A CELEBRATION OF FOOD!

Thanks to delicious steaks like this, Stonewood Grill & Tavern is New Tampa’s favorite restaurant again.

There isn’t anyone alive today who hasn’t been touched by Covid-19 in one way or another. Restaurants, however, were more than touched. They have practically been strangled.

This year has been arguably the hardest on the hospitality industry in American history, thanks to the pandemic that has been a living nightmare and is likely to have long-lasting effects.

Locally, as the novel coronavirus spread through the state, restaurants were closed in the spring for more than a month. Employees lost their jobs. Owners had to pivot to a takeout model for survival, and the community rallied around many of them. Facebook pages implored their communities to place orders and help local eatery owners stay afloat.

But, even as restaurants, and finally bars, reopened, tables inside remained empty. The fear is real. Covid-19 is still in full (or is it fuller?) swing, businesses in virtually every industry — but especially restaurants — still haven’t bounced all the way back, and the road to full recovery is a long one.

Cali – Tampa Palms is always among New Tampa’s top 5 favorites.

So this year, it’s our hope that our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest results will serve as a celebration of food and drink, and of all of our readers’ favorite places in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

The number of you who took part in the survey this year was less than half of those who entered last year, although a lot of that probably can be attributed to the fact that we didn’t spend nearly as much time in restaurants and bars in 2020 as we have in previous years.

But nonetheless, more than 100 restaurants and bars in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area received votes in one category or another.

In the favorite restaurant category, 99 restaurants in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa received votes. More than 25 Asian restaurants were selected as the favorite by readers, 26 restaurants offering sweets like cake, ice cream and drinks were chosen, and more 30 different pizza places — yes, 30! — received votes. That is a lot of choices, people. And clearly, you do have your favorites.

Let’s start with the top 20 Restaurants in New Tampa as chosen by our readers.

1 — STONE GRILL & TAVERN
Stonewood Grill & Tavern in Tampa Palms has been either the #1 or #2 favorite restaurant in New Tampa every year since it opened and this year was no exception under new managing partner Matt Passardi.

For anyone who has never tried Stonewood, it combines fresh fish and seafood, perhaps the best variety of hand-cut steaks of any restaurant in either of our distribution areas (Longhorn and Outback are the only ones even close), and the addition of lunch a couple of years ago definitely enhanced its standing as New Tampa’s favorite place for a great, more-upscale meal out, whether for lunch, dinner or even Sunday brunch.

Yes, Stonewood now offers “bottomless bubbles” (for just $12 per person), along with unique brunch items like a crab cake or prime rib “Benny,” creme brulée French toast and shrimp and grits on Sundays, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

And yes, Stonewood may also have New Tampa’s favorite upscale bar scene, even though it didn’t make the top-10 in this year’s Survey.  

2 — Cali-Tampa Palms (nee Ciccio Cali)
The name has changed, but Cali was the first to bring “bowl culture” to New Tampa and still has some of the best wrap sandwiches, stir-fry dishes and thin-crust pizzas in our area.

3 — Mr. Dunderbak’s
While it may have originally been located in the University Mall, Mr. Dunderbak’s has been New Tampa’s favorite German eatery since its move more than a decade ago to the Oak Ramble plaza south of Tampa Palms. 

4 — The Fat Rabbit
Although it has only been open for a few years in Tampa Palms, The Fat Rabbit has made its mark on not only our readers but our staff as well — especially since it added a fresh catch entrée to its more upscale sports bar fare (amazing wings & burgers, and don’t forget the side of tater tots!). 

5 — Liang’s Bistro
Liang’s Bistro has been among the top-10 in New Tampa with our readers every year since it opened and continues to be your favorite Asian restaurant in our area — for good reason. Our faves are the NY-style appetizers. 

Chuck Lager A Delicious Improvement

The third-ever Chuck Lager America’s Tavern to open in the U.S. is now open and serving up deliciousness in the former Primebar location in the Shops at Wiregrass.

Although there has definitely been a lot of remodeling done inside, the more important thing is that the food at Chuck Lager’s (2001 Piazza Ave.), which features a menu created by celebrity TV chef Fabio Viviani, is significantly better than anything we ever had at Primebar, no matter how many times that menu was changed.

