Among the seven businesses cutting ribbons with the NTBC on Mar. 20 were the Chamber itself (above) and Signature Workspace (below), where all of the businesses were located. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Congratulations to the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC), which celebrated the most ribbon-cutting events on a single day in its history on Mar. 20, when the NTBC itself cut a ribbon at its new office at the Signature Workspace at the Shops at Wiregrass. Among the six other businesses hosting ribbon cuttings that same day were the Signature Workspace itself, plus The Copeland Team, Wesley Chapel Fingerprinting Services, Cornelius Demps for Circuit Judge, Gulf Coast Accounting & Tax and the Injury Law Office of Lucas, Macyszyn & Dyer.
In addition to all those ribbons being cut, the event also featured amazing free food provided by Vesh Catering, Azteca D’Oro, Chuck Lager America’s Tavern, Crazy Sushi, Grillsmith, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pinchers Crab Shack and The Living Room. If you missed it, you missed something special!
Since opening in 2017, Noble Crust has established itself as one of Wesley Chapel’s premier restaurants, and based on the votes of our readers, the premier restaurant.
For the second straight year, Noble Crust tops the list as our readers’ favorite in Wesley Chapel (and New Tampa, this year).
With competition stiffer than ever, Noble Crust’s Southern Italian-style dishes resonate with local foodies. The seasonal menu includes such favorites as the Ricotta Gnocchi (pictured, bottom right), bronzed salmon, Southern fried chicken (bottom left), fire-roasted Pork Chops and the F.G.B.L.T. — fried green tomatoes, Tabasco honeyglazed pork belly and pimento cheese.
“I think it’s the consistency and quality of the food that wins people over,” says Brad Elia, Noble Crust’s executive director of marketing and events, adding that great service also goes a long way.
Elia adds that, despite the industry struggles post-Covid, Noble Crust never substituted cheaper ingredients to make their dishes. The team at Noble Crust meets every Thursday at noon, 52 weeks a year, to discuss ways to tweak the offerings and make sure everything on the menu is always up to par.
That has resulted in a rustic, ever-changing menu with few weaknesses, from a plate of spaghetti and meatballs to a pizza with pear and burrata to a bowl of rigatoni & beef ragout. And, Noble Crust’s popular bar offers unique craft cocktails and a variety of craft and other beer and wine options. — JC 2. Chuck Lager 3. Grillsmith 4. TrebleMakers 5. Falabella Bistro 6. Vallarta’s 7. Yamato 8. Bonefish Grill 9. Brunchery 10. Texas Roadhouse
Tomorrow: New Tampa’s top restaurant is familiar to local residents, and we reveal the top 25 overall in the combined New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area. Category winners will be published in the coming days, so make sure you check back.
With the possible exception of the hotel/tourism industry, there’s little doubt that the restaurant business was among the most Covid-affected industry sectors in Florida in 2020.
And, although many of the new eateries that opened in Wesley Chapel in 2020 were delayed by the pandemic, the past year was still one of the busiest for new restaurant openings in both Wesley Chapel and New Tampa.
Among the new eateries that opened in 2020 in (and adjacent to) Wesley Chapel and New Tampa were the following and please note that ALL of these restaurants will make my list of “Gary’s Favorites” in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for 2020 in our next issue:
1. Treble Makers — The dueling piano entertainment venue that opened in The Grove at Wesley Chapel during the early stages of Florida’s restaurant re-openings, Treble Makers was one of the few newcomers to register more than a blip with our readers, finishing as the 4th Favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel and Favorite American Restaurant in both of our distribution areas in our 2020 Reader Dining Survey & Contest. If you haven’t tasted chef Kevin Maggard’s coconut curry grouper, fried calamari or grilled filet mignon, you owe it to yourself to check out Treble Makers for a dueling piano show on Friday or Saturday night‚ or anytime!
