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 sautĂ©ed 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 brulĂ©e, 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!

Bosco’s Italian-To-Go Is A True Wesley Chapel Love Story With A Great, New Menu!

Bosco’s Italian-To-Go owners Charles and Nancy Frankulin went on their first date for their senior prom at Wesley Chapel High (WCH) 14 years ago. They’ve been together ever since. Both started working at Bosco’s Italian-To-Go in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 (about a mile east of Saddlebrook Resort) several years ago, where they learned the restaurant business and talked about opening their own eatery some day.

It didn’t take long for “some day” to happen, as Linda Carr, the owner of Bagelicious & More in the same plaza, purchased Bosco’s from the former owner, but always with the intent of fixing the place up a bit and flipping it.

The Frankulins purchased Bosco’s in January and have slowly been building a following for their tasty Italian fare at very fair prices. It took them a while, but Nancy, Charles and Nancy’s mom recently started revamping and upgrading the menu and the interior of the small, mainly take-out restaurant.

“The menu hadn’t changed for 14 years,” Charles says. “We felt like it was time to start adding some new items and improving some of the old ones.”

Some of the improvements are immediately noticeable — like upgrading the sauce, cheese, crust and toppings on Bosco’s Detroit-style conveyor belt pizza. While it may never be like true New York-style pizza to me, there is a definite difference between what the Frankulins are serving now, compared with what was being served before they took over.

The thing I like is the addition of some great new dinner entrĂ©es, including a grilled (not fried) chicken parmigiana. Now, even though the chicken is grilled and not breaded, it is still sitting atop a heaping pile of spaghetti, covered with a zesty tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese, so you can’t really call it “dietetic” (especially with a side of tasty garlic knots), although you can call it “delicious.”

The Frankulins also were proud participants in the recent Taste of New Tampa. “We had a lot of people tell us they didn’t now we were there or that there were new owners,” Nancy says. “It was a great event for us.”

I recently took our office to lunch at Bosco’s and the reviews were all pretty terrific. Billing manager Stephanie Smith loved Bosco’s cheese ravioli, which she got with a side of sweet Italian sausage. Graphic designer Blake Beatty also raved about the huge, traditional calzone, to which he added pepperoni. New sales and marketing rep Tom Damico enjoyed the cold Italian sub, which came with a can of soda and a bag of chips. Staff writer Celeste McLaughlin enjoyed her tossed salad with grilled chicken and we agreed that the Greek dressing served with it was excellent.

And, assistant editor John Cotey and I agreed that our 14” (the small size) pizza was really tasty. The Frankulins tried a recent special, offering the 14” pizza with one topping for just $7.99 (14” pizzas regularly cost $11.49 with no toppings)! We got pepperoni on all of it and meatballs on half for just $1 more.

“We tried it for the week of graduation, in order to get people with graduation parties to order a lot of them,” Charles says.

“And it’s been working great,” Nancy added. “We’ve sold a lot of $7.99 pizzas this week!”

Bosco’s also serves 18” large pizzas starting at $13.49. Specialty pizzas include “Vegilicious”, “Italiano” and Bosco’s Winter White Spinach pizza, starting at $16.99 for a small and $19.99 for a large.

I also really enjoyed Bosco’s spaghetti ($7.49) and side of meatballs ($3.39)and the meatball parmigiana hot sub ($8.49). In addition to the calzones ($11.99), Bosco’s stromboli stuffed with three Italian meats and three Italian cheeses start at $12.99.

Bosco’s also has oven-baked chicken wings, a chicken Caesar pasta salad ($8.99) and a huge antipasto salad (also just $8.99).   

Other dinner entrées include chicken Alfredo ($8.49), lasagne ($9.49), baked stuffed shells ($8.49) and manicotti ($8.49).

I haven’t sampled the desserts yet, but Bosco’s does have cheesecake, cannolis and tiramisu, all for $3.39-$3.99 each..

Special Offers, Too?

Bosco’s has lots of great “regular” specials, too, from the $16.99 18” pizza with your choice of garlic bread, cheese bread or any two-liter Coca-Cola product for just $16.99 (see the ad on page 46 for the coupon), as well as two pizzas with two toppings each, plus 8 wings and a two-liter soda for just $28.99, and more.

Please note that these special offers are for carry-out only.

Bosco’s Italian-to-Go (30122 S.R. 54) is open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday & Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. Delivery is available, too, to a limited area for a delivery charge of $2.25 and a minimum order of $20. For more info, visit BoscosMenu.com or call (813) 907-2440 and please tell them we sent you!

Nibbles and Bytes

Irish31 in Hyde Park.

Irish 31 & Noble Crust Still On The Way, But…

It seems like new dining options are opening near the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) almost every day (e.g., signs for the previously announced Wendy’s and Taco Bell have recently gone up across the street from TPO), but the restaurant question the most people ask me is “Are Noble Crust and Irish 31 still coming to the Shops at Wiregrass?”

Irish31 in Hyde Park.
Irish31 in Hyde Park.

