Full Circle Chicago Pizza’s New Owners Give The Menu An Upgrade!

Anyone who has been reading my dining reviews for any number of years surely knows that I have always been and always will be a New York-style pizza guy. Therefore, it’s been hard for places like Full Circle Chicago Pizza in the Pebble Creek Collection to ever really rank among my favorite pizza places in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Whether deep-dish or thin-crust, I am happy to eat Chicago-style pizza, but it just will never be the same for me as NY-style ‘za.

Even so, new Full Circle owners Julia and Freddy Nova took over a few months ago, and they called me to say I needed to try the place again, and not just for the pizza, but also  for the new Italian specialties Freddy has been adding to Full Circle’s already tasty menu.

And, after several amazing meals at the new Full Circle, I do believe Freddy and Julia are on to something delicious.

Julia is half-Italian, but while Freddy’s family is originally from Guatemala, he has not only cooked at three well-known country clubs for 20 years in New Jersey (including the renowned, historic Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, which has hosted the U.S. Senior Open and the Senior PGA Championship), he and Julia also owned and operated a successful “Jersey-style” pizza place known as Little Italy in Paramus for five years before they relocated to Tampa and found Full Circle for sale.

Chicken parmigiana

Freddy’s extensive experience shows in everything he creates at Full Circle. Jannah and I agree that his chicken parmigiana is the best we’ve had in New Tampa — and, although he hasn’t yet added veal to the menu, folks I’ve met inside since the Novas took over have raved about the eggplant parm. And, my side of penne in marinara sauce came out al denté without me having to order it that way. Atza nice!

My new pal Freddy also turned a simple chicken and broccoli pasta dish into a perfectly garlicky (is that a word?) masterpiece, and he’ll even add sautéed spinach or broccoli to it upon request (as I did). I’m not usually as big on chicken Francaise, but Julia told me it’s her favorite, so I tried it on my most recent visit and you can take the egg-dipped coating and lemon without either being overpowering.

Sandwiches…

 Folks from the Windy City love their Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches (top right photo on next page), and Freddy kept the tasty au just the bread is basically soaking in from the original Full Circle.  People also rave about his Philly cheese steaks; I enjoyed his spicy version. 

However, I still prefer an oven-baked parmigiana sub, with gooey mozzarella, meatballs, chicken or Italian sausage, and Freddy’s baked subs have the right “crackle” (the roof of your mouth should be both cut and burnt when the bread and sauce are perfect…and these are) and are all lip-smacking-tasty.

I also have enjoyed the fried ravioli appetizer and the garlic knots and plan to try the jumbo wings and even the pierogies, although I try not to fill up too much on appetizers when the main event is always so great.

OK, What About That Pizza?

Remember what I said earlier about me and Chicago-style pizza? Freddy says he hasn’t changed Full Circle’s already immensely popular thin-crust or deep-dish Chicago-style pizza much — although it does seem to me that he has increased the ratio of sauce to cheese on the deep dish, which makes it possible to eat with your hands, instead of a knife and fork (as I’ve always had to do with most other Chicago-style deep-dish). And yes, Full Circle offers slices of thin-crust pizza for lunch and has deep-dish pies available every day for lunch and dinner.

However, I’m proud to say that Freddy has even found a loophole in my anti-Chicago-thin-crust bias. He has introduced a margherita pizza — with a zesty sauce, fresh mozzarella and even fresher basil — that is unlike any other I’ve tasted before. And, here’s the thing, when I last lived in New York, the whole coal- or wood-fired brick oven pizza craze hadn’t really yet taken off, so I had no preconceived notions of what a cracker-thin “Neapolitan”-style pizza should taste like when I moved to Florida. And, although I have always liked the Neapolitan-style pizza in our area, it’s never been as high on my list of favorites as most NY-style pizza.

Until now. Freddie’s margherita pizza has a delicious garlic-infused sauce that is similar to what many places use for their “Grandma’s pizza.” The mozzarella is fresh and the basil adds just that hint of sweetness.

But, Freddy’s margherita pizza (right) also has a much crisper crust than most Neapolitan-style pizza, which usually comes out with a charred bottom, but not crispy. Bottom line? If you hate it, I’ll buy your leftovers.

In fact, I went so crazy for this pizza that I just had to share it with my new friends Beth, Wayne and Don (photo above) and all three also raved about it.

