The day after Presidents Day, The Legacy hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the assisted living & memory care facility’s Grand Reopening.
Congratulations to The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve (18600 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy.) — which was the first full-service assisted living and memory care residence to open in New Tampa when it made its debut more than a decade ago — for hosting a couple of great recent events.
On Presidents Day (Feb. 21), The Legacy hosted a unique celebration to honor its three residents who are all at least 100 years old — Grace Forsythe (age 101), Mary Carbonara (100) and Holocaust survivor Nat Ross (also 100). As part of the celebration, The Legacy executive director Mitchell Edelstein unveiled a unique wall mural adorned with the U.S. flag, an American bald eagle and photos of all ten Legacy residents who also are U.S. military veterans.
The next day, Edelstein and the entire staff at The Legacy hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event in honor of its Grand Reopening, with amazing food by Chef Josh. For more info about The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve, call (813) 375-9858 or visit LegacyPreserveTampa.com.
Tampa City Council member Luis Viera celebrates the lives of the three 100-year-old residents at The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve (l.-r.) Grace Forsythe, Nat Ross & Mary Carbonara.
A new wall mural honoring all of the U.S. military vets at The Legacy also was unveiled on Presidents Day
The Chicken Boss opened this weekend to big sales.
When The Grove developer Mark Gold first started filling the many spaces at his KRATE Container Park, most of us realized that not all of the restaurants and retail shops that started out in a KRATE would last very long. Although we may not have known which would succeed and which would fail, you had to know that some wouldn’t make it.
Until recently, only a couple of retail KRATEs had gone the way of the dinosaur. But now, several more changes have either recently taken place or were on the way — and we have an exclusive look at the new and planned moves at the container park.
The first-ever restaurant KRATE to close is Falafel Factory, which shut its doors last month. That set off a couple of changes that, quite honestly, we’re pretty excited to announce.
Falafel Factory’s space between Pisco Express and Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles has been taken over by TJ’s Hot Dogs, which previously occupied the space next to the The Bacon Boss HQ.
And, while TJ’s already is open in its new space, The Bacon Boss owners Josh and Christy Norland quickly followed suit and opened their new concept — The Chicken Boss — this weekend in the former TJ’s location this weekend. The turnout was impressive, say the owners.
Christy says The Chicken Boss’ menu focuses on hand-breaded chicken tenders. And, based on the love The Bacon Boss HQ has received from our readers (it was voted the #1 Favorite KRATE in our 2022 Reader Dining Survey) and from yours truly (it was my #4 favorite KRATE), I’m sure The Chicken Boss will be equally successful — as, I expect, TJ’s also will continue to be in its new space.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Urban Sweets, the currently vacant former location of Center Ed tutoring center will reopen as the second Blush Wine Room at KRATE, but owners Felicia and Nimesh Desai say that the new location will be solely a champagne and wine-based cocktail bar with a dozen slushie machines.
The original Blush location will focus on other wines and, we hope, perhaps expand its current menu of delicious food items, although anything on the Blush menu will still be available at the new location, too. The new Blush will open before the end of March.
3Eleven owner Shareeka Screen
Two new non-food KRATEs also recently opened in previously shuttered retail locations, both of which we first told you about in our Dec. 26 issue. The first is 311 Aroma Candle Studio, which is a do-it-yourself candlemaking “bar,” with nearly two dozen different fragrances — from apple & maple bourbon to Froot Loops and many more.
3Eleven owner Shareeka Screen offers classes for beginners and sessions for experienced candlemakers and calls 3Eleven “an interactive experience bringing people and families together to explore and create through the power of creativity.”
Plus, the place smells delicious.
And, Shareeka is the sister of Yuhanna Alahmary of Radiant Wellness Spa, and 3Eleven Aroma, Blush and Mythos will all be on-hand at Radiant’s Health & Wellness Fair on Sunday, March 19.
Speaking of Mythos, it is now open in the former location of The Rebellious Hippie at the KRATEs. Mythos is an eclectic gift shop with cool T-shirts, plush toys, candles and knickknacks for your home and more.
And finally, next to Life Essentials Refillery, Valiart Designs (which previously was called Valiart Jewelry), will become the Tutti Frutti Cafe, which will sell all things fruit — fresh fruit smoothies and creative fruit desserts.
It is owned by Stacy Esposito and Eddie Nasr, who also own Cafe Zorba. They hope to open the Tutti Frutti Cafe by April. — GN
The last of the 29 restaurants to open at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel is Cafe Zorba, which serves delicious Greek and Mediterranean cuisine from the former owners of Acropolis Greek Taverna in New Tampa.
