Category: Dining & Entertainment

Ginza Endless Sushi & Hibachi — Great Food & An Even Better Value!

Ginza rainbow ALTHOUGH MANY more people these days enjoy sushi than they did when I first started loving it in New York City in the 1980s, the biggest complaint I hear about most sushi places is that they’re just too expensive to enjoy too often.

Well, the new Ginza Endless Sushi & Hibachi restaurant, located between LA Fitness and Winn-Dixie in the plaza just south of County Line Rd. and west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa, is bringing great value, as well as delicious sushi and other Japanese and Asian fare to our area (it’s located a few hundred feet south of Wesley Chapel), especially for lunch.

Ginza’s all-you-can-eat $12.95 lunch special (for ages 15 & older) really is as good as it gets if you’re looking for value, and the sushi is always freshly made to order and delicious — whether you get the all-you-can-eat special (which costs $24.95 per adult for dinner) or order off of Ginza’s extensive a la carte menu.

Here’s How It Works…

Whether you get the all-you-can-eat special for lunch or dinner, you have a selection of more than 200 items and yes, you can get as much as you want of almost every item. The Zheng family, which owns Ginza, reserves the right to limit certain items, and can even charge you for unfinished sushi.

Ginza tataki Although I also enjoy the clear and hot & spicy soups, my favorite appetizers on the all-you-can-eat menu include the truly delicious pan-fried dumplings, the Japanese-style green salad with ginger dressing, the super-crispy pork egg rolls and vegetable spring rolls and my surprise favorite, the chicken and vegetable tempura. The tempura green beans are better than any fried green bean appetizer you’ll find at the average chain sports bar.

I really love a lot of the available all-you-can-eat entrées, too. The hibachi steak (served with fried rice and creamy “yummy-yummy” sauce) is very tasty, if sometimes a little bit tough (and it’s not prepared tableside), and I also like the spicy chicken chow fun (back left) entrée, too, although the nicely spicy Mongolian beef (which is not available with the $12.95 lunch) and Mongolian chicken entrées are surely my favorites.

The portions shown in the pictures on this page — which also includes a hibachi shrimp entrée that other folks in my office tell me is pretty good (since I’m allergic to shrimp myself) — are all the actual portion sizes, whether you have the all-you-can-eat lunch or dinner. The Mongolian chicken and beef both have lots of fresh broccoli, snow pea pods, carrots and other veggies, all in a zesty sauce t Ginza2 hat brings both heat and a little crunch to your mouth, and are served with a pretty good fried rice. Yum.

And yes, while you can have all you care to eat of all of the aforementioned items, you also enjoy nigiri-style sushi (over rice) or sashimi (slices of fish without rice), and the rare tuna (which is one of the items Ginza limits on the all-you-can-eat specials) and snapper are definitely my favorites.

I also did really enjoy the spicy white tuna (escolar) hand roll, the regular and “golden” California rolls, the rainbow (tuna, snapper, salmon and avocado-wrapped California roll) and the spider (soft shell crab) rolls. There are plenty of other favorites on the all-you-can-eat list, but some items — like a really tasty seared tuna tataki with wasabi cream and the grilled octopus with hot peppers, to name a couple (both are pictured on the next page), have to be purchased a la carte. And, I have noticed that most of Ginza’s a la carte sushi rolls sell for $1-$2 less than you’ll find at most other Japanese places.

No Liquor License? No Prob!

Although Ginza doesn’t currently have its liquor license, the Zheng family — which also owns the Ginza in Sarasota but was not involved in the Land O’Lakes Ginza which closed — invites you to bring you own alcoholic beverages until it does, and New Tampa Ginza general manager Andrew Zheng says he believes that should happen this month.

Ginza also has great kids’ favorites on its all-you-can-eat menu, which costs just $6.95 for kids ages 4-10 and $8.95 for kids 11-14 for lunch, and $8.95 for ages 4-10 and $12.95 for ages 11-14 for dinner.

Ginza’s décor is casual and modern, with separate bar (with a nice flatscreen TV) and sushi bar areas and the place is quickly becoming one of my favorites in the area.

For more info about Ginza Endless Sushi & Hibachi (6417 E. County Line Rd.), which is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & noon-9:30 p.m. on Sun., call 907-1688, visit GinzaFlorida.com or see the ad on pg. 46 of our latest Wesley Chapel issue for some great coupon offers.

900° Woodfired Pizza Wiregrass — Try It For The Pasta, Too!

Do you crave great pasta living here in Wesley Chapel? I know I do. I can enjoy the pasta at most local pizza places, but you’d be making a big mistake if you were to confuse the made-to-order pasta at 900° Woodfired Pizza, which is located next to Orangetheory Fitness in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, with anyplace else.

