Category: News

HerStory to be made at AdventHealth Center Ice Saturday!

Digit Murphy, pictured here coaching the Chinese National women’s hockey team.
(Photo courtesy of Digit Murphy via Getty Images).

Margaret “Digit” Murphy was strolling through the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, one day, and asked one of the employees if there were any exhibits about some of the women — either executives, referees or television announcers — that had left their mark on the game.

“Follow me,” the employee said, and proceeded to take Murphy on a fruitless tour. Apologizing, the employee simply said, “Well, it used to be here.”

Murphy thought for the richest sports league in the world, pro football’s $100-million Hall of Fame would at least have something dedicated to women. But, she wasn’t really that surprised it didn’t.

“We can’t tell our story anywhere,” sighed Murphy. But, that sparked an idea.

Along with Wesley Chapel’s Jeff Novotny, Murphy has hatched an idea to bring those kind of stories, in this case, those specifically related to ice hockey, to the people.

First stop: Saturday, March 9, 1 p.m. at AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI).

That day will mark the grand opening of the “Herstory Museum,” which will feature interactive displays on the second floor of Center Ice, in a viewing room next to the Top Shelf restaurant and sports bar, overlooking two of the skating complex’s ice rinks.

The grand opening will coincide with a large girls hockey tournament at AHCI, providing for a perfect backdrop. Murphy will be on hand to introduce the newest feature at the rink.

And, admission to the museum will be free.

Murphy is one of women’s hockey’s pioneers, as well a key force behind some high-profile cases involving Title IX, the federal law prohibiting anyone, on the basis of sex, from being excluded from participating or denied the benefits of sports, or being discriminated against under any education program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance.

She was having dinner with Novotny one night when she mentioned the idea of creating a “mini” museum, one that wouldn’t require its own building but could make use of technology to offer a wealth of important information and overlooked stories in a smaller space.

Novotny, a project manager for American Consulting Professionals, LLC, immediately thought AHCI would be the perfect place for it, having taken in more than a million visitors in less than two years after opening, hosting dozens of hockey tournaments and serving as the home training facility for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Hockey gold medal winners.

After Novotny presented the idea to AHCI general manager Gordie Zimmermann, a three-year agreement was signed to bring the museum, which will be developed by Murphy’s Play It Forward Sport Foundation, to Wesley Chapel.

“You want to go to places that embrace you,” Murphy says. “Wesley Chapel has bent over backwards for us.”

For Novotny, the museum is a labor of love. He has three daughters, all athletes. His youngest daughter, Madison, spurred his interest in women’s hockey. Madison currently plays prep school hockey at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY.

He said bringing Murphy’s story and the Herstory Museum to Center Ice is a real boon for girls hockey.

“She’s a legend,” he says. “It will inspire girls who read her story.”

The room housing Herstory on the second floor of AHCI is only about 100 square feet or so. When visitors walk in, they will immediately see a virtual brick wall where they can purchase a virtual brick, with the money raised going towards running the museum and for a scholarship for a local athlete. There also will be a selfie wall, where visitors can snap self-portraits and post them to social media.

The first display will feature Murphy, a former Ivy League Player of the Year at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She also produced seven Olympians while becoming (at one time) the all-time winningest women’s hockey coach in NCAA Division I history with 318 wins at Brown (she is currently 13th on that list).

At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, she became the first American female color analyst for a women’s ice hockey game broadcast on television and, in 2015, along with Aronda Kirby, founded the UWLX, the first professional women’s lacrosse league in the U.S.

Murphy and Kirby also founded the Play It Forward Sport Foundation, which is geared towards gender equity in women’s sports.

Honoring The Legends

Others who will have displays at the museum are:

• Katey Stone, who today is the winningest women’s coach in NCAA hockey history and the coach of the 2014 women’s silver-medal winning Olympic Team;

• Sara DeCosta-Hayes, the goalie on the first U.S. women’s team to win a gold medal at the Olympics (in 1998);

• Amanda Pelkey, the University of Vermont’s all-time leading scorer and a member of the 2018 U.S. team that trained in Wesley Chapel and won the gold medal in South Korea; and

• Kitty Guay, who refereed games in the 2018 Olympics and most recently became the first woman to referee the famous 67-year-old Beanpot ice hockey tournament in February.

“We just want to elevate the conversation and tell stories that don’t get told enough,” Murphy says. “They just disappear, and they shouldn’t. Now, they will be there for the girls and the kids in the community. That’s the only way to advance the conversation and have women’s sports matter.”

