Scenes from ABC Action News’ “Good Morning Wesley Chapel” segments on June 14: (above) Anchor Deiah Riley visits with our friends from Retro Dogs and Bakery X at the KRATE at the Grove Container Park (below right).(below left) Roving reporter Sean Daly visits Pasta di Guy. (bottom right) Co-owner Adel Youussef of the Garden of Eden Olive Oil Co. at the KRATEs was featured in a segment. (bottom left) Daly interviews the owners of Sorbo Wesley Chapel coffee shop. (Above photo by Charmaine George; the others are screenshots from the “Good Morning, Wesley Chapel” segments).
Great job, Deiah & Co.! On June 14, WFTS-TV “ABC Action News” anchor Deiah Riley brought her roving “Good Morning” show back to Wesley Chapel, as she set up on the main stage at the KRATE at The Grove Container Park from 6 a.m.-10 a.m.
There were the usual great previously recorded segments with the likes of North Tampa Bay Chamber president & CEO Hope Kennedy and members of the Boyette family (one of the original citrus farming families that settled in the Wesley Chapel area) being interviewed, as well as a discussion of whether “Downtown Wesley Chapel” will actually be located in Avalon Park or the Wiregrass Ranch community and a feature about the increased amenities at the Wesley Chapel District Park.
But of course, what got our attention the most were the live dining segments with Riley interviewing the owners of several of the KRATEs, and roving reporter Sean Daly (right) visiting with some of the better- and lesser-known eateries in Wesley Chapel, including (top photo) the new Retro Dogs, Garden of Eden Olive Oil Co., Bakery X (middle right), Sorbo Wesley Chapel coffee shop (bottom left), Moschella’s Italian Eatery & Market, Florida Ave. Brewing Co., Pasta di Guy (top left photo) and several more.
Although there are, of course, so many other places in Wesley Chapel, I really enjoyed this full morning of local businesses being featured on TV. Again, great job! — GN
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!
Emily Murphy & Guy Carmeli are proud to offer Pasta di Guy’s fried ravioli, hand-cut zucchini noodles with pesto, pasta alla aglio e olio, broccoli & bacon and large market salad.
For anyone who has ever had freshly made pasta, you know there’s literally nothing quite like it. Most Italian places in our area use the same hard, dry pasta that you buy in the grocery store and while there’s nothing “wrong” with it, if you want to taste the difference between fresh, homemade pasta and what most everyone else serves, you now have that opportunity on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel.
Pasta di Guy, which opened a few months ago in the space formerly occupied by the second location of OTB Café on BBD, just south of S.R. 54, has just what you’re looking for to satisfy that craving.
It is owned by Guy Carmeli, who received his formal training at the London location of the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Guy says he first learned about fresh pasta, however, while working as a sous chef at an excellent Italian restaurant located in his native Israel (outside of Tel Aviv). And, even though Cordon Bleu is most famous for French cuisine, Guy says “They actually teach every style of cooking there and they’re very strict. They tell you when you start there that you’re not a chef and probably won’t ever make it.”
Even so, Guy excelled — especially at creating sauces — and after working at a number of restaurants for several years in England, he moved to the Tampa Bay area less than two years ago and started the Pasta di Guy food truck, which soon developed an almost cult-like local following.
A few weeks before starting his food truck, Guy met his girlfriend Emily Murphy, who has been with him ever since and the two started looking for a location for a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“The food truck did great,” he says, “but the kitchen, of course, was very small, so what we could offer was very limited. Emily and I knew that we could do more.”
So, when they found out the former OTB location was available, they acted quickly, signed a lease and started designing the fast-casual Italian restaurant.
“We literally re-designed everything, especially in the kitchen, from the floors to the equipment,” he says. “We ordered a lot of the equipment from Italy and had to wait a while for some of it.”
Pasta with bacon and broccoli
One of those pieces of new equipment was the amazing pasta machine, which made Guy happy, even though having it created a lot more work for him and Emily.