Owner Steve Falabella — who can trace his roots back to Italy but who was raised in New York and is a die-hard Yankees fan (as a Tampa Bay Rays fan, I definitely won’t hold that against him, especially when we finish ahead of “dem bums from da Bronx” this season) — appreciates the way I talk about his pizza and pasta, but especially the pasta.

The sauces on the pasta are so good, including the featured Tortellini della Casa above, which is spinach-and-cheese-filled tortellini in a sautéed tomato sauce with black olives, chopped garlic and fresh spinach; the penne with pesto Genovese and grilled chicken; and the veal and beef tortellacci (oversized, overstuffed, beef & veal-filled pasta pockets in a classic Bolognese meat sauce).

One thing I love is how 900° Woodfired never oversauces the sizable, reasonably-priced portions of always-al-denté (without asking for it) pasta. Just as you’d find in authentic Italian restaurants from Naples to New York, the bowls glisten with what’s left of the sauces, rather than leaving behind a whole bowlful of sauce. I love dipping, say, 900° Woodfired’s homemade garlic knots, in flavorful sauces as much as the next guy, but pasta should never be swimming in sauce — or overcooked.

The penne with pesto Genovese and chicken is actually a “Create Your Own Pasta,” which can be spaghetti, penne or tagliatelle (long, flat ribbon pasta, similar to fettuccine) and gluten-free also is available, with your choice of five sauces — pomodoro (classic tomato), Bolognese (meat), Alfredo (butter and cream), pesto Genovese (basil and pine nuts) or rustica (Bolognese with chopped shitake mushrooms and garlic). I can vouch for all but the rustica,

Don’t They Have Pizza, Too?

You got ‘dat right! I love the fact that 900° Woodfired Pizza has not only excellent traditional New York-style ‘za, but also the woodfired Neapolitan style and even a not-to-be-confused-with- Sicilian-style Grandma pizza that Steve says is really a pizza “made backwards. The fresh garlic and onions are baked into the (rectangular) crust, then covered with fresh mozzarella and garlicky tomato sauce.” You have to at least try it.

And, although no super-thin-crusted woodfired pizza will ever be my favorite, you have to appreciate the quality ingredients Steve and his happy, dedicated crew use to create these flash-baked pizzas.

“We make the mozzarella for the woodfired pizzas here every day,” he says proudly.

There’s also “Create Your Own Pizzas,” where some customers get really creative, pizza by the metre and (of course) by the slice — but it’s almost too many options for a true pizza lover like me.

Of course, 900° Woodfired has other great items available, including a variety of great salads — from a slightly spicy Caesar to the unique Insalata della Casa, which combines spring mix, cherry tomatoes, thick slices of fresh mozzarella and marinated grilled eggplant in yummy balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

There’s also calzones, baked lasagne, foccaccia bread and great antipasti (appetizers) like Il Gran Piatto, a big plate full of authentic Italian meats, plus fresh mozzarella, olives and roasted peppers. There’s also a fried ravioli appetizer, a zesty bruschetta, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks and even a great kids’ menu. And yes, catering is definitely a specialty, too.

There’s even Peroni Italian beer on draft, as well as a variety of bottles beers and wines by the glass and by the litre-size carafe.

Although I’m usually too full to enjoy dessert at 900° Woodfired Pizza, there’s also an impressive variety of dessert pizzas and other option, many featuring Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread, although I have enjoyed the New York-style cheesecake (go figure), double chocolate layer cake and even the Granny apple crisp.

So, the next time you’re at the Wiregrass mall, whether at lunch or dinner time, stop in at 900° Woodfired Pizza and tell Steve and his crew that the Neighborhood News guy sent you!

For more info about 900° Woodfired Pizza (28152 Paseo Dr., open seven days for lunch and dinner at 11 a.m.), call 527-6940, or visit onljne at 900DegreesWoodfirePizza.com or Facebook.

Ginza Endless Sushi Opens Next To Winn-Dixie!

If you haven’t yet tried the new Ginza Endless Asian Cuisine & Sushi, located at 6417 E. County Line Rd. at Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in the Trout Creek area (between the Winn-Dixie supermarket and LA Fitness), we definitely suggest you give it a try.

Ginza’s all-you-can-eat specials cost just $12.95 per adult for lunch and $24.95 per adult for dinner and that price includes all you care to eat of literally dozens of items — from fresh sashimi and sushi to hibachi-style chicken, shrimp or steak and even favorites like Mongolian chicken (photo, shown with a side of fried rice) and beef and so many more.

