Daily Loaf

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. On Saturday, Best of the Bay winning Café Hey is celebrating its two-year anniversary with Monster’s Ball, a not-so-spooky night of music, art, and partying.

Super Secret Best Friends, Florida Night Heat, SOG and DJ’s SowsDef and Pocket Chomper stop by to drop some live music in your ears, and lotsa local artists — like Chad Mize and Phillip Clark of BlueLucy, Anthony Zollo (another BOTB alum), Josh Pearson and more – showcase an array of awesome art. Don’t let the artists and musicians have all the fun, though — there’s body plastering for anyone who wants in on the action, and fire spinning for those who prefer spectator sports. Sat., Oct. 17, 8 p.m.-midnight, Cafe Hey, 1540 N. Franklin St., Tampa, free, cafehey.com. – Franki Weddington

Canadian singer/songwriter Patrick Watson began his musical career early in life.  As a boy he played in church choirs and studied jazz and classical piano performance, composition, and arrangement. While in high school in the late 1990s, he sang and played keyboards with a ska band called Gangster Politics. He left the band in 2001 and released a solo debut. He creates vibrantly textured music with his “romantic” voice that can easily be heard above the guitars and pianos so common to his sound. Read the rest of this entry »

Harvey’s 4th Street in St. Pete puts Applebee’s and all those other wannabe “neighborhood bar & grills” to shame. Its strip-mall storefront is gussied up with perfectly pruned foliage and decorative lights, and the interior is all charming hardwood and bric-a-brac. More importantly, the menu covers bar fare extensively (burgers, sandwiches, salads, dinner platters, seafood, pasta, etc.), and the food is consistently tasty, reasonably priced and available late — the trifecta for serving a neighborhood of loyal consumers. After more than 20 years in business, Harvey’s has proven itself everyone’s favorite neighbor in the Old Northeast.

Harvey’s 4th Street Grill, 3121 Fourth Street N., St. Petersburg, 727-821-6516, harveys4thstreetgrill.com.

It takes an obsessive to impress and obsessive. Peter Taylor’s pies may be the culmination of two decades of research and development, but it’s the love he puts into crafting each one that shines through. He cultivates his own yeast, makes his own mozzarella, grows his own herbs and won’t trust anyone else to man the wood-fired oven that gives the joint its name. The result are thin pies that are near perfect, from the simple margerita to interesting combinations like pistachio and rosemary. Count us impressed.

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

The heavy drive of metal, the old-timey bounciness of swing jazz and groovin’ slinkiness of funk jazz, the organic backporch feel of roots, the swagger of ’70s prog rock, the easy-going sway of reggae – all these elements and more are thrown into the fusion fabulous sound of Poetry n’ Lotion, a mostly instrumental fourpiece that includes mandolin player Jim Page, guitarist Matt E. Lee, bassist Tom Murray and drummer John Nowicki. Whether they’re playing original tunes like the lively party closer, “Skinsuit,” performing lively renditions of the Knight Rider or MASH themes, re-interpreting the music of anyone from Mungo Jerry to Dusty Springfield, or pairing together songs – like their Pink Floyd “Fearless-Mother” combo and a mash up of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” with Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” – PNL fuses all the right elements with seeming ease. (Photo by Phil Bardi.) myspace.com/poetrynlotion

For a complete list of Best of the Bay winners, click here.

The Loafies — our annual celebration in honor of the Best of the Bay issue — are your chance to meet the winners and mingle with the tastemakers of Tampa Bay at our homecoming/house party/awards show (no word on whether Kanye’s gonna ruin my award presentation). Come out for food, fashion, drink, dancing and more, with live music by Best of the Bay winners Nervous Turkey (pictured) and Shunda K, 500 Wolves and more. Rumor has it that The Senator will be making a guest appearance, though how he could possibly top last year’s show is anybody’s guess.