“We are here every morning, making the pasta for the day,” says Emily, who says that currently, the strozzapreti (which literally means “Priest chokers” in Italian, but they are a longer form of twisted cavatelli pasta and comes out naturally “al denté”) is the only pasta that is made in-house (the penne, although a delicious imported Italian brand, isn’t made at the restaurant).
“And the sauces, too,” Guy adds. “We have to get in early to make all of the sauces for the day, too.”
Among those homemade sauces are the Alfredo (which Guy says is his top-seller), the Bolognese (which carries an up-charge; more on that below), traditional marinara, vodka (Alfredo and marinara mixed together), creamy pesto, aglio e olio (garlic & oil) and butter sauce.
Guy says that after Alfredo, Bolognese is probably the #2 seller, but marinara, vodka and pesto are all close behind.
How To Order
Whether you choose to dine in, take out (with touch-free curbside pickup) or have your order delivered (also no-contact), Pasta di Guy offers a create-your-own pasta bowl. You choose your pasta (strozzapreti, for $9.99, penne, $7.99, or delicious, hand-cut, gluten-free zucchini noodles, $8.50), your sauce and your favorite add-ons (these are each an extra charge, but so worth it!), including grilled chicken, bacon, Italian sausage, broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms.
Pasta with sausage
All of these pasta dishes are topped with parmesan cheese, fresh herbs and black pepper, unless you specify which ones you don’t want. The fresh basil is literally grown on the counter at the restaurant.
And, Don’t Forget…
Although Guy says he still plans to expand the menu (and perhaps open additional locations), Pasta di Guy also offers a great fried ravioli appetizer in marinara ($8.50), crunchy breaded-and-fried zucchini sticks ($6.50) and either two 6” bread sticks ($1.50) or a bread sticks bundle ($5.50), all served with a side of marinara dipping sauce.
There’s also delicious, made-in-house salads, including small (both $3.50) and large (both $7) Italian and Caesar salads (with homemade Italian and Caesar dressings), as well as a large market salad ($8), with arugula, fresh raspberries, feta cheese, candied pecans and red onions with a homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing. You can add grilled chicken to any of the large salads for $2 more.
“We buy the freshest local ingredients and produce — including a lot of organic items — we can find,” Guy says. “I’ve had to refuse a lot of the items from the big local suppliers, but we think it’s worth it.”
And, save room for dessert because Guy offers two decadent options — cannolis filled with house-made cheesecake cream in crispy shells and an authentic raspberry panna cotta (Italian for “cooked cream”), which is sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and topped with a smooth raspberry glaze. Guy conducted an informal survey on Facebook and the pana cotta won out over tiramisu as the second dessert option (it was his favorite anyway).
And, while he adds that opening just before the pandemic hit has made building a following “a little more challenging,” he and Emily are confident that once you give Pasta di Guy a try, you’ll become another one of their growing roster of regular customers.
Pasta di Guy (4839 BBD) is open every day (except Mon., when it’s closed) for lunch & dinner, 12:30 p.m.-9 p.m. For info, visit PastadiGuy.com, or call (813) 388-6676. Mention this article and receive $5 off your purchase of $25 or more!
If you’re looking for delicious, homemade pastas and sauces, Wesley Chapel has a legitimately authentic new eatery called Pasta di Guy that features a unique, affordable menu created by owner/Chef Guy Carmeli, who is originally from Israel, but was classically trained at the London location of the renowned Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.
Since relocating to Wesley Chapel, Guy has had a popular food truck in our area, but he has since opened his casual, comfortable sit-down/takeout restaurant in the former location of OTB Delights Café at 4839 BBD Blvd. and his homemade pastas — especially the always al denté Strozzapreti (which are sort of like two pieces of thicker-than-linguini pasta twisted and cut into bite-sized pieces), wit your choice of sauces and toppings.
My favorite sauces so far are the vodka, creamy pesto and aglio e olio (garlic & oil), but I still have to try the marinara and beef bolognese (the latter costs extra). I also enjoyed adding chicken, bacon, Italian sausage, broccoli and cauliflower to the different pastas and sauces, but please note that all of the items mentioned do cost extra over the $9.99 base price. But, you know what? It’s worth it!