Cafe Zorba owners Stacy Esposito and her husband Eddie Nasr are proud to bring you authentic recipes with unique flavor touches that Eddie says are mainly his recipes from his childhood in the Republic of Cyprus, which is an independent nation on the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea between Greece, Turkey and Syria. Although his parents were Lebanese, Eddie says his Cypriot recipes have been strongly influenced by the cuisine of Greece.
Delicious Starters & Entrées!
On these pages, you’ll find some of our favorite dishes at Cafe Zorba, a name inspired by the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis that earned Anthony Quinn an Oscar nomination for the 1964 movie of the same name.
The top left photo, of course, is the delicious Greek-style calamari, which is delicately crispy and served with a side of marinara sauce and kalamata olives.
“If you visit Greece and you don’t have the calamari,” Eddie says, “it’s like you never visited Greece. There is tons of calamari in the Mediterranean.”
Other starters at Cafe Zorba include tzatziki (Greek yogurt with freshly grated cucumbers, garlic and herbs with olive oil, served with pita), hummus (fresh chickpea spread with garlic and tahini, topped with virgin olive oil and tomatoes), dolmades (grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, lemon juice, olive oil and herbs, topped with crumbled feta) and the crispy and delicious Greek fries with aioli, feta and a side of tzatziki.
The photo to the left is the traditional Cypriot fried halloumi cheese, which is made from a semi-soft brined cheese with a high melting point, so it’s perfect for deep-frying. The halloumi rectangles are served with pita bread, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.
The bottom photo on this page is, of course, the crispy spanakopita, or light and flaky phyllo pastry dough, stuffed with spinach and feta, served with a side Greek salad. Speaking of Cafe Zorba’s Greek salad, it is served with a similarly zesty, creamy Greek dressing to what you might remember from Acropolis.
My favorite entrees at Cafe Zorba are the lamb gyro wrap (also available with chicken — and the daily lunch special from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. gives you a gyro, fries and drink for only $15) and the chicken, pork or beef souvlaki platters, which are served with what may be the best, most savory orzo rice I’ve had in this area (or those crispy fries), as well as a Greek salad. The photo above is the chicken souvlaki platter.
Other entrées include the Zeus burger (topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions and feta); the tasty fish sliders (lightly breaded, pan-fried fish filet, topped with vegetable slaw, garlic aioli, onion and tomato on slider buns), the fried kibbeh platter (kibbeh are cracked wheat dough shells stuffed with seasoned beef, sautéed onions and pine nuts, served with fries, hummus and pita), and shrimp skewers. The shrimp are sauteed in lemon, garlic and butter sauce and served with pita.
All of the entrées are just $12-$18 and Stacy says, “We’re proud to be the only dining KRATE with all five-star reviews on Google. The reviews say our food is delicious and our portions are huge!”
Dessert, Beverages & More
Save room for dessert, as the options include regular baklava, baklava cheesecake, chocolate-covered baklava, tiramisu, Eddie’s homemade rice pudding and my favorite — the Zorba chocolate bombe filled with creamy milk and white chocolate mousse.
Cafe Zorba also sells a variety of beers, including Mythos from Greece, Almaza from Lebanon and many other imported and domestic options, as well as Greek and other delicious wines, plus coffee, soft drinks and Frazil shaved ice beverages.
And, the fun doesn’t end when you walk outside of Cafe Zorba, as there are nearly 50 flavors to enjoy with hookah pipes. Gypsi (photo, right), an exotic belly dancer, performs on Friday evenings, beginning at 7 p.m.
Even though it was only open for a couple of weeks when the voting ended, our readers named Cafe Zorba their fourth favorite Greek or Mediterranean Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel and I placed it in my top-5 Favorite KRATEs.
Cafe Zorba is located at 5804 Grand Oro Lane, at the southern end of the KRATE container park. It is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri. and Sat.; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sun. For more info, call (813) 388-5987 or visit Cafe-Zorba.com.
Tiger Woods has made it official — PopStroke Wesley Chapel/Tampa is opening at noon on Friday, Feb. 17.
The golf legend announced the opening via his Twitter account Thursday morning.
Located just north and east of the intersection of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., PopStroke is co-owned by Woods and Craig Bartoli. TGR Design, which is Woods’ golf course design company.
The Wesley Chapel location will feature two 18-hole courses — one will be harder than the other — featuring synthetic turf greens designed to mimic putting on real golf courses. The courses lack the usual mini-golf obstacles, instead focusing on a more realistic experience with undulated greens designed to challenge golfers of all ages, as well as fairways and sand traps.
