Senor T’s Does Have Free Chips and Salsa! Contrary to what it says in the advertisement on pg. 47 of the New Tampa Neighborhood News edition that arrived in mailboxes throughout the 33647 zip code today, Senor T’s Mexican Restaurant (17642 BBD Blvd., New Tampa) serves FREE chips & salsa, in both the restaurant and the bar area, all the time. The error was entirely ours and we apologize to Senor T’s for any inconvenience the mistake in our ad may cause.
If you’re like me and not particularly into beer the may have been avoiding The Brass Tap in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, even though you like the location and the live music and other “stuff” going on there.
Well, avoid it no more. Owner Jeff Martin is proud to have added a full, premium liquor bat at the Wiregrass Brass Tap and will soon unveil a “new BBQ and more food concept in the vacant former location of 100 Montaditos, which is adjacent to The Brass Tap (which has seven locations throughout the Tampa Bay area) at the mall.
For more information, stop in at The Brass Tap (2000 Piazza Ave.), call 991-4343 or visit BrassTapBeerBar.com/Wiregrass.Â
The long-awaited Chick-Fil-A, located in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) mall (at 2391 Sun Vista Dr., off S.R. 56) and right between the new Culver’s and Cheddar’s restaurants, is expected to open on June 30, sources tell the Neighborhood News.
The highly-popular fast food restaurant chain specializes in chicken sandwiches, and the opening of the new 4,800-sq.ft. entry into the burgeoning Wesley Chapel food market along S.R. 56 will be another welcome addition to the corridor.
Ford’s Garage recently submitted a preliminary site plan application for a new establishment adjacent to the Pollo Tropical on the Northeast corner of S.R. 56 and Grand Cypress Drive (east of Wesley Chapel Blvd.) directly across from the Tampa Premium Outlets.
Cheddar’s, a Texas-based chain that specializes in food made from scratch ingredients, opened right next to the future Chick-Fil-A site on Monday.
Cheddar’s, the growing, Texas-based chain with 100 company-owned restaurants and 65 franchises (including Brandon and Pinellas Park), will open in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) mall (at 2391 Sun Vista Dr., off S.R. 56) on Monday, June 6.
The Neighborhood News was on hand today for the Wesley Chapel location’s “family & friends” pre-opening event, which also included a Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) ribbon cutting just after 10:30 a.m.
The prediction here is that Cheddar’s, which has re-branded itself as a “Scratch Kitchen,” will be a monster hit in our area, which is hurting for reasonably-priced restaurants where you can get anything from steaks and ribs to grilled salmon and tilapia. It has similar (albeit mostly less expensive) price points as Applebee’s or Chili’s, but the food — including the grilled 8-oz. top sirloin pictured here — is definitely a step up from those microwave-dependent chains.
“Literally everything here is made from scratch,” said one of Cheddar’s regional managers. “We pride ourselves on stressing the details to make our customers happy.” We also were told that beginning next year, the company plans to open another 20 restaurants per year for at least the next five years.
With its prime location in front of TPO, reasonably-priced full liquor bar and truly fresh-tasting food at very fair prices, expect long lines for lunch and, especially, dinner tables from the moment the place opens.
For more info, visit Cheddars.com.
Next month, Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill, located near the intersection of Cross Creek Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd., will celebrate one year in business. It’s been a good year for owner Bilal Saleh and his wife Abida, who created the recipes used at New Tampa’s most authentic Mediterranean restaurant.
Even so, Bilal admits, “Some people still don’t know we’re even here. I know if they do find us, they’ll keep coming back.”
It’s hard to argue with Bilal’s logic, as Zaytoun (which literally means “olive tree” in Arabic) already has a loyal following of people who enjoy authentic dishes of Syria, Lebanon and Greece prepared with the best and freshest ingredients, and with so many people eating healthier these days, “We have so many vegetarian and gluten-free choices here we know you’ll keep coming back.”
In fact, Bilal and Abida, who also runs two other local businesses (Florida Aesthetics and the Neuro Center), agree that although Zaytoun has attracted many of the Muslim people who live in New Tampa (the mosque the Salehs belong to is 1/3 of a mile north of Zaytoun on Morris Bridge Rd.), “most of our customers are not from the Middle East. They just like good food.”
