Congratulations to owners Cindy and David Cruz and their entire family (photo above) and staff on the opening â finally! â of their Rice-n-Beans Express location at 24726 S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets.Â
Although there are a few tables inside the new location, Rice-n-Beans Express is much more of a take-out place than the Rice-n-Beans Puerto Rico restaurant on Wesley Chapel Blvd., which has a large formal dining area, a full-liquor bar and live entertainment on the weekends.
The great news is that the authentic Puerto Rican cuisine at the Express location is just as delicious as at the WC Blvd. restaurant.Â
Jannah and I were happy to be invited to the private Friends & Family ribbon cutting event on Nov. 9, which included a great live DJ, free homemade sangria and samples of many of the new restaurantâs many menu items.Â
Our favorites included the fritters/ empanadas, which include traditional beef (left photo), chicken and even ham & cheese options, as well as a unique spinach, artichoke and cheese version that had its own delicious flavor.Â
We also loved the rotisserie chickens (photo below) that provide the centerpiece of the new Express location, the Cuban sandwiches and yes, both the red and the black beans and rice.Â
The rotisserie chickens are available in a variety of sizes, from quarter chickens with one or two sides to the âFamilia Grande,â which includes two whole chickens, 32 ozs. of rice, 16 ozs. of beans and two additional large sides. Thereâs also a huge chicken & pork combo meal.
Save room for dessert because the Puerto Rico Desserts case in the Express offers vanilla and Nutella tres leches and three varieties of flan. Decadent!Â
 For more info, call (813) 428-5077 or visit âRice N Beansâ on Facebook and please tell them I sent you! -GN
The seven-barber team at Elements of Stylez Barber Shop in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 is led by Briannah (âBriâ) Talley (Below, right) and her partner Daniel (Dannyâ) Quintana (Below, Left). (Photos by Charmaine George)Â
Getting your hair cut, trimmed, faded, or styled can be fun and relaxing, or even a little nerve-wracking, as you wait to see your new look. One thing it usually is not is a family experience. Wouldnât it be nice for men, women, young children and teens to all be able to go to one place for great haircuts and styles? Well look no further â Elements of Stylez Barber Shop, in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54, is just that place.
Daniel Quintana and Briannah Talley, also known as âDanny and Bri,â are the couple and business partners behind EOS, combining their hair and cosmetology experience to open the business together in 2018.
Danny has been working with hair for 35 years, first for about 17 years in the Bronx, NY, before moving to Florida and continuing his career here.
He says that becoming a barber was something that basically fell into his lap. He was thinking of starting a new career path when he went to get his usual haircut. He got to talking to his barber and realized his hobby of cutting hair for friends and family could actually be a sustainable career.
âAfter that haircut, I bought a pair of nice clippers and just never looked back,â Danny says.
Teaching himself, as well as training with barbers and beauticians over the years, Danny discovered a passion for hair cutting and now canât see himself doing anything else.
âI have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, Iâd still choose to be a barber,â says Danny. âEven in my next life, Iâll be a barber. This career has given me opportunities and joy that I would never trade for anything else.âÂ
While living in New Tampa and working at a local barber shop, Danny met his girlfriend Bri at a local Supercuts 8 years ago. Bri, who hails from Detroit, is formidable with hair herself â or, as she puts it â âa beast with the clippers.â Deciding to work together â and work for themselves â they opened EOS together as co-owners and moved to Wesley Chapel, where most of their team lives, too.
âWeâre three female and four male barbers altogether, and five of us live in Wesley Chapel,â Danny says. âWe love our Wesley Chapel community and watching it grow. We are grateful to all of our customers, near and far, whoâve helped us grow, too.â
Booking With Booksy
In addition to Danny and Bri, the talented team at EOS includes Mo, Yissi (pronounced âGCâ), Isaac, Beatriz and Victor. In addition to haircuts for all ages, the barbers at EOS also offer fades, buzz cuts, shape-ups, cuts with designs and layer cuts, as well as braids, twists, and âlocsâ (aka dreadlocks). They also offer relaxing hot towel shaves and beard trims, shampoo and deep conditioning treatments, and hot tool styling for short or long hair.Â
Be sure to check out almost all of the EOS barbers on Booksy, a website that lets you book appointments for barbers, hairstylists, nail salon artists, licensed massage therapists and more. Here, you can see the EOS barbersâ services in detail â with prices, estimated time needed for your service, pictures and reviews of their work.
