Daily Loaf

Song Huong Vietnamese Restaurant
4040 W Waters Ave., Tampa, 813-880-9676

Hours: 10am- 10pm Wed- Mon, Closed Tuesday

For the budget conscious diner, I recommend Vietnamese cuisine: rice vermicelli, grilled beef and pork, steamed shrimp and piles of vegetables and herbs like sprouts, cilantro, lemongrass, cucumbers and carrots flavored with tart lime, spicy chili or briny fish sauce. The flavors are lively and fresh and the price is right, with many entrees around $7.95.

Song Huong is another one of those locations that you may have driven by countless times. Perhaps you stopped in for karaoke night next door at Good Time Charlie’s. Terracotta tile and yellow tablecloths beckon you into this well-lit establishment. A large flatscreen television entertains (presumably the children) with Nickelodeon. The owner greets you and is ready to feed you. Read the rest of this entry »

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe
3 and 1/2 stars
5119 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, 813-234-1000 or ellasfolkartcafe.com

I shy away from the the term “hipster,” if only because it’s tossed around with a disregard of meaning that puts the misuse of “cool” and “hip” to shame. Sometimes it’s a slur, sometimes a misguided attempt to classify a widely varied range of people. But when it comes to Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, it fits.

This new restaurant is in a restored house in Seminole Heights, which may give you the impression that it’s a tiny, funky place with a few tables and a lot of art. Not by a long shot. There is a lot of art, from the life-size metalwork sculpture of a horse in the front yard — seemingly in the throes of a painful attempt to stand up — to detailed pieces composed of found objects, and everything in between. By the hostess stand are sculpted faces above pages from books, their contorted features conveying a sense of the text before you even get close enough to read it. It’s an impressive display, and the restaurant’s devotion to the “folk art” part of its name is reflected on Ella’s menu, where each artist is afforded an entire page with pictures and a bio.

Even so, that artwork can get lost in a space that is both bigger and much slicker than my preconceptions of what a Heights house restaurant would look like. Read the rest of this entry »

Avocado Café n’ Bakery
14941 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, 813-631-9703‎
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

As if Acropolis and Mr. Dunderbak’s weren’t big enough draws to this little North Tampa strip center, there’s also tasty Venezuelan fare at Avocado Café n’ Bakery. If you have ever tasted an arepa con queso at a local art festival and thought it was the best thing ever, you’ll love this place. There are seven arepa variations offered — all at $5.49 each or less — though you may need two of them. One of the best is the Pabellon arepa: mildly seasoned shredded beef, black beans and cheese on the white corn cake.

There’s also Read the rest of this entry »

Cafe Dufrain
3 stars
707 Harbour Post Drive, Tampa, 813-275-9701 or cafedufrain.com

One glance at Cafe Dufrain’s new menu — which is still evolving — and you can see where new chef Ferrell Alvarez has come from. Alvarez spent the last seven years next to Marty Blitz in the kitchens of Mise En Place, Chef de Cuisine in Tampa’s grande dame of modern American dining. He moved over the bridge to Harbour Island this summer to serve his own brand of cuisine in the casually elegant restaurant with expansive views across the water, at prices that are much more comfortable to the pocketbook than his former home.

I can recognize Blitz’s influence, though, just by reading Alvarez’s entree list, each entry topped by a bland protein — veal flank steak, Korean short ribs — followed by a procession of fabulous-sounding concoctions that always seem more interesting than the headliner. Polenta sandwich, duo of kimchi, “loaded” frites. Ordering becomes a gut-wrenching choice between groups of side dishes you don’t want to miss. Can I order several plates of accompaniments, hold the protein?

Those sides, which list ingredients and techniques that range from North African preserved lemon to the aforementioned kimchi, illustrate Alavarez’s excitement and vision. It’s modern food that flirts with trends without being trendy, unique enough to stand out in Tampa’s stifled dining scene, with a flair for gorgeous presentation on the table. All of that sets the bar rather high, however, for when you finally put fork to mouth. Read the rest of this entry »

Do not use the word inexpensive. It conveys entirely the wrong sentiment. Inexpensive is a word marketing gurus spout when selling low-end versions of high-end products. It’s a tool the wealthy use to determine socio-economic pecking order, to know when to sneer or raise an insouciant eyebrow, to peg poseurs striving for more than they can afford.

Inexpensive implies reduced quality.

Cheap, on the other hand, is a bargain. Getting something for less than it’s worth. The hallmark of value. And a prime criterion for students in search of dinner.

All three of these restaurants, scattered conveniently across the Bay area near local campuses, proudly serve flavorful, filling and — most importantly — cheap food. Nothing inexpensive about them.