The answer is a resounding “yes,” but neither restaurant looks like it will be ready to open by the end of this month, which was the last thing I heard from Noble Crust Wesley Chapel GM Will Perez and founder TJ Theilbar a couple of weeks ago.

Even so, Irish 31, which has existing locations in Westchase, Westshore, at Amalie Arena and Hyde Park Village, all in Tampa, will open its first Pinellas County location on Clearwater Beach and its first Pasco location at Wiregrass, hopefully sometime in July.

We told you about Irish 31, which is owned by former USF football star Jay Mize, before any other news medium, back in January 2016. The Irish 31 at Wiregrass will be 2,800 sq. ft. and will feature the same great chef-inspired cuisine (like the delicious grilled chicken ploughman’s salad above left) as the other Irish 31 locations.

Visit Irish31.com for more details.

Meanwhile, Noble Crust, which had a widely viewed WCNT-tv episode following its second place People’s Choice award at the Taste of New Tampa, has a 4th St. in St. Petersburg location that continues to impress me with its array of delicious Italian cuisine with a southern twist, like the bucatini pasta with beef, lamb and pork meatballs pictured above center. Just get it open, guys!

For more info, visit Noble-Crust.com.

Taco Son Opens On 54!

Anytime you can offer big servings of good food at a fair price, you have a potential formula for success. One new restaurant that seems to have solved this equation is the third location of Taco Son, which has existing locations in St. Pete and on N. 56th St. in Temple Terrace, and is now open in the Freedom Plaza (next to Grey Wolf Armory; see ad on pg. 37) at 30056 S.R. 54.

Owner Raymond Rodriguez is an extremely personable, hands-on owner and he knows how to give his customers authentic Mexican fare and very fair value for their money, like the two-taco combination plate (with rice and beans; left) for just $7.99. The place has been packed for lunch and dinner every day since it opened in May and the customers all seem very happy.

Check out Taco Son and tell Raymond and his crew that you read about them in the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News! For info, call (813) 528-8892 or visit TacoSonMexicanGrill.com.

The Chamber Stays Busy

If you think the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) is going to slow its roll anytime soon, guess again.

With the frenetic pace of construction in our area, especially here in “the Chap,” even if the summer schedule is a little less full than it has been the last month for the WCCC, there will still be plenty for Chamber business members — and the community — to do during what looks to be a long, hot summer.

In May, the Chamber has held its Monthly Business Breakfast on May 2, where Pasco Hernando State College VP of Academic Affairs & College Provost Dr. Stanley Giannet was the featured speaker. Dr. Stan, who used to be the Provost at the PHSC Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, is always a dynamic speaker and he and the faculty and staff of PHSC have a lot to look forward to, including the future expansion of the Porter Campus.

The Chamber also hosted an unfortunately controversial ribbon cutting for U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ new office inside the chamber office. There also was another well-attended Coffee Social at Buttermilk Provisions, the Audi Wesley Chapel groundbreaking (see page 11), ribbon-cutting ceremonies on May 24 at the new Axiom Bank inside the Walmart on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa and at the beautiful, new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa North-Wesley Chapel (see below). There also was an outstanding Economic Development Briefing from Wiregrass Sports Complex at Pasco County developer RADDSPORTS (see story on page 6), and another fun Final Friday networking social at Glory Days Grill in New Tampa on May 26.

I also wanted to give a special shout-out to the folks at the new Holiday Inn Express, which hosted one of the best Grand Opening  events I’ve attended, with delicious food from Puff ‘n Stuff Catering and lots of great giveaways, as well as tours of this beautiful, new hotel located adjacent to Florida Hospital Center Ice.

This month, you can attend another Monthly Business Breakfast at PHSC on Tuesday, June 6, where the Chamber will debut its new “Explore Wesley Chapel New Tampa” video; a ribbon cutting on Thursday, June 8, at The Joint Chiropractic in New Tampa; another free Coffee Social at Buttermilk Provisions on BBD in Wesley Chapel on Tuesday, June 20; another Economic Development Briefing at the Pebble Creek Golf Club on Thursday, June 22, featuring representatives of the under-construction Lexus of Wesley Chapel; a ribbon cutting and family field day at Pioneer Museum in Dade City on Saturday, June 24; and another Final Friday networking social, at Pinot’s Palette in the Shoppes of New Tampa at Wesley Chapel plaza (next to Office Depot), off BBD.

Please note that not all Chamber events are free, although most are open to the public. For info (including all start times for these events), call (813) 994-8534 or visit WesleyChapelChamber.com.

Racetrac close, Culver’s coming

Buying food from a gas station used to be unthinkable. But, the days of stopping in to your local convenience store for a shriveled up hot dog or to stick a frozen burrito in a microwave are over.

You can count Racetrac, including the new one getting ready to open on the southeast corner of BBD and Cypress Preserve Dr., among the convenience stores that have been evolving over the years and making food service, good coffee and even household items a staple of its business.

