There are quite a few Indian restaurants in New Tampa, but one thing is for certain — none of the Indian restaurants in our area also served American breakfast — until now.
The Kabob Café & Grill, located at 18101 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. (in the same location that also has been Sukhothai and a couple of other restaurants) recently added Breakfast Kitchen & More, which serves American breakfast every day (except for Mondays, when the restaurant is closed) from 7 a.m.-11:30 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Kabob Café & Grill offers a lunch buffet with a large variety of Indian (predominantly North Indian/Pakistani) items. The buffet begins at 11:30 and the restaurant’s full Indian menu is available every day for lunch and dinner (it stays open until 8:30).
While that may seem a little confusing, owners Javed and Rabia Mubin hope you will come try Chef Keith’s tasty breakfast items, including the bacon, egg & cheese croissant sandwich (left) and Protein Power Bowl (top photo). Please note that because Kabob Café’s entire menu is Halal, the bacon on the bacon, egg & cheese is beef (not pork) bacon, which I don’t believe I’d ever had before, but Jannah and I agreed it tasted very much like pork bacon. The chicken in photographer Charmaine George’s Power Bowl combined egg whites, grilled chicken, spinach, feta cheese and avocado, which also was quite tasty. The Breakfast Kitchen also serves waffles, French toast, oatmeal and Greek yogurt bowls, omelets, Benedicts, breakfast wraps and more.
We also sampled the buffet, which has many Indian favorites, like Tandoor oven-baked chicken and Naan breads, as well as chicken biryani (above right photo) and butter chicken, as well as some items I’d never tried before, like goat qourma (or korma), tender beef nihari (which tastes a lot like my mom’s brisket/pot roast, but slightly spicy), and vegetarian dishes like palak paneer (curry with spinach, cheese, tomato & creamy sauce), channa masala (chick peas with spices, tomatoes & onion) and halwa, which is a sweetened semolina flour mixture that can be a side dish or dessert. Speaking of dessert, the banana pudding with vanilla wafers was my favorite, but there’s also Gulab Jaman (deep-fried dough soaked in rose-flavored sugar syrup), Rubri Kheer (Indian-style rice pudding) and more.
For more info about Kabob Café & Grill, which has a 4.9-star (out of 5) overall Google rating on 900+ reviews, and Breakfast Kitchen & More, visit KabobCafeGrill.com or call (813) 405-8740. — GN
When you’ve known someone for more than a quarter of a century, you might think you “really” know them, but sometimes, you might be wrong to make that assumption.
Case in point: I first met my friend “Steve” (left) when he first opened his Bagels Plus in a former (but already closed before he bought the building) Bruegger’s Bagels location on E. Fletcher Ave., less than a half-mile west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., way back in 1998.
I also thought I remembered Steve telling me that he bought an H&H Bagels location in New York not long after it was revealed that Kramer, the kooky character on the hit NBC-TV show “Seinfeld,” had been on strike for years from the original H&H Bagels in Manhattan.
Well, it took a kitchen fire and the shop being closed for five months — Bagels Plus finally reopened at the end of March — for me to find out just how wrong I was on both counts.
First, although everybody still calls him Steve, my friend the bagel maker’s real name is Monsieur (yes, like “Mister” in French) Aziz.
Second, Steve never owned an H&H location, “They were my competitors when I had my first Bagels Plus in Roslyn, Long Island.”
One thing I did not get wrong, however, was that Steve did bring the ability to make true New York-style bagels with him when he moved to Florida — “to get away from the snow” — even though most New Yawkas say that there are no “real” bagels in Florida because we can’t duplicate the water in the Empire State.
Steve showed me the five special water filters he has in Bagels Plus to reduce the “hardness” of the water here, even though New York is one of the few cities in the U.S. that doesn’t filter its water because of its natural “softness” and purity.
But, he attributes the authenticity of his bagels to the way he makes them. “We use wheat flour and some vegetable flour, yeast and water to make our bagels,” he says. “That’s it. We don’t add oil, salt, malt, sugar or any of the other things you don’t need that other people use to make bagels.”
Photographer Charmaine George and I watched Steve make a batch of bagels and we agreed that he did not use any of the ingredients he mentioned that other people do use.
He says that one of the most important things is that “real New York” bagels have to be kettle-boiled before they are baked.
“And, you need the right kind of kettle,” he says. “The kettle isn’t a very expensive piece of equipment, but you really need it to make the bagels correctly.”
Whatever Steve and his happy crew have been doing to them, there’s no doubt in most local bagel lovers’ minds that Bagels Plus had the closest-to-New-York bagels anywhere near New Tampa or Wesley Chapel prior to the fire that caused Steve to not only shut his doors but basically rebuild the interior of his shop from scratch.
“The fire ended up being a blessing,” he says. “Because when the fire inspectors came to take a look afterwards, they said that one of the support beams in the front of the store (now replaced) was ready to fall down. Without the fire, we would never have known about it.”