Each of the featured women will have their own large vinyl display, and visitors can access a QR Code, or send a text to a certain number, to get more information and videos about each inductee. All of the information will be available online at GetHerStory.org.

Another wall in the Herstory Museum will one day feature a local hero, which could be anyone, says Novotny, but will likely be someone with a relationship with hockey. That person hasn’t been selected yet, but Novotny says that, at the grand opening, they will be putting out a call for nominations and hope to choose someone over the next few months.

Novotny says the recent success of the U.S. women’s team, and Zimmermann’s commitment to helping advance girls hockey in Florida, makes AHCI the perfect place for Herstory. He and Murphy would like to see the concept of recognizing women in sports scaled for other organizations as well, like the new Wiregrass Indoor Sports Complex — which could do similar mini-museums for volleyball players and gymnasts, as well as for high schools and universities and even corporations.

“The whole reason we’re doing this is for little girls to have leaders and role models,” Murphy says. “We want them to see there have been women just like them. If you can see it, you can be it.”

For more information, visit GetHerStory.org and PlayItForwardSport.org.

Minerva Has Mastered The Art Of Creating Outstanding Indian Cuisine

WHEN I FIRST MET Venkat Reddy, the owner of Minerva Indian Restaurant (located in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center plaza on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.), I told him up front that Minerva was probably never going to make my list of favorite restaurants in New Tampa because I really wasn’t a big fan of Indian food or even most types of curry.

I also told him, however, that I’ve always been at least a little adventurous when it comes to food and that I would keep coming back to Minerva to sample as many of his (and his customers’) favorite dishes as possible. Nearly three years later, I’ve sampled not only Minerva’s extensive and very reasonably priced buffet but also many of the specialties I probably would never have considered sampling when I was younger.

So, today, whether it’s because my taste buds have “grown up” or because Minerva’s authentic cuisine from every region of India is just that good, I really do enjoy visiting there — and not just because I also enjoy cutting the spice of the food with the truly delicious beers of India, including Taj Mahal, Hunter and others (Minerva also serves some good and popularly priced wines).

I always include an order of naan bread when I visit Minerva and my favorite had been the garlic naan, but on my most recent visit, I loved the savory butter naan (below, left) even more.

As for starters, I really enjoy the vegetable, lamb and chicken varieties of Minerva’s samosas, which are fried, well-spiced triangular-shaped appetizers.

But, my favorite appetizers are the vegetable spring rolls served with mint and tamarind dipping sauces, and the Minerva Special Soup, which is sort of a blend of traditional New York-style Chinese egg drop soup and my mom’s homemade chicken soup. It’s loaded with white meat chicken and a variety of fresh veggies.

Going Off-Buffet

Venkat agrees that most people who like Indian food go for the butter chicken, Masala or Tikka Masala dishes and biryani (rice) dishes (all of which are Specialties of the House at Minerva), but my favorite entrée at Minerva is still the Tandoori lamb shish kabab (above), which is actually ground lamb served with a crispy edge outside and tender inside on a sizzling fajita-style dish, only with better onions and peppers than at any Mexican restaurant. And, even though the lunch buffet is an amazing deal at just $9.95 Mon.-Fri. and $12.95 Sat.-Sun., full orders of the entrées I’ve mentioned all cost just $14.95 or less.

I also really enjoyed the Minerva Special Chicken, which features delicious veggies with boneless chicken pieces in a sweet red curry tomato and basil sauce that has no bite at all. Another new favorite of mine is the goat curry, which is tender goat on the bone, again with a light curry sauce that was excellent when paired with the vegetable biryani (basmati rice) from the buffet.

And yes, for you vegetarians out there, Minerva offers nearly two dozen veggie entrées, plus hand-made dosas (crepes), a South Indian favorite served with sambar, coconut and ginger chutney and a variety of veggie-based fillings. I still haven’t sampled any of the dosas, but Venkat says they are definitely among his most popular dishes.

I’ve also never sampled any of Minerva’s desserts, but they are very popular, too, especially the rice kheer (pudding) and the gulab jamun (milk-based balls in a sugar syrup).

Be adventurous…visit Minerva…and please tell Venkat I sent you!