Reviews after the break:

Ricky P’s Po Boys
3.5 stars
6521 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-525-2023 or rickyps.com

Damn, if Ricky P’s Po’ Boys ($5.99-8.99) doesn’t just look the part. The tiny storefront on N. Fourth Street in St. Pete has barely enough parking to accommodate a lunch rush, a counter that’s so close to the front door you’ll likely be lining up outside, and just enough tables to tease you into thinking you’ll be able to eat your sandwich in comfort. It feels exquisitely cheap.

For a po’ boy joint, Ricky P’s has a fairly expansive selection of non-po’ sandwiches and hot dishes, including better than average gumbo based on a seriously expressive roux, beans and rice spiced by a prodigious amount of cayenne-infused andouille sausage, and the best jambalaya I’ve had in the Bay area. Maybe that’s not saying much, considering the lack of Big Easy eateries around town, but this moist, tomatoey rice would likely compete on equal footing with non-cheap options.

Ricky P’s sloppy roast beef is loaded with salty gravy that’ll soak the bun by the time you get your take-out home, like a Chicago beef dip that’s soaked from the inside out. Get it “ferdi”-style — with added ham and melted cheese — because, well, why not? The muffuletta is slathered in a damn fine spicy olive salad, the Cuban is typical and the cochon de lait — pulled pork topped by “cajun” slaw — is a backyard barbecue treat with almost enough juice to compete with the drippy beef sandwich.

Ricky P’s eponymous traditional po’ boys, although tasty, are actually the least exciting items on the menu. Stacked with lettuce and tomato and slathered in dressing, the fried shrimp or oysters are often cooked a little earlier to be ready for the lunch rush. When the seafood is fresh, hot and crunchy, the sandwiches are excellent. After a short rest in a steam tray, however, the sandwiches are merely good. Still cheap, though.

Tun-Du-Ree
3 stars
1506 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-251-2111 or tunduree.com

We originally wrote about Tun-Du-Ree ($3.99-7.99) several years ago, back when the little Indian take-out joint was still housed in a trailer in an empty lot near Interbay. Owner Bhava “Pat” Saravana spent a year looking for a permament spot, eventually finding one to his liking on Kennedy, between SoHo and Downtown. Gone was quaint and rustic in favor of Tun-Du-Ree’s new look: vibrant, well-designed and positively chain-like. The website even has a tab for “locations.” Plural.

The menu expanded as well, but on the whole the changes were more physical than culinary. Tun-Du-Ree’s food is still simple, tasty and cheap.

The restaurant’s heartier entrees — like vindaloo or korma — are stripped-down versions of what you’ll find at your neighborhood sit-down Indian spot, flavorful enough, but without the depth. Fast food.

You’re better off ordering the kinds of dishes that fast food joints do best, like Tun-Du-Ree’s deep-fried samosas, the dumplings covered in a crackling-crisp shell and stuffed with deeply spiced potatoes, or spinach and cheese. Parantha — a flatbread stuffed with lentils and griddled — is flaky and rich, with an immense amount of spicy heat that works wonders with bright mint sauces.

Tun-Du-Ree’s real bargains are the “snack” wraps loaded with seasoned and stewed chick peas, or the restaurant’s trademark roast chicken, stacked with fresh veggies and slathered in more of that mint sauce. Those are the kinds of sandwiches that’ll keep you from driving through the McD drive-through next door.

Jerk Hut
3 stars
207 E. Twiggs St., Tampa, 813-223-4473; 926 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-977-5777 or jerkhut.com

The Jerk Hut ($5.99-12.99) was always a hidden gem in Tampa’s downtown business district, a dark den of flavorful foods stocked with rickety furniture and colorful characters. Then, they moved their northern location — out by USF — to a big new spot. Suddenly, that Jerk Hut has a mojito bar. Sunday brunch. Regular live music in a festive party-atmosphere.

Thankfully, the food is the same cafeteria-style Jamaican stews and curries that still make the downtown location a non-secretive secret hang-out.

At both spots, jerk is a worthy choice, the Hut’s take on the classic spice rub uncompromisingly potent in both spice and herbaceous punch, conveyed by chicken that manages to be juicy and tender no matter how long it appears to have sat in a steam tray.

Venture away from the chicken and you’ll find luscious oxtail stewed slowly until the bones’ gelatin infuses the tender meat and veggies; curried goat coated in fragrant spices that temper the pungent meat; and stewed veggies that make you understand how Rastafarians can endure being vegetarian.

