The Lucky Dill Deli — A True NY Deli, But So Much More!

When Alex Mitow, the son of Kim Mitow, who first opened The Lucky Dill Deli in Palm Harbor way back in 1991, emailed to ask for advertising rates in the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, I’ll admit I was a little confused.

Why would a deli restaurant located in Palm Harbor (that I personally had visited many times over the past 31 years because it is a true New York-style deli) want to advertise itself to two communities located at least 45 minutes away?

During my most recent visit, Lucky Dill general manager Ron Garcia explained it this way to me:

“We know that pretty much everyone in  Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and even New Port Richey and Clearwater pretty much already knows who and where we are and what we serve,” Ron said. “But, our goal is to bring in and introduce a whole new group of customers to our ‘destination restaurant’ because we know that if they give us a try, they’ll keep coming back — and tell their friends about us.”

Ron, who has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality business himself, has been the GM at The Lucky Dill since 2020. He told me that it was important to him to maintain the family feel Kim and her family created with delicious, top-quality food and outstanding service. 

Kim and her children Jason, Tanya, and Alex, worked hard to bring the New York way of life, along with its commitment to top-notch food and great value, to Lucky Dill Palm Harbor. Over the years (according to its website), “Lucky Dill has been heralded as not only one of the best restaurants in Palms Harbor (it’s nominated again for that honor by Creative Loafing), but one of the top NYC delis in Florida. A loyal following of New York transplants…have grown to call Lucky Dill their home away from home.”

And, for good reason. It had been a couple of years since I had visited The Lucky Dill, but I was excited to give it another try, because it offers a few of my favorite New York deli items you really can’t find anywhere else near here, including real matzo ball soup and savory Jewish-style brisket of beef (not to be confused with BBQ brisket) with real au jus for dipping.

“We use real steamer trays and collect the brisket drippings to make the au jus,” Brian, the head bartender at Lucky Dill’s full liquor bar (with great craft cocktails) told me. We don’t use any of that canned or powdered crap other places use for their au jus.”

The menu at The Lucky Dill is huge, but the variety of deli sandwiches — with favorites like corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, turkey and even chopped liver — is definitely the star of the show. Those who like their sandwiches as big as their heads definitely should try one of the “skyscraper” options, like the Empire State Stacker (shown above, a nearly 9-inch-tall combo of corned beef, pastrami, turkey and roast beef with Swiss and provolone cheeses on marble rye). Lucky Dill even offers “old school” NY Deli Delights like tongue, silky smoked whitefish salad and “Nibbles & Noshes” like Gabila’s Coney Island knishes, Lower East latkes (potato pancakes) with sour cream and chunky applesauce and Hebrew National hot dogs.

But, in addition to those deli classics, The Lucky Dill also offers “A Taste Of Little Italy,” with favorites like clams casino pasta, chicken Alfredo and Vinny’s mozzarella stack. 

Breakfast, Bakery & More!

Breakfast at The Lucky Dill includes The Bagel Noshery, with classics like The New Yorker with Nova Scotia salmon, the BEC (Bacon, Egg & Cheese) deluxe, with thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs and chipotle apple aioli. 

There’s also a variety of bowls and toasts, like Awesome Avo + Egg toast and an Aussie Brekkie Bowl with poached egg, farro grains, fresh veggies, avocado, grilled halloumi cheese and pickled onions, as well as a variety of traditional egg and omelette dishes and “Bennies,” including the Brighton Beach Benny with smoked Nova Scotia salmon, wilted spinach, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce on an English muffin with a side of home fries. I’ve had the Bananas Foster French toast, which is literally to die for.

The Lucky Dill’s Brooklyn Bakery has a huge variety of cakes, pies (the peanut butter pie is decadent), cookies (including the best black & white cookies I’ve had outside of NYC) and a cannoli bar, where you can custom-design your cannolis with a variety of fillings and toppings. The Bakery counter also serves as The Lucky Dill’s to-go area.

The Lucky Dill also features The Ditch Plains Surf Bar, the first-of-its-kind in the Tampa Bay area. Serving up a slice of Hamptons sophistication in Palm Harbor, this new bar celebrates laid-back beach life with its own beachy menu and refined takes on fresh summery cocktails, quenching frosés and craft beers from New York breweries.

