Florida Ave. Brewing Co. Opens Wesley Chapel Brewery!

With its restaurant open for a year already, Florida Ave. finally opens what may be the state’s largest craft brewery!

I honestly don’t know if Florida Ave. Brewing Co., located in the former location of Sports + Field on S.R. 56, is now the largest craft brewery in the state, but it’s not for lack of trying to find out on my part.

The long-awaited Grand Opening and North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting of Florida Ave.’s brewery at its  34,000-sq.-ft. S.R. 56 location was held on Oct. 8, where CEO Anthony Derby and his family (and partners, including company president Joe Redner) unveiled their huge (for a microbrewery) brewing warehouse, complete with gigantic, stainless steel beer kettles — big enough, Derby says, to produce up to 50,000 barrels per year of Florida Ave.’s huge variety of beers.

Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore called it the largest family-owned brewery on the west coast of Florida. But, when I tried to do some research of my own into the largest craft breweries in the entire state of Florida, the largest I could find was the unrelated Florida Beer Co., which is based in Cape Canaveral and reportedly produced nearly 33,000 barrels of its variety of beers in 2018. I couldn’t find similar numbers for 2019 or 2020, but while Florida Ave. likely won’t get close to producing its 50,000-barrel capacity this year or next, it certainly could challenge Florida Beer Co. for the largest craft brewery in the state sooner than later.

Either way, it’s been a long and difficult, more-than-two-year journey for Anthony, his mom (and company CFO) Toni and the rest of the Derby family just to get the brewery open, even though the adjacent restaurant and its huge outdoor patio and indoor private event spaces have been open and successful for more than a year.  

Anthony says the Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of the delays for the brewery, as many of the important pieces of equipment, especially in the canning line (top left photo on next page), as the machines and parts had to come from Italy, where everything ground to a halt in 2019. Once the equipment finally made its way over here nearly two years later, Florida Ave. had to get it all put together, up and running and inspected by multiple agencies before the brewing process could begin — which wasn’t until May of this year. Derby says it takes at least two weeks to actually make beer, but the equipment all had to be tested again and again in order to re-create the beers that Florida Ave.’s Seminole Heights factory — which produces about 7,000 barrels per year — has been brewing for years and has been providing for the restaurant since it opened last year.

Anthony admitted that there have been a lot of challenges but he is confident it will all end up being worth it — and he thanked both North Tampa Bay Chamber president Hope Allen and Moore for their help in getting the project to this point. 

Moore said that when he first heard about the project in 2019, he said, “Do you have a time machine? If not, can you get it open by tomorrow?,” and called Florida Ave. a “beautiful asset to the county.”

Florida Ave. Brewing Co. currently employs more than 120 people at the S.R. 56 location alone, with about 20 other employees out in the field. And yes, now that it is officially open, you will soon be able to tour the state-of-the-art Florida Ave. brewery. 

What About The Food & Beer?

Even though I haven’t been able to give you the full story about the brewery, I’m just about officially out of space to tell you about all the great beers, hard seltzers and full liquor bar, the comfy bar stools and the delicious chef-created food at Florida Ave., but some of my favorite dishes appear on this page, including the Korean bibimbap beef bowl, the Chinese-style sticky ribs, the specialty burgers, the crab cakes and sesame-seared ahi tuna appetizers and the perfect Florida Ave. wings. 

  • Florida Ave. wings
  • sesame-seared ahi tuna
  • Zucchini
  • Korean bibimbap beef bowl
  • steak Argentine flatbread

Other menu items we’ve enjoyed include the house-made cheesesteak egg rolls, the steak Argentine flatbread (although photographer Charmaine George says the mushroom truffle flatbread also is excellent), the BBQ chicken sandwich and the 12-oz. NY strip steak. We even loved the sautéed veggies and the crispy Brussels sprouts, the hand-cut fries and the loaded fingerling potato side dishes. There’s also a great kids menu with everything from burger sliders to mac & cheese to cheese quesadillas and more.

But of course, for most of you, the stars of the show at Florida Ave. Brewing Co. will be the beers. My favorites are the most basic — the lager, Dead Parrot light lager, and the brown ale, but I also enjoy the “You’re My Boy, Blue” fruit beer, the Rollin’ Dirty Irish red ale and Jannah likes the Key lime hard cider, the tangerine splash and other fruit-flavored beers and hard seltzers at Florida Ave.

Based on both the crowds we see there whenever we go for dinner or to watch a Lightning game there, as well as all of the votes it already has received in this year’s Reader Dining Survey for Favorite Restaurant and for Favorite Bar in Wesley Chapel — a lot of you already enjoy the place, too.

So please, do me a favor — please visit Florida Ave. Brewing Co. and tell anyone who works there that you read about them in the New Tampa Neighborhood News! 

