In case you missed it, Balanced Foods, the six-store chain which started in Woodlands, TX, is now open in the former La Prima Pizza location next to Super Target in the North Woods Plaza at 1211 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (just north of County Line Rd.).
Iâve already visited multiple times and enjoyed both lunch- and dinner-sized portions of fresh, healthy, house-made entrĂŠes like the roasted vegetable and tenderloin entrĂŠe (pictured) and the city grilled chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans. There are different lunch and dinner entrĂŠes, and all come in small, medium and large sizes to fit your diet, taste and budget.
Balanced Foods also offers a variety of snacks, from its own freshly made chunky chicken salad dip (served with gluten-free crackers, apple and celery sticks), to packaged items like yummy ChipMonk banana chocolate chip sunflower Keto Bites and addictive ICON Meals peanut butter vanilla Protein Popcorn. For more info, visit BalancedFoods.com or call (813) 778-4874 and please tell them you read about them in the Neighborhood News. We also plan to do an update on the explosion of healthy eating locations in Wesley Chapel in a future issue. â GN
Wolfâs Den Closes; First Watch To Open 2nd WC Location?
For those of us who prefer mom-and-pop restaurants to chains, this may not be great news for you, as Wesley Chapel recently lost the always-popular Wolfâs Den Restaurant located on S.R. 56, but will apparently soon have a second location of First Watch, The Daytime CafĂŠ, on S.R. 54, about a mile east of BBD, in the same plaza as Baybreeze Dental (see story below left).
Wolfâs Den owner Tony Carbone, who had to close temporarily a couple of times earlier this year because of a lack of help in the kitchen, closed for good before the end of August. âIt was time,â he told me. âItâs been a real struggle with employees this year.â
Meanwhile, First Watch, which has a Wesley Chapel location in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on BBD south of S.R. 56, as well as in the new Village at Hunterâs Lake plaza on BBD in New Tampa and on S.R. 54 in Lutz, has not yet confirmed that it will open next to Baybreeze Dental, but weâve been told by multiple sources that the currently empty end cap in that plaza (also home to a BayCare Medical Group office) will be a First Watch. â GN
Baybreeze Dental Hosts A Chamber Ribbon Cutting!
Congratulations to Ronak Parikh, D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine), the owner of the new Baybreeze Dental office at 28868 S.R. 54 (call 813.377.1822), and his family and staff, for celebrating the Grand Opening of the office with an outstanding North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event Photo) on Sept. 8. Attendees got to enjoy tours of the modern new cosmetic dentistry office, great food by Glory Days Grill (located almost next door), plus delicious desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes & Crumbl Cookie. â GNÂ
WC Quick Bites
⢠Cluckinâ Fun To Replace Hardeeâs?Â
A month or so ago, a new banner sign went up on the former location of Hardeeâs on Wesley Chapel Blvd. (next to Goodyear Auto Service) announcing that Cluckinâ Fun, an apparent chicken restaurant, was going to replace the burger chain, but as of the day before we went to press with this issue, the sign was gone and we have no further info about Cluckinâ Fun.
⢠Shake-A-Salad To Open At KRATEÂ
We told you last issue that Provisions Coffee & Kitchen was the first former shipping container to open at the KRATE container park at The Grove. It looks like the second crate to open, within a month or so, may be Shake-A-Salad, a new salad-and-wrap concept from fellow transplanted New Yawkas with fresh, tasty and healthy food options and homemade dressings. Visit ShakeaSaladfl.com. â GN