For example, Booksy says that Victor can hook you up with an after-hours appointment if you need it, and also offers fades, beard colors and eyebrow shaping with a razor. Isaacâs reviews make it clear that heâs great with both kids and adults. Mo is your man if you need steady hands for clean hairlines and designs. Yissi does hair for males and females of all ages but is known for womenâs blowouts and âupdos,â as well as eyebrow and lip waxes, locs styling, curly cuts, deep conditioning treatments, beard trims and shape-ups.
Beatriz is the only barber at EOS without a Booksy account, but many residents of Wesley Chapel already are familiar with her work. Beatriz was the owner of Cuts & More, the previous salon at this same location, before selling it to Danny and Bri, and she continues to cut and style hair for her many long-time (and new) clients at EOS.
Danny and Bri have a shared Booksy account and they both cut and style hair for kids, teens, men and women. In addition to many of the services already discussed, Bri and Danny also offer menâs scissor cuts, bald head cuts or trims with clippers or razor, fades and hot tool styling. They are both great with kids, especially cutting fades and intricate designs like hearts, stars, diamonds, and even the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls logo.
Bri can do just about any hair service for women, from layer cuts to hot tool styling to natural cuts and keratin treatments.Â
An example of SMP. (Above photo from Danny Quintana)
Danny is the resident scalp micropigmentation (SMP) expert at EOS. SMP is a specialized hair tattoo (see photo on next page) that gives the appearance of growing hair. He says that SMP is a great option to manage hair loss and receding hairlines and can last for 3-5 years.
Danny has a unique experience with SMP as someone who has used it himself and now does it for others. He uses tattoo ink, instead of tattoo pigment, for longer-lasting results and stresses that it is important to go to an SMP artist who is really comfortable and skilled at the process.
âThere are many who can do SMP, but not many who can do it right,â shares Danny. âIt is a tattoo that involves thousands of shallow applications to mimic hair follicles. Unfortunately, I have seen it done wrong, where the end result really does not look good, not like hair at all, so picking the right person is essential.â
No matter what your reason is for visiting EOS, all of their barbers will leave with your hair looking good.
Tani Mitchell is a regular customer of Dannyâs and EOS.
âIâm originally a transplant from Pennsylvania, so when I first came down here, it took a few haircuts from a few different people before I got referred to Danny,â says Tani. âBut, once I started working with Danny, I was set. Iâve actually being getting haircuts with Danny for 8 years, so when he and Bri opened the shop, I followed him there.âÂ
Thereâs no other barbershop Tani would prefer for himself or even his kids.
âWhen I go to EOS, I get the full service â beard, haircut, hot towel and shave,â Tani says. âMy son got his first haircut there when he was 2-1/2 years old. I love everyone in the shop. Bri has done my daughtersâ braids before sports season. Sheâs also cut my hair and my sonâs hair. Beatriz has also done blowouts for my daughter. They cater to everybody. Great shop, great family environment.â
Elements of Stylez Barber Shop is located at 30040 S.R. 54. The shop is open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., and 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., on Sat. (closed on Sun.). For appointments, call (813) 575-8416. Also visit @Elements_of_Stylez on Instagram to see pictures of the creative cuts, designs, and styles created by Danny and the rest of the EOS team of barbers.Â
Its unique fusion of Italian and Southern cuisine has made Noble Crust in The Shops at Wiregrass the winner of our readersâ Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel for three consecutive years. (Photos by Charmaine George)Â
Since it only has three locations â Wesley Chapel, Carrollwood and the original in St. Pete â you canât really call Noble Crust a chain.
What you can call it, however, is a three-peat winner as our readersâ Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel. Noble Crust, which is known for its Southern-inspired Italian fare, craft cocktails and great vibe, has been in our readersâ top-5 every year since it opened in the Shops at Wiregrass in 2017, and has taken home top honors for 2021, 2022 & 2023.
