Daily Loaf

That was one question I asked myself after an incident a few years ago. I met a man in his mid 30s at a bar in South Tampa. He was a well-dressed Italian man with a nice athletic build. We exchanged numbers and that was that. I left the bar and forgot about even giving my number away.

The following week I get a text asking to hang out. I figured what the hell, I’m the adventurous type — why not see what happens. I was a little bit horny anyway, but figured I could probably control myself.

I get over to his place, played with his cute little dog, watched some baseball, and sipped a cran and vodka. We both got a few drinks in us.

Read below the jump for the rest [probably NSFW]:

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South Tampa is known as a big party spot, but it’s also home to some interesting restaurants — including the only two Ethiopian joints in town. And then there’s Bern’s, of course. Which restaurant deserves to be at the top of this list? That’s for you to decide. Scroll past the list to the poll and cast your vote!

(And don’t forget to vote in the four other regional top tens.)

Bern’s Steak House, 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa, 813-251-2421 or bernssteakhouse.com
Bin 27 Bistro, 2702 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-878-2700 or bin27bistro.com (Reader’s Poll Entrant)
Ceviche, 95 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-209-2302; 1502 S. Howard Ave., Tampa, 813-250-0203
Datz Deli, 2616 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-831-7000 or datzdeli.com
Paci’s Pizza, 2307 S. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, 813-253-2973 or pacispizza.com (Reader’s Poll Entrant)
Pane Rustica, 3225 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-902-8828 or panerusticabakery.com
Queen of Sheba, 3636 Henderson Blvd., Tampa, 813-872-6000 or ethiopianrestauranttampa.com
Restaurant BT, 1633 W. Snow Ave., Tampa, 813-258-1916 or restaurantbt.com
SideBern’s, 2208 W. Morrison Ave., Tampa, 813-258-2233 or bernssteakhouse.com
Smoke Barbecue & Grill, 901 W. Platt St., Tampa, 813-254-7070 or smokeonplatt.com

VOTE AFTER THE BREAK! Read the rest of this entry »

Father’s Day will be here sooner then you realize (June 21st) and picking up the perfect gift can be a little difficult, maybe even more so then for Mother’s Day in some cases.If your father is anything like mine, there doesn’t seem to be much that I haven’t gotten him. I have done the watch route, the tie, the Brooks Brothers gift card, the sports memorabilia and now that I am *cough* a smidge older than my teens and early 20’s, the ideas seem less and less original.

So why not try some fun, new green products for dad? Even though some of them are Father’s Day staples, you can explain (and impress) him about how it is organic and reasons to go eco-friendly. What better time then the beginning of the summer to try out some of these new products.
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Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10th) is right around the corner and many wonder what they can do for their mom that will be different, special, and also show their love and appreciation. It is a difficult task as many people run around last minute trying to search for that something ‘just right’ for mom that shows you put some real thought and time into the gift.

Luckily, there are some fun and creative organic ideas that can be done that will make mom feel all warm and fuzzy, especially knowing her gift is environmentally friendly. Here is a quick list of some Organic Mother’s Day ideas that almost any mom would love! Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is coming up, and what better way to start it off than with a sneak peak at some new fashions? In addition to a killer photo shoot by Athena Torri, I have some exciting news about a new store opening in Tampa! Designer Raven Reda of Suspicious Package has wrangled in some great independent designers, artists and Tattoo..ers(?) to unite in a hip store on Howard Ave., called F.A.T. ink.

F.A.T. ink will have its soft opening May 1. We’ll get Raven in the studio later this month for a podcast to chat more about the specs and future of the store. Did I mention that Aleka Phoenix is finally going to have a steady place for people to buy clothing and accessories?

So to get you excited for all this news and the highly anticipated summer line from Aleka Phoenix check out the some shots from photoshoot”Electric” by Athena Torri with models Jojo & Jonathan Rosa, hair by our own Fusionista Tara at Salon 54 and makeup by Abra Molinari: Read the rest of this entry »

The only thing better than eating good barbecue is scouting for new and interesting restaurants.  Lucky for me to stumble across BJ’s Alabama BBQ this morning.  The plume of white smoke coming from the chimney caught my eye as I headed north on S. Dale Mabry.  When a buddy called to tell me he was swinging through the area around lunch, we agreed this would be a good place to meet.

