Welcome To New Grill At Morris Bridge Executive Chef Zach Thorpe

Photos by Charmaine George

You have to hand it to Frank Gouveia, the owner of The Grill at Morris Bridge, which has been one of my two favorite restaurants in New Tampa since it first opened back in late 2021. 

The restaurant has gone through several chef changes — including losing the most recent chef Mike Touranjoe, who left to become a top chef at a cruise line — but Frank seems to have no problem finding outstanding new talent to lead the restaurant’s culinary team. 

The latest case in point is new Executive Chef Zach Thorpe (at right in top right photo, with Frank), who moved to the Tampa Bay area from Phoenix, AZ, five years ago. Zach was most recently a sous chef at Caretta on The Gulf at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater and he says he is excited for his first opportunity to be an Executive Chef. 

“What appeals to me most at The Grill is the chance to use my creativity,” Zach says. “I feel like menu changes are necessary. I look forward to putting my mark on this restaurant in a good way and hope everyone will love my food and the atmosphere we try to create here at The Grill.” He adds that his favorite cuisine types are both Southern and Southwestern American. 

“Currently, my favorite items to make off the menu are the shrimp scampi and the ribeye steak,” he says, but he also is already using his creativity on a constantly-changing “Chef’s Features” menu. 

On our most recent visit, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I were able to sample three of those Chef’s Features — and we’re hoping that all three will stay on the menu. 

We started our meal with Chef Zach’s refreshing and tasty Watermelon Salad (top left), which combined slices of seedless fresh watermelon, spring mix, pickled Fresno chiles, a slightly sweet blueberry compote, feta cheese, pepita (pumpkin) seeds and a delicate white balsamic vinaigrette. 

We all also loved the blackened chicken linguine (above right), which had roasted tomatoes, peas, bacon and a light Alfredo sauce that was creamy the Italian way, without being loaded with heavy cream. The blackened chicken had just the right amount of spice, too. 

My favorite of the specials was the braised lamb shank (left) which was topped with a rich, savory and slightly sweet port wine reduction and the tastiest, crispiest yucca frites I’ve sampled and fresh broccoli. The lamb was so tender you barely needed a knife to cut it. 

I’m also hoping that the crispy pork belly with sweet potato purée, bourbon caramel sauce and candied pecans and the lump blue crab cake (with charred lemon aji Amarillo aioli, jicama, Kohirabi slaw and scallions) will either both be added to the regular menu or at least stick around long enough for us to try them. 

But, speaking of seafood (and the regular menu), Charmaine also was able to sample the seafood risotto (below left), which included large shrimp, scallops and a lobster claw, in a lobster cream sauce and micros greens. Charmaine said the seafood was “perfect” and she loved the overall flavor of the risotto. 

And, even though we all already loved several of The Grill’s famous “Southshore Bar Pizzas,” we tried one we hadn’t had before — the spicy “New Bedford” pizza (above right), which was topped with hot chicken, onions, scallions and spicy peri-peri sauce. If you’re a beer lover, this super-crisp-crusted New England-style beauty is a perfect complement to a Sam Adams seasonal draft or any of The Grill’s other draft, bottled or canned beers. 

Speaking of great bar-friendly food, if you want to watch a World Cup soccer match, The Grill’s bar (right) is a great place to talk “futbol” with other local fans and enjoy an order of crispy grouper bites, mushroom arancini (rice balls) or one of the menu’s many great “Handhelds,” from a ground brisket, short rib and chuck smash burger to a fried, blackened or Nashville hot chicken sandwich to an excellent shaved ribeye sandwich (below left), which is topped with caramelized onions and Swiss cheese on an amoroso roll and served with au jus for dipping. 

And, The Grill also has more upscale regular menu items, like the seared Florida grouper (bottom left), served on a bed of goat cheese and pea risotto, with a confit of baby vegetables. The Grill’s fresh fish and the filet mignon and NY strip steaks have always been among mine and Jannah’s favorites in the area and the prime rib (available Fri.-Sun. only) also is extremely tender and seasoned just right. 

Other favorite menu items of ours at The Grill include the meatballs and the spinach & artichoke dip “Shareables,” the New England clam chowder, the grilled Caesar salad and the braised beef short ribs in cabernet demi-glace. 

