Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill Is Now Serving Weekend Brunch! 

It’s no secret that Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill, located in the small strip plaza next to the Hyatt Place hotel across S.R. 56 from the Tampa Premium Outlets has been among my favorite restaurants in Wesley Chapel — including my #1 fave for 2024! — since the day it first opened back in late 2020. 

So, what could make Zukku-San even better? How about the most unique and delicious weekend brunch in “The Chap?” 

Co-owner and executive chef Gia Tran was proud to introduce us to the new weekend brunch menu items on the first day brunch was offered — two weeks before we went to press with this issue. Gia and his partner Ferdian Jap now own five fast-casual Zukku Sushi places in four states (including at Tampa’s Armature Works), three Ato Burritos & Bowls (including in The KRATE at The Grove), Astro Ice Cream (also on Sierra Center Blvd.) and have another Zukku-San opening soon in Orlando. 

Gia (left) told us that he’s been “cooking up” the ideas for almost all of the items on the opening brunch menu (which he said will be expanded) “for a couple of years,” but just couldn’t seem to pull the trigger on getting it started. 

“I knew I wanted to include some ingredients that you almost never find at an Asian restaurant,” Gia told yours truly, photographer Charmaine George and Charmaine’s boyfriend Brendan. “Have you ever had fried eggs, ube waffles or bacon at an Asian place?” 

The answer was clearly “no” from all of us, and I’ll be honest that I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to love all of the new items — until I actually tried them. Of course, the only things I couldn’t try were the new “Bird’s Nest” sushi roll (right photo) and the “Zukku- San Signature Mary” (one of the two drinks above) because both included fried shrimp. 

But, Charmaine and Brendan both raved about them, especially the Bird’s Nest, which combines tempura shrimp, salmon and cucumber, topped with avocado and real crab (not “krab”), plus a poached egg, scallions, masago, eel sauce, spicy mayo and sesame seeds. 

Meanwhile, the Signature Mary has Haku Japanese vodka, wasabi paste, soy sauce and Bloody Mary mix, with Sichuan peppercorn bitters, garnished with a California roll, tempura shrimp, pickled ginger and celery, with a black-&- white sesame seed rim. There’s also an option to add sriracha to this Mary “for extra spice.” 

But, all of us honestly went bonkers for all of the other choices. The other brunch sushi roll was a Quail Roll (left photo), which combined tamago, cucumber and avocado, topped with two sunny-side-up quail eggs (shockingly tasty), plus bacon (yes, bacon!), scallions, “lava aioli,” eel sauce and Japanese togarashi spice. I don’t know if I’ve ever had that last ingredient before, but the entire sushi roll was just soooo tasty. 

I’ve also never really been a big fan of Eggs Benedict, so the new Crispy Rice Benedict (right photo) was something of a revelation, with its crispy rice topped with (again, real) snow crab, poached egg and a never-heard-of miso brown butter Hollandaise sauce that Gia said stays blended longer than most Hollandaise sauces because of the miso. We all agreed we had never tasted anything like it. 

But wait, there’s more! I know we just hosted the first-ever Wesley Chapel fried chicken tender contest, but there is a new contender in town, as Zukku-San’s Ube Waffle & Fried Chicken combo (top right photo) is a combination of three thick slabs of the crispiest (and yet, still juicy) panko-fried chicken served with three of the only waffles I’ve ever had made from ube — also known as the vibrant purple yam (sweet potato) originally used primarily in The Philippines. The waffles also are topped with a generous dollop of creamy ube butter and served with a sake cup of ginger maple syrup. If you’re the kind of person who tries the fried-chicken-&-waffles at every place that serves them and don’t think this is among the best you’ve ever had, feel free to let me know what you didn’t love about it. 

Gia said that his pastry chef Alex Winchester (above left photo) went through “like ten different waffle irons” before finding the one that would give his ube waffles the proper texture and crunch. 

The final brunch “entrĂ©e, which Gia called “kind of a throwaway addition because I felt we needed at least one more entrĂ©e,” is no “throwaway” to yours truly, as the “Sunrise Fried Rice” (above right) is Zukku-San’s nutty & savory chicken fried rice (already among my whole family’s favorites), which has big chunks of chicken, peas, carrots, onion and garlic and tops it with a sunny-side-up (chicken) egg. Does the fried rice “need” the egg? Maybe not. But is it still a winner? You bet! 