Although the $15 cover charge almost breaks the “cheap” barrier, the Sunday brunch at the Fowler location is still an incredible deal if you plan on hanging out and eating all that you can eat.

(Want to follow all of CL’s Food, Drink and Restaurant news? Bookmark the food section of the blog, add the CL Food RSS feed to your reader of choice, follow @BrianRies on Twitter, or check out the Food Section page multiple times daily.)

WineBurgers
3 stars
1110 Pinellas Bayway, Tierra Verde, 727-865-0633 or wineburgers.com

If you want to eat out on Tierra Verde, there’s just one place to go. Smack dab in the middle of the island, right on the Pinellas Bayway, is downtown Verde, a strip mall and a half of restaurants that run the gamut from Chinese take-out to German schnitzel. And tucked into a hidden corner on the second floor of one of the buildings, next to a realtor and a spa, is WineBurgers.

It used to be Crazy Conch, a typical island-fine-dining spot most well-known (to me, anyway) for crab cakes good enough to win a Best of the Bay Award back in ‘08. Earlier this year, owners Michael Peel and Sally Herb closed down their seven-year old restaurant, rebranded, refocused and re-opened as WineBurgers.

It’s a simple concept — take hamburger standards, mix with great ingredients, execute well and serve with a wide variety of adult beverages. The formula has worked well over in Tampa at Square One, and has been all the rage in big cities for well over a decade. And WineBurgers has the basics of the concept down pat. Read the rest of this entry »

Marrakech Restaurant
2.5 stars
2402 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-258-9100

Philippe and Nassira Coriou, husband and wife owners of Marrakech Restaurant in Tampa, come from separate continents, across the Mediterranean Sea. She’s Moroccan, he’s French, two nationalities that have an entwined history apparent to anyone who’s seen Casablanca. And, although Philippe is a classically trained French chef, the menu at Marrakech is almost entirely devoted to the cuisine of his wife’s homeland.

That means rich dishes that blend sweet and savory on the same plate, often using dried fruit like prunes, aromatic spices like cinnamon and less common ingredients like preserved lemon. Entrees are divided between humble couscous topped with rich meats and stewed vegetables; elegant pastry pockets called pastilla, stuffed with vegetables, chicken or seafood; and an array of dishes served in the impressive, portable clay ovens called tagine.

And, like Tampa’s recent flirtation with Ethiopian food at Queen of Sheba and the defunct Abol Bunna, it’s traditional. Perhaps too traditional. Read the rest of this entry »

400 Beach Seafood and Tap House
3 stars
400 Beach Dr., St. Petersburg, 727-896-2400

An estimated 2,000 people reportedly showed up for the opening celebration at 400 Beach, suggesting that this new restaurant on Beach Drive in St. Pete was destined to become a hip, upscale mecca for movers and shakers, not for the hoi polloi. But the latest project of Parkshore Grill’s Steve Westphal — housed in a bayfront spot briefly infamous as the aborted home of a restaurant from lying Food Network chef Robert Irvine — isn’t that kind of place. A few weeks after the opening, on a typical weekday night, there are young kids bouncing in booths, strollers parked next to outdoor tables, and a wide gamut of St. Pete residents drinking beer and downing fish in a spot that is suprisingly more mid-range than chic.

The biggest surprise is the price: dinner entrees range from $12 to $30 with most firmly in the mid-teens. When it comes to the decor and the drinks, the surprises are a tad less happy. Read the rest of this entry »

Nola Cafe
2 Stars
301 W. Platt St., Tampa, 813-258-8778 or nolacafe.com
(See all recent restaurant reviews.)

You can see Nola Cafe from the Crosstown Expressway, if you’re looking at the right spot, but finding it while cruising down Platt is tough unless you happen to see the rustic, handpainted signs promising “Po’ Boys!” and “Jambalaya!” The little cafe is hidden in an awkward strip mall facing the pharmacy drive-through of a Walgreens, tucked into the back, the kind of spot you hear about and track down. In the Bay area, New Orleans cuisine is like that — rare, almost secret, with little of the fanfare that sprang up a few years ago after Katrina.

In unfortunate good timing, Nola opened a year before the hurricane devastated owner Louis Robert Jr.’s Louisiana home town. After the storm, the restaurant easily turned into a hub for New Orleans expats and well-wishers who wanted to eat and talk their way through the tragedy. It has the right vibe for that, with a newsstand tucked into a former closet, well-worn furniture and jazz standards playing through the speakers. Robert works his way through the closely arranged tables, talking up his restaurant’s inspiration and letting “le bon temps rouler.” With his help, Nola feels like the Morning Call Coffee Stand that was the restaurant’s New Orleans inspiration.