If you’re craving dessert, we’re still partial to the Chef’s cheesecake, but we tried the bourbon-glazed chocolate chip bread pudding (below right) and even though I’ve never been the biggest bread pudding fan, it was delightfully dense, not overly sweet and topped with house-made bourbon glaze, a streusel swirl and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Truly delish! 

Jannah absolutely loves The Grill’s sparkling French (with Grey Goose vodka, Chambord, LaMarca prosecco and pineapple juice) and strawberry basil martinis and, of course, not only does The Grill have my Jameson, but on this most recent visit, I tried a super-smooth Dunbrody Irish whiskey and will almost definitely be enjoying it on my next visit to the Grill, too. 

We don’t usually drink wine when we visit The Grill, but I firmly believe Frank, who was previously in the wine distribution business, has assembled the largest and best wine list in the area, with more Italian reds (Barolos, a Brunello, etc.), California pinot noirs and chardonnays and sparkling options than you’ll find anywhere in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. 

And, The Grill’s wine dinners are legendary and always sell out, so keep your eyes peeled or call to reserve your spot at the next one! Or, to elevate your next event, call Frank about The Grill’s catering. 

The Grill at Morris Bridge (10920 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open every day for dinner, and for brunch/lunch and dinner on Sat. and Sun. For more info, call (813) 388-5353, visit TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com, or email Frank at info@thegrillatmorrisbridge.com. 

Chef Michael Touranjoe Is Redefining The Grill At Morris Bridge’s Menu! 

Photos by Charmaine George

When someone like Frank Gouveia — the owner of The Grill at Morris Bridge, one of the most popular independent restaurants in New Tampa — tells you that he found a new chef he thinks is the “best I’ve had yet. Please come by and check him out!,” it’s almost impossible for someone like me to resist. 

But, Frank is right. New Chef Michael Touranjoe (left) is bringing a unique creativity and panache to The Grill’s already impressive menu and he doesn’t plan to stop revamping and adding new menu items… basically ever! 

“Once I create something new, I have a tendency to get bored repeating the same dishes all the time,” Chef Mike says. “I’m like, ‘I’ve done that. What’s next?’” 

Still only in his 30s, Chef Mike still somehow has nearly 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. He has “worked everything from short-order to 3 Michelin star restaurants, Asian to Italian, and pizza to sushi to make myself well-rounded.” 

He has been a sous chef under Chef/owner Jeannie Pierola at her Counter Culture and Edison: Food + Drank Lab restaurants in South Tampa, and an Executive Chef/trainer for American Cruise Lines. 

“He walked in here to try the place,” Frank says, “and walked out as my new Head Chef!” 

Among the new menu items he’s added to the regular and Bar Bites menus at The Grill include mushroom arancini (balls of crispy fried risotto topped with tomato mayo and sherry aioli); crispy grouper bites with a zesty Old Bay remoulade; pork Milanese (breaded and fried pork cutlet, topped with arugula, pickled red onions, tomatoes, shaved parmesan and grilled lemon); seared Florida grouper atop goat cheese and pea risotto and a confit of baby vegetables; plus homestyle meatloaf on a bed of cheddar whipped potatoes, haricot verts and topped with caramelized onion jus; and my current favorite — the baked rigatoni with spicy Italian sausage, sweet peas, creamy marinara, fresh mozzarella and herbs. All of these new menu items are shown on this page and were absolutely delicious. 

The right photo is the new (and yummy) chicken Marsala (sautéed chicken breast, haricot verts, button mushrooms, Marsala wine and thyme butter sauce atop mashed potatoes). 

Chef Mike also is bringing a new energy to The Grill’s already-popular wine dinners. The event on Apr. 2 featured the pork loin roulade with sweet cornbread & spinach stuffing, corn basil cream and candied pecans as well as the mole marinated hangar steak with gorgonzola whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus, lemon zest and herb beurre blanc shown on the next page. The hangar steak had a nice exterior crusting and was super-tender and absolutely delectable. We rarely save room for dessert, but I loved the salted caramel cheesecake shown below, too! 

We didn’t attend that Stags’ Leap wine dinner on Apr. 2 but Chef Mike included all of the dishes served that night, including his rigatoni Bolognese — which our friend and long-time Tampa Palms resident and The Grill regular Mike Wallace said was “Awesome”— among his new weekly Chef’s Specials. 