We all were honestly too stuffed to want to even order dessert, but Gia insisted we try Alex’s new mango & passion fruit sponge cake (left), which isn’t even on the dessert menu yet, but it was excellent and the whipped tropical icing is addictive. And yes, we still found a way to polish it off — are you surprised? 

Also on the brunch dessert menu — all of which I have to start sampling on my next visit — include an ube cheesecake, a ginger yuzu (citrus) creme brulĂ©e and a banana hazelnut opera cake. 

I also enjoyed my lychee mimosa (at left in top left photo) enough to not need a shot of my usual Ballyhoo Irish whiskey (found only at Zukku-San locally) with my meal. Other Brunch beverages include an Asian Mary, a Sake Mimosa and a Green Tea Umeshu Martini. Try these for yourself and let me know what you think. 

And yes, if these brunch items somehow don’t do it for you (but my opinion is that you’d have to be crazy, or a vegetarian, to not at least try some or all of them), Zukku-San’s full menu is still available during the weekend brunch hours — which are every Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Zukku-San is located at 25916 Sierra Center Blvd. It is open for lunch & dinner every day at 11 a.m. and stays open until 9 p.m. on Sun., 9:30 p.m. on Mon.-Thur., and until 10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. Reservations are not required (except for larger parties), but are definitely suggested, especially on the weekends. For more information, call (813) 419-1351, visit ZukkuSushi.com. And please, tell Gia and Alex and the entire crew that I sent you! 

Gary’s Top 25 Favorite Wesley Chapel Restaurants Of 2023! 

Treble Makers Is Again Gary’s Favorite In Wesley Chapel! The Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant Beats Out Falabella Family Bistro & Zukku-San For The Top Spot! 

Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager checks out a few of his favorite dishes at TrebleMakers, his favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel again for 2023. (Photo by Charmaine George) 

 Every year, after our readers’ favorite restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel are published, I like to provide our readers with my own list of favorites — and there are always many differences between your choices and mine. 

I also always have a few haters every year who say that my reviews aren’t “real,” that I only pick my favorites based on which restaurants advertise with me and/or give me free food, that I have no taste whatsoever, etc. 

The primary thing these haters don’t seem (or want) to understand or believe is that the restaurants I tell you about in my annual “Gary’s Favorites” are not just the places I like the most, they’re also the places where I spend the most of my own money. And yes, when you consider that there are literally dozens of restaurants named on of this issue, Jannah and I do spend a lot of our money dining out (and taking out food) — I’m betting more than just about anyone else in our distribution areas, especially when you consider our combined annual income. 

The “trolls” also don’t seem to “get” the other reason I give my opinions on local eateries every year is that I so appreciate the feedback — both positive and negative — I get after “Gary’s Favorites” are published each year. 

I can’t even tell you how many people come up to me and Jannah when we’re sitting at the bar at The Grill at Morris Bridge, TrebleMakers, Stonewood, Zukku-San, Azteca D’Oro or any of our other favorite eateries to tell me what they think of my opinions. The vast majority of them say things like, “I only tried this place because of what you wrote about them” or “I didn’t really love this place the first time I tried it, but I decided to give it another try because of you.” If you’ve never felt that kind of love from strangers, I promise you that it’s one of the things that most makes the long hours I still put in 30 years since I first started this job worthwhile. 

And yes, a few people also come up to me to tell me that they totally disagree with my assessment of one restaurant or another. Others also tell me that they read my reviews “even though I know they aren’t real.” 

But, the fact is that whether my haters believe it or not, my dining reviews are 100% real. And, unlike the online trolls who think they’re dining “critics” because they tell their few followers that they hated something they ate (or the service they received) at a particular place, I still tell every restaurant owner in our area that when I write a review of their eatery, I will tell more than 170,000 of my “closest friends” (that’s the total possible number of readers we reach in print) everything I like about their place. Anything I don’t like I will tell the restaurant owner about — and pretty much all of them appreciate this approach a lot more then online trolls who cause their overall online ratings to drop. 