Via Italia’s Bolognese
2. Via Italia — With so many different kinds of pizza on the menu, you might think that Via Italia, located on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa was “just” a pizza place. All of the different styles of woodfired pizza are great, but try any of Via Italia’s fresh pasta dishes. Owner Roberto Maganuco has both pesto Genovese and pesto Siciliano dishes (which are amazing), but don’t wait as long as I did to try the linguine with white clam sauce — it’s the best I’ve ever had in Florida. Via Italia was voted the #9 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa by our readers, but it surely would have finished higher had it been open longer…or in a normal year.
3. Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill — Again, Zukku-San opened too late to get any reader votes this year, but it is a beautiful new restaurant with a full liquor bar, great sushi and Japanese specialties (including the best tempura and chicken teriyaki we’ve had in years) and a true South Tampa vibe. Look for Zukku-San to register with our readers in 2021, too.
4. Rock & Brews — Considering how packed the place has been (even with social distancing) inside and out since the moment it opened, we were a little surprised that the first Tampa Bay link in this small chain (on S.R. 56) — inspired and owned in part by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of the rock group KISS — didn’t get any votes at all from our readers, until we realized that it didn’t open until a week before we shut down the voting. With great live music on the weekends and everything from unique bruschetta to sweet heat fried chicken and even pizzas on the menu, Rock & Brews will likely make our 2021 top-10.
Lima’s seafood ceviche
5. Lima Peruvian Chicken — Anyone who looks up “Peruvian cuisine” online will find out that it is considered the #1 Latin cuisine and top two or three in the entire world — and Lima has authentic Peruvian rotisserie chicken, fish and seafood ceviches, baked scallops and so much more that it’s a shame some people thought it was another Mexican place that replaced El Pescador in mid-2020 in the New Tampa Center plaza on BBD. When I announce my favorite restaurants (new or existing) in New Tampa next issue, Lima will be in the top-5.
6. Florida Ave. Brewing Co. — Another hotly-anticipated entry that opened too late to receive reader votes this year, the former location of Sports & Field on S.R. 56 has a unique menu, with items like bibimbap bowls, Chinese sticky ribs and smoked gouda lobster mac & cheese, to go with more typical sports bar fare, an amazing craft beer selection, full liquor bar and private tasting rooms.
7. Oronzo Honest Italian — –One of two fast-casual Italian places in our area to make this list, owner Dan Bavaro (who also owns Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletano in South Tampa)’s Oronzo serves house-made pasta with delicious sauces and toppings, as well as pizza-style flatbreads, unique piadina sandwiches, plus salads, desserts and more — and now serving beer and wine! Located on BBD in New Tampa, it’s worth the drive to check out Oronzo, a truly unique concept.
8. Aussie Grill — Although I’ve always enjoyed the Outback Steak House, here is another unique fast casual concept, this one from the folks at Bloomin’ Brands, that I really love — and not just because Jannah and I live across the street from its S.R. 56 location. We definitely give thumbs-up to the bacon burgers and the topped grilled chicken and the order-ahead system is outstanding.
Pasta di Guy’s meat oven-baked pizza
9. Pasta di Guy — Although he didn’t need to add his yummy (love the cheese!) oven-baked pizzas for me to be a fan, Cordon Bleu (London)-trained chef and owner Guy Carmeli keeps making this already-popular fast casual Italian eatery better and promises to keep adding new house-made pastas like fresh spaghetti (but, the strozzapreti is still my favorite) and probably more appetizers. I love the creamy pesto, vodka (1/2 Alfredo & 1/2 marinara), aglio e olio (garlic & oil) and beef bolognese (which does carry a $2.50 upcharge) sauces and I pretty much add Guy’s fresh sausage to everything.
10. (tie) Chuck Lager America’s Tavern — Jannah and I love the atmosphere and many of the dishes at this third link in the U.S. of a new chain with a menu created by celebrity TV chef Fabio Viviani. With a little more diverse menu and some better fish options, Chuck Lager could climb on at least my list of favorites for 2021.
