Precinct Pizza Getting Close

For those who have been wondering how soon the new Precinct Pizza will open in the space previously occupied by Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill at 10970 Cross Creek Blvd. (at Morris Bridge Rd., behind Dunkin Donuts), the answer is…pretty soon.

Although I spoke to Precinct Pizza founder Rick Drury recently, I still can’t give you an exact opening date for the New Tampa location at our press time, but with more than a decade of success as the only true New York-style pizza place in the Channelside District of downtown Tampa, many of us in New Tampa are truly excited about the fact that our Precinct Pizza should be open by sometime in April. Look for more updates on future episodes of WCNT-tv, and at NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day In Style!

The gang at O’Brien’s

I have to say that the bars in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel really know how to throw some great St. Patrick’s Day parties.

It’s hard to say which “wearing o’ the green” celebration was the biggest or the best, as Mulligan’s Irish Pub at the Pebble Creek Golf Club, The Brass Tap at the Shops at Wiregrass mall and O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Grill in the Wesley Chapel Village Market all had live bands, fun activities, great food, excellent live music and big crowds.

Our gallery below includes photos of the Troy Duncan Band performing at O’Brien’s, some of the crowd at Mulligan’s, corn hole and entertainer Cal Oliver at The Brass Tap as well as a few colorful characters from the day.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun St. Patty’s Day and woke up to attend the Taste of New Tampa the following day.

Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Mmm Mmm Good!

Florida Hospital Center Ice Provides The Perfect Venue For The Triumphant Return Of The ‘Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!’

Congrats to all of my friends in the Rotary Club of New Tampa (which meets Friday mornings at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Cub) for successfully bringing back “The Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel,” in partnership with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC).

An estimated crowd of about 2,000 people came to sample the wares from the 49 restaurants and beverage providers my restaurant committee assembled for the event, which was held on March 18, inside surprisingly not cold Florida Hospital Center Ice off S.R. 56.

The food and beverages were awesome — my favorites being the seared ahi tuna from the People’s Choice 1st place-winning Bonefish Grill, the fresh sushi from Olde Heights Bistro, Little Italy’s meatballs, the angus burgers from OTB CafĂ©, the short rib sliders from Twisted Sprocket CafĂ©, Wok Chi’s spring rolls and pot stickers, gnocchi ricotta from Noble Crust (the 2nd-place People’s Choice), chocolate bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes (3rd place) and The Cake Girl’s double chocolate brownies.

La’ Berry Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream CafĂ© Has Great Food, Too!

La’ Berry Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream CafĂ© wants to be the first place you think of for a quick and delicious lunch or dinner, as well as for delicious frozen yogurt and ice cream with more than 80 different toppings!

Some people love La’ Berry Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream CafĂ© in the Trout Creek area of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (in the same building as Burger 21) for its varieties of frozen yogurt. Others (like yours truly) love it for the new Working Cow ice cream and still others for its variety of tasty, healthy sandwiches and other food items.

In other words, even if you think the name of the cafĂ© is a little long to remember, just remember “La’ Berry” and you can enjoy a variety of great, healthy lunch and dessert items in a clean, casual environment. La’ Berry’s new owners — my friends Urvesh and Trina — have both worked in the health care field, so they’re particularly proud of the café’s many healthy options.

For example, La’ Berry always has several gluten-and dairy-free and one or more soy-free frozen yogurt options (all for just $0.59 per ounce) among its always-rotating flavors, as well as one or more flavors with no sugar added.

“We have a lot of people who love the taro, chocolate almond milk and even rose (yes, like the flower; it was available for a limited time in Feb. for Valentine’s Day) flavors,” Trina says. “And, we will be adding more flavors for people with dietary restrictions in the future.”

And, Urvesh says that Working Cow (which is based in St. Petersburg) is a healthier alternative in super premium ice cream. The company’s website says that everyone at Working Cow is, “proud of the fact that all of the dairy we use contains no hormones or high fructose corn syrup. Our goal is and will always be to provide you with the freshest healthiest ice cream available.”

And yes, it is delicious, as anyone who tried the Working Cow samples at last weekend’s Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel can attest. My favorites so far are the chocolate peanut butter, cookies & cream and espresso chip flavors, although the kids will go crazy for the “Superman” and “Cookie Monster,” too.