The Lucky Dill Deli (33180 US Hwy. 19, Palm Harbor) is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. For more info, call (727) 789-5574, visit LuckyDillDeli.com and join the email list and receive a $15 gift card emailed to you on your birthday. 

Is Proposed Recreation Center At Cross Creek Park A Slam Dunk?

Is the proposed recreation center at Cross Creek Park a slam dunk (preferably on an indoor basket in a potential air-conditioned facility!), as District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan hopes?

You would think so, considering the $8-million price tag and number of proposed amenities for what would be the first county-owned public indoor recreation center in New Tampa.

At the very least, it’s a three-point swish, according to online polling.

As the county proceeds on the new upgrades at Cross Creek Park, which is located next to Pride Elementary (at 19025 Bassett Creek Dr.), it continues to gauge support for the endeavor. 

The project would potentially include things like an indoor facility for basketball, volleyball and pickleball (as well as senior and adult programming), bathrooms and after-school and summer programs for children, a new shaded playground and upgraded outdoor basketball court, a splash pad, a walking trail and more.

Of the 179 responses filled out online, 84% of respondents said they were in favor of the upgrades at the park, 10% were opposed and 7% percent said they were undecided.

When it came to what amenities respondents were most interested in, 66% wanted an upgraded playground, 64% favored a recreation center with programming, 59% wanted a walking trail, 55% wanted a splash pad and 35% chose some of the other amenities.

One of the respondents wrote that they would like to see more of the wide-open field — which gets a lot of use by people playing soccer, cricket, flag football and flying kites — preserved, despite early renderings showing that much of it would be eliminated and replaced by a retention pond under the county’s plan.

A lot of commentors agreed and suggested that the pond could be moved across the street to replace two overgrown baseball fields that are almost never used.

Others loved the idea of upgrades, and chimed in with their own suggestions, most of them advocating for a skate park, dog park or tennis courts.

However, when the county held a public input meeting on Aug. 15 in the lunchroom at Pride Elementary, only five residents, including two couples, attended. Most of the questions at that meeting centered around preserving the park’s green space.

Pride principal Paulette English attended the meeting that night, and voiced her support. 

“I think it’s a very positive thing for the community and school as well,” English said. “It opens some after-school programs for kids that they don’t otherwise have access to, and having staff there will keep it a safer place for kids to be.”

English said that her school gets a lot of requests for after-school programs and club-type activities. The school offered a drama and tennis club this year “and it filled up just like that,” she said.

Pride has waiting lists of roughly 30 students for each of those clubs.

While Hagan said the online support for the rec center has been great, K-Bar Ranch resident Beth Bodai was one of the residents at an Aug. 22 community meeting in K-Bar Ranch attended by Hagan (story on pg. 4) who questioned whether the county would be able to handle a new park. Cross Creek Park has a dirt parking lot, overgrown baseball fields and no bathrooms, along with other issues.

“It sounds fantastic, but who will maintain it, because you haven’t maintained what you have now,” Bodai said. 

Bodai also said that the park is often called the “Forgotten Park” by residents. She cited the dirt parking lot and lack of lighting at night, leading to a number of cars parking in the unpatrolled lot after dark, the porta-potties being turned over numerous times every weekend, and the playground equipment being too hot, due to a lack of shade, so that it can’t be used. “And the (baseball) fields are a disgrace,” she said.

Hagan explained that the county would maintain the upgraded park, at a cost of roughly $100,000 a year, and would employ full-time attendants. 

He even said he would look into having the parking lot lights installed now.

However, another resident in attendance at the K-Bar Ranch meeting expressed concern the park would end up being a burden to taxpayers. And Bodai, who said she hopes the park is everything Hagan says it will be, is still a skeptic.

Hagan promised it would be a facility that K-Bar Ranch (a City of Tampa development) and the rest of New Tampa would be proud of. “I can tell you, If NT doesn’t want this facility, I promise you there are a million other communities that will,” he said.

Regardless of whether Cross Creek Park gets upgraded, the traffic and road study that comes with the planning could result in the kind of positive change that those who drive in the area have been seeking. Many of those who participated in the online forum (see next pg.) said the area’s already tangled transportation woes prevented them from fully supporting the new park. 

If Hagan wants his slam dunk, that will have to be an issue that gets resolved in conjunction with a new rec center.