10. (tie) Mahana Fresh — This second location (the original is in Bradenton) fast casual concept on BBD in New Tampa is different than most other “bowl culture” places because it offers not only three different kinds of grilled chicken, but also tender grilled steak as a protein option. There also are multiple kinds of rice and spinach salad as a base, but I’m kind of addicted to the kale crunch salad, as well as the sesame ginger broccoli, garlicky cilantro green beans and Mediterranean tomatoes.
Other new restaurants that opened in 2020 that I considered for this list:
Michi Ramen (New Tampa) — When Michi Ramen opened before Oronzo on BBD in New Tampa, it was set up beautifully as a takeout-only, so I was stunned when I saw what a gorgeous restaurant it is inside, once it opened up during Covid. The pan-seared Japanese-style gyoza (pork dumplings), tempura-style soft-shell crab, and popcorn-style fried chicken with spicy mayo are my favorite appetizers. I’m not the biggest ramen fan, or Michi Ramen would surely have made my top-10 favorite newbies.
Main Event — Yes, we realize that the bowling and entertainment center is more than “just” a restaurant, but Main Event did host one of the first North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting events following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pandemic-caused shutdown of just about everything here in the Sunshine State.
Double Branch Artisanal Ales — Again, Double Branch, located in The Village at The Grove of Wesley Chapel, doesn’t yet qualify as a “restaurant” — at least not until its kitchen opens — but it has offered pizzas from a food truck outside the craft beer brewery and should open a kitchen inside in 2021. Even so, enough of Wesley Chapel’s craft beer-crazed residents voted for it as their Favorite Bar in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel for it to finish in this year’s top-5 in that category.
Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. — As a transplanted native New Yorker, I appreciate the “legit” kettle-boiled-then-baked bagels and “Brooklynized” water used for the bagels and coffee at this new favorite on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, which could contend for “Favorite Breakfast” in our distribution areas with our readers next year and already scored with yours truly this year.
Crumbl Cookie — Although it also opened too late to make a splash in this year’s Reader Survey, not since Nothing Bundt Cakes opened in the Shops at Wiregrass has any new dessert-only place created such a stir in our community. The decadent churro and s’mores cookies are our favorites of Crumbl Cookie’s rotating flavors so far and the flavors of creamy ice cream also are rotated weekly.
Arepa Mia (Lutz) — Located in the Grand Oaks Plaza on Wesley Chapel Blvd., this authentic Venezuelan eatery offers a variety of meat-filled arepas and empanadas, as well as tequeños, chicken wings and even Venezuelan soups. Everything definitely looks, smells and tastes homemade, so I would love to see this menu expanded.
Gu Wei Noodle House (New Tampa) — This super-authentic Chinese-style (definitely not New York-style) Chinese restaurant opened late in 2020 at the former location of Sukhothai off BBD (near the AMC 20 Movie Theater). Noodles are Gu Wei’s specialty but I prefer the stir-fried rice with my dishes. Even so, I have enjoyed the pan-sautéed pork dumplings, the beef with broccoli, which is mild on the menu, but I ordered it spicy — and it was.
Special Mentions — Although there has been a Bonefish Grill in Wesley Chapel for years, Jannah and I love the new S.R. 56 location, which has lots more parking as well as seating at the bar. Yes, the menu is the same as always, but again, Jannah and I live across the street from Bonefish now.
And, even though Moschella’s Italian Eatery & Market opened only nine days before the end of 2020 and doesn’t have dine-in restaurant seating, what this new gourmet shop does have are prepared foods as good or better than most restaurant fare.
Let me know if I missed any that opened last year that you love!
The third-ever Chuck Lager America’s Tavern to open in the U.S. is now open and serving up deliciousness in the former Primebar location in the Shops at Wiregrass.