Minerva Indian Restaurant (19050 BBD Blvd.) is open for lunch every day from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and for dinner from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. For more info, call (813) 978-8586 or visit MinervaTampa.com.

food indian

New Tampa Readies For Important Vote

Tampa Palms’ Maggie Wilson remembers the days when Pam Iorio, the City of Tampa’s mayor from 2003-11, would visit New Tampa on a frequent basis to address our area’s concerns and meet with residents.

Wilson remembers Iorio visiting women’s clubs, the Taste of New Tampa and other events, as well as holding public meetings at Heritage and Tampa Palms elementary schools, Benito and Clark middle schools and Freedom High, to name a few.

Current mayor Bob Buckhorn did not share Iorio’s attentiveness to New Tampa, Wilson says. And, when it comes time to choose a new mayor from a large field of candidates on Tuesday, March 5 (early voting ends March 3), Wilson says she will likely cast her vote for whomever she decides will pay the most attention to the area in which she has lived in since 1989.

“The next Tampa mayor will be in a key position to lead on several issues,” Wilson says. “New Tampa cannot afford to be left out.”

On Municipal Election Day, voters in Tampa will choose between seven candidates to succeed Buckhorn.

Former Tampa police chief Jane Castor currently has a big polling lead over the rest of the field, which includes local philanthropist David Straz, businessman Topher Morrison, former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ed Turanchik, current Tampa City Council members Harry Cohen and Mike Suarez, and Dick Greco Jr., the son of former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco.

Most of the candidates have been campaigning at a series of mayoral forums held across the city, including the one held in New Tampa on Feb. 19.

According to a poll conducted Feb. 4 by St. Pete Polls, 45.3 percent of the 429 registered voters polled said they would vote for Castor.

Straz was second with 12.9 percent, followed by Greco Jr. at 9.3 percent, Cohen at 7.5 percent, Turanchik at 6.7 percent, Suarez at 6 percent and Morrison at 1.4 percent.

If Castor (or whoever comes in first on March 5) is kept below 50 percent of the vote, that makes the much-closer race for second the one to watch, as the top two candidates would advance to a run-off election, which will be scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, if it is necessary.

New Tampa voters like local activist and lawyer Tracy Falkowitz have been listening closely to the candidates on issues she says will impact New Tampa.

When the budget debate raged in the City Council in 2017 regarding money to expand the New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC) and design a new sensory-friendly park in Tampa Palms, Falkowitz led a New Tampa contingent that met with council members, sat in on the meetings and showed up for the final vote so their voices could be heard.

Don’t Oppose Our Needs!

It was Suarez’s opposition to passing the budget — which would have put the NTRC in dire straits — that doesn’t make him a contender for Falkowitz’s vote, and it was Cohen’s decisive vote in the 4-3 decision to pass the budget that she says makes him her favored candidate.

Cohen also has met with local residents at a meet-and-greet in Tampa Palms, something Falkowitz says no other candidate has done.

“Several of the candidates probably couldn’t find us on a map,” Falkowitz says. “I’m not even sure if they know all of New Tampa isn’t even in the City of Tampa. This is pivotal election for us. We’ve made some headway with getting noticed by the city, and this election is critical to continue that recognition of the importance of New Tampa, or we could go back to being ignored.”

Wilson agrees about the importance of electing a mayor friendly to New Tampa this election, preferably someone to piggyback on District 7 City Council member Luis Viera’s efforts.

Viera, who represents New Tampa as part of his district and is up for re-election, has been omnipresent in our area while pushing a number of area initiatives to City Hall.

Wilson says, however, that there is still a lot more to do.

“New Tampa is no longer new,” Wilson says. “For decades, it came in last because it needed the least. But that is no longer true. We have aging roads, dangerous sidewalks, an aging population and limited transportation.”

Grand Hampton resident Joe Farrell, a former aide to Mayor Buckhorn and a public affairs consultant who specializes in government relations, has two things he is looking for in this election — someone who can handle the looming budget crunch the city faces, and keeping his family safe.

For him, Castor checks both those boxes. As a former police chief, she was in charge of the city’s biggest agency with the largest budget, and ably steered it during the recent Great Recession, and major crimes saw a 70-percent reduction during her tenure from 2009-15.

Castor also is familiar with New Tampa, having served as the area’s district captain before she was police chief.

“In New Tampa, the vast majority of people up here have kids, and most worry about safety,” Farrell says. “No one else can say they would be better on safety than a former police chief.”

