By Gary Nager
The New Quail Hollow CC Lounge Is A Must-Try!
Just because I can’t yet tell you what kind of cuisine is the top specialty at the newly renovated Restaurant & Lounge at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club (QHGCC), that doesn’t mean the food isn’t awesome (it is) or the place isn’t beautiful and classy. (Yes, Quail Hollow! Go see it!)
New owner Andre Corolla recently reopened the decades-old local semi-private golf course and from what I hear, the course itself looks and plays so much better, all you’d really need to believe that Quail Hollow is not only all-new, but awesome, is a great-looking new clubhouse (check), an ultra-premium full-liquor bar (yep) and a real restaurant serving delicious food at, well, semi-private golf course prices.
There’s a lot more to tell you about QHGCC, but it’ll have to wait until I’ve tried more than two menu items, both of which are literally already among my favorite menu items in Wesley Chapel — the grilled romaine heart Caesar (which is on the current menu; photo) and a thick, grilled ribeye steak which was served on opening night (but isn’t on the current menu), topped with grilled onions and served with sautéed veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. The steak was seasoned right, not as fatty as some ribeyes can be and grilled to medium rare perfection. If this is my first taste, Andre, bring on the rest of the dinner menu!
The restaurant & lounge at QHGCC also is open for what sounds like an amazing breakfast with unique egg sandwich options…and for lunch, where the 10-oz hamburgers and Big Bertha hot dogs (and other great sandwiches) are all already becoming favorites among the locals.
QHGC is located at 6225 Old Pasco Rd., less than a half-mile from both S.R. 54 and Oakley Blvd. Call 333-0033 for more info about the club itself, but please go and tell these folks we sent you!
Jalapeno – New Tampa’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine!
Jalapeno Mexican Grille, which opened recently in the space previously occupied first by the Louis Pappas Market Cafe and more recently by Joy of Tokyo in the Oak Ramble Plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., south of Tampa Palms, is a casual, but elegant restaurant featuring truly authentic (and delicious) Mexican cuisine.
Owner/chef Miguel Espinosa and his wife, Dawn Boyer, opened Jalapeno only a couple of months after Joy of Tokyo closed, due to the death of its owner (which we reported previously).
The place is lovely, the food is delicious and the price is right at Jalapeno.
Jalapeno is open every day for lunch and dinner. Stop in at 19493 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., call 977-0800 or visit JalapenoTampa.com.
Here & There, This & That
Machismo, the Southwestern-style, build-your-own burrito bar that previously was located in the same Oak Ramble Plaza as Jalapeno, has re-opened in the Palms Connection on E. Bearss Ave., just west of BBD.
Machismo still features fresh, huge, create-your-own burritos and salad bowls, nachos, tacos and quesadillas and more than 30 different hot sauces at its hot sauce bar, but now also has ice cold Mexican and other imported and domestic beers.
Machismo Burrito Bar is located at 2808 E. Bearss Ave., next to Big Papa’s Pit. Call 977-9796 or visit MachismoBurritoBar.com.
The newest Tijuana Flats (17501 Preserve Walk Lane) opened in August in the space previously occupied by Shane’s Rib Shack, next to Verizon Wireless, in Highwoods Preserve off BBD at Dona Michelle Dr. Call 975-0483 or visit TijuanaFlats.com.
Cole’s BBQ, which previously was located in the Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms, has re-opened in the space formerly occupied by Jimmy Z’s BBQ in the Cross Creek Plaza at 10861 Cross Creek Blvd., less than a mile west of Morris Bridge Rd.
Owner/chef Bradley Cole and his wife Tracy invite you to visit Coles’ spacious new location or call 986-9500 for more info.
The old Wasabi Japanese Steak & Sushi at 19601 BBD in front of the Pebble Creek Collection is now the new Kobe Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, part of a small chain of 11 Japanese steakhouses in Florida, including one on N. Dale Mabry Hwy..
Call 994-6697 or visit KobeSteakhouse.com for info.
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