Although there has definitely been a lot of remodeling done inside, the more important thing is that the food at Chuck Lager’s (2001 Piazza Ave.), which features a menu created by celebrity TV chef Fabio Viviani, is significantly better than anything we ever had at Primebar, no matter how many times that menu was changed.
fig & prosciutto flatbread
meatballs in deliciously creamy polenta
French onion burger
bourbon & rye flights.
chicken parmesan
sautéed broccolini
grilled flat iron steak & fries
Our favorite dishes after just a couple of visits include the Fabio’s meatballs, which sit in deliciously creamy polenta, the unique fig & prosciutto flatbread, the crispy but tender chicken parmesan, the grilled flat iron steak frites and the perfectly sautéed broccolini.
Chuck Lager opens at 3 p.m. every day and has cool drink specials like cotton candy cosmos & bourbon & rye “flights.”
The months of Oct. & Nov. will be among the busiest times yet for new restaurants in the Wesley Chapel area.
Here are some of the highlights:
Florida Avenue Brewing Co. (2029 Arrowgrass Dr.) — With its opening as we went to press, I think our readers will be really excited about Florida Ave., which has a great menu and lots of room for social distancing (even at the spacious indoor and outdoor bars), in the former location of Sports + Field off S.R. 56.
Florida Ave., which has its original location in Seminole Heights, isn’t yet brewing its awesome variety of microbrews at its new location — its original Florida Ave. location will still provide the beer — but it has a full-liquor bar, video games for the kids and delicious, food items, including both standard bar fare and unique options like the Chinese-style sticky ribs shown above (photo by Charmaine George), bibimbap bowls, crispy cauliflower tacos and many more. Please tell the Derby family I sent you!
Rock & Brews (26000 S.R. 56, Lutz) — Our Rock & Brews will be the 18th link in this chain of rock-themed restaurants owned in part (and inspired) by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band Kiss. In order to preview Rock & Brews in this issue,
I visited the aptly-named “Kiss”-immee location, and I definitely came away impressed with the look of the place (with images of rock icons from Kiss to Prince and from Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen adorning the walls) to the food, including the blackened redfish shown above (which comes with a Louisiana-style crawfish cream sauce that I couldn’t eat because of my shellfish allergy) to a semi-spicy bruschetta. Rock & Brews (visit RockandBrews.com) should open by mid-October.
Bonefish Grill (Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz) — Although Wesley Chapel has had a Bonefish Grill for years, that location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. is expected to close when the new Bonefish opens next to Aussie Grill — which could be in October as well. Although we weren’t able to get an opening date from parent company Bloomin’ Brands, there is a “Now Hiring” sign at the new location.
Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill & Crumbl Cookies (25916 & 25922 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz) — Of these two new options, located in the same building as the Woof Gang Bakery and the new Charles Schwab office (east of Bahama Breeze on the north side of S.R. 56), Zukku-San looks closer to opening, although both places have “Now Hiring” signs out in front. The guess here is that neither will open much before the end of October. For more info, visit ZukkuSushi.com or CrumblCookies.com.
Moschella’s Italian Eatery & Market (5648 Post Oak Blvd.) — Owner Billy Moschella says Moschella’s should be open by the end of October and will feature a deli, pizza, fresh pastas, a butcher shop, hot prepared foods and much more. He’s also hiring cooks, pizza makers, deli workers and cashiers. To apply or for more info, visit Moschellas.com.
Chuck Lager America’s Tavern (2001 Piazza Ave., Suite 175) — So, according to the restaurant’s website, Chuck Lager is a worldwide archeological adventurer who decided to venture into opening made-from-scratch restaurants that exemplify his love of great cuisine. Lager met “Top Chef” fan favorite Fabio Viviani in Viviani’s grandmother’s Italian kitchen and a concept was born.
With locations in Pike Creek, DE, and Barrington, NJ, the Lager team came to “The Chap” to take over the never-good-enough former Primebar location at the Shops at Wiregrass. It doesn’t look like it will make it to an October opening, but hopefully, we’ll see this tomato bacon grilled cheese with tomato bisque (above), homemade meatballs and chicken parm sooner than later. (Visit ChuckLager.com.)