He is the Bay area’s most entertaining and engaging frontman by far, leading his blues-rockin’, barroom-stompin’ trio with ball-blasting vigor and tongue planted firmly in cheek. Wielding his bulk like an oversized sex symbol, he swings his belly and swivels his hips in exaggerated twists, rubs his nipples through his always sweat-drenched shirt, makes fake sexy-lecherous comments to the ladies up front, and in the midst of it all, belts out first-rate gritty-growly vocals and plays harmonica ‘til that thing smokes. (Photo by Phil Bardi.) myspace.com/nervousturkeyband

For a complete list of Best of the Bay winners, click here.

Swing by the Ravioli Company on your way home and order your favorite shape; they’ll pull fresh pasta from the fridge and slice it to order, all for less than $5 a pound. Throw in a salad and a container of sauce and you have a home-cooked meal actually cooked (largely) in your home. And, likely, it will be better, cheaper and quicker than if you tried raid the pantry.

Ravioli Company, 3413 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa, 813-254-2051

[About Daily Best of the Bay: From now through mid-September, CL writers and editors are providing sneak peeks of some of their selections in advance of the Best of the Bay Issue Sept. 16. The polls are now closed for the Readers' Poll portion of Best of the Bay, but you'll find all the winners in the BOTB issue. See you at The Loafies on Sept. 15!]

We blind-tasted American Wagyu, Prime, organic and Choice from several different stores and Sweetbay’s basic New York strip  — the cheapest of the bunch — was our judges’ clear favorite. Great beef flavor, tender texture and enough fat to satisfy. Go figure.

[About Daily Best of the Bay: As we approach the Best of the Bay issue on Sept. 16 (and The Loafies the night before), CL writers and critics are posting some of their Best-of selections for 2009. You've still got time to vote for your own favorites; the Readers' Poll deadline is tomorrow at noon.]

Do to a surge in voting over the weekend, we’ve decided to keep the Best of the Bay polls open an extra two days — that means you have until Wednesday, Sept. 2 at noon to submit any and all ballots.

With some hotly-contested races like Best Local Chef, Best Local Band, Best Neighborhood and Best New Restaurant still undecided, your vote can make the difference.

Stay tuned for updates after the polls close by visiting cltampa.com/botb for updates on our Loafies awards party, to be held at our offices on Sept. 15, to be followed by our Best of the Bay issue Sept. 16.

You can also catch all updates on Best of the Bay on Twitter by looking for the tag #botb.

VOTE HERE.

UPDATE: Voting extended to Noon on Wednesday!

Most of the races are still so close, anyone can win! (Except best steakhouse — it would take a beefy miracle to unseat Bern’s.) Vote now!

Here are some of the categories you should pay especial attention to: Read the rest of this entry »

Grocery stores often cluster, with a Publix across from a Sweetbay down the block from a Save-A-Lot. After Publix bought 49 Albertsons stores last year, several Bay area neighborhoods were left seeing double as the old Albertsons were converted into sparkling Publix grocers. Though the company has recently decided to close some of the doubled-up stores, two Publix stores in St. Pete continue their cross-street competition. Read the rest of this entry »

Voting is hot and heavy whenever hardwood smoke and succulent pork get into the mix. After a lot of votes cast, Best Barbecue is still up in the air, with two frontrunners and a whole lot of possible upset contenders close behind. Voting ends monday, so get on the ball, wipe your hands, and vote for the ribs you can’t live without!

Leaders and vote tallies after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

Unlike many of the races in our ongoing Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll, this one isn’t all that close. With an astounding 200+ votes, Cappy’s is running away with the prize. However, there’s still time for the other big vote-getters — like Sally O’Neal’s, Mellow Mushroom, Joey Brooklyn’s, and Westshore – or even spots who haven’t tried, to mobilize support and get the vote out over the weekend, before voting ends Monday.

Just three days left to support your favorite pizza joint — plenty of time to tip the scales. Vote now!

This is the time when all the spectacular new restaurants that have opened in the past year can shine and all of Tampa Bay can snub our collective noses at the poor economy. But only one worthy spot can win, and the race is close.

Two St. Pete spots — Diner 437 and Queenshead Eurobar — are in the lead, but there’s still plenty of time to shift victory in this close race to another restaurant. Time to mobilize and vote!

