Nibbles & Bites: KRATE Full, and New Chocolates!

Café Zorba Completes Phase I At The KRATEs!
Congratulations to my friends Stacy Esposito and Eddie Nasr, as their new venture, Café Zorba finally opened on Oct. 7 in the KRATE Container Park at The Grove.

The opening of Café Zorba, which features Greek and Middle Eastern food, completes Phase I at the KRATES, which now has 29 restaurants with a multitude of cuisine types and 17 retail shops.

Our favorites so far at CafĂ© Zorba are the lamb gyro wrap, the chicken souvlaki platter (above), the pan-fried crispy fish sliders (with garlic aioli) and the house-made spanakopita (spinach pies), but everything from the Zeus burger and homemade moussaka to appetizers like lightly fried calamari, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and shrimp skewers have been drawing critical raves from CafĂ© Zorba’s early visitors.   

For more info about CafĂ© Zorba (5804 Grand Oro Ln., #102), call (813) 606-6666 or visit CafeZorba.com and please tell them I sent you! — GN

Leonidas Chocolates Now Open At Wiregrass Mall!
Congratulations also go out to co-owners Mary and Eleni Caravellos, who officially opened the new Leonidas Belgian Chocolates & Cafe store in the Shops at Wiregrass on Oct. 6, with a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event.

According to the store’s website, Leonidas Kestekides opened his original praline store in Belgium more than 100 years ago. Four generations later, the brand is now an international favorite, with more than 1,300 locations, including the Wiregrass store, and all of the hand-crafted chocolates are still made in Belgium. Today, Leonidas is improving the living and working conditions of more than 2,000 cocoa-growing families mainly in Africa.

The chocolate itself, whether you choose the hand-crafted truffles and other confections (in 50+ flavors) or prepackaged bars (and everything in between) is made from 100% pure cocoa butter and is amazing, but so are the tiramisu, espresso brulĂ©e and torta Nicola. Perhaps best of all, the Wesley Chapel Leonidas store sells chocolate, vanilla and twist soft-serve ice cream with 14 different chocolate-dip toppings — everything from my favorite milk chocolate banana to salty caramel to dark sea salt, pistachio and more. In short, Leonidas is pure decadence. 

For more info about Leonidas (28163 Paseo Dr., Unit 105), call (813) 388-9653 or visit LeonidasWesleyChapel.com. — GN

The Living Room ribbon cutting.

The Living Room WC Celebrates Its Official Grand Opening!
Still more congrats go out to owners Christina & Zach Feinstein (holding scissors in left photo) of The Feinstein Group and The Living Room, which has been open in the Shops at Wiregrass for a few months, but which also celebrated the official Grand Opening of this second location on Oct. 12.

In addition to a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting, the Grand Opening event included free samples of many of The Living Room’s great menu items on a day blessed with perfect weather. Congrats!

For more info about The Living Room, call (813) 934-7911, visit TLR.restaurant or see the ad on this issue’s back cover. — GN, photos by Charmaine George

Residence Inn Features Wesley Chapel’s Only Rooftop Bar & More!

For locals who have been asleep the last ten months, the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa area’s first and only rooftop bar is serving food and drinks at the Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel, which is adjacent to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

According to the company’s VP of Openings & Transitions Tom Haines, the Marriott-branded Residence Inn was designed by Mainsail Lodging & Development to be not only the perfect complement to the Sports Campus, but also to the explosive growth area known as Wesley Chapel.

“In addition to sports, Wesley Chapel has a lot of new businesses relocating people here and is becoming a health care medical mecca,” Haines says. “I live here, my kids go to school here and we love Wesley Chapel.”

Mainsail, which was founded by Joe Collier in 1998, now has 13 hotel properties in Georgia and the Tampa Bay area (including the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin and the Epicurean in South Tampa) and six more in development, with 1,100 total employees and more than $200 million in annual revenues. 

As for the local Residence Inn, Haines says Mainsail decided to build it because Collier was the chairman of the Hillsborough County Sports Authority, which made an attempt to get RADDSports (the private partner of Pasco County that manages the programs at the Sports Campus) to develop a Sports Campus-type facility there, “and RADD kept Mainsail involved here. This isn’t our usual build, but there was the draw of sports, which presented an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.” 

