Host Your Next Event At Omari’s Grille At Lexington Oaks GC!

When classically trained chef Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana Herrera purchased Lexington Oaks Golf Club about three years ago, I was excited about the prospect of having another real restaurant in Wesley Chapel.

And, although Anass at first revamped the existing golfer-oriented menu at the golf course’s restaurant, which he re-named Omari’s Grille, he ended up scaling back his everyday offerings of fresh fish, pasta and filet mignon, and has kept the menu smaller and simpler since reopening Omari’s after the Covid-19 pandemic shut it down for a few months in 2020.

But now, while Omari’s regular menu is still mainly comprised of burgers, sandwiches, wings and other fast, simple foods favored by the golfers who frequent his completely renovated golf course, Anass has brought back some of the dishes I loved on his original Omari’s menu as specials on Friday evenings.

Anass loves both cooking and talking about cooking. So, in conjunction with this article, we recorded our second “Cooking With Anass” segment that was released a few days before this issue arrived in your mailbox, where he made an amazing Cajun pasta (above), with both Andouille sausage and top sirloin steak in a semi-spicy cream sauce that’s as good as anything you’ll find in any fine dining establishment.

“Good food is actually really simple to make,” he said as he set some hot oil on fire before sautéeing the steak and sausage together. “The key is knowing what ingredients and how much of each to use. I love sharing my secrets.”

And, I love tasting his recipes, because Anass is a true culinary artist who serves up some of the best food in our area, even if many locals still don’t know it. So, whether you want to start with authentic Colombian empanadas, crispy calamari or shrimp tempura salad, or enjoy a great grilled chicken caprese or salmon teriyaki entrée, you can’t go wrong at Omari’s. 

Great Events, Too! 

Now that things have gotten a little more normal in this Covid-crazy world, people are again looking for great places to host events like weddings, quinceañeras, baby showers, anniversary parties and even memorial gatherings and you can’t go wrong if you host your next event for 20-80 people at Lexington Oaks.

Omari’s offers a complete appetizer catering menu — featuring burger sliders, mini-croissants stuffed with chicken and tuna salad and more — as well as a sit-down dinner menu for events, so you can serve London broil with mushroom sauce, orange chicken and a variety of shrimp dishes, plus a dessert bar. Anass and his staff also can custom-design pretty much anything else you’d want to serve.

And, while the indoor space currently is limited to 80 people, Anass says he plans to extend the room out to the existing patio area, so that up to 120 people could fit in the air conditioned, indoor space. And, there is an additional covered outdoor space that can fit another 60 or so people.

“I think Wesley Chapel really needs an event space like this,” Anass says, “and the food will always be good. “Plus, we have the area down by the water (photo above) for weddings (as in the photo above) and the people love it.” 

Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club (16333 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) is open Wednesday & Thursday, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m., and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday. For additional information, call (813) 929-4217, visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com, or call the golf course’s main number — (813) 907-7270 — to talk to a catering specialist about scheduling, and designing a menu for, your event. 

Omari’s Grill At Lexington Oaks — Delicious Food, Great People!

Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana Herrera

When I first met Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana Herrera several months ago, I was hopeful that their plan to completely revamp not just the look of the clubhouse at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, but also the food served there would work out for them. After all, we have plenty of chain restaurants in Wesley Chapel, but we have so few non-chain, sit-down, mom-&-pop restaurants in our area with great food.

Well, if you haven’t tried Omari’s Grill & Bar at Lexington Oaks yet, I hope the pictures on this page and this short writeup will convince you to go check it out.

Anass, who is originally from Morocco, was trained at the world-renowned Cordon Bleu Institute in Paris, France, and just from the sauces he has been serving alone, his extensive training and experience is obvious.

Anass met Susana in her native Colombia, where she was working as a TV network news anchor for RCN Television (Radio Cadena Nacional) in the Colombian capital city of Bogota.

About two years ago, his varied business interests (including banking software) brought their family (they have two children together) from Colombia to Florida, first to the Grand Hampton community in New Tampa and eventually, to Wesley Chapel, where he ended up buying the Lexington Oaks golf course and restaurant, a change of ownership that took place about a year ago.

“We were planning to just buy a small vacation home in Epperson, because of the lagoon, but the kids loved it here, so this is now home.”

Oh Yeah, The Food!

The lunch and dinner menus at Omari’s Grill may be somewhat limited, but there’s no doubt that all of the dishes Jannah and I have sampled together so far have been outstanding — and Anass is always coming up with daily specials.

My favorite items on the dinner menu are the flounder almendrine, which I thought I had shown in my Nibbles & Bytes column before, and the Chef filet.

For only $14.99, the flounder is sautéed in a Mediterranean-style butter sauce, with large chunks of fresh tomatoes. The 6-oz. filet ($20.99) is super tender and served with a fresh basil and white wine cream sauce. It was served with two fresh asparagus spears and we also enjoyed a side of cheesy baked broccoli.

The Chef filet

I also love the fresh pear and brie cheese and the calamari appetizers and the Cajun chicken pasta with onions, peppers and salami in a semi-spicy Cajun cream sauce.

Although I can’t indulge in any of the multiple shrimp and lobster options on the menu because of my accursed shellfish allergy, Susana says her favorite dish on the menu is the lobster pasta, which is linguine served with generous chunks of lobster in a ginger cream sauce, with a touch of garlic and white wine. 