Despite all of the new restaurants that opened in the area I call Wesley Chapel — which includes everything from west of the Tampa Premium Outlets to Oak Grove Blvd. in Lutz — the only newcomers to make my top-25 are Azteca D’Oro and Cooper’s Hawk. And, even though we had never dined at any of family-owned Azteca’s previous locations, Cooper’s Hawk had a bit of an unfair advantage for me because Jannah and I have been eating and enjoying the huge varieties of wines at the Tampa location for the last nine years, so we’d already sampled most of the menu. Other newbies that received consideration but didn’t make my top-25 cut include Slim Chickens, Shuckin’ Shack, Crazy Sushi, Rice N’ Beans Express and even the Leonidas Chocolates CafĂ© which only added sandwiches and salads in Oct. of 2023. 

1. TrebleMakers   

6034 Wesley Grove Blvd., The Grove at Wesley Chapel 

(813) 406-4371 

TrebleMakersofWC.com.com

TrebleMakers continues to be my Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel, and all you’d have to do to know this is true is check my bank records to see just how many times Jannah and I have eaten there every month since it opened. We just love sitting at the bar to enjoy a craft cocktail and we often share a Caesar salad and the always-fresh coconut curry grouper or a tender 8-oz. filet mignon. 

Whenever we’re not sharing, I will usually get one of the following: the lollipop lamb chops shown here, the 16-oz. prime rib or the diver scallops, and the seared ahi tuna or potato gnocchi appetizer (although co-owner Jamie Hess says the Baked Imperial Crab Dip is the most popular app). Try any of these and let me know what you think! 

2. Falabella Family Bistro    

6027 Wesley Grove Blvd., The Grove at Wesley Chapel 

(813) 428-6957 

FalabellaBistro.com

Any of my top-10 favorites could have made it to this spot, but one of the main reasons, for me, that Falabella Family Bistro nails down the #2 spot is because of its amazing weekend dinner specials, which can be anything from a honey bourbon pork chop to tender veal parmesan or Marsala and so many more. 

Anytime I miss a possible new favorite special (like on my deadline weekends), I always check with owner Steve Falabella to see if I can still get the special after the weekend. Of course, when your regular menu includes crispy zucchini chips, Sam’s meatballs,short rib ragu and the tender chicken parmesan shown here, plus one of our area’s best dessert displays — and the recent addition of full liquor to go with the Bistro’s already popular wine and beer options — helped make it even more popular with the Nagers. 

3. Zukku-San  

25916 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz 

(813) 419-1351 

ZukkuSushi.com/zukku-san

Although I love the fresh sushi, there’s no doubt that the reason Jannah (who really only enjoys California roll) and I always have to come back to visit Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill is because of the amazing Starters — like deep-fried pork gyoza, steamed Zukku dumplings, veggie spring rolls, the incredible assortment of veggie tempura options (try the sweet potato and/or zucchini) and the chicken (photo) and tenderloin yakitori. The Japanese fried rice, grilled short ribs, crafted bowls and lychee martinis also are favorites. 

4. Pisco Express   

5903 Goldview Pkwy., Ste 109-111 

KRATE at The Grove 

(813) 703-2725 

PiscoRest.com 

Like Lima in New Tampa, there’s only one place in Wesley Chapel serving authentic Peruvian-style fish ceviche de pescado with giant corn kernels (photo) — Pisco Express. But, Jannah and I also crave other dishes at this unique Peruvian-Chinese fusion restaurant, including the fried pork chicharrons, tallarin saltado (with chicken or steak) and lomo saltado (steak sautĂ©ed with onions, tomatoes & peppers). 

5. Azteca D’Oro   

2000 Piazza Ave., Unit 170 

The Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 527-6553

AztecaDoro.com 

From our first visit to the new Azteca D’Oro, Jannah and I agreed that its Mexican food was significantly better than Cantina Laredo, the restaurant Azteca replaced. We love Azteca’s huge menu of authentic dishes you won’t find at other local Mexican restaurants, including the borrego (lamb shank) shown above, the taquitos appetizer, the bar area and the place’s “vibe.” 