The food, however, is a much paler homage to New Orleans. Read the rest of this entry »

Queenshead Eurobar
3.5 stars
2501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-498-8584
Photos by JamesOstrand.com. Also check out our photo and video montage of Queenshead.

How lightly do I have to tread in this review? For a straight writer, reviewing a largely gay bar and restaurant owned by two gay men — called Queenshead, for God’s sake — is tough to do without resorting to stereotypes and puns. Thankfully, the food is good enough — and the scene inclusive enough — to make all that filler moot.

The owners are British ex-pats Paul Smith and Darren Conner. Conner has experience working in the restaurant and bar scene across the world, from England to Cambodia, while Smith has a past life as an art director for tabloids like the National Enquirer and The Daily Mirror. Queenshead’s menu is more straightforward than either of those former careers might indicate.

It’s largely British gastropub fare peppered by American fine-dining influence, with dishes that range from seared scallops with brussels sprouts and bacon to chicken curry with a corn fritter. And, considering that many people will see Queenshead as more of a bar and scene spot, much of the food is better than expected. Props to chef Chris Greer, who worked under Domenica Macchia last year at MJ’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Jackson Street Bistro
2.5 stars
401 E. Jackson St., Tampa, 813-412-5777

People have long lamented downtown Tampa’s forlorn nighttime dining scene, but now that dinner is on a comeback thanks to places like Rawbar, what’s next for urban dining? Jackson Street Bistro — a new spot recently opened in the SunTrust building by the owners of East Lake Cafe in Palm Harbor — might hold the answer.

Although casual downtown restaurant options have been on the rise over the past few years, there are few spots for a classy breakfast or lunch unless you want to head to a hotel. That may explain the sort of shocked surprise on my face the first time I stepped into Jackson Street Bistro. I expected a simple salad-and-sandwich cafe and found a place that was chic enough to be fine-dining, with a long bar, floor-to-ceiling windows and a nice outdoor courtyard. It was loud, the kitchen was in the weeds, and the servers were scrambling to stay ahead of the tide of people that mobbed the place. On a Tuesday. At noon.

One of the reasons for the crowd might be Read the rest of this entry »

If you are ever frustrated with the lack of parking at the USF-area Panera Bread on Bruce B. Downs (and the nearby bank security guard who will threaten your vehicle’s integrity if you dare park in their lot), drive down the street a little further and eat instead at Byblos Pitas.

Decor: Ikea. Food: fast, fresh Lebanese for under $10.

It’s a strip mall treasure which opened about a year ago. Despite the restaurant’s name, the owners are not related to the family that runs the long-standing Byblos Cafe in south Tampa, but are good friends.

Choose a stuffing for your pita: maybe deliciously seasoned steak shawarma, chicken kabob or falafel. Pick your vegetables and sauces to fill it: hummus, labneh, tomatoes, and more. Watch them expertly fold it like a giant burrito and heat it on a sandwich press. Try a side of baba ghanouj, red lentil soup, or go for the Greek or Caesar salad.

Fresh, tasty and inexpensive, Byblos is a bright spot to sit with some good grub and your laptop. Leave the hipsters to their Panera.

Byblos Pitas
2734 University Square Dr,, Tampa, 813-849-5050
www.byblospitas.com

Wood Fired Pizza Wine Bar
4 stars
2822 E. Bearss Ave., Tampa, 813-341-2900

It’s tough to maintain a passion for food when confronted with the daily grind of running a restaurant. But some people manage to maintain the joy that comes with working in something as artistic, useful and necessary as food, even amidst the nagging details of the business. Usually, that passion is reflected in what comes out of the kitchen.

You can taste it in every pie served at the new Wood Fired Pizza Wine Bar in northeast Tampa. Owner and pizza-maker Peter Taylor has a stock phrase to sum up his goal in starting the small shop: “I’m monetizing my passion.” Read the rest of this entry »

SoHo Sushi
2.5 stars
3218 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-873-7646 or sohosushi.com

I was taking CL contributor and local food blogger Jenna Weber to lunch and needed a place close to the office. Easy enough, but it also had to be healthy. That’s Jenna’s thing and, despite my devotion to bacon peanut brittle and beef in all its forms, I tend to eat healthy meals as well. Have to justify the occasional binge, after all. Sushi is a safe choice, especially with frequent Best of the Bay winner SoHo Sushi just a mile or two away.