The Wine Dinner We Did Attend! 

Jannah and I (and Jannah’s mom Carolyn) attended The Grill’s most recent wine dinner, which was held on Apr. 30 and featured a “reception” sparkling wine, plus three Wilson Daniels Italian wines and a Hungarian dessert wine, each paired with a delicious dish (see below). 

The event was hosted by Frank, Chef Mike and Craig Leslie, the North Florida area manager for Wilson Daniels, who described each of the wines as attendees sampled each course of the outstanding meal, first starting with a Bisol Jeio brut Prosecco “reception” wine, followed by a local Solena burrata with strawberries, assorted roasted beets (which I don’t usually like, but were quite tasty), rhubarb jam, crispy shallots and arugula, paired with a crisp Elena Watch Pinot Grigio that had just enough sweetness for Jannah and Carolyn to enjoy it, too. 

I couldn’t sample the actual second course — a grilled shrimp bucatini pasta puttanesca (right photo) paired with a Volpaia Chianti Classico — but Jannah said it was “amazing.” And, Chef Mike substituted the baked rigatoni at the top of the previous page for me and Carolyn, who called the dish “absolutely to die for.” I also loved the chianti so much, I ordered two bottles of it (and two bottles of the prosecco). 

The third course — a parmesan-dusted grilled petit filet mignon (topped with a Super- Tuscan demi-glace) was served with smashed fingerling potatoes and garlic broccoli rabe with semi-spicy Italian sausage — was paired with a Sette Cieli Yantra Super Tuscan red wine. The steak was “like butter” and the bitter broccoli rabe (one of my favorite veggies) was softened nicely by the sausage and garlic. 

And finally, the dessert was a mascarpone-filled tartlet with fresh raspberries, lemon, chocolate, basil and pistachio dust paired with a properly “syrupy” Royal Tokaji ice wine-like dessert wine from Hungary. So good! 

Frank hasn’t yet announced when the next wine dinner will be held, but once he does, you should definitely sign up for it! 

And, Frank says that all three pre-dessert courses will likely end up soon on Chef Mike’s weekly Chef’s Specials, which means that you will probably still have a chance to sample them if you didn’t attend the wine dinner. 

And, by the way, Chef Mike also was featured on a Season 4 episode of The Food Network’s “Chopped” (he’s 2nd from the left in the below photo) back in 2019, entitled “Beef Cake Mistakes.” But, he ended up getting “Chopped” (meaning he didn’t win the competition). In fact, he says, “I didn’t get “Chopped,” I got hammered,’ but it was still a great experience for me.” 

And yes, The Grill still has outstanding craft cocktails, the most extensive wine list in New Tampa, a great bar vibe, as well as its famous bar pizza and many of the other items that have been on the menu since before Chef Mike arrived. 

The Grill at Morris Bridge is located at 10920 Cross Creek Blvd. (next to Publix). It is open for dinner only on Mon. (5 p.m.-9 p.m.); lunch & dinner on Tues. & Wed. (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.); 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thur. & Fri. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sat. For more info visit TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com or call (813) 388-5353! 

The Grill At Morris Bridge Wants To Be Your Football HQ! 

In addition to its more upscale dinner items, The Grill at Morris Bridge on Cross Creek Blvd. has a great new bar menu that includes (above left) Nathan’s Coney Island hot dogs with different toppings, (below left) ham-&- cheese croquettes, (below right) savory meatballs, (lower left) crispy pretzels, (lower right) a variety of bar pizzas, brunch items like (bottom right) Berry Berry French toast and a blackened (or fried) grouper sandwich (below right). (Photos by Charmaine George and Gary Nager)

“This is now the fourth college and pro football season since we opened in 2021,” says The Grill at Morris Bridge owner Frank Gouveia, “and we’re really trying to cater to the local bar crowd that doesn’t want to have to deal with the big crowds and average-at-best food at most sports bars.” 

To that end, Frank has expanded his already lower-priced bar menu options to include Nathan’s Famous hot dogs with a variety of toppings, ham and cheese croquettes, zesty meatballs and more. 

