Our 2013 'Dining Survey & Contest' Results

By Gary Nager

Yes, faithful readers, this is our biggest-ever response to our annual Dining Survey & Contest, as nearly 1,200 entries poured into our offices over a three-month period. The previous record was just under 1,000 entries a couple of years ago. So, thanks to everyone who took the time to enter this year’s contest, which was not only the most difficult for us to tabulate, but also the most difficult for those who did enter to stay within the contest rules.

For the first time ever, we gave you the names of most of the independently owned, non-major-chain restaurants in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel and basically asked you to rank your top five favorites in some categories and just one favorite in other categories. We intentionally did not include the names of the major chain restaurants in our area, but allowed you to write in the names of any restaurants not listed on the entry form as”write-in votes” in any category.

I had noticed in previous years that many folks would just put the names of the restaurants they know best — the major chains which pay millions of dollars a year on national and regional marketing.

By leaving those names off this year’s ballot, giving you the names of the local mom-and-pop eateries and the smaller chain restaurants located in our distribution areas — and reducing the number of categories — we were able to find out what you really think about the local restaurants who really need and appreciate your business.

And, the strategy worked. Of all the major chains in our area (and there are literally dozens of them), only perennial local powerhouse Bonefish Grill made the top 20 as a write-in favorite restaurant overall in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel and only Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Cantina Laredo made the top ten in any of the categories that didn’t ask you to list up to five favorites.

Speaking of those favorites, congratulations go out to this year’s favorite restaurant in New Tampa — Stonewood Grill & Tavern in Tampa Palms, which only recently began opening for lunch every weekday and has won those honors a couple of times in years past. A first-time winner this year as our readers’ favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel is GrillSmith, located in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, which also was named your favorite bar in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel for the first time ever. It’s interesting to me that both Stonewood and GrillSmith are smaller-sized (with fewer than 20 locations each) chains which are based here in Florida.

Other eateries which came up big this year are Liang’s Bistro, your second favorite restaurant in New Tampa and the dominating winner in our “Favorite Chinese” category; PizzaMania, which somehow overcame some major ballot stuffing by a couple of other pizza places (see below) to secure the “Your Favorite Pizza in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” category for the first time and finish as your seventh favorite restaurant overall in Wesley Chapel; Acropolis Greek Taverna and The Hungry Greek, which were overwhelmingly your two “Favorite Greek/ Middle Eastern” restaurants; and Kobe Steakhouse, which dominated the “Favorite Sushi/Japanese in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” category and was your seventh favorite overall in New Tampa.

The closest battles came in the “Favorite Thai/Indian” category, where first place Thai Ruby and second place Sukhothai went down to the wire and all six restaurants in the category earned at least 30 votes; the “Favorite Latin” category, where Los Vallartas (which just opened a new location in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center) nudged past Las Palmas (in the Pebble Creek Collection in New Tampa) and those two distanced themselves from the rest of the pack; and Mr. Dunderbak’s came in a surprising third as your overall favorite restaurant in New Tampa, by far it’s highest-ever finish in our contest by a wide margin.

As for the ballot stuffing…I just want to say that I appreciate that some restaurants aren’t shy about asking for help from their loyal customers and it’s incredible how many of those customers step up for the eateries they love. The problem is that those of you who put, for example, the same restaurant for #1s-5 in any category would only have the first place vote counted for your favorite and were disqualified from any possible prizes. And, most important of all, when your ballot is disqualified, only your votes for first-place votes for your favorites and those for restaurants other than your obvious favorite(s) are counted.

And speaking of prizes, here’s this year’s prize-winning entries:

• $100 to the restaurant of her choice – Mary Ann Cintron, Hunter’s Green
• $50 – Anita Rogers, Cross Creek
• $50 – Ron Hiestand, Seven Oaks
• $25 – Scott Hurst, Tampa Palms
• $25 – Marikay Bernicky, Easton Park

Congrats to all of our winners!