Although runner-up finisher Azteca DâOro (see below) had the most first-place votes, Noble Crust had more 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-place votes than any other Wesley Chapel restaurant this year to secure the top spot with our readers.Â
Although it has been open in the Shops at Wiregrass less than a year, Azteca DâOroâs monster burritos helped make it our readersâ Second Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel for 2023.
A family-owned mini-chain with eight other locations from New Smyrna Beach to Lakeland, Azteca DâOro opened in the Shops at Wiregrass earlier this year to mostly rave reviews and came within a few points of winning the top spot with our readers in its first year here.
Azteca DâOroâs quality, authentic Mexican cuisine and huge portions helped the newcomer earn the most first-place votes of the more than 500 Neighborhood News readers who voted in this category this year and it might have finished ahead of Noble Crust had it had as many 2nd-5th-place votes.Â
Grillsmith has been in our readersâ top-10 Favorite Restaurants in Wesley Chapel every year it has been open, and it gives the mall a clean sweep of the top-3 this year.Â
Another perennial favorite, this five-location mini-chain has finished in our readersâ top-10 every year since it opened (including first-place honors as recently as 2020), Grillsmithâs third-place finish this year gives the Shops at Wiregrass a clean sweep of the top-three spots in this yearâs survey.
The restaurantâs fairly-priced American fare, like its âshort-trip fresh fish,â and comfortable bar continue to attract fans among our readers.Â
Although itâs never finished in the top-10 at its newer location on S.R. 56 before, this former two-time Readers Survey winner jumped up to #3 this year, thanks in part to its revamped menu.
With nearly 200 locations nationwide, Bonefish is a full-fledged chain known for its fresh seafood, like the bang-bang shrimp shown here.Â
Jumping up from its #19 finish with our readers last year (and #14 in 2021), Zukku-San on S.R. 56 is an upscale, family-owned Japanese restaurant with a premium full-liquor bar and delicious food.
Starting with just a sushi âstallâ at Tampaâs Armature Works, Zukku-San has added a full location in North Carolina and another fast casual concept called Ato at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove.
It was only open for a short time when most of our readers submitted their ballots last year, so it came in at #25, but this upscale addition to The Shops at Wiregrass obviously pleased a lot of locals this year.
The original Living Room in downtown Dunedin is a perennial favorite, and the Wesley Chapel location being voted Best Pasco Restaurant by Creative Loafing readers probably didnât hurt its recognition factor with our readers this year.Â
Jumping up from #11 with our readers in 2021, BJâs is another full-fledged chain with more than 200 U.S. locations that is still serving a wide variety of favorites, despite obviously reducing its number of menu options over the past year.
Its ideal location in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 56 definitely helps keep the parking lot and wait list full at our local BJâs and its fair pricing and premium full-liquor bar has helped keep it among our readersâ favoritesÂ
Like BJâs Brewhouse, Bahama Breeze didnât crack the top-25 when we asked readers for one list of favorites among all Wesley Chapel and New Tampa restaurants last year, but it was #7 in Wesley Chapel in 2021, the last time we split our areas into separate votes, as we did this year.
This 43-unit chain still attracts plenty of locals with its island-inspired fare.Â
This is by far Fordâs Garageâs highest finish with our readers since 2019, when it finished 11th.
The 22-location chain, which utilizes the Ford Motor Companyâs logo, is located on the north side of S.R. 56 and features a wide variety of hand-crafted burgers and other better-than-the-average-burger-place food, plus a full-liquor bar.Â
Bubbaâs 33, the 27-unit sports bar chain from our friends at Texas Roadhouse, is another eatery that has finished higher with our readers this year than in any of the last five years.
Bubbaâs has been a solid top-20 finisher with our readers most years, but its combination of great food, sports and music videos attracted its most votes ever.Â
Welcome to the neighborhood, Cooperâs Hawk! The winery and restaurant chain, with more than 55 locations in ten U.S. states (including more than a dozen in Florida) began celebrating its Nov. 20 Grand Opening on S.R. 56 a few days earlier with some Friends & Family days and a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting (photo below left) on Nov. 18.Â
Photo above courtesy of North Tampa Bay Chamber.
