Nibbles and Bytes!

Orchid Thai Is Now Palm Thai!

If you love great Thai food like I do, check out my new friends Tammy (a Tampa General Hospital Registered Nurse) and her husband Michael (an engineer) at the new Palm Thai, which opened recently in the space previously occupied by Orchid Thai in the same Shoppes at The Pointe plaza as Ciccio Cali and Koizi in Tampa Palms.

Palm Thai’s lunch is one of the best deals in town, as my pork with garlic and black pepper sauce (above, left) came with a delicious spring roll, chicken soup and salad, for less than $10! Palm Thai wasn’t open in time for my 2017 “Gary’s Favorites,” but if its crispy duck measures up, it surely will make my list next year!

For more info about Palm Thai (17022 Palm Pointe Dr.), call (813) 252-3534, visit PalmThaiTampa.com, or see the ad & 10%-off coupon on pg. 40 of our latest New Tampa issue!

Oakley’s Grille Sold!

Those of us who have loved the hamburgers and sandwiches at Oakley’s Grille — located at 17631 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (next to Supercuts) — since it opened in 2011 — will be happy to learn that even though owner Keith Oakley recently sold his popular burger-and-sandwich restaurant, everything about the place is expected to remain the same under its new ownership, at least for the foreseeable future.

Oakley’s Grille, which has received first place burger and/or sandwich honors from yours truly every year since it opened, was purchased by first-time restaurateurs Heather Woodall and Ladesha Stoudemire, who are excited about their new venture.

“We heard Oakley’s was for sale through a business broker, who took us there for lunch,” Heather says. “And, we just loved the quality of the food, the way the staff knew and treated the customers and the entire operation. It was a no-brainer for us.”

Heather and Ladesha agree that while they might try to add menu items in the future — by customer demand — they promise the same amazing burgers (above, center), fries and sandwiches done the same way by the same people.

For more info about Oakley’s Grille (17631 BBD), call (813) 523-5075 or visit OakleysGrille.com.

And, if you mention this write-up when you order, you can buy one ribeye or chicken Philly sandwich with fries and a beverage and receive a second Philly sandwich of equal or lesser value FREE with the purchase of fries and a beverage. And, please tell Heather, Ladesha and their crew that the Neighborhood News sent you.

Prost Kitchen & Bar Opens

In another one of those locations that has seen a progression of restaurants come and go, the German-inspired Prost Kitchen & Bar has opened  in the space most recently occupied by Big Papa’s Pit in the Palms Connection plaza at 2802 E. Bearss Ave., just west of BBD.

The space was first home to Garofalo’s Pizza more than two decades ago and also has been a Beef O’Brady’s and one or two other places I can’t remember.

Prost, with its 20 craft beers on tap and full-liquor bar, already has been packed for Sunday brunch, but I really enjoyed not only the super-crispy, but moist inside Jagerschnitzel pictured above, but also the candied broccolini flambé and homemade spaetzle it was served with on my first visit.

For more info, visit ProstKitchen.com or call (813) 466-5249 and please tell owner Cody Jay of Jay Hospitality Group and his staff that we sent you!

Top Shelf’s Grand Opening

So, it’s never easy opening a new business, much less a restaurant, but I’m excited to say that the Top Shelf Sports Lounge at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) has (finally!) now been for a few weeks and has celebrated with a North Tampa Bay (formerly the Greater Wesley Chapel; see pg. 3) Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 2.

The 2,500-sq.-ft. restaurant, which overlooks three of the five ice surfaces at FHCI, serves a nice variety of burgers, wings, wrap sandwiches, salads and entrées like beef brisket and potato poutine skillets (a Canadian delicacy).

Best of all, Top Shelf will be participating in this year’s Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel at FHCI on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m. (see pg. 3), after not being able to get open in time for last year’s event.

Co-owner Keenan Cottle, who will be serving beer from his 81Bay Brewing Co. in South Tampa at the Taste, thanked FHCI owners Gordie Zimmermann and George Mitchell of ZMitch, LLC, for opening “this amazing rink” during the ribbon-cutting.

Top Shelf co-owner Joe Boyd said that the partners are excited to be part of the Wesley Chapel area and are looking forward to more great events at Top Shelf.

The Top Shelf Sports Lounge is located on the second floor of FHCI (3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd.). For more info, stop in or call (813) 953-1032 or visit TopShelfTampa.com.

Road Projects In New Tampa Hope To Ease Traffic Flow

As the final segment of the massive Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. widening project chugs towards its completion, transportation planners are looking at a few other ways to help with traffic flow at some New Tampa hotspots.

