Now open (since Mar. 21) in Wesley Chapel, the new Beef N’ Buns restaurant, located in the space previously occupied by Balanced Foods (at 1211 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., next to the Target store) is a non-chain specializing in halal smash burgers and fresh-battered chicken sandwiches, wings, fries and desserts.
Photographer Charmaine George and I sampled a few items at the new Beef N’ Buns, which is the restaurant’s second location (the original is in Orlando), with the third location in Plantation, FL, also having just opened.
And, oh yeah, we enjoyed everything we tried. The smash burgers are available as singles, doubles and even triples (we ordered the B&B Smash double; left photo), with caramelized onions, American cheese and old-fashioned pickles on a brioche bun. Other burgers include the Karachi Fire (with “cashew fire” sauce), the Gaucho Burger (with cilantro lime aioli and a sunnyside-up egg) and many more.
We also liked the extra-crispy O.G. Chicken Sandwich (top photo; we ordered the garlic aioli on the side). There are also Mango Habanero, Nashville Hot and Buffalo Ranch chicken sandwiches. We paired our sandwiches with crispy sweet potato fries, but there also are Cajun and truffle fries and even onion rings. I’ll be back to try the Steak N’ Cheese and Birria Bomb sandwiches, and the Cookie Caramel Sundae for dessert. For more info about Beef N’ Buns, call (813) 345-8116. Or, search “beef.n.buns” on Instagram. — GN, photos by Charmaine George
It’s been another busy few weeks for the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC)’s giant scissors, as there were four NTBC ribbon-cutting events just between Apr. 21 and Apr. 29, including the Face Foundrié, Hale Law Accident Attorneys and Drybar Wesley Chapel.
On Apr. 21, the Face Foundrié not only cut a Chamber ribbon but also opened its doors for the first time at 28249 Paseo Dr., Unit 190, in The Shops at Wiregrass. Its Grand Opening will be held on Saturday, May 30, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Local franchise owners Brenda and her daughter Elle Vansteenburg (right) welcomed Chamber members to tour the beautiful new facial spa, one of nearly 90 Face Foundrié locations in 25 U.S. states (10 in Florida). The company was founded in Edina, MN, in 2019 by CEO Michele Henry, and the Wesley Chapel Face Foundrié offers a variety of facials, lashes, brows & skin care products, with memberships available. For more info about the Face Foundrié, call (656) 246- 5141 or visit FaceFoundrie.com.
Next, on Apr. 23, Hale Law Accident Attorneys cut an NTBC ribbon at the firm’s office location at 6408 E. Fowler Ave. in Temple Terrace. Founded by Patrick Hale (at right in photo, left) in Sarasota in 2018, Hale and co-managing partner Patrick Iyampillai (with microphone in same photo), fellow partner Rose Kasweck and attorneys Patrick Barnes, Maxwell Shrem, James Tanton and Kristi Paschall, are all dedicated to representing everyday Floridians who have been wrongfully injured by someone else’s negligence.
As the official accident law firm for USF, Hale Law does not take on corporate clients or insurance company defense work — “just people who need someone to fight for them,” Hale said. The partners in the highly-rated firm (the Temple Terrace office has a 5.0-star rating on nearly 30 reviews on Google) told everyone who attended the ribbon-cutting event that they should “Go to Hale (Law)” if they’re ever injured.
For more info, call (813) 547-4980 (24 hours/day) or visit HaleLaw.com.
Later that same day, Drybar Wesley Chapel hosted another well-attended NTBC ribbon-cutting event. Already open for several weeks, the location at 28163 Paseo Dr., Suite 135, is an elegant-looking salon that specializes in styling and blow-drying all different types of hair, with catchy cocktail-copying names (putting the “bar” in “Drybar”) for the styles, like “The Cosmo” and “The Old Fashioned.”