“And we understand that,” he says. “We’re taking a close look at everything.”

LOCALS CHIME IN
Here are some of the online comments submitted for local (presumably) residents on what they think of the new upgrades proposed for Cross Creek Park, and what other things they would like to see at the park.

It would be great for the gym to have pickleball courts. Adding lights to the basketball courts would also be a plus, as a lot of kids play basketball there in the evenings. For being a little park it gets a lot of use. (Would) love to see these improvements going in.

New Tampa desperately needs public tennis courts and public soccer fields (doesn’t have to be regulation size). Benito soccer fields are under lock and key by the Chargers program and not available for public use.

There are no public tennis courts in this area. Need one in this park.

Please add a skate park!!

I think this is a brilliant plan! This is a major community that needs these improvements. The splash pad intrigues me the most. Considering we live in the Sunshine State, there aren’t many places to cool down for kids. I also agree with everyone on an updated playground with shade!

Park definitely needs an update. Splash pad would be great for those hot summers. None nearby.

Love this idea! The current playground is run down, it needs an upgrade as it’s used daily (by) neighborhood kids. An adjacent splash pad seems like a great idea, too, as those are popular in many other communities across Tampa. The area is in desperate need of lighting also.

I would like to see a dog park, and obviously more covered picnic tables with bathroom facilities

Many people use the extensive field space currently for field sports such as ultimate frisbee, football, soccer, cricket, baseball, kickball, and others. It appears that the proposed plan will cut down on field space to the point that field sports will not have enough space to be played. As a hub for local kids playing sports, this field space is particularly important as it is the only park with this space in the area. 

Shaded play area is needed

Paved parking lot and shaded areas.

Why would we need additional basket ball courts while we have two existing courts?

Tennis court and a leveled kickball field

The parking lot needs to be paved and there needs to be restrooms. Shaded play area. Litter pick up not just trash can pickup because people can’t put trash in trash cans.

Please add more trees

The roadway is already too crowded by the park. Consideration would need to be taken if any changes are to be made, to deal with additional traffic.

The traffic by this area is already too much. This will cause too much congestion and people who live in Basset Creek will (have) too much traffic traveling in and out of their home area.

Please preserve the open field space at Cross Creek Park. Numerous individuals and organized groups regularly use the space for games and training. Move the retention pond, parking lot, and building across the street. 

This “improvement” is a terrible idea. The park is already amazing and I use it all the time with my friends. We love the large field that we can play any sport on, as well as exercise. Sprint workouts, football, frisbee, kickball, baseball and many other sports are only possible because of these fields. You cannot play on a small field, rec center, or retention pond.

Paint the basketball courts so it’s smoother and not the basic concrete.

This is a great plan to upgrade the park. It does look very old.

Traffic is high speed through there, and there’s already school traffic. Plus additional traffic from current development in KBar 3 and 4. People currently can take their dogs there to exercise, and it would limit the park to children’s use primarily. There’s already a city park being developed in KBar and Mistflower (?) for kids.



‘Dr. Rosh’ Celebrates A Year Of Helping Patients Look & Feel Better 

(L.-r.) Lisa Fahey (front desk and insurance specialist), Dr. Roshni-Ranjit Reeves and Susan Gregor (lead ophthalmic technician and first assistant) work together to help you not only see better, but look better as well. (Photos: Charmaine George)

It’s been one year since Dr. Roshni Ranjit-Reeves officially opened her Oculofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Institute on S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets.

“Dr. Rosh,” as her patients call her, says her practice is growing, as people discover the benefits of coming to her for cosmetic services to improve the look of their eyes, faces, and skin.

“It’s aesthetics, but it’s also functional,” Dr. Rosh says. “I want to help people see better and feel better, too.”

Some patients receive insurance-based services, typically after being referred to Dr. Rosh by their primary care doctor or dermatologist. For example, some patients need surgery or treatment to restore the function of their eyes, for conditions such as droopy lids, eyelid malposition, thyroid eye disease, tear duct surgery or reconstruction after cancer surgery.

Others receive aesthetic treatments, such as lower lid surgery, laser skin resurfacing, ear lobe repairs, upper lip lifts, photofacials and laser peels.