6. Cooper’s Hawk  

28963 S.R. 56 

Wiregrass Ranch 

(813) 755-4445 

CHWinery.com 

Although it opened in Wesley Chapel too late in 2023 to earn votes in our Reader Survey, Cooper’s Hawk has been a solid chain restaurant in the Westshore area of Tampa for years, so Jannah and I already had a few favorites, including the pan-roasted mahi (photo), parmesan-crusted filet mignon & others,. But, we’ve also found a few new faves since it opened here. 

7. Grillsmith   

2000 Piazza Ave., Unit 100 

The Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 907-1900 

Grillsmith.com.com 

Grillsmith, the “mini-chain” with five Tampa Bay-area locations, has consistently finished in my top-10 favorites in Wesley Chapel, in large part because of its “Daily Catch,” which can include anything from mahi and grouper to pompano, amberjack and the Mediterranean-style corvina shown above. We do enjoy other entrĂ©es at Grillsmith, including the lemon feta chicken, port wine filet, as well as the crunchy ahi tuna appetizer and the great service. 

8. Noble Crust  

28330 Paseo Dr. 

The Shops at Wiregrass 

Noble-Crust.com

As our readers’ Wesley Chapel Favorite the last three years, Noble Crust also appeals to yours truly, but it seems that several of the dishes that have been my favorites get removed from the seasonally-changing menu or it would finish higher with me, because I love the place. The chicken fried chicken parm, ricotta gnocchi and steak frites (photo) are among my current faves.  

9. The Living Room  

2001 Piazza Ave., Unit 100 

The Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 934-7911 

TLR.restaurant 

Despite its 20% service charge, the second location of The Living Room has been a welcome addition to the Wesley Chapel dining scene, although Jannah and I differ on our favorite dishes. She loves the beef tenderloin empanadas and pan-seared crab cakes (and the house white cosmo), while I’m partial to the brown butter scallops (photo), adobo-braised pork ossobuco and “You Bet…Churrasco.”  

10. Arroy Thai  

27427 Wesley Chapel Blvd. 

Pinebrook at The Grove Plaza 

(813) 501-4924 

ArroyThaiWesleyChapel.com 

If Jannah were a fan of Thai food, I’d eat at (and take out from) Arroy Thai a lot more. Still the only place in Wesley Chapel for crispy duck, soft shell crabs, and Thai-style chicken with garlic and black pepper sauce, as well as Thai-style house fried rice, Arroy Thai is a little hidden gem in the same plaza as Joe Whiskey’s. 

Gary’s 2023 Favorite Restaurants In Wesley Chapel #s 11-25 

11. Yamato 

12. Longhorn Steakhouse 

13. Rice-n-Beans 

Puerto Rico 

14. Pasta di Guy 

15. Florida Ave. Brewing Co. 

16. Top Shelf Sports Lounge 

17. Chick N’Fun 

18. Bubba’s 33 

19. Hungry Greek 

20. Blush Wine Room 

21. EggTown 

22. CafĂ© Zorba 

23. The Bacon Boss HQ 

24. Carrabba’s Italian Grill 

25. Señor Tequila 

Gary’s 2023 Favorite Asian Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel 

Although I also love a lot of places for their sushi, my favorite Asian restaurants have to have other favorite dishes, like the hibachi filet at KobĂ©, the NY-style BBQ spare ribs at Liang’s, the pork chop rice dish at Ha Long Bay, the crispy duck at Arroy Thai and the gyoza (photo) and other appetizers at Zukku-San. 

1. Zukku-San 

2. KobĂ© Japanese Steakhouse 

3. Liang’s Bistro 

4. Ha Long Bay 

5. Arroy Thai 

6. Yamato 

7. Sushi CafĂ© 

8. Gorkhali Kitchen 

9. Thai Lanna 

10. Crazy Sushi 

Nibbles & Bites: Johnny C’s Italian Kitchen To Open By May 1!

Will offer takeout, delivery and banquet catering, in addition to dine-in seating and will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more information, call (813) 278-8020. — Gary Nager; photos by Charmaine George

Former Saddlebrook Resort owner Thomas Dempsey, general manager Pat Ciaccio (photo, top right) and Erik and Seth Ravenna (all of whom were at Saddlebrook together before it was sold last year) have again joined forces to bring casual, contemporary Italian dining to the New Tampa area.

