Eat My Florida

Don’t really know what that title means, but I have news about celebrity chef and all-around scary fella Robert Irvine’s poorly named restaurant in St. Petersburg. Ooze and Schmooze was originally scheduled to open this month at 400 Beach Dr., but that’s not going to happen. According to the building’s developers, the earliest they expect the restaurant to be ready is March, due to the complexity of the construction and permitting.

Perhaps Ooze and Schmooze should be the next episode of Dinner Impossible.

I will now go into hiding to avoid a beat-down from the burly chef.

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Local Coffee & Tea - the Sarasota-based minichain of coffee houses - has joined forces with Susan Huff of Integrity Organic. For a while, Local owner Mike Duranko had avowed to CL that he wasn’t going to get in the food business at the St. Pete location. Well, he isn’t. Susan is, using his kitchen. She’ll be managing 330 1st Ave. S location and preparing the home-made, largely organic fare that she’s become known for.

Both Duranko and Huff share eco-sensibilities, so her food combined with the best coffee in the Bay area should be a good match.

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In honor of the first day of school, here’s a quick glimpse into the stomachs of the Bay area’s future:
Hillsborough menus, Pinellas menus, Jesuit offerings, Tampa Prep.

I think it is damn sweet of the county to cut the crusts off the PB&Js for the elementary kids, but do the high school kids need that, too? Jesuit seems to offer just catered fast food, while Tampa Prep doesn’t offer much choice at all, which might explain why everyone goes here. Honestly, the public school kids seem to have a huge leg up on the preppies, dining wise. At least until you start pulling foie gras burgers and lobster tacos out of their brown paper bags.

And, of course, the ultimate ode to hash slingers everywhere:

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I am intrigued and horrified to learn that the Italian Ministry of Health has its own Military Police.

The New Yorker has a great investigation of Italian olive oil forgery, with some fine background about olive oil production.

With all the distrust I have for the government, media and the good intentions of my next-door neighbors, why do I have to start questioning my precious, fruity extra-virgin? There is something to be said for relying solely on the “boca bella” mentioned by biodiesel and olive oil magnate Leonardo Marseglia in the article, but, then again, he may be one of the bad guys.

What’s next? Am I gonna have to start avoiding farmed fish and dog food?

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Yeah, the locavore eating trend is hitting its stride, as evidenced by the massive interest in books like Plenty and Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (as well as this piece in the Times).

But, as we all know, eating local takes work. The easiest way to take advantage of our local growing season is by joining an area CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm. If you’re new to CSA’s, here’s how they work: Once a year you purchase a share in the farm. That share entitles you to a selection of free produce every week throughout the growing season. You never know what you’ll get until it shows up in your box.

I wrote about Geraldson Farm a little over a year ago, when the Manatee County-owned CSA project was just getting started. Now, the crops are going into the ground and it’s time to pony up for local produce. This week, Geraldson Farm began taking $50 deposits to reserve one of the 180 shares they have available for the next growing season, with the actual share cost predicted to run between $450-500. From November to May, you can pick up your organically-grown fruits and veggies at the farm in northwest Bradenton, or have them delivered to community pick-up sites in Palmetto, St. Petersburg and Sarasota.

In Tampa, there’s always Sweetwater Organic — a Florida CSA pioneer — where memberships run $615 whole/$315 half, but they fill up quick and you need to pick up at the farm (which, admittedly, is a lot of fun). Down in Punta Gorda is Worden Farm ($600/$350); they deliver to the Downtown Sarasota Farmers’ Market.

The great thing about a CSA is that veggies are forced into your life — fresh, local and organic — and you just have to figure out what to do with them. You’ll have to get creative, but you can always email me for a passel of recipes involving kale.

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We broke it open yesterday and here’s The Table’s official press release released today (after the break).

(more…)

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Just confirmed that The Table, one of my favorite restaurants in Sarasota, is planning on giving birth to a twin in downtown St. Pete. The new place will be on the 500 block of Central — although I haven’t yet driven by to see what space they’re taking over.

Anyone not familiar with the “Atlantic rim” cuisine Rafael Manzano and Pedro Flores should check out The Table immediately. For those of you in the Bay area, it’s worth a drive down to SRQ so you can be prepared for The Table’s St. Pete debut in 3-5 months.

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