We both opted for the lunch special… $6.50 gets you any one of their seven different sandwiches, plus one side and a drink.  I ordered the chopped pork.  It came piled high with (mostly) lean chunks of pork and a healthy dollop of sweet BBQ sauce.

BJ’s has an impressive selection of soul-food-esque side items, so ONE side would definitely not be enough for me.  In addition to the collards and macaroni & cheese I ordered, they also offer corn on the cob, jalapeno peppers (not poppers), potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, green beans, BBQ beans, and corn bread.

The collards were Read the rest of this entry »

Jasmine Thai, for years one of the more popular Thai joints in Tampa, recently moved from their former location on Kennedy and Henderson Boulevard to South Westshore Boulevard. Here’s hoping they can lift the restaurant curse from this beleagured stripmall where former residents include the defunct Habana Madrid, Black Beans and Zaheem Palace. Jasmine Thai moved because the Kennedy location fell into the dead zone – not enough businesses for a lunch crowd and attracting diners at dinner proved difficult. SoHo Sushi now occupies the space where they used to be.

If you visited any of the former incarnations, Jasmine Thai made startling improvements to the decor, adding windows to dramatically open up the once cramped, dank dining room. The husband and wife team, Nunta Lertpanit and Kent Suksawatnamchok, are pretty proud of the renovations, as they should be since they completed it all themselves. They even built the furniture.

Chef Suksawatnamchok features a similar menu to the former home, with favorites like crispy fried Thai Spring Rolls, Panang Curry Shrimp, spicy Nam Sod and tangy Yum Seafood.

Open for lunch and dinner
Delivery offered within a three-mile radius
3333 S. West Shore Blvd, Tampa
(813) 831-8881

The original Jasmine Thai, located at 3248 N Dale Mabry Hwy. in Carrollwood, has been open for 28 years and family members opened a second location in Brandon a few years back at 1947 W. Lumsden Road.

It’s not always easy to find cutting-edge men’s fashion in the Tampa Bay area. One of your best bets is Urban Body, tucked conveniently behind the Starbucks in South Tampa. The airy shop stocks a variety of hip brands — Ben Sherman, 1921 Denim, 4 You, Z Brand, 191 Unlimited — most of which can’t be found in local department stores. Looking for tight low-slung jeans, tapered-fit shirts, unique sweaters or some, uh, interesting underwear? Point your chiseled bod toward Urban Body.

Gift this: T-Shirt by Division E (pictured), $64.50; jeans by Silver Denim, $86.50. 715 S. Howard Ave. #130, Tampa, 813-251-5522, urbanbody.com.
Photo by Eric Snider
See other stops on CL’s Indie Holiday Shopping Spree here.

In 1984, Maruchi Azorin Blanco worked for the Jim Walter Corp., the international building conglomerate that had the funny-looking building on I-275 and Dale Mabry. A research analyst at the time, she was harboring an entrepreneur deep inside, along with a love for sewing, lace, embroidering and fine linens. So she bought Mark’s 66 gas station on a busy corner in South Tampa and opened Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens in 1985. Sure, not everyone can pony up the cash for some Yves Delorme French linens, but the store today is much more than high-end fabrics, with all kinds of collectibles and one-of-a-kinds, like Gasparilla Christmas ornaments hand-painted onto goose eggs ($22, see photo at right), women’s aprons made from discontinued fabric swatches, and baptism gowns. You can spend $20 or $200 with equal ease and not feel self-conscious either way.

Gift this: Frankincense, gold (leaf) and myrrh, starting at $35 (left). If nothing else, it’s a very wise(men) gift.

3001 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 813-831-6189.

For more stops on the Indie Holiday Shopping Spree, click here.

Photos by Wayne Garcia