The mini-golf is complemented by a 10,000-sq.-ft. restaurant and kid’s playground. The restaurant will feature premium food and drinks, as well as 24 different flavors of ice cream. Golfers can see their scores displayed on a large scoreboard, and even order drinks, via an app, that will be delivered to them on the course.
“It’s one of the only concepts I know of anywhere in world, really, where you can find a 3-, 8-. 27- and 80-year-old enjoying it to the same extent,” Bartoli said at the February 2022 groundbreaking.
KRATE: Blush Wine Room Although some of the locals I’ve talked to about the KRATE at The Grove Container Park complain that most of the restaurants are too expensive for what you get, Jannah and I absolutely love so many of them, I had to make a top-10 (actually, top-11) Favorite KRATE list, instead of just a top-5.
That being said, while there may be a dish or two at other KRATEs that we like as much as, say, the chicken parmigiana meatballs (photo) or the penne ala vodka pasta or chicken ala vodka flatbread at the Blush Wine Room, there is no other KRATE that has a better vibe or better food overall than Blush. We wish they were able to serve hard liquor there, but the rotating frozen wine-based cocktails are delish and you won’t find most of the available wines at Blush anywhere else.
Pisco Express, which too many locals tell me they haven’t tried yet, offers authentic Peruvian Chinese fusion cuisine and lives up to the billing of Peruvian food being the best of the Latin cuisines. Try the ceviche!
In addition to the top-10 shown here, we also enjoy Tacos El Patron, Rhythm Pon de Grille, Shake-A-Salad, El Prince, La Creacion Xpress, Cafe 365, Tasty Ramen, The Fry Room and SubZero ice cream, so in my opinion, the KRATEs are doing just fine, thank you! 2. Pisco Express 3. Ato 4. Bacon Boss 5. Café Zorba 6. Bakery X 7. Chamo Bites 8. Urban Sweets 9. TJ’s Hot Dogs 10. Mojo Grill
Salmon
FAVORITE ASIAN: Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill Even without a great, true New York-style Chinese place in either of our two markets, and even with Kobe Japanese Steakhouse not yet reopened, I believe we still have a tremendous variety of truly delicious Asian places in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa.
Whether you prefer tasty Japanese, Thai, Indian, Korean or even Vietnamese cuisine, there is something for literally almost everyone to enjoy on the list below.
In fact, there are so many Asian eateries I love in our two markets, I had to expand my list to a Sweet 16 in this category. Yes, the incredible appetizers, fresh sushi and unique entrées at Zukku-San make it my #1 favorite, the sushi, chicken teriyaki and not-tableside hibachi offerings at Bluefin make it a strong #2. And, while Yamato isn’t quite as good, in my opinion, as Kobe was when it was open, its tableside hibachi options are still excellent and plentiful. Newcomers Ha Long Bay, Tessa’s Sweet Café and the Nepalese Gorkhali Kitchen, as well as Liang’s Bistro, Sushi Café, Thai Lanna, Michi Ramen, Thai Ruby, Oishi Express and Sake House, are quality options in New Tampa, as are Umu, Arroy Thai and Ato here in the Chap. Try ‘em all! 2. Bluefin Sushi 3. Yamato 4. Ha Long Bay 5. Liang’s Bistro 6. Umu 7. Sushi Café 8. Arroy Thai 9. Ato 10. Thai Lanna 11. Tessa’s Sweet Kafé 12. Michi Ramen 13. Thai Ruby 14. Oishi Express 15. Gorkhali Kitchen 16. Sake House
Jalea De Mariscos
FAVORITE LATIN (NON-MEXICAN): Pisco Express This choice even surprised me, but the more Jannah and I eat at (or take out from) Pisco Express Peruvian Chinese Fusion, the more we love it.
The ceviche de pescado (fish), whether it’s snapper, basa or whatever fresh fish they have each day, is as good as you’ll find anywhere, and the tallarin saltado (shown above with chicken) is amazing. And, there are still at least a dozen other options on Pisco Express’ extensive menu I plan to try. Pisco has, in my opinion, surpassed Lima in New Tampa for the best Peruvian cuisine, but Lima still came in as my #4 on this list.
My #2 favorite Latin restaurant could ascend to #1 if Las Palmas Latin Grill ever reopens its brick-and-mortar location just south of County Line Rd. Even with the Las Palmas food truck’s reduced number of menu options, what is available is top-quality, from award-winning Cuban sandwiches to the roast pork and grilled chicken entrées.