District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, whose district covers the city portions of New Tampa, says there are multiple projects in the exploratory stages that could provide some relief at busy area intersections, and another that will add a light at the site of the new fire station being built on County Line Rd.

“Some of these could really improve traffic for New Tampa residents,” Viera says.

The most notable of these proposals is a pre-design study — which determines if a certain design is possible — currently underway to potentially add a third left turn lane where westbound Cross Creek Blvd. drivers turn south onto southbound Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (see map). According to the project report, there are currently four alternatives being studied.

One would build a third left turn onto southbound BBD, while keeping the two lanes that currently cross over BBD to New Tampa Blvd. and into West Meadows, and the lane that turns northbound onto BBD.

A second option would be to extend the existing dual left turn lanes almost back to Dayflower Dr., to prevent the common bottlenecking that occurs during peak travel hours.

“We need to figure out which option would work best,’’ says Jean Duncan, the city’s director of transportation and stormwater services.

Viera, who travels along that stretch of Cross Creek Blvd. from his Hunter’s Green home, says he has been pushing for one of these two options since being elected to the City Council last November. “I’m hopeful that the study can conclude that a third left-hand turn lane is a viable idea,’’ he says.

A third option would be to convert one of the two lanes that cross over BBD into the third turn lane, while the fourth option builds a third left turn lane, and takes away one of the two lanes crossing BBD and converts it to a second right turn lane for those trying to turn right (north) on BBD towards Pebble Creek.

There are currently no plans, however, to add another right turn lane on BBD for those turning east on Cross Creek Blvd., another thorny spot for rush hour travelers. Viera says that problem, however, may be mitigated by studying and tweaking traffic signal patterns.

A New Tampa Mobility Enhancement Project, a $306,000 study, is looking into ways to maximize the benefits of the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), which uses real-time data from things like speed sensors and cameras to determine if any action needs to be taken (light timings, re-routing, etc.) to improve and enhance traffic flow.

When Cross Creek Blvd. and BBD were widened, Duncan says, the intersections were built with the ATMS, which included upgraded cabinets that house the guts of the signal system, and uses fiber optics instead of copper. New Tampa is fortunate, she says, because 3/4 of the city is still using the less effective copper-wired cabinets, which are DOS-based and not as intelligent.

“New Tampa was one of the first to get it,” she said, adding that the city is working with the Florida Department of Transportation to upgrade the rest of the city over the next five years.  Duncan says the city actively manages traffic signals, whereas the county does not.

The Mobility Enhancement also includes a roundabout feasibility study to identify possible locations for modern roundabouts in our area.

Three intersections in New Tampa are being considered.

The first is at the junction of Compton Dr. and Commerce Palms Dr. in Tampa Palms, where a stop sign on Compton Dr. and another across the street at the B.J.s Wholesale Club handle a busy flow of traffic.  The second is just down the road at the intersection of Compton Dr. and Tampa Palms Blvd., where traffic currently is monitored by a four-way stop.

Also being considered for a roundabout is the intersection of Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. and Highwoods Palm Way, which runs through the Highwoods Preserve Corporate Campus, a mile or so from BBD.

Duncan says that there is a big national movement towards roundabouts, which have proven to be cheaper, safer for drivers and pedestrians and more sustainable than lighted intersections.

Lastly, the city is working on adding a traffic signal at County Line Rd. and Trout Creek Dr., to accommodate the needs of the new Fire Station 23.

Viera says he has been told the fire station will open by the end of the 2018, and the first design submittal and review for the signal has already taken place and is on an accelerated pace to be completed at the same time the fire station is expected to open.

Wesley Chapel Community Responds To ‘What New Business Do You Want?’

City Investors, INC- Vulcan- 2200 Westlake

In pretty much every issue of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, we tell you what’s new and what businesses are coming to our area. That’s because pretty much every time we’re putting together an issue, there’s something else new, and something else coming.

We know you love it. We can tell.

When we post on Facebook that a new restaurant is coming, our readers like it and share it more than any of our other posts.

But, even with all the growth we’re seeing in Wesley Chapel, it seems there’s room for more.

When Marilyn Chick, a Wesley Chapel resident for 19 years, posed a simple question on the Wesley Chapel Community page on Facebook last month, Marilyn had no idea that people would comment on it more than 1,000 times.

“What new businesses would you like to see come to Wesley Chapel?”

“I was so surprised,” Marilyn says, “It’s the first time I’ve ever posted something on Facebook that got that kind of response.”

Facebook statistics show that, although the post itself had only 30 “likes,” the comments the post generated got about 2,300 “likes,” and about 7,400 people viewed the original post.