Franchise owners LeShundra Haughton (in Drybar yellow in photo, right) and her son Xavier (with sunglasses) and LeShundra’s husband August Haughton (left) and her sister LaTonya DeShazier (far right) welcomed Chamber members to check out all that Drybar has to offer, including not only the blowout services, but also braids, clip-in hair extensions, hair care products, memberships and gift cards.
Drybar, which today has nearly 200 locations (15 in Florida), debuted in Brentwood, CA, in 2010. As LeShundra said, “We want to help everyone have their best hair day.”
For more info, call (813) 702-1066 or visit DrybarShops.com. — GN; all photos by Charmaine George
PTSD Foundation Also Cuts A Chamber Ribbon
The following week, on Aug. 28, the PTSD Foundation of America Florida Chapter also hosted a Chamber ribbon-cutting event at its office in the Mango Coworking Space at 2831 Allegra Way (off Wesley Chapel Blvd.) in Lutz.
Florida PTSD Foundation Chapter general manager Luis Pancha (at right in photo with NTBC president and CEO Hope Kennedy), a Marine Corps veteran, told attendees that the Foundation isn’t made up of therapists, but it does provide much-needed services for veterans and their families, including in-person peer mentoring and putting those who are at risk of becoming another one of the 44 U.S. military veterans each day who commit suicide in touch with licensed therapists. Foundation volunteers also help vets with writing grants and even with finding jobs.
“This office is a place where veterans and their families can come for support, connection and hope,” Pancha said.
Pancha clearly is the right person for the job. He told the attendees, “I’m not here to ask for donations. I ask for word of mouth because that’s how our Foundation can grow. So, I hope five people here will talk to five people to spread the word.”
He also said that the local chapter actually started back in 2023 because, “As a veteran, I know that the need is great. It’s very difficult for people to understand what PTSD really is, but I suffer from PTSD a lot myself and my wife Samantha helped pull me out of the darkness. Now, I get to reach into people’s darkness and help pull them out as well.”
The need is clearly great, as two veterans I met during the event told me that they had attempted suicide more than once.
The event included huge donations of food from multiple sources, and Craving Donuts co-owner Vanzelle Nibbs parked his donut truck at the event and gave each attendee at least one free donut. I had enjoyed these gourmet donuts at previous events, but until you’ve had them hot and crisp outside and soft inside, you haven’t really tasted them! For more info about the PTSD Foundation, call (813) 940-0015 or visit PTSDUSA.org. For Craving Donuts, call (813) 466-9365 or visit CravingDonuts.com. — GN
If you read this publication regularly, you know that District 7 Tampa City Council member and New Tampa resident Luis Viera will reach his term limits when Tampa’s Municipal Elections are held next March.
You’re probably also aware that Viera is now actively campaigning to replace his friend (and current Florida House Minority Leader) Fentrice Driskell in the Dist. 63 State House seat in the November midterm elections.
But, that doesn’t mean Viera is done fighting for the New Tampa community he calls home in City Council. Not by a long shot.
Below are just a few of the items Viera has either recently gotten passed or is still working to bring to fruition:
Morris Lopez Street Renaming — Although this one doesn’t directly benefit New Tampa, Viera has been lobbying for months to rename a street in Ybor City in honor of Tampa Police Officer Patrolman Morris Lopez, who was murdered on the streets of Ybor more than 75 years ago. Ofc. Lopez’s grandson, also named Morris Lopez, is not only a long-time New Tampa resident, but is also one of at least three people (Alan Cohn and Patricia Alonzo are the others, although only Lopez was listed at VoteHillsborough.govas having officially filed his paperwork at our press time) to fill Viera’s soon-to-be-vacant seat.
City Council is expected to have a first reading regarding the street renaming in Lopez’s honor at one of the May Council meetings.
Viera says the honor for Patrolman Lopez is long overdue: “It’s just the right thing to do.”