The mahi-mahi, served with a mango salsa.

The special on our most recent visit was a super-thick cut of amazingly fresh mahi-mahi, served with a mango salsa that added a delicious touch of fruit without being overly sweet. 

Although dinner currently is only served at Omari’s Grill Wednesday-Friday, it is open for lunch every day except Monday and the lunch menu features plenty of your favorite sandwiches, including Anass’ take on the classic Cuban, a Cajun chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese (of course), a Philly cheesesteak, classic BLT, as well as burgers, wings, a Buffalo chicken wrap and even shrimp tacos. 

Strawberry cheesecake

I’ve only sampled Omari’s catering-style food for lunch when I’ve visited the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, which meets for lunch at Omari’s every Wednesday at noon. Anass and Susana don’t only host the club, they’re also members and say they look forward to getting more involved with the Rotary’s service projects, especially since the Lexington Oaks golf course is getting ready to close for renovations for three months shortly after this issue reaches you.

“While the greens are being resurfaced,” says Anass, “we will be really focusing on the restaurant side. We’ll do a lot more menu specials and host more special events.” 

Speaking of special events, Susana says that the Easter brunch held last month “completely sold out.” But, despite lots of requests, Anass says he will not repeat the brunch special for Mother’s Day, so he and Susana can spend her special day together.

“I haven’t had a day off in 243 days,” he says. “But, I’ll be thinking about new specials.”

Oh, and before I forget to mention it, you should always save room for dessert at Omari’s Grill. All of the desserts are homemade, including an authentically French creme brulee and the totally decadent New York-style cheese cake shown in the far right photo on this page, which is served with fresh strawberries and a chocolate sauce that has other ingredients Anass wouldn’t share with me. “The sauce is a secret,” he says with a smile.

Omari’s also caters to families with an affordable kids menu (nothing more than $5) and there is a beautiful covered patio that can seat about as many people as the inside dining area, which features a premium, full-liquor bar with very reasonable prices.

For more information about Omari’s Grill & Bar (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.), call (813) 907-7270 or visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com and please tell Anass and Susana I sent you!  

Nibbles & Bytes

Spicy chicken pasta with fresh veggies at Omari’s Bar & Grill.

Have You Tried Omari’s Grill At Lexington Oaks Golf Club?

Although I didn’t include the all-new Omari’s Bar & Grill at the recently revamped Lexington Oaks Golf Club inside the Lexington Oaks community on my list of favorite new local dining experiences for 2018, that’s probably only because all I’ve sampled at owner/chef Anass El Omari’s new eatery was the delicious spicy chicken pasta with fresh veggies shown above and a couple of buffet-style items when I’ve visited the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon, which meets every Wednesday at noon at Lexington Oaks. But, so far, so good. And yes, the fully redecorated dining area at Omari’s Grille is available for catering and private parties.

Look for a full-length dining review of Omari’s Bar & Grill (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) in a future issue.

For more info visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com or call (813) 907-2440. And please, tell Anass and his wife Susana I sent you!

Fratelli’s Opens In Woody’s Village Market Space!

So, while we’re on the subject of delicious pasta, please check out the new Fratelli’s Pizza & Café, which very quietly took over the space previously occupied by Woody’s Pizza & Wings in the plaza on S.R. 54 at BBD Blvd. last month.

Fratelli’s Pizza & Café’s broccoli rabe.

The Fratelli family owned a famous Fratelli’s pizza place and Italian restaurant in the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, NY, for more than 30 years, but sold it a few years ago. It was renowned not only for being open 24/7/365 to accommodate the huge crowds of workers responsible for bringing fresh seafood and produce into all of New York City, but also for its broccoli rabe sandwiches, broccoli rabe on pizza and yes, the best broccoli rabe with grilled chicken and/or sweet sausage in garlic & oil over al denté penne pasta (photo above right) in our area. 

The NYC Fratelli’s was featured on the Food Network, the Travel Channel and other TV stations in New York many times and was named one of NYC’s best several times.

I haven’t been able to order a whole pizza from Fratelli’s yet, but based on how delicious the pasta was, I look forward to bringing my staff there soon. 

For more info about Fratelli’s (5327 Village Market), visit FratellisPizzaPasco.com or call (813) 991-1118. 

But Wait, There’s More!

F.J Express Sushi & Hibachi Grill’s hibachi chicken is a must-try.

• I like the new F.J Express Sushi & Hibachi Grill (1832 BBD), which is located in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on S.R. 56 at BBD, between Bealls and Publix. 

Similar in concept to (but smaller than) Hibachi Express in the Village Market, I haven’t yet sampled the sushi, but the hibachi chicken is a must-try. For more info or take-out orders, call (813) 991-1500.

• I was saddened when the Wok Chi restaurant in the Shops at Wiregrass closed on Dec. 10. I will miss the freshly made Chinese fare, especially the fresh, crisp veggies, Sichuan sauce and especially, general manager Robin Scovotti and her friendly, outstanding crew. I hope that whatever opens in the space will keep those great folks around. 

• Congratulations to our local Culver’s franchise owners, Marty and Ann Roeske, on the opening of their second location (the first is near the Tampa Premium Outlets) on S.R. 56 in the Wiregrass Ranch area (near Audi Wesley Chapel). — GN