “It’s so moving to me, because that’s what makes me so happy to come to work. We’re just getting started, but it really feels like we’re doing the right thing.”

Don says, “Now, when we think of Greg, Heartwood Preserve is where we take our minds. It’s been such an affirming experience. After five years of being in mourning one hundred percent of the time, I have started to go through some real healing.”

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery is located at 4100 Starkey Blvd. Visitors are always welcome when the gates are open, Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Sun.

For more information, call (727) 376-5111, or visit HeartwoodPreserve.com.

Tint By Masters Gulf Coast Can Keep Your Home Safe & Sun-Free!

In the early hours of Friday morning, Feb. 23, someone in a hazmat suit tried vigorously to break through the glass at the New Tampa Mosque on Morris Bridge Rd. to get inside and set the place on fire.

The arsonist was foiled. The window wouldn’t break.

When Ryan King heard the news that the windows could not be breached, he was thrilled.

“Those were our windows,’’ he says. “They said it was shatter-proof glass on the news (on TV), but it wasn’t. It was our window film.”

King, who owns Tint by Masters Gulf Coast, has been servicing windows for 16 years, including hundreds of homes in New Tampa.

Not everyone requires the kind of security the mosque did, but that is just one application of the window film that Tint by Masters Gulf Coast provides.

More popular uses in residential areas, especially in bigger homes with big windows, are for decoration, heat control, UV protection and privacy. King also does decorative work, like specific designs or frosted glass for residential and commercial buildings.

King has been at his current location in the Nancy Plaza on Westshore Blvd. in South Tampa for six years, and before that he had locations in St. Petersburg and Orlando.

He says he was finishing his degree in 3D Animation from Seminole State College in Orlando when he started in the business, because it allowed him the flexibility he needed to fit in his coursework.

After doing a few internships, King says he decided to go into window film full-time, starting his company in 2002.

“It was good to me,’’ King says, “and I was good at it.”

As anyone who has tried to apply their own window film can attest, being good at it is no easy task and requires surgeon-like precision. Getting a film on your cell phone without any bubbles or lines can be tough enough, but large windows on the front or back of a home can be painstaking.

King, who carries a $2-million insurance policy on jobs, said that if the window tinting is properly installed, you won’t even know it’s there.

Cooling Off

Car owners have been tinting their automobile’s windows for decades, both for the privacy and to protect the interior of their vehicles from the sun’s harsh rays.

Homeowners are following suit, for most of the same reasons.

This window has film on it, meaning despite the sun hitting the couch, it will not cause the furniture to fade, nor will it make sitting on the couch hot and uncomfortable.

With temperatures rising, and along with it the costs of keeping your home at a comfortable temperature, it is becoming imperative, especially in homes facing the sun, to invest in some form of sun protection.

While curtains, drapes and blinds are the most popular choices, King says window film is actually a better option.

“We can stop as much as 75 percent of the heat coming into somebody’s house,’’ says King, one of 50 or so authorized 3M Window Film dealers in the state. “We can stop 99.9 percent of the UV (ultra violet) rays coming through (the windows) as well.”

Many people buy their homes because of the view large the windows afford them. King says the proper window film allows them to take advantage of big windows by not having to cover them up.

Melissa Fernandez Bunch lives in a 112-year-old home in South Tampa. With single-pane glass windows with no window coverings at all, “we were having trouble keeping the house cool.”

Her air conditioning repairman suggested window film, and to make his point, he used a device that took the temperature of the wall in their back room that faced the sun. It was 15 degrees warmer than the other walls in the room.

“He suggested solar film,’’  Bunch says. “Honestly, we were not sure it would make a huge difference, but we were willing to give it a shot. And it made  tremendous difference. There is definitely a noticeable temperature change, for sure.”

King says there are numerous options for your window film, and it can be as dark as you want it, or as light, with the same reflective properties. Many window films can keep the sun out or reduce its glare without distorting your view of things on the other side of the window.

“Ours is 100-percent unnoticeable from the exterior,” Bunch says. “And they did such a good job applying it you can’t even see at the edge where it stops.”

Bunch wanted to keep her view through her windows open and clear, though others use curtains — namely the so-called “blackout” curtains in severe cases — which can do a good job of keeping the light out of a room.

The heat, however, is another issue.

“You take in the same amount of heat behind a blackout curtain,’’ King says. “You get the same heat load behind the curtain, it’s still piling in, still seeping out the tops and the sides and bottom. It’s just not hitting you all at once.”

King says the cost savings on one’s electric bill can be significant. He says some customers have been 5-7 degrees cooler after window film, and that typical payback on what you spent to have any window film products installed is 3-5 years. During the colder months, the window film also can help keep the heat in.

Depending on the size and number of windows you need protected, coverage can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

A more comfortable temperature is just one reason people decide to use window films. Another is preventing sun damage, to your floors and furniture, and to yourself.

“I just did a house last week where the person who moved had two huge oriental rugs, and when they moved out and the next guy moved in, you could see big huge rectangles where the rugs were,’’ King said. “They didn’t face south, west or east, it was just north and it was just the sun bouncing off the water (and causing the fading on the floors). If you’re going to put in $10,000 worth of wood floors, you want to keep that floor from fading.”

Most people don’t even realize these effects are even happening, King says. Same goes for the sun hitting the back of your neck when sitting on the couch. In fact, it’s those people who King says become his customers.

“With the sun hitting you it’s like being at the beach,’’ King says. “You put sunscreen on when you’re sitting outside at the beach, but just because you’re cool (inside) doesn’t mean its not happening.”