New Tampa Police Substation — Viera, who has been fighting for months for a TPD substation somewhere in New Tampa, said during the Apt. 7 City Council meeting that he “rejected” the memo he and the other City Council members received from Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw on Mar. 17 (right) that said, “Currently, however, the department’s most critical infrastructure priorities remain the construction of a new Forensic Facility and the development of a new Police Headquarters…Once progress is achieved on these critical projects, the department can better evaluate the need for future facility expansion opportunities, such as a New Tampa Substation, within a comprehensive long-term facilities plan.”
“I’m not asking for a Taj Mahal big expenditure,” Viera says. “But all of the Tampa Police Officers I’ve spoken with in New Tampa support renting some small office in a strip center where the officers could meet with the community.”
Viera’s motion for the City Council staff to look into what a substation office would cost and present a report to the Council, by the end of April or sometime in May, passed 5-0.
New Tampa Blvd. Repaving — The funds allocated for this item were approved by Council months ago, and construction was expected to begin by sometime this month, but has been delayed until June or July of this year. In the meantime, almost all of the existing potholes on the 1.8-mile stretch of New Tampa Blvd. were recently filled in prior to the repaving (at left is one pothole that hadn’t been filled in at our press time).
The City’s engineering department sent Viera the following memo: “The New Tampa Blvd project is ready to execute once the processing is complete of the 26-C-06 contract that council approved during the 3-26-2026 meeting. We are expecting paving to begin on New Tampa Blvd around June/July 2026, but this may vary to be sooner or later depending on the contractor’s schedule/availability.”
Viera says, “You know I’ll be obnoxiously on this one until it’s done.”
Nature Park All-Abilities Equipment Allocation — Viera also lobbied successfully for the City of Tampa to spend some of its surplus funds from the Fiscal Year 2025 budget on two pieces of All-Abilities equipment for the New Tampa Nature Park off Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
The equipment is allocated to cost $175,000 of the $4.4-million of the surplus funds to be spent on parks throughout the city.
If you’ve recently driven by the Five Guys Burger & Fries located across the parking lot from Fresh Monkee, and next to the Max’s Pet Market & Salon (photo) at 6431 E. County Line Rd. in New Tampa, you’re already aware that this location — which is hidden from view from both Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and County Line Rd. — has closed (its last day was Mar. 15).
One of the other store owners in the same plaza told me that they had heard that this location was Five Guys corporate-owned and that, “The company apparently looked at the store’s numbers and decided that it was time to just shut it down.”
The same store owner also said that, “They literally came here on [Mar. 16] and took out most of the equipment, tore down the sign, packed it all onto a truck and drove away.”
We also have now been told by multiple sources that a Middle Eastern shawarma shop is expected to move into the now-empty Five Guys, although no one yet knows exactly when the new eatery is planning to open or its name.
In the meantime, please note that Five Guys not only still has more than 1,900 locations in operation around the world, it actually is expanding those numbers.
For New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents who still need their Five Guys burger, fries, shakes and unlimited peanuts “fix,” the franchised locations at 25599 Sierra Center Blvd., across S.R. 56 from the Tampa Premium Outlets, and at 28894 Wesley Chapel Blvd./S.R. 54, in Wesley Chapel, are both still very much open and hoping to see you soon.
We’ll keep you posted about the restaurant planned for the now-vacated Five Guys space.
For ordering and more information about Five Guys Burgers & Fries, visit FiveGuys.com. — GN
I remember being so pumped when Florida Avenue Brewing Company first opened its second location (the original is still in Seminole Heights) in the former location of Sports + Field on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel near the end of 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was winding down. The on-site brewery (more on that below) wouldn’t be operational for almost another year, but it was exciting to me that Florida Ave. was a big, non-chain real restaurant with an elevated, better-than-sports-bar menu that included items that became instant favorites of mine — such as Chinese sticky ribs and Korean-style bibimbap bowls, to name just two.