At our press time, Ginza still did not have its liquor license, but the freshly prepared food and fast service make it more than worthy of a visit until that happens, which should be sometime in April, according to a restaurant employee. And, with the coupons in our latest New Tampa edition and the upcoming Wesley Chapel edition hitting mailboxes on Friday, it’s an even better value!

For more information about Ginza, call 907-1688 or visit GinzaFlorida.com and please tell them that the Neighborhood News sent you!

Lots Of Restaurant News In Cypress Creek Town Center

Logo 2011 We were the first (or among the first) to tell you about the planned openings of Culver’s, Cheddars and Pollo Tropical in the Cypress Creek Town Center Development of Regional Impact (DRI), near the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) mall, but the news and rumors are still flying about other eateries that are on their way.

Although we haven’t been able to get confirmation from the company’s home office, we have been told that the popular Mellow Mushroom pizza & more chain is planning to open in the same area.

We have confirmed, however, through the Pasco County website, that a new Longhorn Steakhouse also will be built in the area.

Also, we were the first to tell you that Irish 31 is being built next to Panera Bread at the Shops at Wiregrass mall and now, we’re both happy and sad to announce that City Grill, located in the Wesley Chapel Village Market at S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., has been sold.

Owner Eth (aka Eric) Thueltrouve told me just before we went to press that City Grill (which was still open at our press time) will be re-branded as an O’Brien’s Irish Pub, which has popular locations all over the Tampa Bay area, including Carrollwood, Brandon and others.

Thueltrouve says the new owner has a successful O’Brien’s in Plant City and we’re happy that it also is a place known for karaoke and live bands. We’ll keep you posted.

Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes

By Gary Nager

Tarek’s Café & Grill Opens 2nd Location…In Our Old Location!

Considering that I’m celebrating my 22nd year of owning and editing this publication (as of the day before this issue’s cover date), I can’t help but be impressed by someone who has been doing something great in our area for even longer than I have been serving this community.

Case in point — Tarek Elsayed, who has been the owner of Tarek’s Cafe & Grill near the intersection of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Fletcher Ave., on the USF Tampa campus, for 24 years!

I hope some of you may already have tried Tarek’s new place which — because he expanded into our former location in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, actually has our old address — 15345 Amberly Dr.! Tarek promises to serve great American cuisine with a Mediterranean flair at his now-open Tampa Palms café & grill!

Whether you’re craving a great hamburger or sandwich, or maybe want to try a tomato and mozzarella salad with a side of homemade couscous (photo) or authentic Middle Eastern pastries, Tarek has been keeping USF students, professors and staffers happy for nearly a quarter of a century and his Tampa Palms location is a lot bigger and nicer than his hugely popular takeout counter at USF.

For more info, visit TareksCafe.com, call 252-3238 or see the ad on pg. 47 of our current issue.

Congratulations to everyone at CentraCare Florida Hospital Urgent Care, which hosted a Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at its location in front of the Wesley Chapel Target on Feb. 9. For more info, visit CentraCare.org.

Irish 31 To Open Next To Panera In Wiregrass Mall!

As nearly 22,000 of you already viewed on our Facebook page, former USF football star Jay Mize, who already has four successful Irish 31 restaurants (in Hyde Park Village, Westshore, Westchase & at the Amalie Arena), says he hopes to open his fifth & sixth locations by the end of 2016.

One of those new locales is on Clearwater Beach & the other is in The Shops at Wiregrass mall, in a shared building that just began site work next to Panera Bread.

Mize says the Irish 31 at Wiregrass will be 2,800 SF & will feature the same great chef-inspired (I call it ‘Irish-plus-gourmet’) cuisine as the other Irish 31 locations. “It’s sort of a race to see which of our new stores opens first,” Mize says. “But we hope both will be open by the end of 2016.”

Visit Irish31.com and stay tuned to NTNeighborhoodNews.com for updates.

RGA Promises Great Networking & Fun!

I hope you will start joining me and dozens of other happy business networkers at the next RGA Network weekly networking luncheon or monthly networking Happy Hour, both of which are held at the Shops at Wiregrass mall. The lunch events are held every Thursday at GrillSmith (2000 Piazza Ave.), 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and the Happy Hours are held the third Tuesday of every month at Pinchers Crab Shack (28330 Paseo Dr.), where $5 gets you free appetizers and free chances to win great prizes given away by other happy networkers. I’ve already made several great, new contacts at Pinchers, where I recently gave away about a dozen gift cards.

For more info, visit RGANetwork.net and please tell them I sent you! — GN