But, Farrell says he also has two children in the gymnastics program at the NTRC

“It’s important to have someone in the office who gets things done (for the city),” Farrell says, “but we still need to get things done in our community.”

Farrell is a big fan of Viera, who is credited with igniting much of the newfound political spirit in the area. The next mayor could help build on that.

For years, New Tampa residents have complained about not receiving a fair return on the taxes they pay to the city. In turn, some politicians have pointed to New Tampa’s dismal turnout in most elections, but especially, in municipal elections in March.

In 2015, only 7.8 percent of registered New Tampa voters cast a ballot, compared to 12.8 percent for the rest of the city, although it should be noted Mayor Buckhorn ran unopposed.

In 2011, 15.4 percent turned out for Buckhorn’s win in the April run-off, compared to 23 percent for the rest of the city.

There are plenty of local issues important to area voters that remain — such as transportation, school safety and re-negotiating to once again provide fire rescue service to the thousands of New Tampa residents in the unincorporated portion of Hillsborough County that includes Pebble Creek, Cross Creek and Live Oak Preserve.

Those things, and more, will likely dictate how many locals vote, and who they vote for, on March 5.

“This whole thing started with Luis Viera bringing City Hall to us,” Falkowitz says. “If New Tampa doesn’t come out and vote and doesn’t vote for someone who actually cares for New Tampa, we will go back to being a financial windfall for the city with no services and no voice.”

mayor

Ready To Rescue: Tampa Fire Station No. 23 Now Serving New Tampa!

(L.-r.) District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Nick LoCicero celebrate the opening of New Tampa’s fourth fire station, No. 23 (off of County Line Rd.), last month. ***(Photo courtesy of Sarah Foster)***

New Tampa’s fourth fire station, Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 23, is now operational.

Following a grand opening event in January, the station — located just off of County Line Rd. on Trout Creek Dr. — is now handling calls. The new station’s primary area of service are the communities of Grand Hampton, The Hammocks, the Esplanade and the Colonial Grand at Hampton Preserve apartments. The new station also will help ease the pressure on New Tampa’s other fire rescue stations.

Station 23 is the first new station to open in our area since 2012, when Station 22 opened on Cross Creek Blvd. Station 21 also is located on Cross Creek, and Station 20 is located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Tampa Palms.

All four of the area’s fire stations belong to the City of Tampa and serve residents within the city limits. Residents in unincorporated Hillsborough County, such as Pebble Creek, Cross Creek and Live Oak Preserve are served by a contract with Pasco County, where the service is provided by Pasco Fire Rescue Station 26, located off BBD in the nearby Meadow Pointe I community of Wesley Chapel. There are mutual aid agreements in place, though, for emergencies that require additional help or when a rescue crew is already occupied with another situation.

Station 23 is expected to help to improve response times from Tampa Fire Rescue stations. According to a story in the Tampa Bay Times last year, the 34-square-mile district has a median response time of 8.96 minutes, which is 90 seconds longer than the city’s other four fire department districts.

“We have the worst response times in the City of Tampa (here in New Tampa),” says Luis Viera, District 7 Tampa City Council member, “so Fire Station 23 really goes a long way to addressing that.”

Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Nick LoCicero agrees. “It really affords a more appropriate level of protection for the communities in New Tampa and the general vicinity of where the station is located,” says LoCicero, “It provides a more robust and prompt response for that area.”

He explains it should immediately help the response time in Grand Hampton, which was previously served by the stations on Cross Creek Blvd.

“We are closely watching that and monitoring response times,” Chief LoCicero says. He adds that some of the longer response times are due to subdivisions that have enclaves that are harder to access. “There’s just no easy way to get there,” he says, “but we’re looking for improvement in Grand Hampton.”

LoCicero also explains that Station 23 is part of a phased-in program that included a redistricting last year, creating Fire District 5 that encompasses all of New Tampa. While New Tampa was previously part of a 50-square-mile district, the new District 5 is about 34 square miles.

The new station helps all of New Tampa, so that if multiple calls come in at the same time, or if a fire needs multiple companies to respond, there are more resources within the immediate area to handle those situations.

It includes a truck company, which has a ladder to reach taller buildings and handles primarily search and rescue; an engine company, which has hoses and connects to water to put out fires; and a rescue unit, which is the ambulance to help during non-fire emergencies in our area.

“We’ve gone from 17,000 residents to 60,000 today,” Viera says, “with more coming because of new development and God knows how many new homes in places like K-Bar Ranch. We’re a growing area, and that means the city needs to make more safety infrastructure investments.”

