I don’t know how they did it so fast, but the former Beef O’Brady’s located at 1660 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza in Wesley Chapel, has reopened (only about four months after Beef’s closed) as Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, a small (30 units in 13 U.S. states and Canada) chain of “IndoChinese Fusion” restaurants, with an existing Florida location in Orlando.
All I can tell you after two quick visits to my new friends Mohan and Suresh’s new restaurant is that it no longer looks anything like Beef’s (it’s actually quite elegant), has a beautiful full-liquor bar (with at least ten beers on tap and many others in bottles) and absolutely everything I’ve sampled so far has been en pointe.
My favorite Indian dishes so far are the fried momo dumplings (I had them with chicken, photo left; they’re also available in veggie and with paneer, or Indian cheese, and steamed); the “Toothpick lamb,” which is skewered chunks of lamb with mild rendang curry sauce, bite-size potato cubes, green onion, curry leaves and chili peppers; and my current favorite hakka noodles (thin eggless noodles, shredded vegetables, Napa cabbage and celery) with chicken (top photo).
Other Indian dishes recommended by friends of mine who also happened to be visiting the new Inchin’s are the garlic naan bread and the “Chicken 65” (with curry leaf, bell peppers, onion, dry red chili & cumin).
Considering that most Chinese restaurants in Wesley Chapel are take-out only, you also have to sample some of Inchin’s Chinese dishes. My faves to date include the crunchy veggie spring rolls, the crispy chili baby corns (bite-sized pieces of baby corn, deep fried with onion and green chilis) and the delicious Mongolian beef (above left), sautéed with onions and served on a bed of crispy rice noodles. It also was served with a side of white rice but I definitely plan to try it with one of Inchin’s four different fried rice options — burnt garlic chili (which sounds amazing), spicy Thai basil, Szechwan-style and just “regular” fried rice. You can get any of these with veggies, chicken, shrimp or “mixed” (with chicken, lamb and shrimp).
Other Chinese-style entrées include Manchurian, Szechwan, hot garlic, chili, extra-spicy Szechwan peppercorn and AK 47 (with ghost pepper sauce, described on the menu as “dangerously spicy”) dishes. I’ve also been told I need to try Inchin’s version of Chinese “Hot Pot,” which is described on the menu as “numbing.” Many of these entrées are available with vegetable “coins,” cauliflower, tofu, paneer, chicken, lamb, beef or shrimp.
I’ve also yet to sample any of the soups or any other starters, so you can rest assured that Jannah and I will be visiting Inchin’s Bamboo Garden again in the future — and soon!
Inchin’s Bamboo Garden is open every day for lunch (11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.) & dinner (5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. daily, except Sun. until 10). It closes daily between 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m. For more information, call (813) 388-2818 or visit Bamboo-Gardens.com. And, please tell Mohan and Suresh I sent you! — GN
Yes, we know it’s been a few weeks but because of our once-every-four-weeks print schedule, the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC)’s 2024 Wesley Chapel Fall Festival & Carnival was held the weekend of Oct. 26-27, which was the weekend after we went to press with our Oct. 29 issue, so this is our first opportunity to show you some of the scenes from that always-fun 20th annual event.
Held again at the Tampa Premium Outlets and benefiting the NTBC’s Foundation, a record 7,500 patrons raised a record amount of money and enjoyed carnival and pony rides, live entertainment, food trucks and vendors and of course, a great costume contest. For more info, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.
(Above, l.-r.) Dillon, Jessica, Zak, Stacey, Santo & Jaden of Wesley Chapel Title . (Photo provided by Stacey Arey)
When Stacey Arey, the owner of Wesley Chapel Title in the Canterbury Professional Park on S.R. 54, walks into the office, she’s surrounded by not just a group of co-workers who feel like family, but also her actual family.
Her husband, Zak, is a closer. Her son Dillon is working towards becoming a licensed title agent. Her daughter-in-law and Dillon’s wife, Jessica, is a processor. Her son Jaden is newer to the business but also is a licensed title agent.
Then there are “the two Michelles,” Michelle Warden and Michelle Peterson. Both are licensed title agents and closers, as well as escrow officers, who have been in the industry for more than 20 years.
“I feel blessed that I have incredible people who work for me,” Stacey says. “This business is complicated and there are a lot of bases to cover, so you have to have people who are excellent, detail oriented, focused on customer service and do a great job.”
