Eat My Florida » Gossip

Next Big Thing: Peruvian

Brian Ries — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:34:14 +0000

Recently, Todd English (celeb chef and owner of about 1 metric bazillion restaurants) called Peruvian cuisine “the next big thing.” Bon Appetit’s new food blog quickly weighed in, declaring it a trend that needs an ambassador, and pointing to Peruvian celeb chef Gaston Acurio as — possibly — the face that could launch a thousand tiraditos.

I hate to say I told you so, but Sarasota chef Darwin Santa Maria of oft-lauded Selva Grill made the same prediction about Peruvian food almost a year ago. Sarasota is home to no less than four decent Peruvian joints. Only question is: what about the Bay area? Know any great places to grab some ceviche, causa and sauces laced with glorious aji pepper?

(Thanks to Grub Street.)

Starbucks Scrambles For Something, Anything

Brian Ries — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:06:58 +0000

Read over on Serious Eats that Starbucks will introduce a new line of “Vivannos” starting tomorrow. Don’t know what a Vivanno is? Time to add a word to your Starbucks lexicon of pseudo-Mediterranean new-speak: Vivanno = smoothie.

After years of not trying, those Seattle-ish coffee merchants are really scrambling, aren’t they? Heck, I’m all for it. Anything beats that left-in-the-oven-for-days flavor of the corporate giant’s burnt coffee.

Giving Africa The Finger

Brian Ries — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:40:51 +0000

Thanks to reader Erica comes news of this local “natural” wonder from Tate Brothers Pizza on Davis Island. No word yet if it will be included in alongside modern monuments like the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge, but we’ll see. Better yet, you can own it for approximately pocket change.

Best part of the description -

“This continent is flavored with a mild wing sauce and has been frozen in carbonite to protect its value.”

Second best part -

“We DO NOT Reccomend eating this. It’s for display purposes only.”

Yeah, I don’t recommend eating these things even when they aren’t shaped like Africa and shipped cross-country.

Belgian Budweiser?

Brian Ries — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:30:20 +0000

This can only make the King Of Beers better, I imagine.

Rubbed Raw

Brian Ries — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:22:09 +0000

I’ve waxed mildly poetic about Tampa’s raw/vegan restaurant Grass Roots (the miso soup is worth a visit all by itself). I was less enthusiastic about Veggie Magic, a Sarasota raw food shop involving raw ambassador and amateur filmmaker Jenna Norwood. Hey, I support amping up everyone’s consumption of raw fruits and veggies, but on the whole I find this particular dietary fetish — no food cooked over 105-115 degrees, no flesh, no dairy — to be philosophically and scientifically flawed. More importantly, most of the “cuisine” created by raw chefs runs the gamut from blah to blecch.

That’s not stopping raw food impressario and culinary hottie Matthew Kenney from transplanting himself from progressive New York City to the most dreadful city in Florida. Yep, he’s opening a raw restaurant in Orlando called Cafe 118 (referring to the max temperature it’s food will reach). The place isn’t open yet, but the website already features a link for anyone interested in franchise opportunities. Before you jump on the burgeoning raw food bandwagon and start shelling out your uncooked dough, be forewarned that one of the reasons Kenney may be expanding out of his home base in NYC involves litigation and bankruptcy relating to some of his previous businesses. Whatever, Florida is all about second chances, right?

First Look At Tampa’s Smoke

Brian Ries — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:28:04 +0000

Local blogger TampaIAm visited Smoke (901 Platt Street, Tampa, 813-254-7070), the brand new barbecue joint on opened by Gordon Davis. From his report, it sounds promising.

Now that South Tampa icon Davis has been bought out at Ceviche, this humble barbecue joint is your only opportunity to get a bite of his vision. Thanks to permitting issues (which caused this rant about the City of Tampa), it took Davis about 2 years to open the doors on this converted gas station. Expect a wide variety of que styles, including some Hawaiian styles that make my mouth water.