Johnny C’s Italian Eatery (located at 10970 Cross Creek Blvd., in the space previously occupied by Precinct Pizza; photo, top left), which is expected to open by Monday, May 1, will proudly serve New York-style pizza and authentic Italian pasta dishes and other specialties.

Featuring both indoor and covered outdoor seating, Johnny C’s, which was named for Ciaccio’s father, “Who spent his entire life (working) in restaurants,” 

New Tampa Dining Updates On Zio’s, Kobe & The New Mpanitas 

Here are some updates on some restaurants we told you a couple of issues ago were getting ready to open in New Tampa. Unfortunately, none of them are open yet, but all three should open sooner than later.

We did mention before that Macaw Latin Provision on Cross Creek Blvd. (in the same plaza as Saffron) was now not going to open at all. However, what we didn’t know at that time was that the second Tampa location (the other is on Palm River Rd.) of Mpanitas was getting ready to open in its place. Owners Genesis and Julio say the Venezuelan eatery will specialize in homemade mini-empanadas, plus mandocas (fried dough rings), tequenos (cheese sticks) and other Venezuelan specialties.

For more info, visit Mpanitas on Facebook or Instagram.

Also still not open yet is Zio’s New York Bagel & Deli Co., but owner Jeff Cofini says his NY-style bagel place and deli should be open for breakfast and lunch every day very soon — hopefully only a week or two after this issue reaches you. Email Jeff at ZiosNYBagels@gmail.com if you want to work for Zio’s. 

And finally, the new location of KobĂ© Japanese Steakhouse (photo) still isn’t open, but at least the sign has finally gone up on the building. The last update we had a couple of weeks ago was that it would be at least 3-6 more months before Kobe would reopen, but we’ll keep you posted. — GN

‘Fast & Furious’ Actor Sung Kang Visits Zukku-San!

Sung Kang, who appeared in “Fast & Furious” films (beginning with “Tokyo Drift”), was in Tampa for the 16th annual Gasparilla Film Festival to promote his directorial film debut, “Shaky Shivers.” While in town, he visited the Wesley Chapel Zukku-San. Here (l.-r.) he poses with Zukku-San’s Kathy Nguyen & co-owner Ferdian Jap.—GN

Zukku-San Sushi Owners To Open Astro Ice Cream & Ato Sushi & Poké

Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill, located on the north side of S.R. 56, just west of I-75, has been my favorite Japanese restaurant in our area since the day it opened.

I love sushi, and Zukku-San has an incredible variety of some of the best sushi in our area, but for me, it’s always been more about everything else on Zukku-San’s delicious menu that sets it apart from its competition.

Co-owner Ferdian Jap and co-owner/executive chef Gia Tran have created something special in their unassuming space next to Crumbl Cookie. And, while Zukku-San is an elegant, but still casual, sit-down restaurant with a full premium liquor bar (with craft cocktails like the lychee nut martini and coconut mojito shown center right on this page), Ferdian and Gia actually started together with more of a fast-casual pokĂ©-bowl-and-sushi-“burrito” concept in Tampa’s Armature Works, with a similar location also open in Charlotte, NC, and they are getting ready to open a similar concept called “Ato” in the KRATE Container Park at The Grove (Ferdian says Ato likely won’t open until late May or early June). 

And, since they’re obviously not busy enough with just those eateries, Ferdian and Gia also have an Astro Craft Ice Cream location in Armature Works, and plan to open a second Astro location where Great Clips closed on the north side of S.R. 56. next to Mellow Mushroom. The signage is up at the new Astro Ice Cream, but Ferdian says the new location likely won’t open until June or July (more on that below).

But, this article will focus on Zukku-San, which continues to add new favorites to my list every time I try anything new.

The Best Starters!

I have been raving about the Starters at Zukku-San from Day One, including the most perfect deep-fried gyoza (pork dumplings) with house-made Ponzu sauce, crispy vegetable spring rolls served with an amazing semi-spicy orange chili sauce, skewered traditional Japanese chicken and beef tenderloin yakitori (with fresh veggies; there’s also shrimp and veggie-only varieties) served with teriyaki sauce, steamed or garlic edamame, crispy fried Karaage chicken served with spicy mayo and a wonderful tuna tataki, plus it’s the only place I know of that serves Tempura a la Carte options.