Florida Ave. Brewing Co. is located at 2029 Arrowgrass Dr. and is open every day at 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner. Happy Hour is Mon.-Fri., 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.For more information call (813) 452-6333 or visit FloridaAveBrewing.com. Reservations are accepted for parties of eight or more only.

Nibbles & Bytes: Sushi, Pizza and Healthy Items Highlight New Businesses

Pick Of The Week 1: Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant!
For those who complain about all of the chain restaurants that have opened in Wesley Chapel, one thing you should realize is that already we have quite a few excellent non-chain Japanese places — and you can add one more to that already-impressive list.

Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant has finally opened at 6034 Wesley Grove Blvd., next to Treble Makers in The Grove, and offers great Japanese specialties, from a huge assortment of sushi rolls to the excellent gyoza dumplings pictured top left (and other appetizers), to large portions of chicken teriyaki with fresh veggies, hibachi (but not prepared tableside) filet mignon and many more. It is open every day for lunch and dinner and serves beer, wine and sake.

For more info, call (813) 803-4709 and please tell Lawrence, the owner, that I sent you. — GN

Windy City Pizza Replaces Full Circle Pizza In Pebble Creek!
If you’re a fan of authentic deep-dish Chicago-style pizza but you haven’t yet tried the new Windy Cindy Pizza that opened recently in the former Pebble Creek Collection location (at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa, a mile or so south of the Pasco County line) of Full Circle Pizza — what are you waiting for? I brought the large Chicago deep dish pie with pepperoni & sausage pictured above to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus & everyone raved. I’m not from Chicago, but this deep dish is legit! 

Tim and Matt, the owners, are both originally from Chicago (and previously owned Windy City on N. 30th St., near USF, and promise that their deep-dish and thin-crust Chicago pizza is authentic, as are the Chicago Italian beef sandwich and Windy City nuggets (fried homemade pizza dough served with pizza dipping sauce) and more. 

For more info, call (813) 388-5844 or visit OrderWindyCityPizza.com. —  GN 

It’s Chick’n, Not Cluckin’
Last issue, we told you that the former location of Hardee’s on Wesley Chapel Blvd. (next to Goodyear Auto Service) was going to be come a new chicken restaurant called Cluckin’ Fun, but we were only half-right.

The banner sign that had been up came down because the building was being re-painted, but according to the leasing agent, the new non-chain fried chicken place will actually be called Chick’n Fun, and also said that it should be ready to open within the next 45 days. — GN

LĂĽfka Refillables Hosts A Chamber Ribbon Cutting!
Congratulations to co-owners Danielle Howard (right in photo) and her mom Gail Sickler (center), who hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event on Sept. 23 at their new Wesley Chapel location of Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store at 27221 S.R. 56. 

LĂĽfka, founded by Kelly Hawaii (left) and her husband Parosh in Seminole Heights in 2019, offers eco-friendly personal care (Jannah loved the handcrafted soap I bought for her) and cleaning products, including many refillable and zero-waste items.

For info, call (813) 596-9376 or visit lufka.com. — GN 

Pick Of The Week 2: Green Market Cafe!
Located next door to LĂĽfka (at 27225 S.R. 56) is the sixth location of a Tampa Bay-area chain called Green Market Cafe.

Green Market definitely could have been included in our most recent issue’s “Healthy Food & Drink” story, with its menu of salads (like the almond chicken salad in the first photo), healthy bowls, wrap and other sandwiches, house-made soups (like the excellent spinach feta soup Jannah and I sampled recently) and unique drink options like Kombucha and CBD-infused water.

Green Market Cafe makes it easy to order, whether online (with pick-up and delivery options), at the self-service kiosk inside the store or at the counter, and proudly proclaims that all locations buy their produce “directly from the source — our local farmers. We strive for balanced nutrition…and wholesome ingredients free of hormones and preservatives — all at affordable prices.” For more info, call (813) 803-4590 or visit visit GreenMarketCafe.com for the current specials. — GN

Trick Or …Truck? Lots Of Halloween Weekend Options!

The World’s Largest Food Truck Rally 12 may not break the all-time record for largest food truck parade Halloween weekend at the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO), but it will have enough food on hand that we can heartily suggest wearing stretchy pants.

The rally, according to organizer Jeremy Gomez, is expecting roughly 80 trucks for the Oct. 30-31 event, which will be held 11 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. That truck number was as of our press time, and is expected to grow.

The World’s Largest Food Truck Rally, a traveling caravan of cuisine, set the Guinness World Record for the largest food truck parade in 2014, with 125 food trucks at the Florida State Fairgrounds. It will headline the 17th annual Wesley Chapel Fall Festival, essentially taking the place of the usual carnival rides and turning the festival into a fall foodie-palooza.