  • fig & prosciutto flatbread
  • meatballs in deliciously creamy polenta
  • French onion burger
  • bourbon & rye flights.
  • chicken parmesan
  • sautéed broccolini
  • grilled flat iron steak & fries

Our favorite dishes after just a couple of visits include the Fabio’s meatballs, which sit in deliciously creamy polenta, the unique fig & prosciutto flatbread, the crispy but tender chicken parmesan, the grilled flat iron steak frites and the perfectly sautéed broccolini.

Chuck Lager opens at 3 p.m. every day and has cool drink specials like cotton candy cosmos & bourbon & rye “flights.”

Call (813) 820-4500 or visit ChuckLager.com. — GN

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.

Nibbles and Bytes!

Two New Soft Serve Ice Cream Shops Now Open

New Tampa has recently added two new soft-serve ice cream shops — Mr. Penguin, which is located at 18089 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy., between Michaels and Pure Barre in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve Plaza; and Sprinkles Ice Cream (photo, right) located in the same Mobil gas station building as the recently relocated Saffron Indian Cuisine and Deano’s Pizza & Pasta (formerly Hawkeye’s NYS Pizza) at 10865 Cross Creek Blvd.

Mr. Penguin, which also has a South Tampa location, has your basic vanilla and chocolate (or swirl both) ice cream flavors, but I’m interested to see how they combine soft-serve with any of about two dozen Italian ice flavors (including some unique ones, like sugar-free cotton candy, green tea and sour apple) in what they call “gelati” (not to be confused with “gelato”). For more information, visit MrPenguinIce.com or call (813) 252-7625.

Meanwhile, Sprinkles is a tiny little, not-sit-down place featuring vanilla, chocolate and swirl soft serve ice cream, plus delicious shakes (Reese’s and Nutella are among the flavors), smoothies (try the strawberry mango), slushies (watermelon, fruit punch and more), plus healthy additions like chia or flax seed, protein powder, carrot and spinach. 

Original Saffron Owners Reopen In New Location!

For those who were confused as to why the original Saffron in the Cross Creek Center plaza became Saffron Palace (which is now closed), original Saffron Indian Cuisine owners Sunita and Nimesh Chheda say the important thing is that New Tampa’s original Indian restaurant is back in business. 

Try the soups and other quick, hot foods to go, from vegetable samosas to chicken tikka masala. Although there are a couple of tables inside, this is not the old sit-down-dining Saffron, but Nimesh promises me that my favorite lamb chops in New Tampa  are back.

For more info, call (813) 600-3315 or visit SaffronIndianCuisineTampa.com. 

Check Out The Juice Factory!

Are you trying to eat and drink a little cleaner? You definitely should check out the Juice Factory, located next to Five Guys Burgers & Fries at 6431 E. County Line Rd.

This unique mom-and-pop (photo on previous page) is actually owned by four brothers, and has a huge selection of healthy juices (you also can create your own — they have virtually every fruit and vegetable available), plus two dozen different boosters (even echinacea) and shots (from ginger to turmeric), plus smoothies, bowls, salads, wraps and even six kinds of healthy toast, with breakfast coming soon! For more info, visit JuiceFactory.net or call (813) 345-8884.

Island Fin Poké Co. Coming Soon!

If you’ve been waiting to hope on the Hawaiian-and Caribbean-style poké bowl craze, or you’ve already gotten excited about the poke restaurant coming to the Villages at Hunter’s Lake plaza (next to the under-construction Sprouts Farmers Market), you won’t have to wait a year or more — because Island Fin Poké Company, which has existing locations in Worcester, MA, and in Winter Springs, FL, with more central Florida and other new locations coming soon, is expected to be open at 6417 County Line Rd. (between Winn-Dixie and Ginza, across from Juice Factory) by the end of October.

Franchise owners and long-time New Tampa residents Brenda and Jeff Sproat (I coached against him in Little League between 10- 15 years ago) promise that once you’ve created your own poké bowl at Island Fin, you may never want to visit another poké place.

I’m definitely looking forward to trying both the ahi and spicy ahi tuna and the chicken bowls…and to catching up with the Sproats.

For more information, visit IslandFinPoke.com. — GN