Steve, who also previously owned a men’s clothing store in Manhattan, also had opened a similar men’s store in the Target-anchored University Plaza behind what is now his bagel shop.
“I was thinking about moving the clothing store to this building, but when I heard that it had already been a bagel shop, I made the owners an offer on the spot.” And the rest is history.
Oh, Those Bacon, Egg & Cheeses!
Although both of my sons now live in Lakewood Ranch, when I told them Bagels Plus reopened right before my most recent visit to them, they both insisted that I bring them Steve’s famous bacon, egg & cheese (BEC) bagel sandwiches.
“I’ve tried to make a bacon, egg and cheese like Bagels Plus at home,” my older son Jared — who wants to open a Bagels Plus franchise near him — told me. “I just can’t get the eggs the way they make them.”
Truth be told, many New York bagel shops make their bacon (or sausage or ham), egg and cheese sandwiches with fried eggs — and Bagels Plus will make yours with a fried egg, if you prefer — but anyone who works the grill at Steve’s shop knows how to pour just the right amount of the already-cracked real eggs onto the hot flattop griddle and fold those eggs into the perfect size to just stick out on all sides of the bagel.
And, if you like your bacon crispy like I do — I know there are people who prefer their bacon “wet,” which I try to not hold against them — there is always a ready supply of perfectly crisp bacon waiting to be placed in generous amounts atop your eggs. And then, a single thick slice of yellow American cheese is gently placed atop that combo, which melts the cheese just enough.
Steve’s BEC makers, led by his manager Trista, also are happy to add salt & pepper or, for folks like me, to “scoop out” your bagel before assembling your sandwich. That not only gets rid of about 1/3 of the bagel’s calories, it also allows it to toast up extra crispy, especially when it is put through the conveyor belt toaster twice. The only time they won’t put it through the toaster is when your bagel has just come out of the oven.
Bagels Plus also offers a large variety of cream cheese options — from regular and light plain to bacon scallion, light strawberry and a salmon cream cheese that is made with real smoked salmon. You also can get a generous portion of sliced smoked salmon with your choice of cream cheese on your favorite bagel (left photo). There’s also a variety of fresh salads (tuna, egg and chicken), roasted turkey and Black Forest ham available, plus freshly baked croissants, muffins, black-&-white cookies, delicious apple or strawberry turnovers (photo below), almond horns and cinnamon rolls.
And yes, Steve still pretends to pocket new customers’ credit cards and throw an empty coffee cup at them to make them think it’s full. He’s a character, but it’s hard to dislike a guy who has been keeping it New York real for 27 years!
Bagels Plus (2706 E. Fletcher Ave.) is open Mon.-Sat., 6 a.m.-4 p.m., and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sun. For more info or to pre-order bulk bagels (because they do often run out), call (813) 999-1216.
Bagels Plus, located at 2706 E. Fletcher Ave. (a little west of Bruce B. Downs Blvd.), has finally reopened after a kitchen fire had closed the long-time favorite local New York bagel place for about five months.
“Everyone already knows we’ve reopened,” the owner Steve told me this morning. “At least it feels like everybody knows. We’ve been packed since we reopened yesterday (Monday)!”
In fact, Bagels Plus was out of Asiago cheese bagels when I arrived a little after 10:30 a.m. today. Thankfully, the store still had plenty of sesame bagels available to scoop out and toast to make my bacon (they do also have sausage), egg and cheese sandwich.
“This is the only place I know locally with bagels that taste like New Yawk,” one customer who said they were from Brooklyn told Steve while I was chatting with him today. “I’m so happy you’re open again!”
That seemed to be a popular sentiment among the seven or eight other customers inside the place, which definitely got a full interior makeover. Bagels Plus also carries tuna, chicken and egg salad, a wide variety of different cream cheeses — from lox and light plain to cranberry-walnut and veggie and more. Other pastries baked in-house include butter croissants, black-&-white cookies and apple and cherry turnovers and more. Pretty great coffee, too.
Bagels Plus is open Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-4 p.m., and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, or to pre-order call (813) 999-1216.
(Below left) Owner Kruth (Kurt) Sombutmai thanks everyone for attending the Grand Opening & ribbon-cutting ceremony (above) for the 2&2 Restaurant he owns with his wife, Suzie (also holding scissors) on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Unlike most of his already-large contingent of regular customers — many of whom attended the Grand Opening and Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting event on Dec. 12 — I first met owner Kruth (Kurt) Sombutmai and his beloved wife of 48 years, Sa-Ang (Suzie) a few weeks ago, as they were getting ready to open their 2&2 Restaurant on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, less than a mile west of Morris Bridge Rd./Eiland Blvd.
Even so, it’s hard not to love this couple, who have been serving down-home food to the Zephyrhills community for 35 years and are now hoping to attract a lot of new customers in Wesley Chapel.