Is your favorite spot in the running? Here’s are the leaders in the race so far, with their current tallies: Read the rest of this entry »

Let your voice be heard! Who is your favorite professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, promoter, event and venue? Please make your selection from the choices listed below. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the culture surrounding celebrity chefs that’s sprung up in recent years worldwide, our own local culinary heroes usually spend much of their time behind the line instead of in front of the cameras. Our annual Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll is your chance to recognize your favorite knife-wielding madman (or madwoman)!

Right now, the race is tight. Here’s a rundown on the top vote-getters so far: Read the rest of this entry »

It’s another Best of the Bay Reader’s Poll race you want to know about, especially if you’re a musician working the local scene and are actively encouraging your fans to vote. This category has always been a popular one since it gives Tampa Bay bands the chance to receive much-coveted props from the people who actually go out to see their music.

Currently, it’s a rather interesting race, with six very different bands jockeying for the lead: funkin’ reggae makers Tribal Style, metal maniacs Mr. Bella, up-and-coming alt rockers Not Tonight Josephine, jazz fusionists Poetry n’ Lotion, driving and stomping rock purveyors The Beauvilles, and Southern-countrified barn burners Roppongi’s Ace.

There’s still time to vote on your own local favorite, folks. Click here to do it now; polling ends Aug. 31.

Click on the chart to make it larger

As we report on tight and interesting races in the Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll, this category is always popular. Some view it as a good thing to be named a troublemaker; others vote it as a pejorative. We don’t care how you vote/view it as long as you vote in the poll.

Longtime reader fave Joe Redner is winning at this point. You have less than two weeks to vote (the poll ends Aug. 31). Vote now,

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Ronda Storms is putting the same kind of hurting on Brian Blair in our Worst Local Politician category that his kids put on him during that infamous “domestic dispute.”

Ronda Storms has owned this Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll category for as long as I’ve been at CL, but if ever there was a year for a new face to emerge, wouldn’t 2009 be it?

After all, there are the titillating sexual allegations in the Kevin White trial. And there’s the lingering fallout from Buddy Johnson’s election snafus and loss late last year.

And yet White can’t even crack the Top 5 in balloting so far? And Storms, despite moving up to the Florida Legislature where we rarely have to hear about her nonsense, still holds a commanding lead in this category? Those who are anti-anti-Storms (sorry, it’s getting complicated here) won’t sit still for this.

Here is what the order of finish would be if balloting closed today: Read the rest of this entry »

Saigon Deli’s four varieties of Vietnamese Banh Mi — meatball, beef, roast pork, pate — all have the same garnish piled on crusty French-style bread: lightly pickled carrots, cucumber and daikon radish; a heaping mass of bright green cilantro; sliced, fresh jalapenos. A simple combination, but those ingredients contain three of the four fundamental facets of most Southeast Asian cuisine: spice from the jalapeno, sour from the pickle, sweet from the veggies. Add savory and salty meat, and you’ve hit the jackpot, all for a mere $2.99. It almost justifies the years of French colonial influence over Vietnam.

Saigon Deli, 3692 W. Waters Ave., Tampa, 813-932-0300

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Although Lenny’s (in Clearwater) has dominated this Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll category in recent years, current vote totals peg this race as one of the closest in the Food and Drink category. Lenny’s, Frog Pond, Daily Eats, Nicko’s, Pach’s Place, Pink Flamingo, Pinky’s, Skyway Jack’s, and Village Inn are all neck-and-neck for second place, while national chain First Watch has a commanding (but beatable) lead.

Are Tampa Bay’s morning-food fans going to let a chain (albeit one that started in Florida) win this award? And where is Lenny’s notorious get-out-the-vote campaign?

There’s still two weeks to propel your favorite spot to the top in this hotly contested race (the poll ends Aug. 31).

Vote now, and tell your personal Best Breakfast restaurant to get out the vote!

(Photo from Fin Fahey/Flickr.)

Teenage mom moves in with older boyfriend who owns a python. Brings toddler along. In July, the python gets out of its cage in the middle of the night and strangles 2-year-old Shaiunna Hare. One can’t help but wonder — who’s mom going to sue?

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Catherine Durkin Robinson is a “feminist mother of twins” and a political blogger, working under the title Out in Left Field.