Rice-n-Beans, our readers’ favorite this year, comes in at #3 on my list for its delicious Puerto Rican options (my favorites are the chicken or pork chicharrons) and great bar vibe. Other KRATEs on this list include Chamo Bites, Mojo Grill and La Creacion Xpress. Latin Twist Café, a favorite with our readers since it opened, Arepa Mia and the new Macondo round out a very strong Latin top-10. 2. Las Palmas 3. Rice-n-Beans 4. Lima 5. Chamo Bites 6. Mojo Grill 7. Latin Twist Café 8. La Creacion Xpress 9. Arepa Mia 10. Macondo
NY NY’s Sicilian pizza
FAVORITE PIZZA: New York New York Pizza For those who have never heard this story before, I performed at a stand-up comedy show at The Improv in Ybor City at least ten years ago and all of the comics who performed met after the show at this little pizza place around the corner called New York New York Pizza. As a native New Yawka and avowed NY-style pizza fanatic, I was shocked at how good it was. I was even more surprised to find out that NY NY was in the process of opening on BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel! It instantly became one of my favorite pizza places in either of our distribution areas and has continued to be at or near #1 ever since — despite the fact there are several other really good NY pizza places in our area — and on the list below.
In fact, there are so many good ones that it’s really hard for anything other than a true NY-style place to finish very high on my list and there are even a few that didn’t make the list again this year. In addition to the ten places shown below, if I was expanding the list, I could include Best NY Pizza, Capri Pizza-n-More, Caprese House, Pomodoro, Cappy’s, Cali, Bubba’s 33, Rock & Brews, Main Event, Bosco’s and even places that serve flatbread-style pizza on my list, I just felt that this is a really yummy top-10. 2. Amici’s 3. 900º Woodfired 4. 900º New York 5. Fratelli’s 6. Taste of NY 7. PizzaMania 8. Via Italia 9. Woodfired (Bearss) 10. Noble Crust
FAVORITE FROZEN DESSERT: Ice Dreammm Shop Those of you who love the Ice Dreammm Shop as much as I do were probably stunned that this favorite, with locations at The Grove and off S.R. 54 in Lutz, didn’t dominate this category with our readers again this year, as it did in 2021.
There’s no doubt in my mind, however, that owner Joe Schembri’s Ice Dreammm Shops serve the best ice cream in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, whether you’re looking for alcohol-infused cones, cups or sundaes served on homemade cookies, brownies and bars or the most delicious array of toppings — although I love a lot of other local places, too.
Before I get into my other favorites, I also want it known up front that I prefer hard-packed ice cream to gelato, frozen yogurt or soft-serve. That’s just me. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy or ever indulge in any of the others, it just means that when I’m not dieting and want a delicious frozen treat, I’ll almost always choose real ice cream.
I’ve always loved the different peanut butter and banana flavors at Bruster’s and Ice Screammmin is another New Tampa favorite of mine for those options. I also crave the decadent brownies from Mike’s Pies with the locally made ice cream at the new Astro, but a cone or cup from any of the places shown below also will make me smile. 2. Bruster’s 3. Ice Screammmin’ 4. Astro Ice Cream 5. Twistee Treat 6. Subzero 7. Coldstone 8. Culver’s 9. Hello Sweetness 10. 35 Below
FAVORITE BAR & TAVERN: Treble Makers Jannah and I have very different reasons why we love one bar or another — she wants her cosmopolitans light pink (not red) and wants a place with a list of other sweet cocktail options made with premium vodka. As the guy who pays, on the other hand, I just want my Jameson and other Irish, Scotch and bourbon whiskeys to be reasonably priced, full rocks pours with lots of ice instead of that hoity-toity single ice cube.
Treble Makers isn’t the only place we both love to enjoy a cocktail or two, but it is the place we both prefer, especially for dinner on a Friday night, when most of the places near either of our local malls are total zoos. As a New Yawka, I refuse to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get to sit down (or to find parking), so places like Treble Makers, The Grill at Morris Bridge and Bayscape Bistro (at Heritage Isles Golf Club off Cross Creek Blvd.) will get the nod from us every time on busy nights.
We also appreciate friendly bartenders who make Jannah’s drinks properly and can find me on crowded nights, so Joe Whiskey’s, Brass Tap, Fat Rabbit, Bubba’s 33, the Top Shelf Sports Lounge and Noble Crust also make my list. Neither of us are drink beer, so beer-only bars will never be among our faves, but karaoke & live music places often will. 2. Grill at MB 3. Bayscape Bistro 4. Joe Whiskey’s 5. Brass Tap 6. Fat Rabbit 7. Noble Crust 8. Bubba’s 33 9. Via Italia 10. Living Room 11. Top Shelf 12. Florida Ave.