The ribbon-cutting event wasn’t your usual show-up-stay-for-a-bit-&-go-home affair. Most of the people in attendance, many of whom were, like Kurt, military veterans, stayed for at least a couple of hours to be regaled by stories of how Kurt moved from California, purchased the Hills Grocery on the Zephyrhills side of the corner of Morris Bridge Rd. and S.R. 54 and became one of that community’s best-known restaurateurs. Sure, they also hung around for the delicious free food buffet that followed the ceremony, but there wasn’t a single long-time customer of Kurt and Suzie’s who didn’t have a story they wanted to share about them. The event was indeed a beautiful tribute.
In addition to the Chamber folks, Zephyrhills Mayor Charlie Procter and former Pasco Clerk of the Court & Comptroller Paula O’Neil were in attendance for the ceremony and Paula said that Kurt and Suzie are among her best friends.
“Paula first announced she was running for the Clerk’s office at my restaurant,” Kurt recalled. “She visited me in the hospital when I got sick a few years ago, too.”
Kurt, Paula O’Neil & Suzie at the Grand Opening.
If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering where the name “2 & 2” came from. It’s basically a tribute to Kurt’s original restaurant, which often had lines wrapped around it for Kurt’s $1.99 “Eye Opener” breakfast and “all you can eat” fried fish special on Fridays. Whenever anyone asked Kurt how long the wait would be, he’d always hold up two fingers and say, “Two minutes!” The saying became so popular that when Kurt sold his Hills Grocery coffee shop to CVS and opened his location on U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills, he called the new restaurant “2 Minutes,” and he decided to call the new place “2 & 2,” meaning that he now has two restaurants with two-minute waits.
The 2 Minutes restaurant, as well as Kurt and Suzie’s Best Thai & Sushi on S.R. 54 in Zephyrhills, are both still open, too.
Whether you visit 2 & 2 Restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner, not only are you likely to be greeted by Kurt, you’re also guaranteed to see Kurt’s tribute to his idol, the late, great “Duke” himself, John Wayne. You’ll also find homestyle cooking and always fair prices.
So, What About The Food?
The Grand Opening included a delicious buffet of free food, although our editor prefers 2&2’s bacon, ham & cheese omelet with crispy hash browns (below right) & garlic pork chops (below left).
In the few short weeks since 2 & 2 opened, I’ve been able to sample quite a bit of the menu, especially for breakfast because, unlike some other diners, where the full menu is served all day, you can only get breakfast at breakfast time and lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
My favorite breakfast item so far is the cheese omelet, which I got with large chunks of grilled ham and thick slices of crispy bacon inside. And, if you order the hash browns (there’s also home fries and grits and sausage links or patties available as sides) extra crispy, like I do, they really do come out super-crispy. So good.
I also sampled Charmaine’s pancakes when she ordered the Kurtski Breakfast, which you basically could call the “Kitchen Sink,” because it comes with 2 eggs, 2 pancakes or two French toast slices, 3 pieces of bacon and 3 sausage, hash browns or home fries or grits, plus toast AND refillable coffee, all for just $12.99! The pancakes were light and fluffy and even though they’re not on the menu with blueberries, the kitchen added fresh blueberries at Charmaine’s request and all I can say is that it should become part of the menu!
There also are veggie and western skillets (the western has ham, green peppers & onions with cheese, hash browns or home fries and egg on top).
For lunch and dinner, appetizers include everything from bacon-wrapped shrimp smothered in honey BBQ sauce and battered gator bites to soft pretzel bites and Philly egg rolls served with beer cheese. Sandwich options include battered or grilled “2 Mins Fish,” a double decker turkey, ham and roast beef club and “Suzie Spicy” chicken sandwich with melted cheddar, tortilla strips, avocado and sriracha mayo. There’s also a fresh salad bar.
I can vouch for the 1/4-lb. Kurtski burger and you can sub a short rib, brisket and chuck patty for only $1 more. Tasty fries, too. My favorite lunch/ dinner entrée so far is the grilled garlic pork chops, served with mashed potatoes (you also can choose baked potato or fries), plus your choice of soup or salad, ice cream and a soft drink, all for just $14.99. I plan to try the slow-cooked pot roast, breaded veal cutlet and fried chicken dinners on future visits. There’s also seafood dinners (catfish or haddock, coconut shrimp, fried clams or grilled salmon) for just $15.99. And yes, the All You Can Eat fish fry is available on Fridays only, for just $13.99!
For info about 2 & 2 Restaurant (33835 S.R. 54), call (813) 355-4829, visit 2and2Restaurant.com or see the ad below. — GN
Jannah loves brunch more than I do, but I am and always have been a breakfast guy. It’s hard for me to not pick bagel places as my top choices for breakfast, but give me the fried eggs, toast, crispy bacon and perfect grits at EggTown (photo) over the other places on this list, all of which are worth visiting.