The tempura is lightly battered and fried to golden perfection and allows you to order individual portions of your favorites.

Our most recent order (left) included four pieces each of carrots, sweet potatoes and zucchini (only $2.95 per order each), as well as a whole soft shell crab ($9.95), which was cut into bite-sized pieces for us.

Other a la carte tempura options include shrimp, tofu, broccoli, while giant squid, avocado, hamachi (yellowtail snapper) collar, asparagus, onion, red and jalapeño peppers and whole lobster tail. So good!

On our most recent visit, we also ordered the chef’s special spicy bluefin tuna chu-toro crudo, which has thin slices of bluefin tuna (which is a fattier tuna they call medium-fatty, than their regular ahi tuna tataki appetizer), topped with jalapeños and scallions in an incredible sriracha/chili-based spicy sauce. It’s also served with a side of seaweed salad.

The Best Entrées!

We’ve usually stayed pretty basic when it comes to our favorite entrĂ©es “from the Wok & Grill” at Zukku-San, but on our most recent visit, we tried three new dishes (in addition to our usual chicken fried rice) and no one was disappointed.

My favorite was my grilled short ribs, which are marinated in Asian pear juice, grilled to perfection and served with jasmine rice and sautĂ©ed veggies. These aren’t your fall-off-the-bone short ribs; they’re more like Chinese-style BBQ spare ribs, but the flavor is definitely unique.

Photographer Charmaine George ordered the wok-fired Udon Noodles with fried tofu and we all raved about the sauce covering the chewy soft noodles, the tofu and the sautĂ©ed broccoli, onion, carrot, red peppers and zucchini. Like Zukku-San’s fried rice and wok-fired hibachi (egg) noodles, you can order them with just veggies, chicken, tenderloin steak or shrimp, too.

Of course, Jannah and I also had to bring our granddaughter Rosie with us, since Zukku-San has been her favorite restaurant since she was just over a year old. Rosie and her mom Lauren love all the starters we order (the carrots are her favorite) and the perfect California roll, but her dad Albert also raved about the soy butter glazed baked salmon entrée. Lauren also always gets a Mexican roll, with tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds, masago (fish roe) and spicy mayo.

For those who only crave sushi, try Zukku-San’s Masterpiece sushi rolls like the shrimp volcano and lobster Masterpiece roll.

Zukku-San also has a wide variety of nigiri (sliced fish on rice) and sashimi (no rice), hand rolls, as well as sushi and sashimi palettes with from 24 pieces of up to four different sashimis (for $50) up to small and large sushi palettes with as many as six Masterpiece rolls or 8 classic or hand rolls for $120.

For lunch, Zukku-San has make-your-own poké bowls with rice or mixed greens, up to two proteins (try the panko chicken and ahi tuna), up to two sauces and up to three toppings, as well as Bento Box lunches with short ribs, chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura or sushi-only, served with ginger salad, pork gyoza and miso soup.

Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill is located at 25916 Sierra Center Blvd.) and is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner (although the lunch menu isn’t available on weekends). For more info, visit ZukkuSushi.com or call (813) 419-1351.

Astro Ice Cream Set To Open!

For those of us who love ice cream, the announcement that Zukku-San’s owners also are opening a second location of their Astro Craft Ice Cream in our area is very much welcome news.

The Armature Works location features a variety of unique flavors that, according to its website, “feature new twists of traditional flavor combinations that reflect  the diversity of our Tampa Bay community & honor its rich history.”

Ferdian says no one else has flavors like creme brulĂ©e cafĂ© con leche, whiskey cookie dough, Tampa guava cream cheese or banana pudding peanut butter cookie, Ybor spiced run toasted coconut meringue pie, or options like ice cream sandwiches made with real pressed Cuban bread from La Segunda Bakery (photo above). “The bread gets crispy and the ice cream stays cold,” says Ferdian. Wow!

Stay tuned to these pages for updated on Astro Ice Cream’s expected opening.