And, if you’ve never had authentic  and creamy “kulfi” Indian ice cream on a stick (photo top left on next page), ask Urvesh or Trina to give it a try. I’ve only sampled the cream-flavored kulfi as I’m writing this story, but…yum!

I also really love the toppings — especially the various sauces — that you can add to your frozen yogurt cup or your Working Cow sundae at La’ Berry, especially the hot fudge, marshmallow, peanut butter and white chocolate sauces, although there are at least 80 items — from brownies to gummy worms to fresh fruit and from Reese’s cups to boba juice balls (and so many more), so everyone will find something they like to put on top of their tasty frozen dessert.

Outstanding Sandwiches, Wraps & Salads

But, if you’re looking for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner any day of the week, you also really need to try some of La’ Berry’s delicious salads, sandwiches and other food items.

For sandwiches, my favorite is the foza chicken panini, which comes with grilled chicken, fresh spinach, basil and mozzarella, plus tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, red peppers, red onions and a delicious pesto sauce, all on artisan white or whole grain panini bread. I had Urvesh hold the artichoke mayo and give me an extra side of the excellent pesto sauce.

I also loved the chicken Greek wrap, the chipotle chicken panini (which has chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese and a zesty chipotle spread) and our WCNT-tv sales and production assistant Gavin Olsen raves about his Philly steak panini). Our office also enjoyed both the big garden salad (which costs just $6.95, or add grilled chicken for just $1 more) with La’ Berry’s excellent Greek dressing (there’s also a Greek salad on the menu) and the La’ Berry salad, which includes fresh strawberries, blueberries, cand
ied walnuts, bleu cheese crumbles and a tasty raspberry  vinaigrette dressing.

On a future visit, I definitely plan to also try the gourmet grilled cheese (with fresh mozzarella, jack and cheddar cheeses) and the new tuna melt sandwich.

And, best of all, Trina and Urvesh always make everything fresh for you when you order your lunch or dinner, and all of these menu items cost just $6.95-$7.95. All sandwiches are served with your choice of chips or pasta salad or you can upgrade your side to fresh fruit cup, a cup of soup or a nice side salad for just $1 more.

For you vegetarians out there, La’ Berry also has not only a tomato and mozzarella panini, but also a Cali veg wrap and even authentic Indian potato-and-veggie samosas. These crispy, fried appetizers (photo above) are like a slightly spicy potato knish inside, but with a super-crisp shell, and served with a deliciously spicy dipping sauce.

I have yet to sample any of La’ Berry’s different soups, but I meant to during the recent run of colder-than-normal weather.

La’ Berry also has a nice kids menu, with everything from PB&J sandwiches to corn dogs to a chicken melt sandwich, all for  either just $3.95 or  $4.95 per item.  And, if you or your kids are into that whole smoothie craze, La’ Berry has you covered there, too, with ten different flavors, including my favorites — the peanut butter cup and bananas Foster flavors, and other fresh fruit options like strawberry, blueberry and even “razz matazz” and “mango madness.”

And, once you get the kids to eat a delicious, healthy meal, you’ll want to reward them with La’ Berry’s delicious frozen yogurt or Working Cow ice cream — and you should reward yourself, too.

“We’re committed to healthy food and serving people with dietary restrictions,” Trina says. “We’re still adding menu items and specials, so please keep stopping in to give us another try if you haven’t been here in a while and feel free to make suggestions about items you’d like us to add.”

 La’ Berry Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream CafĂ© is located at 20304 Trout Creek Dr. It is open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. on Sun., 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. on Mon., & Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more info, search for “La’ Berry Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream CafĂ©-Tampa” on Facebook or call 345-8537. La’ Berry also offers fund-raising events on-site for school and other groups.

Vuelo Mexican Grill Is Taking Flight On Bruce B. Downs Blvd.!

I guess I was just about the only one who actually really liked the old Señor T’s, the original Mexican concept restaurant opened by owner Tom Reynolds in Nov. 2015 in the former location of Romano’s Macaroni Grill on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., next to Chili’s Grill & Bar.

Even though Señor T’s closed only nine months or so later (in Aug. 2016), I was kind of addicted to the unique mahi-mahi fajitas. Few people in our area believed that Reynolds shut down to revamp, but revamp he did, and on October 25 of last year, Reynolds and an all-new crew brought in by Carol Daniel and Dennis Borders of Chicago-based Levy Restaurants opened the new Vuelo Mexican Grill.