But, the restaurant was just really finding its way at that time and has since been through, “I believe, five executive chefs since then,” says general manager Monroe Brown (left in top photo), who was a server and mostly bartender at the location when it first opened. “But, we’re really happy with the most recent version of the menu and our current executive chef — Baxter McManamy.” (right in the same photo)
I’ll have to second that, even though both of those early favorite dishes of mine are no longer offered. And, despite having been with Florida Ave. for about a year now, Baxter isn’t taking credit for most of the new menu items, although he will say that he’s tweaked some of the recipes and given his sous chefs an opportunity to present new ideas to make the menu better, too.
All I can tell you is that the new formula is working. Jannah and I honestly avoided Florida Ave. the last couple of years because it seemed like it was turning into just another sports pub, but….
Check It Out Now!
If you check out the food pictures on this page, I think it’s pretty clear that Baxter, Monroe, the Derby family — Anthony, Amanda and their mom, Toni — and Florida Ave. are definitely back on the right track food-wise.
In the top photo on this page, Monroe is holding a super-tasty new Rice & Bean Bowl, with adobo rice, “Rollin’ Derby” black beans, avocado and pickled red onions with “bistro steak,” Baxter says. “It’s a little tougher than filet mignon, but has a flavor similar to NY strip.”
Speaking of Baxter, he’s holding a tasty double-patty Florida Ave. Smash Burger, with sautéed onions, bacon, American cheese and roasted jalapeño aioli on a brioche bun and a side of loaded hand-cut fries. Every burger on the menu also is made to pair with one of Florida Ave.’s beers, including the burger I mentioned, which the menu says should be paired with a Flipa American IPA, but that’s really up to you.
If you’re looking for something a little more unique, perhaps try my favorite new menu item that photographer Charmaine George and I sampled on our most recent visit — the Gulf Coast mahi Fish ‘N’ Chips (left). I’ve never seen any restaurant use mahi for fish & chips, but it was beer-battered (“We beer-batter a lot of our dishes,” Baxter said. “Why wouldn’t we?”), super-crisp and snow-white inside. Oh, and it was frickin’ delicious, too. It didn’t even need the house-made tartar sauce served with it.
Speaking of fresh, before we move on, Monroe and Baxter invited me into Florida Ave.’s super-clean kitchen and showed me that while there are two huge, walk-in refrigerators in there, the freezer is about the size of one of the little ones you’d find in your neighbor’s garage.
“We just really don’t freeze anything here,” Baxter said. “We make most everything fresh.”
Another one of my new favorite options is the General Tso’s cauliflower (right). It’s served crispy outside, tender inside and the General Tso’s sauce is sweet and a little spicy. I probably will order the spicy aioli on the side next time, just to keep the cauliflower at its peak crispness.
Another new favorite of mine is the new French onion dip handheld (below left). It features shaved ribeye, mozzarella and provolone, with a zesty horseradish cream on a toasted Amoroso roll. But, the big difference is the French onion broth that really gives this particular French dip a flavor all its own.
That same delicious onion flavor is encased in Florida Ave.’s tasty crock of French onion soup (above right), which properly covers the broth and toasted bread with a combo of melted mozzarella and provolone cheese, which almost mimics the more traditional taste of French gruyere.
Another recent addition is the Seasonal Grazing Board (left). For March, this selection of artisanal bites included Irish-style sausage, pretzel bites, kalamata olives, two kinds of cheese, red onions and a chunky tomato chutney. The seasonal board is made to pair with a four-beer flight. If you’re a beer drinker (I’m really not), this is a great way to start your meal, especially with a group of friends. Of the four brews shown with the grazing board, my favorite was the Dead Parrot light lager, but Charmaine preferred the Luminescence Hazy IPA.
And, although I’m not a big salmon eater and can’t eat shrimp, Charmaine raved about both the BLT salad (below right) — with chopped romaine hearts, candied bacon, blue cheese crumbles, heirloom cherry tomatoes, chives, ranch dressing and balsamic glaze — which she had topped with blackened salmon that she said was flaky and delicately spiced; and the grilled Coastal Lime Shrimp tacos (top left). She loved the tequila lime aioli slaw and the fresh pico de gallo on top of the tacos, too.