As long-time Cooperâs Hawk Wine Club members who also have eaten at the restaurants in Tampa and Sarasota about two dozen times, Jannah and I were as excited about the Wesley Chapel opening as the rest of the community appears to be.
Founder and CEO Tim McEnery was on-hand for Cooperâs Hawkâs NTBC ribbon-cutting event and, since he opened his first location in Orland Park, IL, in 2005, the restaurant chainâs wines have won hundreds (nearly 600) of awards and the food (some of which is shown on this page) is definitely a cut above what you find at most chain eateries.
In addition, Wine Club members receive a number of outstanding benefits, including two free wine tastings (the âLuxâ tastings come with a small upcharge), accumulating points for each time you dine at the restaurant, a credit for free dining on your birthday and much more.Â
Tasty pan-roasted mahi-mahi
And, even though I used to wonder how a winery located in Woodridge, IL, could possibly offer a wide variety of delicious wines, after eight years of tastings and dozens of bottles that we have both enjoyed ourselves and given as gifts to other oenophiles, I can assure you that a Cooperâs Hawk Wine Club membership is the way to go. The grapes the company imports from every great winemaking region across the globe are blended into everything from Barbera to Zinfandel, with lots of options for both you sweet wine drinkers and for those who prefer a little dust on their palates when they imbibe.
And, if you prefer hard liquor or beer over wine, Cooperâs Hawk has an ultra-premium bar to meet your needs, too.
The best news of all is that although dining at Cooperâs Hawk isnât a 15-30-minute process, the service we have experienced so far has been super-attentive and on point.
Thereâs even a private dining area for up to 48 guests that can be divided into two 24-seat private rooms perfect for birthday parties and other special occasions.
Cooperâs Hawk Winery & Restaurant (28963 S.R. 56) is open every day for lunch & dinner. For more info, visit CHWinery.com or call (813) 755-4445 & tell GM Joseph McCracken & his staff that we sent you! â GNÂ
Dr. Jacky and Dr. Sharly Saleep of Good Karma Veterinary Therapy, a mobile veterinarian service, are happy to care for your precious fur babies in the comfort of your own home. (Photos by Charmaine George)
There are a lot of reasons why taking your pet to the vet can be stressful, but Good Karma Mobile Veterinary Therapy takes away many of those problems by coming to treat your pet in your home.
Does your big dog have a hard time getting in and out of the car? Does your cat detest being put in a carrier? Is your current vetâs office closed by the time you can get there after work? Do you have a lot of pets that require multiple appointments? Or, maybe, you just donât like pet fur all over your car?
The husband-and-wife team of Dr. Sharly and Dr. Jacky Saleep, both of whom are Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs), will see your cat or dog in your home, relieving a lot of the stress a trip to the vet can cause.
The doctors say their practice is âfear-free,â focusing on ensuring that your pet or pets are as comfortable as possible and taking as long as needed to ensure that your fur babies have a positive experience.
âWe are completely mobile and do everything in the petâs house,â Dr. Jacky says. âWe never rush and itâs always fun to see pets in their home environments.âÂ
Dr. Jacky is a Miami native who moved to Australia to attend veterinary school at the University of Sydney. From there, she had the opportunity to travel to other countries as part of her studies and, in her final year of vet school, she met Dr. Sharly in Egypt.
He is the son of a large-animal veterinarian in Egypt, where Dr. Sharly grew up. Both Dr. Sharly and his father completed their education in veterinary medicine at Assiut University in Asyut, Egypt. Dr. Sharly graduated with honors in 2010.
He then spent three years working with his father, caring for large animals, such as camels, buffalo, donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits and turkeys. When he wanted to do more surgeries and work more with smaller animals, Dr. Sharly moved to Hurghada, Egypt.
Thatâs where he met Dr. Jacky, who was studying abroad, before she graduated from vet school in 2017.
âWe almost missed each other,â she laughs, explaining that a paperwork error put her in the same clinic with him for just one week. If the mistake hadnât been made, they would never have even crossed paths.