The hotel is the first-ever Residence Inn with a rooftop bar. It is a 128-room all-studio hotel with 65 studio king suites, 24 studio kings with conservation views, 19 studios with two queen beds, 8 one-bedroom king studios, 8 one-bedroom studios with two queen beds and 4 two-bedroom suites with one king and one queen bed. All of the suites feature a pull-out sofa sleeper, full-sized refrigerators, kitchens and all amenities for cooking.

Other on-site amenities include complimentary breakfast, an outdoor swimming pool (that is heated in the winter), a fitness center, 24/7 Market, on-site laundry with washers & dryers, rental bicycles (where the first hour is free) and outdoor grills, as well as on-site meeting space for up to 26 people.

The Wesley Chapel Residence Inn has a new general manager and director of sales, Rebecca “Becky” Hayes, who brings a lot of enthusiasm for the hotel and the community with her to her new jobs.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out in this community and meeting more people,” she says, “especially with the holiday party season coming up. This hotel is great for any kind of social event.” 

Plus, if you book your holiday party for up to 100 guests by Oct. 31 for any Sun.-Thur. (Nov. 14-Dec. 23), your venue rental (a $500 value) will be waived and you’ll receive a complimentary champagne toast.

Skybox — Food, Drinks & Fun!

Whether you or your out-of-town visitors stay at the Residence Inn or not, you should still check out our area’s only rooftop bar to have a few drinks and a little something to eat.

The Skybox’s appetizer “Bites” include Bavarian pretzel rolls with beer cheese, spinach & artichoke dip, shrimp, crab & parmesan dip and the current favorite — loaded kettle chips with pulled pork or chicken, nacho cheese, chili, jalapeños, pico de gallo, olives & sour cream.

There also are grilled southwest chicken, BBQ pulled pork and roasted veggie wrap sandwiches, salads and a reasonably priced kids’ menu, as well as a variety of desserts.

Skybox bartenders also serve a great selection of premium alcohol craft cocktails, fine wines and craft beers.

For more information about the Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel (2867 Lajuana Blvd.) and the Skybox Rooftop Bar, call (833) 214-9098 or visit Marriott.com or SkytopRooftopBar.com. 

Lexington Oaks Golf Club Wants To Host YOUR Big Event!

Over the past few years, I’ve written quite a few stories about Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, because owner Anass El-Omari is a classically trained chef who serves great food at the restaurant named for him.

However, over the past year or so, Anass has recognized that most of the people dining at his golf course were, of course, golfers who didn’t necessarily care about his delicious pastas, steaks, fresh fish and other more upscale options. So, even though I personally am not thrilled about the changes to the menu, I still love the burgers, grilled  chicken and chicken Philly sandwiches and the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. People also rave about the mozzarella sticks, onion rings, shrimp tacos and Colombian-style empañadas.

An avid low-handicap golfer himself, Anass says, “Most golfers want sandwiches, burgers, wings and other faster items. So, that’s all we’re serving at Omari’s now.”

In addition to the beautiful, equestrian-themed par-72, 6,748-year public golf course, Anass and his wife Susana Herrera are now focusing on hosting special events at their 7,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, which comfortably seats 100 people inside, and 40 people on the screened-in patio outside, plus still more people on a second outdoor patio that doesn’t have a screen.

“Our clubhouse is a great place for birthday parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners, quinceañeras, baby showers, memorial services, seminars and. of course, golf tournaments,” Susana says. “We average at least two of these events per month.”

Anass and Susana have only owned the golf club and course for four years, but revamped the course’s greens in 2019 and expanded and finished renovating the clubhouse itself last year. The Lexington Oaks clubhouse also features a full-liquor, full-service bar and a nice pro shop for golfers.

And, although both the course and restaurant are open to the public, there also are golf memberships available. There also is league golf play almost every day of the week. All of the league and more golf info appears on the website LexingtonOaksGolf.com.

The course hosts about 20 tournaments each year, and will again be home to the 2nd annual RADDSports Charity golf tournament in December. 

The Place For Your Big Event!