Station 23 includes a training room that will serve all of the fire companies in the area, allowing in-service training on fire and EMS topics to be conducted locally. This minimizes the time fire companies are away from their station due to traveling for training.

LoCicero says the grand opening itself was a nice event that showed the community’s support for its newest fire station.

“It was a warm and gracious reception for all the firefighters there,” he says. “There were quite a few people there, and Winn-Dixie (also off County Line Rd.) was very hospitable and gracious to us. They gave each crew a buggy full of groceries, and Jersey Mike’s provided sandwiches. It’s nice to be appreciated like that.”

He adds, “We’re happy for the community. We know they waited a long time for the station. It will be well served by the men and women of Tampa Fire Rescue.”

Viera suggests that the New Tampa community should check out the area’s newest asset. “It’s a great facility,” he says. “Go by and take a look at it. Oh, and bring some donuts for the first responders.”

fire station 23 new tmpa

Gary Food Faves

Even though I know many of us are, like me, tired of mainly chain restaurants opening in our area, the fact is that all of the newcomers continue to expand our dining options in New Tampa and, especially, in Wesley Chapel — and that is good news.

Also encouraging is the fact that many of the later newcomers — and many of the chains already announced as still to come — are eateries that we at least haven’t had in our area before.

For example, after my recent visit to Orlando, I am really excited about the Saltgrass Steakhouse (see page 40) that will open, hopefully before 2020, between the Tampa Premium Outlets and I-75, just as I was pretty pumped that both MOD Pizza (which opened n 2018) and Blaze Pizza (which opened earlier this year; again, see pages 40-41) coming to our area, even though there will never be anything better than true New York-style pizza at the top of my Favorite Pizza list. But, I am a fan of the new “fast casual” pizza options — and I also like that MOD and Blaze both also have excellent make-your-own salad options.

There are some surprises on my list for 2018 and please realize that I got to wait until 2019 to make my choices (unlike our readers, who had to submit their surveys by November of last year), but I still have not included any restaurants on this list that were not yet open in 2018.

I will say that all of the new chain options did make it more difficult for me to pick just 50 favorite restaurants — I likely considered at least 100 different eateries between our two markets for this list. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing the research for it.

DEMPSEY’S STEAK HOUSE
As it has been since it opened, the only problem with Dempsey’s Steak House at Saddlebrook Resort is that the average working guy can’t afford to eat there, other than for a very special occasion. With its $40-$60 steaks and all a la carte pricing, I wouldn’t eat at Dempsey’s at all, other than the fact that everything from the filet mignon to the bone-in ribeye steak (photo above) is as good as anywhere you’ll find in Tampa — including Council Oak, Fleming’s and Charley’s. The fresh seafood is equally impressive and there’s no doubt that the crab cake appetizer and sides for two are unequaled.
STONEWOOD
I feel like I’ve known Stonewood’s Tampa Palms proprietor Dave Rathbun forever, but the bottom line is that this mini-chain is known for great food at fair, but certainly not bargain prices, and for outstanding service. Whether for lunch or dinner, dining at Stonewood (or even just enjoying food and beverages at the bar), is an experience, not just a meal. Is it worth $5-$10 more for Stonewood’s aged New York strip or filet mignon than you’d pay at Longhorn or Outback? I’d have to say yes. Recent menu changes, like the southern fried shrimp platter shown below (that I can’t eat because of my accursed shellfish allergy) and reasonably priced bowls (like an excellent tuna poke bowl) for lunch have moved Stonewood up to my favorite restaurant in New Tampa.

3. GRILLSMITH
Anytime a restaurant I’ve tried before adds new menu items that are in my dining “wheelhouse” — like the addition of truly fresh “short trip” fish, like the mahi-mahi Mediterranean style pictured above at Grillsmith — I have to give it a try. But, while a lot of places do mahi or grouper, Jannah and I have gotten to enjoy wahoo, cobia and snapper at Grillsmith, which also has the best mashed cauliflower and sautéed spinach in our area. With a little better variety of steaks, Grillsmith could challenge Stonewood for #2.