Stacey says that’s what sets her business apart from her competition. Not only does everyone on her team handle each file meticulously, they also provide excellent service. Customers can expect that all of their questions will be answered and they will be kept in the loop along the way, as they go from signing a contract to the day of closing.
Whether you are buying or selling a home, a title company ensures there are no issues that would impede the transfer of the home from one person to the other. It provides an insurance policy to make sure you have a clean and clear title that protects your investment for as long as you own your property.
Wesley Chapel Title’s insurance policies are underwritten by First American Title Insurance Company, which Stacey says is the best in the industry. It gives her access to professionals who have helped her learn the details of the business since she first established the company four years ago and continues to provide ongoing support.
She says there are 150 things that have to be done to close a single file, which is why some title companies are overwhelmed and don’t have time to communicate well with their customers, but Stacey and her team make it a priority.
“Most people don’t understand how this process works,” Stacey says. “I spend a lot of time educating people. I’m always happy to take my time and walk them through it.”
The title company handles the actual closing of the property and signing of documents to complete the sale.
Wesley Chapel Title can send a Notary Public to close anywhere someone might be, whether that’s on a business trip in a foreign country or a coffee shop that’s convenient to their work.
“People really take advantage of closing at McDonald’s or Starbucks, but I like to roll out the red carpet when they come into the office,” she says.
For many people, this is the largest purchase they will ever make in their lifetimes.
“They’re excited, so we don’t rush them in and out,” Stacey says. “We have photo opportunities, like with our ‘Home, Sweet Home’ sign for new homeowners, and a baking station with cookies.”
Helping Realtors® & Their Clients
Realtor® Lisa Albino-Contreras has worked with Stacey and her team since Wesley Chapel Title first opened four years ago. As the managing Broker at Realty One Group Epic in San Antonio, she works with many title companies, but she says if she had her way, all of her clients would close at Wesley Chapel Title.
“Stacey and her team are always accessible,” Lisa explains. “She goes above and beyond to facilitate anything that is in her control. If I need an answer, she’ll find it and get right back to me.”
Lisa says Wesley Chapel Title also is the only agency that gives a gift to her clients when they close. “I think that speaks volumes,” says Lisa. “She comes in and offers her congratulations with a gift. To some it may not mean much, but I think that level of care makes my clients feel great and adds to their special day.”
Stacey says she works hard to make sure Lisa and other real estate agents want to work with her, from always providing her signature excellent customer service to offering them perks that come from her affiliation with First American Title.
For example, Wesley Chapel Title offers real estate agents a platform where they can create a “Net Sheet” for their clients right from their mobile device, showing a potential seller the bottom line of what they will make on the sale of their home.
Agents who are registered with her also can use a “Print Pro” program that allows them to print out anything they need, including paperwork, fliers, folders, or business cards at extremely low prices, such as documents for five cents each. Printed items are then delivered to the agent.
In addition, both agents and clients benefit from the secure platform used by Wesley Chapel Title called Qualia, which provides a single portal where every document from a transaction is stored, which helps to reduce the risk of fraud.
“People hack into emails and change wire instructions,” Stacey explains, which would cause money to go into a thief’s account instead of the seller’s. “It happens quite frequently, so we have another safeguard.”
Qualia also streamlines the process so that all parties have access to the documents they need in one place, so nothing is lost in an email chain and no one has to scramble to figure out where to find important information.
“With every transaction, we work with a buyer, seller, lender, mortgage broker, listing agent, buying agent, and all of these many points of contact,” Stacey explains. “They can all see the documents they need access to from their dashboards.”
Stacey, her family, and staff are committed to ensuring they have the tools in place and provide the education needed so that everyone who closes with them will have a good experience.
“Closings are always smooth,” says Lisa. “Stacey is always available, she’s a pleasant person to deal with and very knowledgeable.”
Wesley Chapel Title is located at 5857 Algerian Dr., Suite 101. It’s open Monday- Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and by appointment on weekends. For more information, visit WesleyChapel-Title.com or call (813) 993-5222.
As we told you in this issue (as well as months ago in a previous issue), the cookie chain known as Cookie Plug (photo below left) is coming to the space in The Grove at Wesley Chapel next to the Ice Dreammm Shop — which, by the way, also sells cookies and was named one of our readers’ five Favorite Bakeries (as well as their second favorite ice cream shop) in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.