Dr. Rosh, who recently was named a “Best of the Best” Cosmetic Surgeon in Tampa Bay, Gold Award winner, by the Tampa Bay Times, says that even functional surgeries often result in patients not only being able to see better and feel better, but also have a nice aesthetic look when they are done.

“The functional and cosmetic sides blend together a lot,” says Dr. Rosh, “like, if patients do upper lid surgery through their insurance but then decide they want lower lid and skin resurfacing, too.”

She says her cosmetic patients typically also want to look refreshed — or like a better version of themselves — but not change how they look.

“I feel like the word has gotten out,” she says. “We’re doing surgeries in our office that people are happy with in terms of speedy recovery, less downtime and it’s easier to come in and get picked up when there’s none of the stress involved with going to the hospital.”

Dr. Rosh has received outstanding reviews for her non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as BotoxÂź treatments, and she is happy to help her patients look and feel their best.

She says she continues to get great reviews on the surgeries she does with her “magic wand,” a carbon dioxide laser that she says makes very precise incisions, which helps minimize both bleeding and recovery time.

The procedure she performs most often removes excess fat from under the eyes, and she typically adds laser skin resurfacing to remove fine lines. 

“When we’re doing surgery in the office, patients can look at it right when we’re done,” she explains. “We sit them up and show them the mirror and their eyelids are lifted, the bags are gone, and the skin looks great.”

And, she adds, “Most surgical patients can drive in around three days and may be bruised or swollen for 1-2 weeks. And, most of the swelling resolves within a month.”

While surgery volume has picked up, so have patients coming in for non-surgical treatment options, such as photofacials, which require no downtime, and help to get rid of red and brown spots or patches on the skin, including helping patients with rosacea.

She says that at this time of year, people want to have a nice glow for the holidays without any down time. Her established patients often don’t see her over the summer while they’re busy traveling, which she says is fine as long as they are wearing sunscreen, using antioxidants to protect from UV damage and on a good medical-grade skincare routine. 

“Then, they come in during the fall and let me laser away any sun damage from the summer,” Dr. Rosh says.

The week of August 15-19, Dr. Rosh will have a special camera in her office to look at blemishes, damage from the sun and ultraviolet light, and redness under the skin at a microscopic level.

“There’s a double mirror, so the patient and I can both see the same thing,” Dr. Rosh says. “It’s a nice way of looking at the skin in an objective way at a microscopic level and then, we can tailor our plans accordingly.”

She says any new or established patients who make an appointment with her the week of August 15-19 will be able to have Dr. Rosh look at their skin through the camera. 

About Dr. Rosh

Dr. Rosh came home to the Tampa Bay area with her husband, Dr. Corey Reeves, and their baby daughter after completing a fellowship and practicing at Duke University in Durham, NC. Now, their daughter is a toddler and the couple has a baby boy on the way.

She says she’ll take a few weeks off this fall, so her schedule is very full leading up to her maternity leave, and her intention is to start performing surgeries again in October.

Dr. Rosh earned her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Anthropology and Biomedical Sciences from USF.

She then completed her ophthalmology residency at the USF Eye Institute and an oculofacial and reconstructive fellowship at the Duke Eye Center. She is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Great Results

Lupi Butler attended the Grand Opening of Dr. Rosh’s office last year. She had been thinking about having a procedure done on her eyes and even had consultations with specialists, but hadn’t found the right doctor yet.

However, that changed when she met Dr. Rosh. “She made me feel so comfortable,” Lupi says. “I knew right away I wanted her to be my doctor.”

Last September, Lupi had a procedure to lift her upper and lower eyelids.

“I was so happy with Dr. Rosh,” she says. “I got the results I was looking for, but not only that, her people skills also are amazing. She’s just such a kind, caring, fair and honest individual.”

Lupi also appreciates that Dr. Rosh makes herself available to her patients.

“She basically held my hand the whole recovery. Every time I have something that concerns me, like a little bump on my eye, she says, ‘come see me.’ It ends up being nothing, but she takes care of me.”

Lupi says she recommends Dr. Rosh to all of her friends.

“I’ve always worked out and I’m in good shape,” says Lupi, “but age is something that nowadays you have the opportunity to have some help with, so hey, why not?”