According to its website, Lexington Oaks Golf Club’s impressive clubhouse is “the perfect location for your big day. We will personalize your event to make your wedding or other special day a moment you and your guests will treasure for a lifetime. We offer customized food and beverage menus, audio visual equipment, full-service bars and built-in public address systems. Our staff is specifically trained in food and beverage operations and customer service. Our service goal is to anticipate every need before you ask and to exceed your expectations.

“If you’re looking for an even greater experience, Lexington Oaks Golf Club offers an array of special touches to enhance your big event. We have put together a comprehensive listing of our menu options (there are a lot more than just the Omari’s menu), services and other information.” 

Best of all, the price is always right. If you compare Lexington Oaks Golf Club’s rates with other golf courses and/or banquet facilities in the area, I’m personally confident you won’t find better (or even comparable) food, drinks or professional service for less anywhere else. Jannah and I hosted the baby shower for our granddaughter Rosie there more than three years ago and everyone who attended raved about the food, the room and the service.

 In other words, even though Omari’s Grill is no longer serving the fresh fish or pastas I loved for dinner, you can’t go wrong hosting your next big event or golf tournament at Lexington Oaks Golf Club!

Lexington Oaks Golf Club (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) is open every day from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Omari’s is open for lunch & dinner Wed.-Fri., for lunch only Sat.-Sun., and is closed Mon.-Tues. For more information, call (813) 907-7270 or visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com. 

Ha Long Bay Vietnamese & Asian Fusion Restaurant Opens! 

Congratulations to my new friends Nhan Nguyen and her husband Hai Chu and their family, the owners of the new Ha Long Bay restaurant, which is now open in the space at 20685 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. previously occupied by Aroi Thai-Tsuyu (not to be confused with the still-open Arroy Thai on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel).

Several months ago, we announced in these pages that the new restaurant would be a new location of Hana Sushi, but when that deal fell through, Nhan and Hai jumped at the opportunity to open the fourth location of Ha Long Bay (the others are in St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Largo). Nhan and Hai also previously owned Ocean Blue Sushi Bar in Carrollwood.

Pho
Banh Mi

The new Ha Long Bay features a variety of Vietnamese and Asian fusion favorites, including pho soup (top left photo), banh mi sandwiches (left), Chinese-style stir-fry dishes (bottom right) and fried rice (bottom left), Japanese-style gyoza dumplings (bottom left), poké bowls, rice combination plates, sushi and a large variety of boba teas. Beer, wine and saké should be available soon, too.

The new Ha Long Bay is managed by New Tampa residents Kay and Mandy Vongsa.

“They are like family to us,” Nhan says. And, with food like this, they’re kinda feeling like family to me, too. 

For more info, call (813) 406-4917 or visit HaLongBayNewTampa.com.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar & Rodizio On The Way

If there is one hole in the growing Wesley Chapel dining scene, it might be the lack of a true seafood place.

That hole will be getting partially filled soon.

A Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is in the process of being built in the same mini-plaza as the recently opened Chicken Salad Chick next to the Costco off S.R. 56 on the extension of Wesley Chapel Blvd.

The 4,162-sq.ft. oyster bar will have a 535-sq.-ft. patio and started the permitting process in July.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar has 10 locations in North Carolina and four in South Carolina, as well as single locations in Maryland, Georgia, Illinois and Texas. 

The Wesley Chapel location, which is expected to be casual and no-frills like its other locations, is part of a Florida expansion that will add new restaurants in the Space Coast and Ocala areas.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar’s go-to items are the oysters on the half shell, although they also are served steamed and chargrilled. Other seafood items include scallops, ahi tuna, shrimp, snow crab legs and calamari, as well as American bar staples like chicken wings, burgers, fries and macaroni and cheese bites. 

Tacos, po-boy sandwiches and shrimp ‘n grits also are on the menu, and, of course, beer and cocktails.

For more information, visit TheShuckinShack.com.

Also, in the same area, we told you in July but now it’s official — Rodizio Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse, has posted a sign saying “Coming Soon!” in front of the At Home store just south and across the road from Costco.

Rodizio Grill was the first authentic Brazilian steakhouse or “churrascaria” in the U.S. established in 1995 by Ivan Utrera. There is a location in Sarasota.

For more information, visit RodizioGrill.com. — JCC