Of course, I always try to tell you about my favorite dishes at any of the restaurants I review, and I have quite a few at Zaytoun.
My favorite starters are the fattoush salad — which features romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, mint, sumac and extra virgin olive oil, topped with toasted pita chips — and the traditional Greek salad. You can add chicken, shrimp beef or kufta kabobs to any salad for $2.99-$3.99 and the salads themselves are only $4.99-$8.99.
I will say that Zaytoun’s homemade hummus might just be the best I’ve tasted, although I’m not usually the biggest fan. I’m also not usually the biggest fan of grape leaves, falafel, tabbouleh or baba ghanouj, but many of my Zaytoun-loving friends rave about all of them. There’s also two appetizer platters on the menu, one which combines salad, falafel, grape leaves, hummus, baba ghanouj, muhammara and tabbouleh (for $12.99) and the Zaytoun Sampler Platter ($16.99), which has yogurt salad, tabbouleh, grape leaves, hummus, fried kebbeh, muhammara and baba ghanouj.
There’s also two homemade soups on the menu — lentil soup and freekeh, which is an aromatic soup made with tender chicken, smoked green wheat and spices.
Zaytoun’s grilled entrées are definitely my favorites, especially the perfectly seasoned grilled lamb chops — which are soaked in lemon, garlic and extra virgin olive oil marinade and served with veggies and rice —and the Zaytoun mixed grill, which features grilled kufta (spiced ground beef and lamb) and tender beef and chicken shish kabobs.
I also enjoy the chicken shawarma platter (the kabobs and shawarma are all available as sandwiches, too, rolled in fresh, warm pitas straight from the oven and served with Zaytoun’s special garlic sauce).
And, although I can’t eat the shrimp kabobs on the menu because of my shellfish allergy, Bilal says he has many customers asking for them — and for more seafood.
“We do have a wild-caught salmon special sometimes, when we get salmon we like,” says Bilal. “But, we’re very picky.”
Speaking of picky, Abida promises that although she isn’t at Zaytoun every day, she does go into the kitchen and sample different dishes every time she does come in, “just to make sure the quality is what we and our customers expect,” she says.
In addition to the puffy pitas, Zaytoun’s hand-crafted brick oven also creates some wonderful entrée pies. My favorite is the spinach pie, although I did also enjoy the sfeeha, or ground beef pie. I’ve yet to sample the feta cheese or zaatar (thyme) pies, but they look and smell wonderful as they go by at Zaytoun, and you can get a single piece of each baked pie in Zaytoun’s Pie Sampler for only $9.99.
Before we get to the decadent desserts, let me not forget to mention that Zaytoun also is known for its fresh mint lemonade — it’s like a mojito without the alcohol, since no alcohol is served at the restaurant.
I also really love Zaytoun’s hot tea and Nespresso-brand espresso drinks, especially the cappuccinos and lattes.
But, I really hope you’ll plan to save room for dessert at Zaytoun. The signature dessert is called knafeh, which is shredded dough which bakes up extra crisp, filled with a thick (and not overly sweet), homemade cream filling, sprinkled with chopped pistachios and drizzled with orange blossom syrup. Whatever you think it sounds like, to me, the knafeh is decadent, like the crispiest hash browns you ever had, but for dessert, stuffed with a cannoli-style cream. Awesome.
Please note that the knafeh takes 25-30 minutes to bake, so the servers all suggest ordering it when you order your meal, so it will be perfect when you’re ready for it.
I also rave about Zaytoun’s homemade baklava and the sticky, smooth cheese roll with cream also is very tasty.
So, stop in at Zaytoun and try a few of these great menu items. You may just end up letting them cater your next party or event.
For more information about Zaytoun Mediterranean Grill (10970 Cross Creek Blvd., behind Dunkin’ Donuts), call 345-2515, visit Zaytoun-Grill.com, or see the ad in our latest issue for some great coupon values. Zaytoun is open Mon.-Thur., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. and noon-9 p.m. on Sun.