Dr. Roshni Ranjit-Reeves’ Oculofacial Surgery & Cosmetic Institute is located in the same building as the Medi-Weightloss Center at 24420 S.R. 54 in Lutz. For appointments and more information, including current specials, see the ad on page 30, call (813) 303-0123 or visit DoctorRosh.com. 

Road Closure Coming This Week

Morris Bridge Rd. at the S.R. 54 intersection will be closed for five days beginning Thursday.

An around-the-clock detour of Morris Bridge Rd is scheduled to begin after 12 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, and be active until Thursday, Sept. 22, as long as the weather doesn’t get in the way and delay construction crews trying to do their work.

Drivers can follow the detour signs along S.R. 54, U.S. 301, S.R. 56 and Morris Bridge Rd.

This closure/detour is necessary for the Cone & Graham construction company to reconstruct the southern side of the intersection of Morris Bridge Rd. and S.R. 54 as part of the $42.8-million S.R. 54 widening project, which is adding two lanes with medians to the previous two-lane road running from east of Curley Rd. to east of Morris Bridge Rd. 

For more information on the project, which is expected to be completed sometime late next year, visit HERE.

Calling All Foodies! It’s Time For the 2022 Reader Survey!

For you oldtimers out there, it doesn’t seem that long ago that the debate over who had the best food in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel came down to the ABC Pizza on S.R. 54 and the gas station in front of Pebble Creek (Spoiler alert: It was the ABC Pizza).

Now, the choices for good food in both of our distribution areas are seemingly endless. CLICK HERE FOR THIS YEAR’S FOOD SURVEY.

In fact, in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa alone, there are close to 200 restaurants, and pretty much everything is covered, except for maybe Vietnamese, although a quality full-on Vietnamese restaurant is going to be opening soon just south of County Line Rd. (scoop alert!).

Otherwise, if you have a hankering for something, there are multiple places to satisfy your cravings.

But, to determine what the best places are (or, at least, your favorite places), we need your help. Any Reader Survey is only as good as, well, its readers. So whattya say? Take a few seconds and fill this out.

There may be a few more categories this year than usual, but we think we’ve actually made it simpler for you — just type in your favorite choices, although we do ask that your rank your favorite three restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel overall. Of course, if you see this in your copy of the Neighborhood News, and throw it in an envelope and mail it to us.

Heck, if you prefer writing it out, you can take a picture of your ballot once you fill it in and even email it to john@ntneighborhoodnews.com.

We even have prizes for a few of the lucky ones that do!

We — and the local eateries — do truly appreciate your participation. 

So, what’s different this year? 

Well, we’ve added a “Best Dish” category, because sometimes, that’s the reason you’re going to a certain restaurant. Maybe the place isn’t your favorite overall, but the spaghetti and meatballs are simply to die for. Some restaurants just do one thing better than anyone else, so fill us in!

We’ve also added a “Favorite Appetizer” category because it can make or break a dining experience. These days, mozzarella sticks and loaded potato skins simply aren’t enough. Restaurants are really putting some serious effort into their pre-meal offerings. And really, who hasn’t ordered nothing more than an appetizer (or two) as their meal?

We’ve also added a Covid-19-inspired category — “Best Coffee Shop,” because a lot of us work out of a coffee shop these days.

We’ve also added “Best KRATE at The Grove,” because, well, duh! While you can certainly vote for any of the container restaurants in any other category, we decided that the container park really needed its own category. Plus, we’re curious to see how this one will turn out.

We decided to split the dessert categories into “Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt (FroYo)/Gelato” and “Best Bakery” sweets, and added a “Best Fried Chicken/Wings” category, given “Best Indian Food” and “Best Latin (Other Than Mexican)” their own categories for the first time, added “Best Breakfast/Brunch” and brought back the “Best Burger” category.

And, with the exception of the KRATEs, any of your favorites can be in New Tampa (zip code 33647, as well as in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. in 33613) or Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545, as well as 33559, which is technically Lutz, but it allows you to include picks near the Tampa Premium Outlets, since so many locals love so many of those places to eat). 

We think we have everything covered this time around. While it might be a little more work for you than when we gave you the names of pretty much every restaurant in our distribution areas, our goal was to present enough choices so that this year’s Reader’s Survey would present the most complete and accurate snapshot of your views of the dining experience in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa. 

Now, it’s your turn. Thanks in advance for entering, which, one more time, you can do by CLICKING HERE. — JCC & GN