4. LONGHORN
Whenever I’ve compiled my list, I try to think of the places that I have visited the most and what I realize is that Jannah and I have spent a lot of time sharing food at the bar at Longhorn. Yes, it’s only a mile from where we live, but we love sharing Longhorn’s Flo’s filet and I feel the outlaw ribeye is a pretty good value. We also love the recent addition of cheesy baked cauliflower (you can get it that way for broccoli, too), as well as the salad, bread and the outstanding service at the bar.

5. BAHAMA BREEZE
Bahama Breeze was fast becoming our favorite new restaurant last year when the Island Grille stopped having any “fresh catch” other than swordfish on the menu. We recently got to enjoy a fresh mahi-mahi at Bahama Breeze, and I do really enjoy the Jamaican specialties, but additional steak (top sirloin or filet) and chicken options would help.

6. CICCIO’S
Ciccio Cali continues to please with three yummy tuna “Cali Bowls” on the menu, as well as the chicken and baby broccoli stir-fry, new spicy Brazilian bowl, wrap sandwiches and thin-crust pizzas. Other new menu items include two hummus appetizers, a vegan chopped salad and even the “impossible” burger. Nice wine selection, too.

7. LITTLE ITALY’S
Without additional new menu items added in 2018, Little Italy’s dropped a few spots on my list, but it still has the best veal parmigiana and lasagne in our area and their pizzas and calzones are back. A fresh fish special and some veggie sides would be welcome additions.

8. ACROPOLIS
Acropolis continues to expand its menu with more authentic Greek and Middle Eastern dishes, but my favorites are still the lamb chops, the Athenian fish and the Greek salad. Acropolis would finish higher on my list if I loved the roasted veggies and other side dishes.

9. NOBLE CRUST
When Noble Crust opened, I loved that there was usually a fresh fish special and I do still love the double-cut pork chop, chicken fried chicken parmigiana, pizzas and sides like broccolini, garlicky greens and crispy Brussels sprouts, plus the homemade desserts.

10. SUKHOTHAI
Sukhothai’s fresh sushi (especially the tuna tataki) and combination fried rice are still among my favorites in our area and I also love the crispy duck with ginger sauce, the new tuna sashimi poke bowl and the shoes-off, below-floor seating.

11. FORD’S GARAGE
Despite another limited menu (unless you really love burgers), Jannah and I do crave the ahi tuna appetizer, chop-chop salad, chicken Henry and petite filet at Ford’s Garage, which also has good veggie side dishes and white cheddar mashed potatoes.

12. AMICI PIZZA
Our readers’ new favorite pizza place definitely makes my top 5 for favorite New York-style ‘za, but what really helped the new location move up in my rankings were the authentic linguine with white clam sauce and tasty veal and eggplant parmigiana.

13. THAI RUBY
The ambiance is second to none and the food never disappoints. I love Thai Ruby’s fresh fish specials and the crispy duck with ginger sauce is still the best in our area. This is a great place to start an intimate date night.

14. LIANG’S BISTRO
I haven’t always placed Liang’s this high on my list, but I realize that it does feature my favorite New York-style barbecue spare ribs, great egg rolls and the sautéed green beans are among my favorite veggie dishes in the area. We always order them spicy!

15. OMARI’S BAR & GRILL
My favorite non-chain newcomer in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, Omari’s menu will continue to grow as more folks make requests, but with super-fresh, chef-prepared dishes like the flounder almendrine pictured above, it is a definite must-try.

16. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
Kobe already had the highest-quality hibachi steaks in our area, but Jannah and I also love it for its reasonably priced appetizers at the full-liquor bar.

17. LA PRIMA PIZZA
Still my favorite New York-style pizza in our area and the Italian fare, like veal parmigiana and lasagne, also gets high marks.

18. THE FAT RABBIT
The best blackened wings I’ve had, amazing salads and great sandwiches in a comfortable setting keep The Fat Rabbit in Tampa Palms high on my list.

19. 900 DEGREES WOODFIRED PIZZA
One of my top-five New York-style pizza places, which also has the best penne with pesto Genovese in our area. Try adding fresh spinach and grilled chicken. Yum!

20. THE HUNGRY GREEK
If you like getting great value for your money, you’re probably already one of the regulars at Hungry Greek, which features our area’s best gyros and authentic Greek salads.

21. BAYSCAPE BISTRO
Another highly-ranked newcomer on my list, I haven’t yet sampled the fresh fish sauté special, but the Fiesta Fridays, wings, burgers and salads are all top-notch.

22. FUSHIA ASIAN BISTRO
The menu continues to move towards more authentic Chinese fare, but I love Fushia for the best Chinese combination fried rice and beef with Chinese broccoli in our area.

23. OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
Jannah and I definitely enjoy the Victoria’s filet and the Alice Springs chicken, and I do think the bone-in natural cut ribeye is a good value for the money.

24. SUSHI CAFE
Up there with Sukhothai for the best sushi in our area, I also enjoy the soft shell crab appetizer, the kitchen-made hibachi fare and the tempura and ton katsu fried options.

25. OTB CAFE
Not only has the new location on BBD in Wesey Chapel added some new menu items, the addition of real bacon for breakfast has upped OTB’s stock with me a lot.

26. FRATELLI’S PIZZA & CAFE
This newcomer in the former Woody’s location in the Wesley Chapel Village Market features very good pizza and excellent penne with broccoli rabe and sausage.

27. GINZA
Our area has more than its fair share of value Japanese restaurants, but Ginza’s Mongolian beef, sushi and appetizers are all-you-can-eat for $12.95 during the week.

28. VALLARTA’S
Although some say the quality of the food isn’t the highest, Jannah and I can’t get enough of Vallarta’s chicken fajitas, which are better than the rest in our area.

29. HILTON GARDEN INN GARDEN GRILLE & BAR
It’s still pretty new, so I haven’t sampled all of the menu for breakfast or dinner yet, but the Pan Asian ribs and NY strip steak are both enough to keep me coming back.

30. KOIZI
Just a tad below Ginza for my tastes, I do enjoy the fact that the hibachi is cooked tableside and the even-lower-than-Ginza price of $10.95 for weekday lunch.

Rest of Top 50 Alphabetical

Arroy Thai -Great garlic & black pepper sauce!

Bonefish Grill-Two words: tuna sashimi!

Bonsai Sushi-Popular for sushi & Japanese fare

Bosco’s-Try the gator pizza & pasta

Capital Tacos-Tasty fajita salads

Culver’s-Good burgers, amazing frozen custard

FJ Expresss-New value-priced & tasty Japanese fare

Hibachi Express-Best prices for tasty hibachi!

Irish 31-Great salads & upscale pub grub

Lanna Thai-Really good food, great atmosphere

Minerva-Lamb kababs & Chinese-style fried rice

NY NY Pizza-Try the Grandma’s pizza!

Oakley’s Grille-Best burgers & now great meatballs

O’Brien’s Irish Pub-Burgers, tater tots & karaoke

Prost Kitchen & Bar-Best schnitzel & spaetzle

Texas Roadhouse-Good steaks, bad line dancing

Top Shelf-Great wings & sauteed veggies

Wolf’s Den-Inexpensive, good breakfast choice

Woodfired Pizza-Great pizza & salads (Bearss)

Yamato Japanese Rest.-Good hibachi fare

Gary’s Favorite NY Pizza

1. La Prima Pizza

2. NY NY Pizza

3. Amici Pizza

4. 900° Woodfired

5. Taste of NY

6. Best NY

7. Fratelli’s

8. Capri

9. Pizza Mania

10. Westshore

Gary’s Favorite Steak

1. Dempsey’s

2. Longhorn

3. Stonewood

4. Omari’s Grille

5. Outback

6. Kobe

7. Texas Roadhouse

8. Garden Grille

9. Yamato

10. Ginza

Gary’s Favorite Asian Fare

1. Sukhothai

2. Thai Ruby

3. Liang’s Bistro

4. Kobe

5. Fushia

6. Sushi Café

7. Ginza

8. Koizi

9. Yamato

10. Arroy Thai

Gary’s Favorite Burgers

1. Oakley’s Grill

2. Sonny’s BBQ

3. Stonewood

4. OTB Café

5. Bayscape Bistro

6. Top Shelf

7. Bahama Breeze

8. Grillsmith

9. Burger 21

10. Five Guys

Gary’s Favorite Pasta

1. Fratelli’s

2. Amici

3. Omari’s Grille

4. Little Italy’s

5. Bahama Breeze

6. Noble Crust

7. La Prima Pizza

8. Stonewood

9. Garden Grille

10. PizzaMania

Gary’s Fave Ice Cream/Yogurt

1. Bruster’s

2. Culver’s

3. Snowrolls

4. Twistee Treat

5. Cold Stone

6. Happy Cow

7. Batter & Dough

8. Baskin-Robbins

9. Menchie’s

10. Dairy Queen