Reynolds and company are hoping that the now-four-month-old Vuelo, which means “flight” in Spanish, will take flight in New Tampa. Daniel and Borders brought in celebrity chef consultant Mark Estee — a former James Beard award semifinalist for “Best Chef in the West” for his Campo restaurant in Reno, NV — to completely overhaul the menu, and award-winning Reno-based architect Larry Henry to improve the interior.

Since then, Reynolds has hired new general manager and head chef Michael Lopez, fresh off a three-year stint as the food and beverage director at Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club in Dade City, to maintain quality control in the kitchen and to also make sure the “front of the house” runs smoothly.

Estee (who appeared on a recent episode of WCNT-tv on YouTube) and Lopez have been working together to keep Vuelo as a “scratch kitchen” and Lopez says that about 90-percent of what comes out of the kitchen is made in-house. “Ultimately, we will be closer to 98 percent from scratch,” Lopez says. “The only things we won’t make are our own mayonnaise and our own breads, but all of our chips, salsas and entrĂ©es are made here.”

Speaking of salsas, one of the focal points for Vuelo is the new fresh salsa bar, which has about seven different salsas (from roasted maize verde to hot Tomas to mild Luis), plus fresh lemon, lime, cilantro and jalapeños to spice your salsa your way.

“And yes, chips and salsa are absolutely free at Vuelo,” says Reynolds, who took a lot of heat locally for charging for chips and salsa at Señor T’s. “We want to be a long-term player in New Tampa, so we know we have to keep our customers happy.”

And, that customer base is growing. Lopez says that, thanks in large part to advertising in the Neighborhood News. “We were absolutely slammed on Valentine’s Day,” he says. “I know we had some people who weren’t happy about their wait times, but we had more than 300 people in here on that Tuesday night.”

OK, So What About The Food?

All this talk about new people is great, but for most of us, what matters most at any new restaurant is the food and I have to say that I think Reynolds, Estee and Lopez are on to something.

My favorite dish at Vuelo is the bubbling filet mignon molcajete, which is served bubbling hot in a lava rock bowl with chunks of tender filet, potatoes and sautĂ©ed veggies and a deliciously zesty peppercorn gravy. There’s also a seafood molcajete I can’t eat with shrimp, scallops and snapper. I may have to try it without the shrimp someday.

Lopez also is proud to announce that, due to customer demand, the sizzling asada platters the restaurant opened with have now been replaced by some absolutely excellent chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas, for just $15 or pick a combo of any two of those items for just $17. The chicken fajitas pictured above are thick slices of tender chicken breast with some of the best onions and peppers you’ll find anywhere and basted in and topped with a savory lime butter. Yum!

Also added to the menu since Vuelo opened are the Vuelo wings served in your choice of sauce — traditional fire hot, chipotle BBQ glaze or mojo Cubano. I haven’t sampled them yet, but you can bet I will…soon.

Other Vuelo favorites so far in our office include the trio of “street” tacos, available with pork carnitas, barbacoa beef, achiote chicken and our favorite, the fried or blackened fish. We also love the chicken quesadillas and the enchiladas. We haven’t yet sampled the burritos that Lopez says he will bring to this year’s Taste of New Tampa (see pages 34-39). Vuelo’s marketing director Suzanne Deveney says many Yelp reviews have called the burritos “the best in town.”

I really love Vuelo’s beautiful bar area, which is stocked with a wide variety of Mexican beers in bottles (try the Victoria beer), some of the world’s most famous tequilas and a nice selection of fresh fruit margaritas. Even the Casa ‘Ritas on the rocks are potent and absolutely delicious.

There are great specials almost every day, including five mini tacos for $5 Mon.-Fri., from opening til 6 p.m.; and one kid eats free every day 4 p.m.-6 p.m. (with each purchase of an adult entrĂ©e at full price).  There’s DJ dance music on Vuelo’s covered patio on Taco Tuesday nights (when two tacos & a draft beer or Casarita cost just $6), and on Fajitarita Friday, you get a free Casa ‘Rita or glass of house wine with any fajita purchase. There’s also a great weekend brunch menu on Sat. & Sun., with bottomless mimosas or bloody Marys/Marias for only $10 per person. Brunch starts at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays.

“We get a nice crowd for UFC fights, too,” Lopez says with a smile.

Vuelo Mexican Grill is located at 17641 BBD and is open every day for lunch and dinner. For more information, call 972-4800 or visit VueloMexicanGrill.com.