Even though we didn’t have room for dessert, we both still made room because the two house-made Florida Ave. desserts we sampled were both just so good!
Charmaine’s favorite was the warm coconut cake (below left), which swims in a pool of delicious rum sauce and is topped with grilled pineapple and whipped cream. Decadent.
But, my new favorite dessert is the Basque (Spanish-style) cheesecake (below right). The menu calls it “irresistible” and that’s pretty spot-on. The tender crust has a delicious char, but the cheesecake itself is as creamy as a true NY-style, but not as dense, and as light and airy as an Italian-style ricotta-based cheesecake, but with a better texture and flavor. It didn’t need the fresh berry coulis, but the end result was spectacular!
But, What If We Want To Drink?
I’m so glad you asked. Jannah and I always sit in the comfy high-top bar chairs at Florida Ave., which has a big advantage over most other breweries in that it has a full, premium liquor bar, not just beer and wine. So, even though neither of us are partial to the interesting selection of Craft Cocktails on the menu (she would get the “That’s My Jam,” with Tito’s vodka and a tropical syrup flavor, but would substitute club soda for the Regatta ginger beer it comes with), she has had excellent Cosmos at the bar and my Jameson on the rocks is always perfect. However, you Old Fashioned lovers will probably flip for the variety of “Cask Crafted” Old Fashioneds.
Florida Ave. also recently added a “Taproom Brunch” every Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., with items like warm French toast bites, avocado toast, a breakfast flatbread (with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, borracha salsa and shredded mozzarella, topped with micro cilantro) and more. The brunch menu also includes bottomless mimosas and “bromosas” (OJ with your choice of Florida Ave.’s Dead Parrot, Luminescence Hazy IPA or You’re My Boy Blue). There’s even a mimosa flight served with four different kinds of juice.
For lunch every weekday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Florida Ave. offers a “Pint & Plate” lunch, with your choice of soup or salad, paired with one of five different main courses (a flatbread, smash burger, tacos, a chicken Caesar wrap or a chicken parm or Milanese Brew Pub Sub) and one free draft beer, or soft drinks or coffee, for just $15.
For “Hoppy Hour” (Mon.-Fri., 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and all night on Wed., from 3 p.m.-close), Florida Ave. offers its year-round draft beers for $5.25, specialty rotating draft beers from $6.25, sparkling, white or red house wines for just $6 and well & specialty cocktails for $7. There’s also a variety of Hoppy Hour “bites” for $5 (for cheese curds, loaded fries, crispy cauliflower & more), for $7 (for flatbreads or chicken wings) or for $9 (for tacos or Nashville chicken sliders).
And, of course, Florida Ave. also has a great fenced-in open area out back, with its own bar and table service, as well as arcade games inside for the kids, plus private indoor areas for catered meetings and events.
Now, let me see…what I am forgetting?
Of course…BEER! Not only is the Wesley Chapel Florida Ave. one of the largest independent breweries in Florida, which provides cans of its now-famous brews, ciders and seltzers to other bars, it offers a huge variety of its rotating, house-brewed beverages to its happy customers.
But, don’t take my word for it. Florida Ave. has more than 1,200 5-star reviews on Google, including Sabine M., who wrote, “This has to be one of the best breweries in the area. Every beer is delicious….They have amazing lunch deals…really cool space. A great place to meet up with friends.”
And, every Saturday, you can even bring your group on a tour of the brewery for just $12 per person, which includes a beer and a souvenir pint glass. You must be 21 for the tours, all sales are final and they should be booked in advance.
As Monroe says, “If it’s been a while, come give us another try!.”
Florida Ave. Brewing Co. is located at 2029 Arrowgrass Dr. For more info, call or send a message to (813) 452-6333, visit FloridaAveBrewing.com or see the ad below for a FREE “Fourcaster” Appetizer Sampler!