“My parents sold Nathan’s hot dogs at their restaurant in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as far back as the 1950s,” he says. “So, having Nathan’s hot dogs here is a tribute to them.” 

And, they’re delicious, too. I grew up on Nathan’s Kosher-style hot dogs at the one-time chain’s second restaurant in Oceanside, Long Island (the original location was, of course, on Coney Island, Brooklyn) and The Grill’s new Coney Island dog with mustard and sauerkraut definitely takes me back to those days, even though Frank serves them with yellow mustard, instead of the brown mustard I was used to — that must also be a Massachusetts thing. But honestly…yum. 

The hot dogs also are available with house-made chili and onions and chili, onions and cheese, and are all served with house-made potato chips for just $6.90 apiece or two for $10.90. The chili is chunky, with just a hint of spice and the melted cheese is a great complement. 

The super-crispy ham, spicy capicola and cheese croquettes come four to an order for just $9.90 and the white cheddar cheese is fully melted inside. The croquettes are served on top of a thick dip of parmesan, goat cheese, ricotta and parsley. Excellent finger food. 

The meatballs are super-tasty, too, and very tender. They are made in-house from a freshly ground blend of The Grill’s ribeye and filet and served in a light tomato sauce for just $13.90 for an order of two. If you’re looking for something to dip in that sauce, try an order of the freshly baked pretzels (just $8.90 per order). They’re nicely crisp outside (as they should be; unlike at most other restaurants) and pillowy soft inside — and even though they’re served with a melted white cheddar dip, Frank won’t throw you out of the place for dipping them in the meatball sauce, too. 

And, of course, The Grill’s Boston-style bar pizza is already legendary and available with a variety of toppings so you can build your own or try the cutely named options, like the New Bedford (with hot chicken, onions, scallions and spicy peri peri sauce) and the Route 140 (with linguiça sausage, banana peppers and onions). The pizzas are hearty, filling and start at just $11.90 for plain cheese. 

Other items on the bar menu include cacoila (paprika-braised pulled pork) sliders for $12.90 and a big stuffed quahog (New England clam) for just $7.90. I haven’t yet sampled either of these. 

But of course, Jannah and I have tried most of The Grill’s full lunch and dinner menu — all of which is available at the bar, too — so if you’re looking for something else when you visit to watch a game or any other reason, you can enjoy everything from the blackened grouper sandwich (and substitute fresh broccoli for the house-made French fries it comes with) to a delicious shaved ribeye sandwich (served with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce for dipping) to what is still New Tampa’s only bone-in tomahawk ribeye steak for two. There’s also true New England-style clam “chowda,” Jannah’s favorite grilled Caesar salad, prime rib (served Fri.-Sun.) in 12- and 16-oz. cuts, teriyaki-glazed salmon, a great smash burger with white cheddar (served with spicy peri peri mayo) and so much more. 


The Grill at Morris Bridge has great food and shows your favorite college and NFL games. 

There’s even a great Sunday Brunch menu, with spinach & artichoke dip, sautéed mussels, avocado toast, a charcuterie board and a variety of different eggs Benedict options, including braised short rib, salmon, “Southern” and crab cake “Bennys,” as well as a pancakes, Berry Berry French toast, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, fried or scrambled egg sandwich and much more. 

Try the chef’s super-creamy raspberry cheesecake 

The Grill’s kids menu has mac & cheese, chicken tenders, a smash burger and hot dogs, all for just $7-$9. For dessert, there’s bourbon-glazed chocolate chip bread pudding, chef’s creamy cheesecake and different chef’s cakes. 

And, with New Tampa’s most extensive wine list, plenty of domestic, imported and micro-brewed beers on tap and in bottles and cans and a true craft cocktail selection (Jannah’s favorite is the sparkling French martini), The Grill at Morris Bridge is the perfect place to eat, drink and be merry while watching Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Bucs (above) or your favorite NFL or college teams. 

So, don’t just think of The Grill at Morris Bridge for dinner. Check it out for lunch, brunch and weekend football games, too! 

The Grill at Morris Bridge (10920 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open Sun., 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Mon., 5 p.m.-9 p.m., 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. on Tue. & Wed., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thur. & Fri. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sat. For more information, call (813) 388-5353 or visit TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com and please tell Frank and his crew I sent you!