Parkshore Grill Owner Almost Has Monopoly On Beach Drive

Brian Ries — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:18:35 +0000

In a move towards increasing rents and building more green houses and red hotels, Parkshore Grill (300 Beach Dr.) owner Steve Westphal has just signed a lease at the (almost) location of Robert Irvine’s Ooze and Schmooze (400 Beach Dr.). He and Parkshore chef Tyson Grant plan on opening a restaurant, opting more for the bland 400 Beach than the grotesque moniker created by liar, liar Irvine.

“If only we could manage to land at 500 Beach,” explained Westphal, “we’d have all the green properties and could start charging an arm and a leg to anyone who happens to stop on one of our squares.” Westphal is in a tight race with Craig Chapman and Zack Gross to collect the most money from diners, free parking and beauty contest entries in downtown St. Pete, while avoiding the dreaded curse of jail.

DeSanto Sans Jeannie Pierola, Sort Of

Brian Ries — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:00:25 +0000

If you remember, DeSanto Latin American Bistro was reviewed negatively by both me and Laura over at the Times after they opened, so owner Doug Illman made the surprisingly smart move of closing the restaurant and hiring local super-chef Jeannie Pierola to come in and re-do the menu and train the staff to improve quality. Early returns I received from friends and readers were overwhelmingly positive. Not surprising, considering Jeannie’s talents and Latin food skills.

But wait. This weekend I received an email from a reader who has been frequenting DeSanto of late. Here’s what he said:
“Ate at DeSanto last night, my 3^rd meal there since JP’s arrival, blown away the first 2 times, last night – Awful. I asked what was up, they told me Jeannie was gone. Sounded like it happened all-of-a-sudden. Perhaps the owners couldn’t stand the heat (expensive ingredients) in the kitchen?”

I called over to the restaurant and they confirmed that Jeannie was gone from day-to-day operations, although she’s still consulting. That’s a bit sooner than the three months she was originally scheduled for, but the manager indicated that “she’s got a lot of her own things going on right now.” Maybe her own project is ramping up. Early rumors had her negotiating for space at downtown Tampa’s Skypoint, but that hasn’t been confirmed, and Jeannie’s been tight-lipped about it.

As for DeSanto, we’ll see if that one reader’s experience was an aberration or a sign of things to come. I’ll be checking it out soon.

Anyone else have a similar experience at DeSanto in the past week? Or any gossip about Jeannie’s new project? Inquiring minds want to know.

Table Opens, Tedesco Closes

Brian Ries — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:23:32 +0000

Which do you want first, the good news or the bad news? Bad news? I thought so.

Tedesco’s Grillside on Central Ave. in downtown St. Pete has shuttered it’s doors. Rumor has that there is paper covering the windows and the phones are already disconnected. I haven’t been able to reach anyone for comment, but I’d really like to know who the next owners will be and what former chef Daniel Womack is up to, if he’s out of a job. Anyone? Fill me in?

Now, the good news: The Table, one of my favorite restaurants in Sarasota (winner of CL’s Best Restaurant of the Suncoast in 2006), is finally opening it’s second location, right down the street from the defunct Tedesco’s. Chef/owners Rafael Manzano and Pedro Flores will be peddling the same incredible Carribbean/Latin/Med fusion that I’ve grown to love down south, along with a mojito-heavy lounge area. And, since there are two of them, they can split their attention and still keep the quality up.

The Table will have a soft opening tomorrow night, then regular seating beginning Thursday, or Friday at the latest. 727-823-3700, 535 Central Ave, St. Petersburg

Beard Judges Dis Tampa, Probably Without Noticing

Brian Ries — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:58:46 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the James Beard Awards’ leaked ballot, which featured doth Bern’s and Jeannie Pierola on the short list for a couple awards. Well, ballots must be in because that short list has become even shorter, and guess who’s been left out of the finals?

Bern’s, which was up for Outstanding Restaurant, fell to the likes of restaurants in SF and NY (surprise), and local chef-at-large Jeannie Pierola was dropped from the Best Chef: South category in favor of a few mooks from the Miami area. The Beard Awards are often described as the Oscars for food and, like the Oscars, nobody ever votes for restaurants and chefs they know nothing about. More importantly, the judges must only vote for food they’ve actually eaten. No surprise, Tampa isn’t a prime destination for a lot of those folks.

It was just an honor to be nominated, I guess. Or pre-nominated.