In spite of pleas from environmental groups, local governments and bashings from editorial boards, Gov. Charlie Crist signed SB 360, effectively repealing Florida’s growth management, minus the usual ceremonial signing hype. Makes us wonder where he hid to sign the offending legislation … was it in a bathroom stall somewhere?

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwalk628/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Tallahassee has the Bikini Bicyclist. Treasure Island has the heroin-thin version of Hulk Hogan who struts the beach in a gold g-string. New York City has the guitar-strumming Naked Cowboy.

And Tampa has The Senator. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

St. Petersburg College’s new Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building is certified LEED® Gold- St. Petersburg College recently announced that for the second time in as many months, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded LEED Gold certification for one of its new campus buildings.

Best of the Bay of the Day: Best organic smoothie- Believe it or not, algae and bee pollen add up to a delicious drink called the Spirulina Power Buzz. Read this to find out where to get one.

Tips to improve gas mileage (and save some green)- Do you have a lead foot or drive an inefficient automobile?  Here are a few simple tips to improve gas mileage and save a bunch of green!

Living Sustainably in Tampa Bay: Darren Brinkley, owner of REAL Building- Brinkley is the owner of REAL Building and home that he built for his family in St. Petersburg is the first home in Florida to achieve the LEED for Homes Gold Rating.
Read the rest of this entry »

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

You gotta give Ralph Hughes points for consistency. For decades, he pulled strings behind the scenes in Hillsborough County politics to further his anti-tax, anti-impact fee agenda. He died last year, but even from the grave he has proven his anti-tax mettle: we found out this year, according to the IRS, that Hughes and his companies owe $300 million in unpaid taxes. His surviving family members insist the guvmint is wrong and are contesting the assessment.

Right: The late Ralph Hughes multi-tasks by avoiding federal taxes AND having lunch with state Sen. Ronda Storms.

Hopefully you’ve mastered the lessons from Dirty Talk 101, and are ready for some more advanced word play in Dirty Talk 201.

Men are very visual creatures who have overactive imaginations when it comes to sex. A man once told me his imagination was so good he could switch hands and swear he was with sisters. Nice! A true 2-for-none special. To activate your man’s sexual imagination, detailed description and sexual imagery are extremely important. Read the rest of this entry »

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now on your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Yes, it’s the year of calling any public protest a “Tea Party,” regardless of its issue, ideology or the actual lack of any tea at the event. Orlando held its anti-Obama wingathon first, drawing about 4,000 people whose only commonality seemed to be hatred for our current president. Then the Tea Party moved to Tampa, where it drew about 500 for an afternoon rally and maybe 1,000-2,000 for a nighttime protest. It was a flop.

By summer, the Tea Party movement had found a single issue to rally ’round: Health Care Reform. Of course, it shot itself in the foot after one anti-tax crusader, St. Petersburg neurosurgeon David McKalip, forwarded an e-mail criticizing “ObamaCare” and depicting the president as a New Guinea witch doctor. It was roundly denounced as racist and McKalip apologized and quit just about every public board he sits on.

[About Best of the Bay of the Day: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now on your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

Algae and bee pollen in a smoothie? Yes, the deep green, kelp-colored drink with flecks of bright yellow may be a bit off-putting at first glance, but the strawberries and bananas give it a great fruity flavor. This tasty and nutrient-packed Spirulina Power Buzz smoothie can be found at Rollin’ Oats Cafe and Market at the St. Petersburg and Tampa locations.
Read the rest of this entry »

We’re getting cranked up for Best of the Bay — yes, already — and this year more than ever  we want your input early in the process. We just had a brainstorm meeting to choose award categories for the Readers’ Poll, which we’re expanding this year. We’re in the process of fine-tuning our choices, and we don’t want to miss out on any great ideas.

As usual, we’re going to have a bunch of Readers’ Poll categories in Music. Our list includes some perennials — Best Local Band, Best Concert Venue, Best Singer/Songwriter — and some new ones (Best Jam Band). Here’s your chance to suggest a category you’d like to see. (Best Autoharpist, Best Tuvian Throat Singer, whatever. Maybe even something more sensible.)