Scrolling through the comments, it’s easy to see a big trend. Most of the responses say, “Trader Joe’s,” “Whole Foods,” “Fresh Market,” or some combination of the above, with plenty of “Aldi” thrown in there, too.

Besides the requests for green grocers, many posts asked for specific restaurants.

Cheesecake Factory… Carrabba’s… PF Chang’s… More places like Buttermilk Provisions and Capital Tacos… Friendly’s… Einstein Brothers Bagels… Even Cici’s Pizza, Steak ’n Shake and White Castle.

“I get it,” says Marilyn. “Everyone has an idea of what they want, what they haven’t had in a while and (especially) what they’re hungry for.”

And, of course, there were some tongue-in-cheek responses, like this one from Krista Davidson, poking a little fun at the Fucillio Kia on S.R. 54, “A car dealership where the salesmen stand outside in red shirts.”

There also were plenty of responses saying, “no more!,” like this one, from Rusch Jason, which says, “No new businesses. If anything, they need to slow down growth until the roads catch up!!!!”

All those posts didn’t answer the bigger question Marilyn says she was really searching for. “I’ve retired as a radiology nurse from the Zephyrhills hospital, so I’m looking for something to do,” Marilyn explains. “My daughter, Maxine, and I are thinking about starting a business.”

Marilyn says neither she nor her daughter cook, so a restaurant is out of the question.

But, in the hundreds of suggestions, she says she found a few that resonate with her, especially the ones that suggested a community center and something for kids.

“It would be so nice to have something for the performing arts,” she says, which was suggested in a few comments. “We have a lot of sports, which is great, but there are other kids who would love to be in a play, or have a place to play their instruments.”

Marilyn says she doesn’t consider herself to be an entrepreneur, but admits, “we’re thinking about it and looking at what would fit best for us” as she moves forward and hopes to open a business here in Wesley Chapel.

She has plenty of suggestions to consider.

And, don’t worry, we’ll still be sure to tell you when that Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Aldi finally opens in Wesley Chapel.

NT/WC Reader Survey Results: Best Gym, Massage, Nail/Hair Salons

If you’ve never seen the amazing array of fitness equipment on the 2nd floor of the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Wellness Center, you owe it to yourself to take a tour.

Although we have many wonderful fitness facilities located in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, our Neighborhood News readers have voted the Health & Wellness Center inside the Wellness Plaza adjacent to (and owned by) the same Adventist Health Care System as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel as their favorite.

And, who could blame them? Situated on the first and second floors of the Wellness Plaza, the 50,000-sq.-ft. facility includes two heated, indoor pools, a huge variety of cardio and strength equipment (including free weights), men’s and women’s saunas, a 1/9-mile indoor track and more than 100 group fitness classes, including Les Mills, Zumba, barre, hot yoga and indoor cycling. There’s even a circuit training area that allows you to get a full-body workout in just 30 minutes.

“It’s definitely the best gym I’ve ever belonged to,” I heard one satisfied female customer tell another. “I’ve lost 20 lbs. and I feel the best I’ve felt in years.”

With its convenient location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., between S.R.s 56 and 54, the FHWC Health & Wellness Center is a short drive from I-75 and a visit for a tour is well worth the trip from anywhere in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and beyond.

I recently took my second tour of the facility with Fatima, one of the enthusiastic front desk staffers, and, even though I live at least 12-15 minutes away and the membership prices aren’t cheap, Jannah and I are seriously considering joining because you can’t beat the variety of equipment and classes you get to use or the true community feeling you get any time you visit.

The Health & Wellness Center also has a great Fit Fresh café and smoothie bar that also sells nutritional supplements and healthy snacks for people on the go, a membership referral program (receive $20 in “Wellness Bucks” for each new membership you refer), a Fit Friends Kids Club which offers unlimited two-hours-per-day babysitting for 1-2 children for just $30 per month or $7 per hour child care, whether you’re a member of the facility or not.

Other fee-based services include personal training (although members get one free consultation with a certified personal trainer), small group training, licensed massage therapy, nutrition coaching (members also get one free nutrition assessment with a registered dietitian), swim lessons for adults and children, Pilates Reformer and more.

Memberships start at $57 per month or $684 for a one-time annual payment (save $114) and you can add a second family member, age 13 and over (living in the same household) for just $34 per month or $408 for a one-time annual payment.

The FHWC Health & Wellness Center (2700 Healing Way) is open Mon.-Fri., 5 a.m.-10 p.m. & 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sat. & Sun). For more info, visit FHWCwellness@ahss.org or call (813) 929-5252. — GN