Your Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa (NT)

1. Stonewood Grill & Tavern
2. Liang’s Bistro Asian Cuisine
3. Mr. Dunderbak’s
4. Acropolis Greek Taverna
5. Burger 21
6. Full Circle Pizza & Grill
7. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse
8. Las Palmas Spanish Café
9. Oakley’s Grille
10. Mulligan’s Irish Pub
11. Koizi Endless Hibachi Grill
12. Café Olé
13. La Cubanita Café
14. China Wok (County Line Rd.)
15. Little Greek Restaurant
16. Thai Ruby
17. Peabody’s
18. Sushi Café
19. Saffron Indian Cuisine
20. Woodfired Pizza (Bearss Ave.)

Your Favorite Restaurants In Wesley Chapel (WC)

1. GrillSmith
2. Wolf’s Den
3. Los Vallartas
4. Taste of Boston
5. La Prima Pizza
6. The Hungry Greek
7. PizzaMania
8. Burger Monger
9. PrimeBar
10. Bonsai Sushi
11. Café Fresco
12. Bonefish Grill *
13. 900º Woodfired Pizza
14. Yamato Japanese Steakhouse
15. Asian Buffet
16. Dempsey’s Steak House
17. China Wok (Village Market)
18. CineBistro at The Grove
19. PDQ Fresh Chicken Tenders
20. Amici Pizza

Your Favorite Chinese Restaurants in NT & WC

1. Liang’s Bistro Asian Cuisine
2. China Wok (Village Market)
3. Asian Buffet
4. Ho Wok
5. China Wok (County Line Rd.)
6. Kwan Ming Bistro
7. China Taste
8. New China King
9. Sushi Ko
10. Fushia Asian Bistro

Your Favorite Japanese & Sushi Restaurants in NT & WC

1. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse
2. Yamato Japanese Steakhouse
3. Koizi Endless Hibachi Grill
4. Bonsai Sushi
5. Sushi Café
6. Sukhothai
7. Asian Buffet
8. Tokyo Grill
9. Takari Sushi & Sake Lounge
10. Tie – Soho Sushi / Hibachi Express

Your Favorite Thai & Indian Restaurants in NT & WC

1. Thai Ruby
2. Sukhothai
3. Saffron Indian Cuisine
4. Lanna Thai
5. Top Thai
6. Fine Thai Express

Your Favorite Greek/Middle Eastern Restaurants in NT & WC

1. Acropolis Greek Taverna
2. The Hungry Greek
3. Little Greek Restaurant
4. Pita’s Republic
5. Petra Mediterranean Cuisine
6. Apna Kabob House

Your Favorite Burger Places in NT & WC

1. Burger 21
2. Burger Monger
3. Oakley’s Grille
4. Wolf’s Den
5. GrillSmith
6. Mulligan’s Irish Pub
7. Five Guys Burgers & Fries *
8. Peabody’s
9. PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub & Grill
10. Tie – Dempseys Too / Red Robin ­­

Your Favorite Latin & Mexican Restaurants in NT/WC

1. Los Vallartas
2. Las Palmas Spanish Café
3. La Cubanita Cafe
4. Café Olé
5. Casa Ramos
6. La Fuente Mexican Restaurant
7. Don Pan International Bakery
8. Cantina Laredo *

Your Favorite Pizza Places in NT & WC

1. PizzaMania
2. Wolf’s Den
3. Full Circle Pizza & Grill
4. La Prima Pizza
5. Woodfired Pizza (E. Bearss Ave.)
6. Amici Pizza
7. Taste of New York Pizza
8. Bosco’s Italian To Go
9. Biagio’s II
10. Hawkeye’s NYS Pizza

Your Favorite Bars & Taverns in NT & WC

1. GrillSmith
2. PrimeBar
3. Stonewood Grill & Tavern
4. Mulligan’s Irish Pub
5. Acropolis Greek Taverna
6. Peabody’s
7. PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub
8. CineBistro
9. Quail Hollow Country Club
10. Linkster’s Tap Room

* Indicates ‘Write-In’ Entrees