We also enjoyed the fried zucchini sticks appetizer and people were raving on Day One about the fried ravioli appetizer and photographer/videographer Charmaine George said her zucchini noodles were definitely spot-on.
For more info, stop in (closed Mon.) or visit PastadiGuy.com or call (813) 388-6676 and tell Guy and Emily (photo above) I sent you!
Visit The Exerscience Center!
Congratulations to my friend Dr. Lauren Leiva, DPT, on the recent opening of her new The Exerscience Center (24706 S.R. 54, in Lutz, less than two miles from the Tampa premium Outlets).
Not only is Lauren a Doctor of Physical Therapy, she’s also a personal trainer, nutritional counselor and yoga instructor who works with people of all ages — including athletes who are looking to recover faster from an injury or surgery, neurological patients looking to restore lost function, and busy people who want a more effective, and sustainable approach to fitness.
In the photo on this page, Dr. Leiva is performing what she calls a “master reset” on a client, which she says will provide a “holistic rehabilitation experience.” She uses lots of the latest technology, including the Neubie machine from NeuFit (photo), a patented electrical stimulation device to help re-educate your neuromuscular systems, coupled with manual therapy and functional training.
Dr. Leiva says her patients are healing up to 4x faster than with traditional therapy. She adds that neurological signals can shut down muscles and prevent movement for too long, leaving that area of the body more vulnerable.
At The Exerscience Center, you’ll be able to identify exactly where those neurological barriers are present and break through them on the way to more efficient and effective recovery. But, don’t just take it from me. There’s so much more Dr. Leiva can tell you about all of the unique services she offers. For more information, visit TheExerscienceCenter.com, call (813) 464-0313 or see the ad on pg. 8! — GN
Sprouts Gets Top Grade!
For those who went absolutely bonkers over the opening of the Aldi supermarket on S.R. 56, I invite you to check out a truly outstanding, truly “green” new grocery store — Sprouts Farmers Market, located in the new Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Hunter’s Green Dr., which opened last month.
Not only does Sprouts have a far superior selection (and quality) of produce (as indicated by the Farmers Market in its name), it also features delicious prepared foods, a beautiful meat and fresh seafood department, crusty breads, a huge variety of the healthiest snacks and so much more.
In addition to produce — not all of which is more expensive than at other grocery stores (here’s a hint — look for the amazing sales!), here are some of my Sprouts favorites to date:
1) Fresh Fish – I’ve already had still-swimming mahi-mahi for only $5.99 per lb. (a truly unheard-of price), and even though the fresh grouper was $22.99 per lb., that’s still $5 per lb. less than Publix!
2) Meats — Grass-fed filet mignon for $16.99 per lb. or the slightly fattier “regular” filet for only $14.99 per lb. ‘Nuff said!
3) Prepared Foods — Amazing tuna salad, savory garlic roasted red potatoes, chicken florentine and parmigiana and better pot stickers than most restaurants, plus different-each-day selections. Yum!
Sprouts (8620 Hunters Village Rd.) is open every day, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. For info, call (813) 683-8072 or visit Sprouts.com!
In the meantime, several of the other businesses in the Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza have already opened, including Grain & Berry, The Coder School of New Tampa and Via Italia.
Among the stores that are under construction but not yet open in that main part of the plaza are the Banfield Pet Hospital and Touch Nail Spa. According to owner Timmy Pham, this second location of Touch Nail Spa (the other is on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel; see ad on pg. 28 of this issue) is expected to open in the Village at Hunter’s Lake sometime between mid-September and early October.
Meanwhile, in the separate outparcel building with frontage on BBD, Starbucks and Dental Care at Hunter’s Green are open; and, in another outparcel set further in off BBD, FitNiche (relocated from the Shops at Wiregrass), YogaSix and The UPS Store are open, with Pure Beauty Salon & Spa coming soon.
