North Tampa Bay Chamber Helps The Performance Lab Host A Truly Grand Opening!

It’s not every day that we cover the Grand Opening of a business located on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa. But, when North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) president & CEO Hope Kennedy tells me “This is one you shouldn’t miss,” I generally take her at her word. 

And, oh boy! The Grand Opening and NTBC ribbon-cutting event for The Performance Lab (TPL) not only included Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper, (as the Lightning have a partnership with TPL), it also unveiled a state-of-the-art, 25,000-sq.-ft. facility “uniting world-class medical care, advanced diagnostics, and progressive rehabilitation under one roof.” 

As described by founder Bahir Manios during the Grand Opening event attended by more than 200 people, TPL features top-of-the-line imaging (MRI, X-ray, ultrasound & C-arms) technology, including wide-bore MRIs, more than 25 exam/treatment rooms (including handicapped-friendly rooms and exam tables), multiple procedure rooms for interventional pain management, a dedicated brain health suite equipped with multiple modalities to assess and treat patients, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (bottom photo), a rehabilitation suite equipped to allow patients of all abilities to progress to complete recovery in a comfortable environment and a unique performance center. 

“In other words,” said Manios, “TPL is much more than a medical center. It’s a destination for recovery, performance and total wellness. Whether you’re a first responder, an athlete, a veteran, or just an ordinary person simply seeking strength, clarity and recovery from an ailment, TPL was built for you, and it’s all under one roof. We’ve put together physical medicine and rehabilitation, interventional pain management, brain health and neuro recovery, advanced imaging and diagnostics, sports performance and recovery, and life care planning for long term support.” 

The event was as spectacular as the place itself, with a catered lunch outside, the ribbon cutting with (l.-r., top photo) Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, Coach Cooper, Manios and TPL chief revenue & legal officer Shant Melkonian. Once inside, Manios played a short video showing the remarkable technology patients can expect to be treated with, and there was an informative panel discussion featuring (right, l.-r.) executive director of brain & strategic partnerships Marissa McCarthy, MD, executive medical director Michael Lorenz, MD, and chief medical officer Hadi Shah, MD, plus tours of the former (but completely gutted and recreated) Harley-Davidson dealership. 

In other words, if you missed it, you really did miss something special. 

For more info about TPL (6920 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.), visit TPLTampa.com or call (844) TPL-TAMPA. — GN, photos by Charmaine George 

Dozens Win Free Little Caesars Pizza For A Year!

Photos by Charmaine George

On June 7, Little Caesars Pizza celebrated the Grand Opening of the chain’s second Wesley Chapel location (at 5482 Post Oak Blvd.,off Wesley Chapel Blvd., in the same retail strip plaza as Jimmy John’s), with a DJ, a prize wheel attendees could spin and visits from both a stilt-walker and “Little Caesar” himself.. 

To me, Little Caesars is more about convenience and competitive pricing than it is about deliciousness, but I’ll admit that I enjoyed the new (at least to me) pepperoni “Crazy Puffs®” and the chewy Cookie Dough Brownies made with M&Ms® minis. 

But, the fact that there were nearly 70 people waiting on line (below right photo) before the shop opened that day to win free Little Caesars for a year does indicate to me that people do enjoy the chain’s specialty pizzas like the “3 Meat Treat®” (bottom photo) for just $12.99 (it’s also available in a larger “Detroit-style deep dish” rectangular version for just $15.99). 

The “Hot-N-Ready®” options are even less expensive, with the “Classic Cheese” and “Classic Pepperoni” both for just $7.29 & up, the “Extramostbestest®” cheese or pepperoni pizzas starting at just $8.29 each, and “Stuffed Crazy Crust” pizzas start at just $$13.99. There’s also pretzel crust pizzas ($6.99 & up), breadsticks, Italian cheese bread (top left photo, with pepperoni) and more. 

And, with Little Caesars’ new “The Pizza Portal,” picking up your to-go order is as easy as grabbing an Amazon package at an apartment complex. And yes, DoorDash delivery is available, too. 

For info, call (813) 923-0715 or visit LittleCaesars.com. — GN

AdventHealth’s New Meadow Pointe Emergency Room (ER)!

As part of AdventHealth’s commitment to community-based health care, the hospital company’s AdventHealth Zephyrhills is hosting a FREE “Grand Opening Community Celebration” tomorrow — Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. — to unveil the new freestanding Meadow Pointe ER! The event will include food trucks, safety education, giveaways and of course, preview tours of the new ER! For more info, visit MeadowPointeER.com.

Don Julio’s Celebrates Grand Opening & Anniversary!

When Julio and his wife Ximena Rodriguez first opened the original Don Julio’s Mexican Restaurant in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. seven years ago, the restaurant was an homage to Julio’s mother Esther Rodriguez (or Doña Esther). Esther began putting her cooking talents to good use in the late 1980s and early ‘90s by selling her authentic Mexican cuisine out of her garage in West Tampa after her husband, the original Don Julio, passed away when her three children were still young. She did well enough to put all three kids through college. 