We’re finalizing the categories next Tuesday, so the deadline to add suggestions in the Comments section below is Mon., June 8 at 5 p.m.

And just to be perfectly clear: We’re not looking  for who you think should win, just the category itself. Thanks!

Check out our one-stop, all-purpose music site.

Jack Holloway in Hat Trick's 2006 production of "Private Eyes" (Bob Gonzalez photo).

Local arts centers are crowing about two major wins for their people. Jack Holloway, an actor with Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Eckerd Theater Company, took first place (and $10,000) in a drama competition earlier this month sponsored by the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL). And Michael Kilgore, vice president of marketing and customer experiences at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, has been cited for outstanding achievement in road marketing by The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry. Bonus: Jack and Michael are among the nicest, most personable guys in the Tampa Bay arts community.

Creative Loafing readers are already familiar with Jack. His work with Hat Trick, Stageworks and Jobsite, among other companies, has regularly garnered critical raves; we cited him as a Young Artist to Watch a few years back, and theater critic Mark Leib named him Best of the Bay in 2005. Now he can lay claim to being best in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Andrea Deszo contemplates her garden

It’s hard work starting up a community garden. Here in Bartlett Park we’re so proud that our garden is one year old this weekend.  For twelve months, more than a hundred volunteers have hauled dirt, mulch, water, compost, plants, food, chairs, fencing, pvc pipes and friends out to 1443 Highland Street South in St Petersburg to take a vacant lot from bare to bountiful, from scary to sublime, from dangerous to delicious.

We were guided by visions of fresh tomatoes, homemade pesto, beans and collard greens, as well as cookouts and gardening workshops. The concrete, garbage and weeds were all cleared with the intention of creating a beautiful space in the midst of a neighborhood that’s seen a lot of hard times. We’ve worked every single Saturday for a year. You can check out Lara Cerri’s photo montage about the garden in the St Pete Times here to see some of the action. [Editor's Note: And check out the garden's Creative Loafing Best of the Bay award here.] Read the rest of this entry »

St. Pete Beach Hardware is closing this week, and that’s sad news for fans of old-fashioned hardware stores. That includes us: Creative Loafing named it the area’s “Best Old-Fashioned Hardware Store” in the Best of the Bay issue of 2006. Our description of the place from 2006 still rings true:

Whether you’re in search of major DIY gear or just need a single nut of a certain size, the helpful staff here will know exactly where to find it and whether it’ll suit your needs. The down-home customer service isn’t the only thing that provokes nostalgia; this place also smells exactly like all hardware stores used to smell. What is it? Sawdust? Turpentine? Whatever it is, it smells like home … improvement.

The store, which is located at 320 75th Ave. in St. Pete Beach, is closing for business this Friday. The faltering economy is the reason, says owner Elaine Tyska: “Some things you just find very difficult to fight.” She’s hoping to sell as much of her inventory as possible before she closes, so hurry down for some bargains — and to say goodbye.

Another note on a 2006 Best of the Bay winner: The snazzy furniture and design store Being, which we named “Best Home Store for When You’ve Overgrown Pier 1,” is moving from Baywalk next month to a location closer to its Old Northeast customer base at 1575 Fourth St. N. The move is another blow to Baywalk, leaving one less reason to make the shopping complex a destination.

We’re still nursing a hangover from last night’s exciting Loafies award show and after party in downtown Tampa. If you missed it, you can see pics and video, or just dig into the Best of the Bay issue, by clicking here. Oh, and if you’re one of the love-filled folks who reportedly “christened” the balcony area of the Tampa Theatre, I salute you.

• Anybody want to buy an insurance company? Step right up, Mr. Federal Government.
• Country of Yemen decides it’s been too long since someone bombed a U.S. embassy.
• Dems in the House cave to Republicans, pass limited offshore oil drilling. Republicans still not happy.
• And now, the man who took the lead in creating the Blackberry … Johnny Mac!
• GOP tells McCain that earmarks are here to stay, because without them there would be chaos.
• Joe? Joe who? Joe Biden? Who?
• Honey, the bus is here.
• The Rays win game 2 against the Sox! For extra enjoyment, here is the Boston Globe’s account.