Here & There, This & That

By Gary Nager,

If there’s a cigar smoker in your life, you owe it to yourself to visit Chapel Cigars (26246 S.R. 54, 973-1166) in the Grand Oaks Plaza, next to Amici Pizza, for easy holiday shopping. Chapel Cigars has great cigar samplers, humidors, lighter, cutters & accessories and special offers like a free Bugatti lighter (a $35 value) with a purchase of $250 or more and a 15-percent discount on full-box purchases…and more.

A couple of miles to the east on S.R. 54, Chevrolet of Wesley Chapel (322-3441) has opened, although right now, the new dealership (which is owned by the same group that owns the Wesley Chapel Hyundai and Mazda dealerships next door) is operating out of a trailer. Sales consultant Bobby Page says Chevrolet of Wesley Chapel ’s building will open in about a year.

The Wesley Chapel Village Market (S.R. 54 at BBD) will soon be home to Stonemill Artisan Bakery & Desserts. The shop, which should be open next to Vallarta’s and Woody’s Pizza & Wings within a couple of weeks as you receive this issue, is where you can expect to find gelato, ice cream, frozen yogurt, French pastries, authentic artisan breads, great coffee and more. We’ll keep you posted.

A&A Boutique, the store owned by young sisters Amber & Allie Malott in the same plaza as The Hungry Greek and the new D’Alessio Ristorante on BBD, has closed. The Malott twins are now only selling their original fashion designs online at TwinCollections.com.

Dolce Now Open Inside Meadow Pointe!

By Gary Nager,

Even though it’s located “deep” inside the Meadow Pointe community (at 30004 County Line Rd.), I definitely think it’s worth a short drive (three easy miles from the Shops at Wiregrass mall and only two miles from Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd.) to visit my friend Tarek at the decadent new Dolce Gelato & Crepes CafĂ© for mid-morning breakfast, lunch or after any meal.

Dolce, which opens every day at 9 a.m. and is open after dinner, too, has excellent desserts, including authentic Italian gelato, French crepes and Belgian waffles, plus bacon or ham, egg and cheese crepes for breakfast, a variety of Boar’s head fresh-pressed panini sandwiches for lunch, delicious coffee, tea and smoothies and more.

I’ve already sampled a pressed roast beef panini, Dolce’s “Carabanella” (caramel, banana and Nutella spread) crepe and the Butterfinger gelato-topped waffle (with chocolate topping) pictured above.

Please tell Tarek that the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News sent you and use the coupon from Dolce’s ad on page 37 of this issue to get $1 off any purchase of $4 or more. For info, call 991-0350

Wolf’s Den…Again!

By Gary Nager,

Although we told you in a recent issue that Wolf’s Den — Wesley Chapel’s Neighborhood Diner — was adding dinner hours and a full selection of BBQ favorites to its already impressive menu, Wolf’s Den (27606 S.R. 56) owner Roger Wolf has since decided to, “go back to doing what we do best — serving the best breakfast, brunch and lunch in Wesley Chapel at the best possible prices.”

And, if you’re like me (and obviously, a lot of you are, as Wolf’s Den was our readers’ second-favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel, and second favorite pizza and fourth favorite burger place in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel), you’re probably hoping that Roger will continue to serve some of his delicious dinner entrĂ©es (my favorite is his best-in-Wesley Chapel fried chicken) for lunch and takeout.

And, he’s doing just that. But now, Wolf’s Den is only open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily.

“We’re still packed every day for breakfast and lunch,” Roger says, noting that he currently has pumpkin and eggnog pancakes available for the holidays. For info, call 907-9124 or see the ad on page 35.

Ciccio’s Opens In New Tampa Palms Location 

By Gary Nager,

If you’ve been salivating for the long-awaited new location of Ciccio’s California, at 17004 Palm Pointe Way (in the Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms), your wait is over. Manager Robert Garofano says the totally revamped Ciccio’s, which opened in the former World of Beer location on Dec. 10, is a fast/casual version of its previous incarnations in it’s old City Plaza location (which closed in January), with a menu that no longer has all of your favorite dishes from the original Ciccio & Tony’s and none of the menu items from The Lodge.

But, Garofano assures, the concept has been improved tremendously. For info, visit CiccioRestaurantGroup.com.

Our 2013 'Dining Survey & Contest' Results

By Gary Nager

Yes, faithful readers, this is our biggest-ever response to our annual Dining Survey & Contest, as nearly 1,200 entries poured into our offices over a three-month period. The previous record was just under 1,000 entries a couple of years ago. So, thanks to everyone who took the time to enter this year’s contest, which was not only the most difficult for us to tabulate, but also the most difficult for those who did enter to stay within the contest rules.Continue reading