As we reported last year, since then, Julio and Ximena opened a much larger restaurant, with a full-liquor bar, in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center, which has really helped increase the Rodriguez family’s exposure in the community “and brought in a lot of new customers,” Julio says. 

But, just a few days before we went to press with this issue, Julio and Ximena had moved the original Don Julio’s two spaces down in the same plaza — to the much larger space previously occupied by Bearss Tavern & Tap. “It just got too packed on the weekends at the old space, Julio says. 

I promised Julio that Jannah, photographer Charmaine George (who took all of these pictures), her boyfriend Brendan and I would visit the “new” location to not only check out the much larger space but also to sample some of Doña Esther’s “autentica” recipes we hadn’t tried before. 

And, it just so happens that Doña Esther (center in above photo, with Ximena and Julio) was helping out in the kitchen on the day we visited — and yes, we definitely sampled! We started by sharing the huge Don Julio’s Sampler (photo right) from the “Antojitos/Cravings” menu. The sampler includes crisp taquitos (we had them filled with chicken), a tamale (corn dough stuffed with pork, wrapped in a corn husk and steamed), a sope (handmade thick corn tortilla topped with refried beans, lettuce, onions, cheese and sour cream; we added ground beef to it), a tostada (similar to a sope, but flatter; we added carne asada steak to it), nachos (we added pastor and ground beef) and our new favorite, the perfectly cheesy quesadillas to which we added shredded chicken. 

We each also ordered a main course. Jannah got her usual fave (although it was her first time having it at Don Julio’s) — the ground beef enchiladas (with refried beans and a red guajillo chile sauce). Charmaine really enjoyed her taco salad (bottom right photo) with tender carne asada steak. Brendan also raved about his chimichanga al pastor (marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit; left photo), which also was stuffed with plenty of cheese and topped with melted cheese). 

I also tried the Bistec Ranchero (below), which is round steak cooked (and covered) in an amazing combination of tomatoes, onions and serrano peppers. The steak itself was not quite as tender as the carne asada, but the flavor was truly fantastic. 

The new restaurant itself is beautiful. Julio says, “It took us six months to build this out, but we’re very pleased with the result,” including the authentic Mexican Talavera tile behind the bar (bottom left photo). We’d have to agree. 

And, speaking of the bar, the newest Don Julio’s still features an incredible selection of tequilas and mezcals, some very upscale and rare, but all at very reasonable prices. Brendan, previously a long-time bartender, said his strawberry margarita was “spot on,” Charmaine savored her tequila sunrise and Jannah raved about the white sangria. I, of course, also had no complaints about my Woodford Reserve bourbon. 

Ready For Cinco? 

Julio promises that both locations of Don Julio’s will be throwing “the best Cinco de Mayo party in town” the weekend of May 3-4, “and the big final blowout on Monday, the 5th.” 

“We’ll have DJ music, drink specials and, at the Bearss location, we’ll be serving quick and easy tacos from our food truck outside,” he says. “Plus the new location has this huge outdoor patio, so come check us out!” 

Both award-winning Don Julio’s locations (2802 E. Bearss Ave. and 16023 Tampa Palms Blvd.) are open Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Friday & Saturday. For more information, visit DonJuliosMexican.com or find them on Facebook or Instagram. For reservations (not required but suggested, especially on the weekends), call (813) 898-2860 (Bearss Ave.) or (813) 644-7899 (Tampa Palms). 

Rita’s Italian Ice Grand Opening Begins ‘Food Truck Fridays’ At Avalon Park WC!

Hey, Wesley Chapel! When your Feb 18 Wesley Chapel Issue #4-25 arrives in your mailbox, please note that an old story about Chicken Guy! is under the headline above on pg. 42 of that print edition. Below is the correct story that was supposed to run. I apologize to Rita’s Wesley Chapel franchise owners Antoine & Idalice Stokes and to developer Beat Kahli’s entire team at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel for this unforgivable boo-boo! 

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel (APWC)’s downtown area is continuing the community’s tradition of great open-to-the-community events. Case in point — on Jan. 24, franchise owners Antoine and Idalice Stokes of Rita’s Italian Ice in the first APWC downtown building celebrated the store’s official Grand Opening with a ribbon cutting and a free Italian ice and frozen custard giveaway that attracted hundreds of well-wishers and frozen treat fans, as the line wrapped around a large part of The Flats at Avalon Park Apartments building for most of the afternoon.

That event, which also included a DJ, a fire truck from Pasco County Fire Rescue, District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman and the Cypress Creek Cheerleaders, as well as a Justice League-themed inflatable from Luc’s Inflatables for the kids, was paired with APWC’s first “Fourth Friday Food Truck Rally” event. At least four food trucks were on hand for this first rally, including Pane Piatto Pizza, Taco Holic, Westchase BBQ and Nacho Wagon. APWC, which continues to have individual food trucks in the downtown area on many Mondays and Thursdays, will host its next Food Truck Rally on Friday, February 28, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., which will include (please note that others may still be added) Logan’s Smoke House, Wich Press and Tampa Burger Company.

For more information about Avalon Park Wesley Chapel’s downtown (4424 Friendly Way), visit AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com