Although we didn’t know, at our press time, when this young chain which claims to serve, “The fattest and thiccest cookies on the block” was expected to open, Cookie Plug, founded in 2019, today has 30 locations in 13 states (with the only Florida location in Ft. Myers), but according to CookiePlug.com, is planning to add more than 100 new locations, including more than 30 in the Sunshine State — ten in Tampa (including New Tampa), 15 in Orlando, five in Miami and this one in Wesley Chapel — over the next year or so.
I will say that Cookie Plug has its work cut out for it if it plans to serve fatter cookies than what you can get at the new Mo Cookies, which opened in the KRATE at The Grove container park (in the former location of Urban Sweets, which I hated to see close), just before we went to press with this issue.
Mo Cookies, which has an original location in Tallahassee, offers 20+ varieties of freshly baked cookies in four categories — “Standards,” which are thinner and cost $2.99 apiece (and are in the bottom row in the top photo); “Premiums” (which are thicker cookies served with toppings; top two rows); “Signatures” (3rd row from the top), which are “extra large, extra gooey” and cost $4.99 apiece; and “Grab N Go,” which cost $3.49 apiece (and aren’t shown in the picture), although there are “Pack” discounts on all of these options, too. Mo Cookies also offers your favorite cookies as a “MoZookie,” topped with vanilla ice cream.
With varieties like “S’mores,” “Freshman 15” and “Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter” (the latter is my current favorite), it seems pretty likely that Mo Cookies is going to develop a local following, too. To order, call (813) 345-8059 or visit Order.Online or stop in & tell them I sent you!
Tous Les Jours Coming To S.R. 56!
Although New Tampa has now had its own Tous les Jours French-style Korean bakery inside the Lotte Plaza Market on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. for a little more than a year, many people who live in Wesley Chapel are happy that Tous les Jours has announced (with signage on the doors; photo above) that it is taking over the space previously occupied by Capital Tacos on S.R. 56. Although we had no information at our press time as to when the new Tous les Jours was expected to open, the fact that this international brand, with more than 1,600 locations worldwide (and 130+ in the U.S.), will bring its unique and huge selection of breads, pastries, pies, coffee, tea and blended drinks to Wesley Chapel will surely be a welcome addition.
The Geeky Ferret is a new hobby store located in the Freedom Plaza at 30044 S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel (next to the former location of Grey Wolf Armory in the plaza).
Geeky Ferret, which opened in Sept., offers Role-Playing Games (RPGs) such as Dungeons & Dragons, Collectible Card Games (CCGs) like Pokemon, Miniature games like Warhammer, Board games, Plastic Models (above), as well as paints and all the trimming to finish your models and miniatures. The store also has gaming tables for people to gather and play their games; one of them is configured for podcasting/streaming to the internet.
The store also sells geeky snacks and drinks for those long play sessions. With multiple 3D resin and filament printers in the store, the Geeky Ferret offers custom 3D-printed miniatures and other game-related products. Owner Nicole Webb says that the store will be expanding into the former Grey Wolf location (above, left) in its Phase Two, which will include radio-control products. For more information, stop in or call (813) 694-7997.
Neverland Toys & Krane Open AtThe KRATEs
While several of the restaurants have done pretty been well at the KRATE at The Grove, there’s no doubt it’s been tougher sledding for retailers at the container park.
One of the newest retail stores to open at the KRATEs is Neverland Toys, which has been open less than two months next to the Garden of Eden olive oil store. Although correctly billed as “Barbie Heaven” (photo right), it also is a great place for a large variety of Marvel and DC Comics action figures, Hot Wheels cars and trucks and games and toys for younger kids. Jannah and I found great gifts for all of our grandchildren, who range in age from toddlers through age 5.
For more information about Neverland Toys, search@never.land.toys on Instagram or “Neverland Toys”on Facebook.
Speaking of kids, if your kids love to try to grab toys and other prizes at those funky machines at fairs and arcades , the KRATEs now offer Krane, an unmanned arcade with about a dozen different machines, each with a different variety of toys and prizes, from Pikachu and other Pokemon to Hello Kitty items that the kids can pick up by operating a crane (or “The Claw” from the movie “Toy Story”). —GN