Best of all, with the coupons in our recent issues, you can save money on Full Circle’s ristorante-quality cuisine in clean, comfortable, casual surroundings with plenty of booth and table seating available. There’s also Yuengling on draught, Peroni and other beers in bottles and red and white wines by the glass or bottle. Full Circle also has a great family atmosphere and everything on the “Kids Corner” menu is either $4.99 or $5.99. You’ll also find an extensive catering menu with truly fair prices.

As for those coupons, on Tuesday and Wednesday (only!), you can get a large thin-crust pizza with one topping for only $9.99. And, although the coupons can’t be combined, you also can save $5 off any purchase of $30 or more, or $2 off any purchase of $15 or more.

Help Wanted!

Full Circle Pizza is hiring experienced servers and pizza makers now, especially since they will be slammed once this story breaks. Please stop in to fill out an application.

Full Circle Chicago Pizza (19651 BBD Blvd.) is open every day for lunch and dinner. 

For more information, call (813) 994-3700, or visit FullCircleChicagoPizza.com.

Benito & Liberty Middle Schools Will Have Crossing Guards For 2019-20

Parents at Benito Middle School gathered last school year to remind drivers to slow down in the mornings when driving by the school, but will have crossing guards to do so this year.

Parents have long complained that despite traffic lights and clearly marked walkways, children attending Benito Middle School faced very real dangers having to cross busy Cross Creek Blvd. every weekday morning without the aid of a crossing guard.

Well, their complaints definitely have been heard.

The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)  approved in April a plan to spend roughly $1 million to employ Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies as crossing guards at all 43 Hillsborough middle schools, the first county in Florida to do so.

Following the BOCC approval, a study was implemented to determine the countywide needs and so far, 78 crossing guard positions have been earmarked by HCSO for 37 schools, including Benito and Liberty Middle School in Tampa Palms.

According to the list released last month, Benito will have two crossing guards stationed at the two corners of Kinnan St. and Cross Creek Blvd.  

Liberty will have one crossing guard stationed at Commerce Park Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd.

Other middle schools stationed in high-traffic areas will have as many as six crossing guards, such as Ben Hill Middle School near Ehrlich Rd., and Adams and Farnell middle schools, which will have five crossing guards.

“Those numbers were determined by a ratio of how many students are traveling to school (via walking or biking) and how much traffic is in the area,” says HCSO spokesperson Amanda Granit.

The push for crossing guards at middle schools was spearheaded by parents across the county who protested the elimination of courtesy busing for students who live within a two-mile radius of their school.

That left students living north of Cross Creek Blvd. who walked or biked to Benito to have to cross the very busy road to get to school in the morning.

Freedom Sophomore Qualifies For Olympic Trials!

Freedom sophomore Michelle Morgan is congratulated by swimmers from other clubs after posting a time that qualified her to compete at next year’s Olympic Trials (Photo courtesy of Rene Piper)

Michelle Morgan started swimming competitively when she was 7.

By the time she was 8, she knew she wanted to go to the Olympics.

Now, at the age of 14, the Freedom sophomore will get her chance.

Morgan, one of the top distance swimmers in Florida and a member of the Pipeline Swimming Club that trains at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club, last month became the first swimmer in the Tampa Bay area to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, making the cut in her marquee event, the 400-meter Individual Medley.

At a meet in Orlando, the New Tampa resident swam the 400 IM in 4 minutes, 51.42 seconds, just under the Trials cutoff of 4:51.79.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Morgan, who will be one of the youngest competitors at next year’s Olympic Trials, which will be held in June in Omaha, NE. Only the top two finishers in each event at the trials make the U.S. Olympic team.

Morgan, the top-rated mile swimmer in the country in her age group, said she expected to make the cut at some point this year, but still didn’t believe it when she touched the wall and looked up at her time. Swimmers from a number of other clubs were there to congratulate her as she exited the pool.

“When she hit the time, my wife went crazy and a whole bunch of families around us went crazy,” said Glynn Morgan, Michelle’s father. “It was exciting for her. We knew at some point this was coming, but it’s nice that she won’t have to chase it from meet to meet frantically trying to qualify.”

She is not done yet, however. Morgan missed the trials cut in the 800m freestyle at the same event in Orlando by less than half a second, swimming her race in 8:48.50; the cut is 8:48.08, a time Morgan seems poised to better.