The new Racetrac, which is located directly across Cypress Preserve Dr. from the Chase bank and LA Fitness in Tampa Palms, is expected to be open by mid-June. It is among those gas stations putting an emphasis on making themselves into food destinations.

Wawa, located right up the road in Wesley Chapel on S.R. 56, has perfected this experience. Many mornings, there are more people sitting at red iron tables outside eating than filling their cars with gas, and the quality food has attained a cult-like status.

Racetrac, which also has a S.R. 56 location, is spending millions remodeling its stores to have extra seating and WiFi, so customers can order food and even stop in with the kids for frozen yogurt at one of the Swirl World stations — boasting 40 or so toppings for your dessert — without having to eat it on the go.

The 5,928-sq.-ft. Tampa Palms location will have 18 gas pumps and is one of 50 the Atlanta-based company is opening in Florida (and 10th overall in Tampa), as well as remodeling others.

MORE FOOD: According to paperwork filed with Pasco County, Culver’s Restaurant, which already has a location in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets (or TPO), as well as one on Bearss Ave. near I-275, is hoping to build another near the Shops at Wiregrass.

Culver’s, which is popular in the Midwest (it started in Wisconsin) with its frozen custard and Butterburgers, submitted a pre app form to build a 110-seat, 4,476-sq.ft. restaurant with 66 parking spots immediately east of the Shops at Wiregrass.

The new Culver’s will have direct access off S.R. 56 and the under-construction Wiregrass Ranch access road.

URGENT CARE: BayCare Urgent Care is coming to the New Tampa area, taking over the space formerly occupied by Pier 1 Imports (now at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve). We’ll provide more details in a future issue.

The Cake Girl Can Deliver Decadent, Fresh Baked Goods Directly To You!

If you’re like me, you probably have trouble trusting anyone who doesn’t love dessert. (Just kidding….sorta.)

OK, I know…fat, calories, gluten, sugar, etc. But, while I could still stand to lose a few pounds, I know that eating a delicious dessert releases endorphins that make me feel good and I’ve never been subject to sugar crashes.

In other words, although I didn’t know Kristina Lavallee when she first became The Cake Girl in 2010, I am thrilled that she now has her The Cake Girl LLC mobile bakery trailer that you may have seen parked at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI), serving a delicious variety of freshly-baked cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and even real ice cream.

Kristina credits her husband Kirby for finding and customizing her mobile unit last year so she could expand her budding bakery/dessert business and provide samples of her wares at festivals (like the recent Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel at FHCI) and other special events like birthday parties and even weddings.

“I can literally bake and transport thousands of mini cupcakes in this mobile unit,” Kristina told me during our interview for this story. “The kitchen inside the unit is always immaculate and everywhere I bring the trailer, people get excited, especially kids.”

So, What About Those Baked Goods?         

But, no matter how colorful or attractive her mobile unit may be, Kristina wouldn’t be a success today if her baked goods weren’t delicious.

Although I’ve never had one of her custom birthday cakes (at least not yet), Kristina can create virtually any kind of cake your heart desires, from traditional round cakes to a cake shaped like a baseball bat or even a famous Disney character.

I will say that I have really enjoyed her mini-cupcakes, which also are available in a wide variety of flavors. My favorites (not surprisingly) are all chocolate and/or peanut butter-based, but she definitely has a way of keeping the cupcakes moist and the icing creamy and delicious, no matter what flavor you choose.

And, when displayed so beautifully in the window of her mobile unit, it’s even harder to decide on a cupcake variety.

In addition, although I’m not usually the biggest carrot cake fan, I will say that Kristina’s is again, noticeably moister than most and her sour cream icing is pretty much second to none.

When I interviewed her for this story, Kristina smartly remembered to bring me a big sample of my favorite item she makes so far. 

Kristina, who attended the University of Central Florida College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, offers a nice variety of brownies, blondies and “brookies” (brownie-cookies), although my favorites are her chewy, double-fudge brownies. I went crazy for them during the Taste and continue to bug her for additional samples on an ongoing basis.

And yes, she does also make gluten-free cupcakes and cakes, although I can’t personally vouch for them because I usually order mine with extra gluten.

Ice Cream, Too?         

Of course, it’s even harder for me to resist a delicious brownie topped with real ice cream, and Kristina doesn’t disappoint those of us who love a decadent brownie sundae. I’ve only sampled the cookie dough and vanilla flavors to date, but both were creamy and not overly sweet.

“The ice cream is made here in Florida and there are a lot of great flavors and toppings available,” she says. “We can even make you delicious banana splits.”

So, whether you want to host a great kids’ birthday party, or you simply want to order a magnificent custom cake for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a birthday, wedding or any other special occasion, you owe it to yourself to give The Cake Girl a try. And, best of all, Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News readers get 10-percent-off Kristina’s already-low prices on any order if they mention this story or the ad on page 50 of this issue.

To place an order or for more info about The Cake Girl LLC, call (813) 360-0909, or search “The Cake Gril, LLC” on Facebook or “TheCakeGirlLLC” on Twitter or Instagram. And yes, pickup and delivery are available.