PeppaJak Is Already Open In Former Bacon Boss HQ Spot At The KRATEs 

We were saddened to see that The Bacon Boss HQ, one of the original — and most popular — restaurants to open in the KRATE at The Grove container park (at 5888 Grand Oro Ln., #112), had closed on March 30. 

In their Mar. 20 announcement on the Best of Wesley Chapel Facebook page, however, owners Christy and Joshua Norland did say that the Bacon Boss food truck will “continue to grow” and be available and that a new chicken concept food truck called Cluckology (photo left) also is in the planning stages, so at least the delicious burgers, hot dogs, fries, tots, chicken sandwiches and mac & cheese options so many of us have come to know and love will still be available now that the Bacon Boss HQ has closed. 

I did visit The Bacon Boss HQ one last time a few minutes before it opened on the day before it closed and there already was a family and two other people, all of whom said they were “fans” who were already waiting to order. 

At our press time, however, PeppaJak, a similar burger-&-chicken concept, was starting its soft opening in the former Bacon Boss space. 

Owned by my new friends Alex and Ashley, PeppaJak is the “Jak of All Kravz,” and based on my first visit, I think it’s an accurate description! 

Alex and Ashley also own an extremely popular PeppaJak location in Riverview, which also features “kravz” like Philly cheesesteaks, and steak Philly and Southwest chicken eggrolls. 

But, while not all of those menu items are available (at least, not yet) at the PeppaJak KRATE, the cheeseburger shown above was thick and juicy and the skin-on fries were crispy and not over-seasoned. Alex then gave me a small sample of two of the menu items that are available at the new location — crispy and delicious mac-&-cheese bites and some super-yummy boneless chicken tenders. I told Alex I don’t really do spicy (and they are available plain), but I really liked the sweet-&-spicy sauce he suggested! 

Alex says a new online ordering system should be available by the time this issue hits your mailbox, “and we’ll also have a new phone number for this location by then, too!” 

For more info about The Bacon Boss and Cluckology, visit “The Bacon Boss” on Facebook or call (813) 922-9290. For PeppaJak, visit PeppaJak.com or call (813) 374-5846. — GN

Wanna Win a Pair of Tickets to a Lightning Playoff Game?

The weekend we went to press with this issue, the Tampa Bay Lightning had just clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which are scheduled to begin the weekend of April 19-20 — and it just so happens that the Neighborhood News will have a pair of tickets to every home playoff game this season, for the first time ever! 

Of course, that opening weekend is my next deadline weekend, so if the Lightning open Round 1 at home at Amalie Arena, Jannah and I will be unable to attend that first game — whether it will be held on Saturday the 19th or Sunday the 20th. 

Of course, if the Bolts start Round 1 on the road (and we probably won’t know what place the team will finish in the Atlantic Division, or who for sure they will play in Round 1, until the NHL season ends on Apr. 17), our area’s craziest Lightning fan (Jannah) and I would be able to attend. There also was still a possibility at our press time that the Bolts could finish first in the Atlantic, which means the team would receive a first round “bye” and wouldn’t start its playoff run until the second round. 

But, no matter how things shake out, we are going to give away our two (2) tickets to Playoff Game 1 with a fun online-only contest! All you have to do is visit CLICK HERE and tell us 1) Which restaurant in downtown Tampa is your favorite and why (in 50 words or less) and 2) Your favorite all-time Lightning player! We will select one winner and one alternate (in case the winner can’t use the Game 1 tickets, based on when it will be played). 

We also will be selling (with the permission of the team) our tickets to any games we can’t attend ourselves, as the Bolts try to advance to win the team’s fourth Stanley Cup, so anyone who wants to buy two tickets should call our office at (813) 910-2575 and leave a message with your name and phone number and we will call you back! 

Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake Gets Ready To Open Across BBD From Pebble Creek 

Photos by Charmaine George

Residents of New Tampa also will soon have another unique option for dessert, as the third Tampa-area location of Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake is expected to open by the end of this week in the same strip plaza at 19406 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. as Dan’s Fan City and Subway, across BBD from the Pebble Creek Collection. 

As long as you don’t go there (as I did when photographer Charmaine George and I visited the six-month-old Temple Terrace location at 12212 N. 56th St.) expecting it to also have some kind of rolls, you probably won’t be disappointed. 

The “Twisted Rolls” at Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake are made of dough and sugar that is rolled around a stick and then baked in an oven until hot and semi-crispy. Then, the hot dough is dipped in one of a variety of glazes and then rolled in one of nine different flavors — anything from crushed Oreo cookies to pistachio nuts and from Fruity Pebbles cereal to coconut and more. 

The coated “cone” is then filled with soft-serve vanilla, chocolate or a swirl of both flavors ice cream to create a one-of-a-kind dessert. 

“It’s an Eastern European treat,” says Ahd, the owner (top photo), who also has a Twisted Rolls food truck at 13742 N. 42nd St. near USF, as well a location in St. Louis, MO. “These ‘Chimney Cakes’ are called ‘Kurtoskalacs’ in Hungary, where they are super-popular.” 

Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake also offers 16 flavors of hard-packed Hershey’s ice cream, but the hard-packed isn’t served in the hot cones, only in two-scoop cups (for just $4.99 on 56th St.!). 

You can, however, have the hard-packed ice cream on crepes, waffles or mini-pancakes, all of which also can have a variety of toppings, from bananas and strawberries to M&Ms and brownies. There’s also New York-style cheesecake, which you can get topped with Nutella, crushed pistachios or liquefied peanut butter (below right photo). 

In addition to the cheesecake, Charmaine and I each sampled our own Chimney Cake while visiting the Temple Terrace location, just to get a feel for what’s coming to New Tampa. She enjoyed the Fruity Pebbles cone, while I quickly filled up on a Chimney Cake with Oreos, both of which have a cookie placed inside the bottom of the freshly-baked cone. The heat makes the cookie melt in your mouth because clearly, the Chimney Cake isn’t decadent enough without it. Just kidding! It is! 

Charmaine also sampled a mixed berry smoothie, which she said was yummy, and I indulged in a large vanilla latte, which also was spot-on. By the way, there are more than two dozen hot and iced coffee beverages on the Twisted Rolls menu. And, there’s even Italian sodas in eight different flavors. For more info about Twisted Rolls Chimney Cake, visit TwistedRollsChimneyCake.com. — GN

Korean Eatery Sorimmara Opens Next To Smoothie King In Highwoods Preserve! 

Photos by Charmaine George

If you’ve never heard of Sorimmara, which just opened next to Smoothie King at 17501 Preserve Walk Ln., off Bruce B Downs (BBD) Blvd., you’re probably not alone. 

Sorimmara is a fast-casual chain based in South Korea, where it has more than 200 locations. The only other U.S. location is in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles, CA. 

Despite its Korean roots, most of the menu at Sorimmara is made up of Chinese dishes that have been given a Korean twist. Confused? Just what until you visit! 

Sorimmara offers a large variety of raw meats (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc.), seafood (shrimp, clams, fish, etc.) and veggies (everything from broccoli and collared greens to Napa cabbage, baby corns, a variety of mushrooms & much more). 

You wait to be seated, but you’re immediately invited to grab a bowl and fill it with as much “stuff” as you like — but you’re told you need to have at least 1 lb. of ingredients in your bowl because the restaurant charges by the pound ($14.99-$18.99) for its six main entrée options, including malatang, which is a spicy broth cooked similarly to the popular Chinese hot pot soups, except the restaurant’s kitchen cooks it for you and brings it to your table in a metal bowl placed on top of a lit burner. 

Charmaine enjoyed her malatang (top photo), but we both included way too many ingredients because we didn’t know until the restaurant weighed our bowls how much “stuff” we had. There’s also creamy rose malatang available. 

I also liked my tomato xiang guo (below left), or “stir fry dry pot,” which is like a stir-fry dish at a Korean or Chinese restaurant. 

When I visit Sorimmara again, I plan to try the guobaorou, which means “fried pork” in Chinese, but also is available in crispy, sweet- &-sour chicken, shrimp, cream shrimp and mala mayo shrimp varieties. There’s also four actual Korean street food options called tteokbokki, which features tube-shaped rice cakes that are described as a blend of sweet, spicy and savory. 

One piece of good news for less adventurous diners is that all of the dishes at Sorimmara are available in five levels of spice, from mild to super-spicy. There’s also a sauce bar with pre-made options like a delicious creamy sesame sauce and make-your-own options where the restaurant provides you with the recipes! 

There also are Chinese standards like egg fried rice and egg rolls, as well as unique spicy mala and mala mayo fried rice, mala and mala mayo rice balls and flying fish roe rice balls. 

Sorimmara is open Mon. & Wed.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5-10 p.m. It’s open Sat. & Sun., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Closed Tues. For info, call (813) 252-6643 or visit SorimmaraTampaBay.com. — GN

Into The Woods” Concludes This Weekend At NTPAC

Photos by Charmaine George

If you love a great Broadway musical, there are only four performances left this weekend to see the New Tampa Players (NTP)’s production of the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical “Into the Woods.” Starring the outstanding Richard Brown (last seen as Seymour in NTP’s “Little Shop of Horrors”) as The Baker and amazing NTP newcomer Hope Lelekacs as The Baker’s Wife, NTP’s “Into the Woods” also re-introduces you to a whole slew of beloved fairy tale characters, including Cinderella (Genesis Rodriguez) and her stepmother (Kayla Bennett), Jack (Blake Boles), known for his magic beanstalk beans, scene-stealer Lena Wigfall as Little Red Ridinghood, plus NTP veterans Makayla Raines as “Witch,” Dylan Fidler as Rapunzel’s Prince, Kristin Nelson and Alexandra Greenberg as Cinderella’s stepsisters Florinda and Lucinda, respectively, and too many more great performances to include here (sorry).

Photographer Charmaine George, who took these pictures during last weekend’s opening night, says “Into the Woods” is one of NTP’s best shows, with singing, dancing, costumes and sets that are all “spot on!” Don’t miss it!

Tickets are still available to to all four performances of “Into the Woods” this weekend — Friday, April 4, at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit NewTampaPlayers.org.