Pipeline coach Rene Piper thinks Morgan also has a chance to make the Olympic Trials cut in the 200 IM, the 400 and 1,500 freestyle and the 200 butterfly, although the coach admits the last event is not Morgan’s favorite.

Morgan could eventually have some local company at the trials — Piper says fellow Pipeline member Carly Joerin, also a sophomore at Freedom, has an outside chance of posting a qualifying time between now and June 2020.

Setting aside the long odds of making any Olympic team, just making it to the trials is an impressive milestone. 

There are roughly 400,000 swimmers registered with USA Swimming. At the 2016 trials, there was an average of 120 swimmers per event.

In the 400 IM qualifying races, there were 125 swimmers. Morgan’s time would put her in the top 30 of that group.

A daunting challenge, to be sure, but Morgan is the complete package, Piper says. She’ll have her choice of colleges next year when coaches are allowed to begin recruiting her, and her ceiling appears to be unlimited.

“She’s super smart academically, a super great student, and has a high swimming IQ, too,” Piper says. “Her focus is just incredible, and she is determined.”

Piper also says that Morgan’s work ethic is unmatched, and she never misses a practice. The one time she was late, everyone was so surprised and worried they couldn’t start the practice until she got there. Piper jokes that they have a saying at the club: “If Michelle isn’t at practice, she’s dead.”

Morgan, who finished third at the Florida Class 3A State championships last year as a freshman in the 200 IM and the 500 free, is currently chasing more Olympic trial cuts — particularly in the 800 free — at the 2019 Speedo Junior National Championships in Stanford, CA — her first big national meet.

“I’m just trying to see how good I can do in my other events,” Morgan says. “I’m trying not to jump ahead too far.”

That could be tough, with the Olympic Trials on the schedule. While the 2024 games in Paris, when Morgan will be 19, may be a more realistic goal, the experience next year will be a big boost to the promising young swimmer.

“It’s so tough to make the Olympic team,” Piper said. “But, we have already made the hotel reservations, and I am so excited for her to go and experience this. It will be great.”

Garbage Collection Point Of Contention

Hillsborough County will be entertaining waste management options that will possibly reduce garbage pickup in New Tampa’s city and county communities from two days per week to only one.

That stinks, say many.

“I have not talked to one person that likes this idea,” says Mike Jacobson, the president of the Pebble Creek Homeowners Association. “I can’t even believe they’re considering it.”

Hillsborough County solid waste director Kim Byer says the decision isn’t based on how much trash is collected or how many residents actually leave their bins out on both days of pickups, but is purely a financial one that could produce savings for the county of up to 30 percent.

If those savings were significant, they could be passed on to customers, Byer says.

Currently, three companies —Republic Services of Florida, Waste Connections and Waste Management — together handle a $188-million contract to collect garbage, recyclables and yard clippings in Hillsborough County.

The County Commission will review new proposals this fall, and will vote on contractors for a new contract  sometime before the end of November (which would go into effect in September 2020, Byer says).

“We say it’s the same garbage, just being picked up one day versus two,” she says.

Part of the process will include the results of an online poll that ended on August 5, which asked participants what they wanted from their waste management services. 

More than 13,000 people had taken part in the survey at our press time. Byer says the majority were opposed to cutting weekly trash pickups in half.

District 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who represents the New Tampa area, says it is far more than a majority of residents who are opposed, according to the emails his office has received.

“It’s 98 percent, maybe 99 percent, in support of maintaining twice a week pickups,” Hagan says, adding that he is not in favor of any options that include only once-a-week pickups.

“While once a week collection is definitely  cheaper,” Hagan says, “I certainly do not believe it’s in the best interest of our residents and our neighborhoods.”

Because New Tampa is so community-oriented, with Homeowners Associations requiring that trash bins be kept from public view, meaning most likely in your garage.

And, with Florida’s blistering heat, the idea of trash being stored in those conditions for seven days isn’t appealing to most people.

“The concern I have is with no makeup day, and with the disproportionate number of (pickup) days falling on Mondays which are holidays, you could go 2-3 weeks between trash pickups,” says Scott Darby, the Arbor Greene HOA president.

Darby is so concerned that he says he has reached out to all seven commissioners, and only one response — from Hagan — has reflected steadfast opposition. He fears the decision already has been made.

Hagan is more positive, having been through this process three times.

“We’ll look at various proposals,” Hagan says, “and at the end of day, I’m confident we’ll remain with twice-a-week pickup.”