Despite the awards, its popularity and its location in the heart of one of my stomping grounds, I’d never been to SoHo Sushi. I’d tried, on occasion, to visit after the restaurant moved from SoHo proper to Franklin Blvd. after a dispute with its landlords. Problem is, every time I stopped by I’d either find the small parking lot full, or the tables full, or both. Popular place.

Thankfully, this time we quickly found a seat in the restaurant’s pleasant dining room loaded with wood furnishings and the usual Asian decor accents. At lunch, SoHo has the usual array of bento boxes and cooked meat rice bowls which, it turns out, are the way to go despite SoHo Sushi’s name. Read the rest of this entry »

Considering the buzz about Tampa’s two Ethiopian restaurants (Queen of Sheba and Abol Bunna), I was excited to find cuisine available from another African country – Nigeria.  African Eateries (320 W. Waters Ave., Tampa, 813-443-5152) has been open for about two months and this small, cafeteria-style spot is more of a home kitchen than a restaurant.  The same young lady that takes your order also cooks it and settles the bill at the end.  If the drink cooler had not been behind a counter, they might have suggested we help ourselves.  My friend Laurie says this makes it a micro-restaurant.

Some dishes are available with rice or with pounded yam: a large steaming ball of pale dough which we were told to tear and dip into the stews. Read the rest of this entry »

Buona Vita
3 stars
330 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-823-2100.

Buona Vita was born out of tragedy, albeit a tiny one. When Local Coffee + Tea owner Michael Duranko decided to pull out of St. Petersburg, three of the coffeeshop employees took over the place, almost ad hoc. They were on a week-to-week pay schedule with the landlord, with no formal lease. One day, after splurging on two weeks of supplies, the three found that the locks had been changed and they were done with their brief stint as business owners.

The main reason, according to building owner Andy Wallace, was that he wanted something in the space that would better serve the local worker bees in surrounding downtown buildings. There’re already a lot of coffee shops. He had been approached by Allan Galleano, one of the investors in the defunct Desanto restaurant down the street. Galleano was ready to replicate the success he’s had with Italian restaurants in other locations.

Well, there are already a lot of Italian restaurants, too, Read the rest of this entry »

Diner 437
3.5 stars
437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-822-4370

I freely admit that I’m a Domenica Macchia stalker. I first encountered this former Redwoods chef at MJ’s Martinis and Tapas last year, when she wowed me and the rest of the Bay area food scene with her interesting and precise take on small-plate fine dining. Then, soon after the place opened, Macchia was fired by the owners of MJ’s. And yes, I feel a little satisfaction that the jazz lounge/restaurant is now on a possibly permanent “hiatus” while it looks for a new location.

After a few months of looking, and some concern over her mortgage, Macchia hooked up with Dan Soronen — former owner of the Old Northeast Tavern — and concocted a gastropub menu for his soon-to-open Shackleton’s Folly in south St. Pete. “Soon” became months, and finally Macchia left to find another new opportunity. Fortuitously, Greg Pugh — owner of Ringside Cafe — was interested in opening a new place. Fast. Diner 437 started slinging hash within a couple of weeks.

I love Macchia for her food, sure, but also for how she lays everything on the table when you talk to her, whether it’s for a CL interview or just gabbing with strangers the counter at her new restaurant during a slow moment. She’s frets — about herself, about her food, about the past and the future — and she’s unabashedly candid about herself and her path to Diner 437. You can read all about it on CL’s food blog.

The problem with love — familial and otherwise — is that it comes with expectations. Read the rest of this entry »

Rawbar
3.5 Stars
777 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa, 813-422-5220

It’s interesting to see Taps and Rawbar anchoring adjacent corners of downtown Tampa’s Skypoint building. Both are owned by the same man — James DeVito — and both are attempts to fill niches in downtown Tampa nightlife. The jury’s still out as to whether DeVito is meeting a need, or creating one in a “build it and they will come” moment, but the results are shockingly different at the two joints.

Taps always seemed unfocused, a beer bar with lounge aspirations. DeVito’s brand new Rawbar is entirely different, the concept distilled to the bare essentials, which are then taken to extremes. It’s a Miami scene bar built around an updated sushi menu, the decor almost self-consciously hip, the entire package almost veering into poseur territory. Almost. Read the rest of this entry »

CL’s Food and Wine podcast. Brian and Taylor invite CL’s own PoHo in to talk about Tampa Bay’s Top 50 Restaurants, Taylor’s (hopefully) new job and rosé wines.

Listen up!

Brian raves about Saigon Deli and the Top 50 Restaurants for the upcoming Food Issue. Taylor talks about her application for the Murphy Goode wine blogger position, chef changes at local restaurants and they review Zipang Sparkling Sake.

Listen up!