Drew Cecere of Florida Penguin Productions, which is organizing the Wesley Chapel Fall Festival along with the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, says the change was made to mix things up this year, as well as to alleviate the event’s competition with other area fall festivals that rely on rides.

“We went in a totally different direction this year,” Cecere says. “This will help us reach a totally different demographic.”

The Wesley Chapel Fall Festival will still offer live music, kids activities like bounce houses and a host of local vendors. There will be a pumpkin patch, pet costume contest, face painting and a Miss and Mr. Pumpkin Patch pageant. On Sunday, the popular Trunk or Treat event will begin at 4 p.m., before regular trick-or-treating begins.  

Tickets to the event are $10, and can be purchased at eventbrite.com by searching “Wesley Chapel Fall Festival.” For more information, visit Facebook.com/WesleychapelFallFestival. 

As for the food vendors, there will be a variety of local trucks along with those that travel with the rally. Here’s some to check out, according to World’s Largest Food Truck Rally organizer Jeremy Gomez:

TACOS Y SNACKS EL INDIO: One of the most authentic Mexican trucks around, and the owners are the hardest working I know.
HORHAY’S MAC & CHEEZ: Absolutely amazing mac dishes. Comfort foods with a modern twist like their Ghost Pepper Mac N Cheez. RENEGADE BURGER COMPANY: Best burgers around.
RED ZEPPELIN ROCKING LOBSTER :Lobster Rolls from heaven. 
TRES SUSPIROS HANDMADE BRAZILIAN CHOCOLATE: The absolute best chocolate around. Works of art. Brigadeiro Chocolate is a skill that not everyone can master… and Chef Amy has done that. These are works of art and taste even better. 
HOTT MESS: Tater Tots like no other! Everyone does tots now… Hott Mess has been doing them always, they wrote the book. They also have some amazing giant breaded pork sandwiches that are really hard to find this far south.
SHEFU: Super authentic Chicago Style Dogs and more. And, they also are just amazing people. We know its “just” a small Chicago-style hotdog trailer, but the owners go out of their way to import everything from Chicago, making it truly authentic, and hard to find down here.
SMOKIN MOMMA LORA’S BBQ: Some serious serious BBQ glammed out to the hilt. Her BBQ is on another level.
TREE DOG ROOTS: Absolutely amazing mash, veggie dishes, and everything else. The owner is so sweet and has been at this for a long time…really knows her flavors. Her specialty is mashes and root vegetables,  which by itself is rare..  but what she does with them is amazing.
CHAZITO’S LATIN CUISINE: They make amazing food. They follow us all over the country, four generations work the truck…and they are all awesome. Their mix of Spanish/ Cuban/Puerto Rican style is super refined, and is hard to find at other places.
PHILLY T’S CHEESESTEAK AND PO’BOYS: His sandwiches (pictured) are just amazing.. and they also follow us all over the country
DAVIS ISLAND VIBES: Amazing tropical fruit beverages served inside a pineapple. They have been a major hit every year..and its because the drinks are fantastic. 
PAMZ PIZZA CONEZ: They take pizza and make them into these cones that you can hold… so they are like cups of amazing pizza goodness… that you can then eat…really clever.

Other Halloween Events In/Near Our Area:

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center (6585 Simons Rd. in Zephyrhills) is hosting its first annual Halloween Dog Show (see ad, right) on Saturday, October 30, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. It costs $20 to enter your dog, and there will be prizes for the top 3 dogs, as well as raffles, gift doggie bags, a bounce castle and more. Plus, 25% of all proceeds will be donated to Allie Cares, a nonprofit organization which offers free medical care treatment options for animals and families in need. For more information, call (813) 361-6660.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County is hosting its second annual “Halloween Hullabaloo” on Saturday, October 30, noon-4 p.m. The event will feature a 3v3 basketball tournament, a 5v5 indoor soccer tournament and a volleyball tournament. The cost is $100 to register each team. There also will be activities for kids in the lobby from 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for spectators. For more information, or to register, visit Wiregrass-Sports.com.

Fall Fest at The Grove is billing itself as Wesley Chapel’s biggest Halloween celebration, and it runs through Sunday, featuring amusement rides, a pumpkin patch, carnival food, Halloween activities and more. Plus, there is a Costume Contests at 4 p.m. on Halloween. You can buy ride tickets HERE.

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Host Your Next Event At Omari’s Grille At Lexington Oaks GC!

Chef Anass El-Omari

When classically trained chef Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana Herrera purchased Lexington Oaks Golf Club about three years ago, I was excited about the prospect of having another real restaurant in Wesley Chapel.

And, although Anass at first revamped the existing golfer-oriented menu at the golf course’s restaurant, which he re-named Omari’s Grille, he ended up scaling back his everyday offerings of fresh fish, pasta and filet mignon, and has kept the menu smaller and simpler since reopening Omari’s after the Covid-19 pandemic shut it down for a few months in 2020.

