Daily Loaf

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

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.

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

Finding an emotional connection with our planet- Doing so allows us to look at what our needs are in life and what is of the highest and greatest importance to us and our environment.

Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll 2009: The race for Greenest Politician has Linda Saul-Sena in the lead- Who do you think should take the title of this year’s Greenest Politician in the Bay?

Clean energy and anti-offshore drilling rally in Ybor this Thursday- Thursday, August 27th, join Sierra Club, 1Sky Florida, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other environmental groups for a real grassroots rally outside Big Oil’s staged gathering.
Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

It’s a tight race so far for the title of Best Organic Food Store in the Bay. So far, our leaders are Rollin’ Oats of St. Pete and Tampa, Nature’s Food Patch in Clearwater, Publix Greenwise Market in Hyde Park, and Whole Foods Market in Tampa. It looks like it’s going to be a fight between the local stores versus the big chains.

Who do you think deserves the title? You have less than a week 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!]

The race for the title of Greenest Politician in the Bay area is neck and neck so far, with Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena of Tampa just two votes ahead of Councilman Karl Nurse of St. Petersburg. Behind them are Councilwoman Mary Mulhern and Rep. Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg; Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Gov. Crist bring up the rear of this race.

(Editor’s Note: Ralph Nader and Al Gore are not residents of the Bay area, thus not qualifying for this race – so please don’t bother voting for them again.)

Who do you think should take the title? You have less than a week 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!]

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.

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

Sustainable beer 101: A guide to growlers- Benefits of refillable beer jugs far exceed the lure of fresh tap beer.

Refresh your mind, body and spirit by reconnecting with nature- Living in such a busy world these days overloaded with technology leaves little time to get back to the basics and connect with the planet we live on. Take some time out of your busy schedule and reconnect with nature, which will balance you physically, mentally and spiritually.

Ronald McDonald gets a pie in the face from PETA protester- Ronald McDonald takes one in the kisser from a PETA protester who is against McDonald’s “controlled-atmosphere killing” of chickens.

St. Petersburg College and Tampa Bay green building chapter announce partnership- St Petersburg College’s Corporate Training Office announced a partnership with the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter (FGCC) of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide a comprehensive sustainable building operations training course based on the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system.
Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the hottest green trend in Tampa Bay? Rain barrels. With water restrictions still in effect in some areas, Bay area residents are buying or building their own rain barrels to harvest water to use for watering lawns and washing cars.

For every inch of rain that falls on a roof catchment area of 1,000 square feet, you can expect to collect approximately 600 gallons of rain water. Why not make use of all of this rainfall and save some dough on your water bill?
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It’s that time of year again — time to enter Creative Loafing’s virtual ballot box and vote in our annual Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll. Go to cltampa.com/botbballot and you’ll find 150 categories to vote on, from Best New Restaurant to Best Local Tweeter, from Worst Waste of Tax Dollars to Best Local Actress. You’ve got lots of time to vote: The polls close Aug. 31, with results announced in our Best of the Bay Issue on September 16 (and revealed the night before during The Loafies).

And keep your eyes on the Daily Loaf: Starting tomorrow, we’ll be previewing the BOTB choices of our writers and editors with posts labeled Best of the Bay of the Day. Watch for each day’s post and find out whether your favorites have already made this year’s list.

VOTE NOW!