Café Zorba Completes Phase I At The KRATEs!
Congratulations to my friends Stacy Esposito and Eddie Nasr, as their new venture, Café Zorba finally opened on Oct. 7 in the KRATE Container Park at The Grove.

The opening of Café Zorba, which features Greek and Middle Eastern food, completes Phase I at the KRATES, which now has 29 restaurants with a multitude of cuisine types and 17 retail shops.

Our favorites so far at Café Zorba are the lamb gyro wrap, the chicken souvlaki platter (above), the pan-fried crispy fish sliders (with garlic aioli) and the house-made spanakopita (spinach pies), but everything from the Zeus burger and homemade moussaka to appetizers like lightly fried calamari, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and shrimp skewers have been drawing critical raves from Café Zorba’s early visitors.   

For more info about Café Zorba (5804 Grand Oro Ln., #102), call (813) 606-6666 or visit CafeZorba.com and please tell them I sent you! — GN

Leonidas Chocolates Now Open At Wiregrass Mall!
Congratulations also go out to co-owners Mary and Eleni Caravellos, who officially opened the new Leonidas Belgian Chocolates & Cafe store in the Shops at Wiregrass on Oct. 6, with a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event.

According to the store’s website, Leonidas Kestekides opened his original praline store in Belgium more than 100 years ago. Four generations later, the brand is now an international favorite, with more than 1,300 locations, including the Wiregrass store, and all of the hand-crafted chocolates are still made in Belgium. Today, Leonidas is improving the living and working conditions of more than 2,000 cocoa-growing families mainly in Africa.

The chocolate itself, whether you choose the hand-crafted truffles and other confections (in 50+ flavors) or prepackaged bars (and everything in between) is made from 100% pure cocoa butter and is amazing, but so are the tiramisu, espresso brulée and torta Nicola. Perhaps best of all, the Wesley Chapel Leonidas store sells chocolate, vanilla and twist soft-serve ice cream with 14 different chocolate-dip toppings — everything from my favorite milk chocolate banana to salty caramel to dark sea salt, pistachio and more. In short, Leonidas is pure decadence. 

For more info about Leonidas (28163 Paseo Dr., Unit 105), call (813) 388-9653 or visit LeonidasWesleyChapel.com. — GN

The Living Room ribbon cutting.

The Living Room WC Celebrates Its Official Grand Opening!
Still more congrats go out to owners Christina & Zach Feinstein (holding scissors in left photo) of The Feinstein Group and The Living Room, which has been open in the Shops at Wiregrass for a few months, but which also celebrated the official Grand Opening of this second location on Oct. 12.

In addition to a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting, the Grand Opening event included free samples of many of The Living Room’s great menu items on a day blessed with perfect weather. Congrats!

For more info about The Living Room, call (813) 934-7911, visit TLR.restaurant or see the ad on this issue’s back cover. — GN, photos by Charmaine George

Recommended Posts

No comment yet, add your voice below!


Add a Comment