Safety is another benefit of window film, although much of that business is commercial. King has done some community clubhouses in New Tampa with the same protective window film he installed at the New Tampa Mosque in December.

When the friend he worked on the mosque project with texted him that morning, King got a rare glimpse into the success of the film.

“It’s rare that it’s tested in that situation,’’ King says. “I’ve seen it work before, but you have to wonder how crazy somebody is to sit there and beat on it for hours on end. A typical criminal is going to be, ‘It didn’t break, it didn’t fall out, I’m moving on.”

King has a done a number of big and small jobs, including some he can’t even talk about.

He has done a number of downtown buildings, repaired and tinted windows in the traffic controller tower at Tampa International Airport, and recently completed a project putting in “one-way” mirror film at a rehabilitation resort.

Tint by Masters Gulf Coast (3648 S. Westshore Blvd.) serves customers across Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties and is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5p.m. For more info, call (813) 571-5750 or see the ad on page 34.

Las Palmas Café Is A Lot More Than Just Great, Authentic Cuban Cuisine!

When the husband-and-wife team of Chef Ramses and Ana Garcia took over Las Palmas Café in the Pebble Creek Collection four years ago this month, the restaurant was already a popular little place that not enough people outside of Pebble Creek knew about.

Today, in addition to revamping the interior, Ramses says he “changed literally everything on the menu” to make the Cuban dishes more authentic. And, using his training from places he worked for in his hometown of Miami, he has slowly added many other menu items, some of which are not traditionally Cuban, although everything we’ve sampled on Las Palmas’ extensive (but never expensive) menu has been delicious.

In fact, there are so many great items available at this still-hidden gem that I didn’t have room for a pic of what has always been my favorite dish at Las Palmas — the merluza a la Rusa, or flaky, breaded white fish with a unique topping of hard boiled eggs, pimiento and parsley.

Instead, I did include a pic of Ramses’ equally delicious (and less fattening) grilled fish, with a side of yellow rice, and his grilled chicken with a side of homemade fried plantains.

I’m all about trying new things, so I told Ramses to make some of his favorite dishes for us to sample at the Neighborhood News, and he didn’t disappoint.

First up was a fried yuca appetizer, served with a delicious cilantro lime dipping sauce. I don’t always love the consistency of yuca, but Ramses no doubt knows how to make it crisp, tender and very tasty.

Ramses’ award-winning “historic” Cuban sandwich also didn’t make it onto these two pages, in part because his full-page ad on page 41 has such a gorgeous picture of it, but also because he wanted me to try his equally tasty Cuban club sandwich, which includes ham, turkey, bacon and Swiss cheese, with lettuce, tomato and mayo pressed on perfect Cuban bread.

“Our traditional Cuban incudes our famous roast pork, ham and Swiss, with mustard, mayo and pickles pressed on Cuban bread,” Ramses says. “We entered the Cuban Sandwich Festival for the first time in April (as reported last issue) and we were proud to win, but not surprised. We sold more than 1,000 mini-Cubans in the two days of the festival. By the time they announced that we had won (on Sun.), we were already almost sold out.”

Other traditional Cuban cuisine Ramses made sure we tried were the Havana Trio — ropa vieja (shredded beef), roast pork (lechon) and picadillo (ground beef with olives and veggies in tomato sauce), and Ramses’ must-try braised ox tail.

I told Ramses that I had only ever had ox tail at Jamaican restaurants, and usually, it was in a soup, which I didn’t love. But, his ox tail is in big pieces, on the bone like a veal or pork shank, in a dark, savory sauce.

“We only make ox tail on Thursday,” Ramses said on my recent Thursday visit. “But, we braise it for six hours and have regulars who come in every week for it.”

And, as if on cue, in stepped Bob, a Pebble Creek resident whose first words were, “Where’s the grumpy guy? I’m here for my ox tail.”

Other new and old favorites of mine at Las Palmas include the grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce, the breaded  steak milanese with marinara sauce and Italian cheese, the “masitas” (pork chunks) and tender, grilled pork chops.

One item I couldn’t try that everyone else in our office raved about is the shrimp in garlic sauce, served with a side of homemade tostones (large and not sweet fried green plantains). If you’re not allergic to shrimp, I definitely suggest dipping Ramses’ perfect Cuban bread in the sauce.

Other popular appetizers include ham, chicken or cheese croquettes, empanadas and pork tamales. Soups include black bean, chickpea and chicken tortilla. Try the house and Las Palmas salads (the creamy herbal dressing is addictive), too.

Other favorites on the menu include the chicken and yellow rice, the Cuban-Creole shrimp stew, the “vaca frita” (crispy beef), the Cuban rafters (merluza topped with shrimp), Ramses’ steak sandwich (unbreaded palomillo steak topped with sautéed onions and shoestring potatoes) and the fried fish sandwich.

Daily Lunch Specials & More!         

Even though all of the entrées on the menu are only $8.99-$14.99, many of the previously mentioned favorites (including picadillo, ropa vieja, pork chops and more) are available as lunch specials (with white or yellow rice and a side item) for only $7.99-$8.99 for lunch.

There’s also a great kids menu, with all items $4.99 or less, an extensive catering menu and many homemade desserts, including flan, rice pudding, creme brulée, triple chocolate truffle cake and Ramses’ homemade tres leches dessert, which Bob says is, “the best I’ve had anywhere and I’ve had it all over the world. Do yourself a favor and try it for yourself!”

Las Palmas Café is located at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the Pebble Creek Collection. It is open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday (closed Sunday). For more information, call (813) 907-1333, or visit LasPalmasCafe.net. And please, tell Ramses and Ana that we sent you!