But now, while Omari’s regular menu is still mainly comprised of burgers, sandwiches, wings and other fast, simple foods favored by the golfers who frequent his completely renovated golf course, Anass has brought back some of the dishes I loved on his original Omari’s menu as specials on Friday evenings.

Anass loves both cooking and talking about cooking. So, in conjunction with this article, we recorded our second “Cooking With Anass” segment that was released a few days before this issue arrived in your mailbox, where he made an amazing Cajun pasta (above), with both Andouille sausage and top sirloin steak in a semi-spicy cream sauce that’s as good as anything you’ll find in any fine dining establishment.

“Good food is actually really simple to make,” he said as he set some hot oil on fire before sautéeing the steak and sausage together. “The key is knowing what ingredients and how much of each to use. I love sharing my secrets.”

And, I love tasting his recipes, because Anass is a true culinary artist who serves up some of the best food in our area, even if many locals still don’t know it. So, whether you want to start with authentic Colombian empanadas, crispy calamari or shrimp tempura salad, or enjoy a great grilled chicken caprese or salmon teriyaki entrĂ©e, you can’t go wrong at Omari’s. 

Great Events, Too! 

Now that things have gotten a little more normal in this Covid-crazy world, people are again looking for great places to host events like weddings, quinceañeras, baby showers, anniversary parties and even memorial gatherings and you can’t go wrong if you host your next event for 20-80 people at Lexington Oaks.

Omari’s offers a complete appetizer catering menu — featuring burger sliders, mini-croissants stuffed with chicken and tuna salad and more — as well as a sit-down dinner menu for events, so you can serve London broil with mushroom sauce, orange chicken and a variety of shrimp dishes, plus a dessert bar. Anass and his staff also can custom-design pretty much anything else you’d want to serve.

And, while the indoor space currently is limited to 80 people, Anass says he plans to extend the room out to the existing patio area, so that up to 120 people could fit in the air conditioned, indoor space. And, there is an additional covered outdoor space that can fit another 60 or so people.

“I think Wesley Chapel really needs an event space like this,” Anass says, “and the food will always be good. “Plus, we have the area down by the water (photo above) for weddings (as in the photo above) and the people love it.” 

Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club (16333 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) is open Wednesday & Thursday, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m., and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday. For additional information, call (813) 929-4217, visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com. Or, call the golf course’s main number — (813) 907-7270 — to talk to a catering specialist about scheduling, and designing a menu for, your event. 

Nibbles & Bites: New Stuff In New Tampa!

The Grill At Morris Bridge

Although we don’t know exactly when, New Tampa is getting yet another non-chain restaurant.

After years of being home to a Beef O’Brady’s and then, for a short time, the ill-fated Chefs of Napoli (and for about a minute, Regina Margherita), the westernmost corner location in the Cross Creek Commons plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. at Morris Bridge Rd., will apparently be home to The Grill at Morris Bridge.

Located to the west of Great Expressions Dental Center (photo) and just two doors down from Publix, which owns the 18-year-old plaza, The Grill at Morris Bridge is currently under construction, a $250,000 job that, according to plans filled with the City of Tampa, will include a restaurant and bar.

We’re also not sure what kind of food the new place will be offering, but the new restaurant will be about 2,400 sq. ft. inside, and will have seating for roughly 145 customers. The Grill also will have a 240-sq.-ft. outdoor patio on the far west side parallel to Meadows Rd. (facing Heritage Elementary), as well as a bar with 16 seats.

Here’s hoping The Grill at Morris Bridge will be opening sooner than later. —  JCC

The Bean Bar Co. Coffee & Artisanal Eats

The new The Bean Bar Co. Coffee & Artisanal Eats is now open in the Shoppes at The Pointe at Tampa Palms plaza, near Koizi Endless Hibachi and Palms Pharmacy at 17018 Palm Pointe Dr.

The place looks awesome inside, with a hip and artsy interior and casual seating for customers. If you’ve ever enjoyed The Bean Bar’s coffee drinks from their mobile unit, you know you’re in for a treat.

So, go check them out in person, or visit BeanBarCo.com or call (814) 442-7699 and please tell them I sent you.

• Speaking of beverages, both the second location of Provisions Coffee & Kitchen and the new Mint Cocktail Lounge are expected to open soon in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave., just west of BBD. 

As mentioned above left, the first Provisions is now open at the KRATE at The Grove container park. The second Provisions is expected to open a week or two before Mint, which is owned by the same owner as the Bearss Tavern & Tap in the same plaza. Mint will have full liquor and bar snacks and it is beautiful inside.

• And, although it’s only an unconfirmed rumor as we went to press, we’ve been told that the end cap in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms previously occupied by McNatt’s Cleaners (and Cotney’s Cleaners before that) will be a drive-through bagel place. — GN