The pair got married in Las Vegas in 2018 and moved to Miami. But, in 2020, they decided to come to Wesley Chapel to raise their family. At the time, both were working for corporate veterinary medicine companies.
The doctors have two daughters, ages four and three, and a one-year-old son. They also have two Italian greyhounds, two cats, fish and a dozen chickens.
âOur daughter was diagnosed with autism and needed 30 or 40 hours a week of therapy,â explains Dr. Jacky. But. at that time, their schedules were dictated by a corporation and were not flexible, so they knew they needed to do something different.
Opening their own practice together was something they had talked about for a long time, especially because Dr. Jacky wanted to use her broad range of skills, including in animal acupuncture and laser therapy, which werenât part of her former practice.
The pair launched Good Karma together in June 2023.Â
Today, their mobile vet service offers wellness exams, vaccines, laser therapy, acupuncture and treatments for allergies and other common ailments, such as ear infections.
Dr. Jacky says laser therapy is really good for healing, especially for older pets dealing with chronic pain, since the laser penetrates and works at a cellular level. She also offers both traditional acupuncture and laser acupuncture.
While the vets mostly treat dogs and cats, they occasionally do treat exotic pets and also offer acupuncture for horses.
They say their services are perfect for someone who has a lot of pets, who canât travel, or who is short on time. They even offer some after-hours and weekend appointments, and everything they do is designed to help keep your pet or pets calm and comfortable.
âLetâs say the cat wants to be in the closet,â says Dr. Sharly. âWe can actually do the appointment in the closet. Iâve seen cats in bathrooms, too.â
The doctors donât do surgeries, dental cleanings or handle emergencies, but there are ways they can help if your pet experiences something that causes you to worry.
âEmergencies tend to happen at the worst times,â says Dr. Sharly. âBut, our business hours are until 8 p.m., so if you get home from work and your pet is sick, you can call us and we will answer the phone.âÂ
If they are able to see the pet, they can examine and stabilize it before sending it to an emergency facility, if necessary. But, even if they canât get to the pet, they know the patient and its history, so they can provide guidance and recommendations in an urgent situation.
Dr. Jacky adds, âWe really get to know our pet patients because weâre going into their homes. Itâs not like a corporate environment where weâre seeing dozens of pets and sometimes canât remember them.â
Another service offered by the Good Karma vets is euthanasia.Â
Dr. Jacky says that when you reach a point where thereâs nothing else that can be done for your pet, Good Karma can come to your home so your pet will be home and comfortable during his or her last moments.
âItâs an honor to serve families in this way,â says Dr. Jacky. âItâs actually okay for the pets. They get ice cream or treats, get good medicine and then go to sleep. But, a (big part) of euthanasia is actually taking care of the family.â
She says most pets in this case have lived a long, happy life, and she has helped many families get through their grief.Â
Dr. Sharly with Gunnar, the 100+-lb. âSwissy.â (Photo provided by Good Karma Veterinary Therapy)Â
Krissy and Matt Hem live in Meadow Pointe and are pet parents to Gunnar, an 8-year-old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, also known as a âSwissy.â
Since Gunnar weighs more than 100 pounds, he has been having some hip problems as he ages, so Krissy started searching for laser therapy for him.
As a nurse anesthetist, Krissy works long hours at the hospital and canât always get to a vetâs office while theyâre open, so she loves that Good Karma comes to her once she gets home from work.
âThey combine the best of both worlds â with both conventional and eastern medicine,â says Krissy, who worked as a veterinary technician before starting her career in caring for people. âI feel like the care is more thorough than a typical veterinary office, and they always call and check on him.â
Krissy and Matt plan to get a puppy soon, and when they do, they will have Good Karma come to their home to check on their new pup. She really likes that she wonât have to take a new puppy, with its vulnerable immune system, into a clinic where it could pick something up from someone elseâs sick pet.
âIâm probably a little biased, but as someone who has worked in medicine for both people and animals, I really appreciate the thoroughness and especially the compassion they show.â
To set up an appointment with Good Karma Veterinary Therapy, pet owners can call or text (813) 291-3570, email GoodKarmaVeterinaryTherapy@gmail.com, or fill out a form to send a message at GoodKarmaVeterinaryTherapy.com.