Wow! Take a run down property in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Seminole Heights, add in creatives like Ty Rodriguez and Chef Ferrell Alvarez, mix it with a CRA (Community Redevelopment Area) grant, and you get  a whole new concept in family-friendly dining.  The Nebraska Mini Mart was built as an adult playground mixed with dazzling bar food and opened in mid August. It's a pretty cool concept. Shuffleboard, bocce ball, and ping pong all set up in a huge grassy courtyard with thumpy dance music filling the air make for a unique, albeit retro feeling, experience. It's a throwback to simpler times when families got together in the neighborhood to socialize, eat, and play a little. It's like someones  mom yelled, "Put down those damn video games and go outside to play!"

Billing itself as "That Mexican Place", Nueva Cantina opened its South Tampa location in June where the former Love's Artifacts Bar and Grill once stood. The form factor inside didn't change much but the space is much more functional. It's decked out with colorful Aztec and Mexican inspired decor and paintings. An exterior patio bar that includes a small stage is under the oaks in the rear for cooler weather. 

Ciccio Restaurant Group opened it's latest concept eatery on August 1st in the SOHO district of South Tampa. Taco Dirty, Juice, Bowls, Mexican Things is another iteration of the health conscious  leaning food offered up at their Fresh Kitchen and Better Byrd locations.Each location offers bowls with many of the same veggie and protein starters as the Dirty. Better Byrd, like Taco Dirty, has tacos and bowls and adds wings and sandwiches. Fresh Kitchen only has bowls. No matter, the owners clearly know their audience and provide crowd generating pleasing menus and environments. 
On Friday afternoon the place is crowded and parking is really tight. There are a total of 12ish parking spots in the dedicated lot with 4 of them reserved for pick up. Most spaces are labeled compact only (door dingers). There are 2 spots on the street in front and a couple on the side. Welcome to SOHO.

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When I heard a new Italian tapas bar was taking over the space where The Bake and Noi once lived I was excited. I love Italian food and having it tapas style, meaning I get to try several several dishes in one sitting, is a great concept. Upon opening they offered dinner every night except Monday and offer brunch from 10 - 2 on weekends.​

I really hope I don't start sounding like one of those snotty food snobs. Many of them feign contempt or use the word unctuous too much. But, I just really love experiencing culinary arts! I recently visited the Blue Hill restaurant in New York City and every bite of every taste of every course is scrutinized and developed to perfection. I'm not sure that I have the sophistication to pick up every nuance the chef intended with that six course dinner, but it was the best food experience I've ever had. I returned to Tampa preoccupied with finding a similar experience.
I've been to Rooster & the Till before, and have photographed their uber talented James Beard award-winning chef Farrell Alvarez. That was years ago and my appreciation for food has increased significantly. On our recent visit, as we did at Blue Hill, we ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu where the kitchen prepares a six course dinner of their choosing. We also chose the wine pairing option as well.

Home made. It's what happens here in this hidden gem on Henderson Blvd. The interior of Healthy and Fresh Cafe has a Mom and Pop feel to it, being a cross between country and industrial. The counter tops are coated in thick polyurethane and the ceiling tinned in corrugated galvanized steel. The look isn't refined but that's not what this place is about.

Do you remember that concert  where two of your favorite bands played and at the end they jammed together and shook the house down? Take that same dynamic and apply it to a couple of rock star restaurants. That's what happened at The Bricks in Ybor city on Saturday night when Ichicoro took over half the kitchen for a ramen pop-up night of Japanese flavor deliciousness. The chefs and bartenders from The Bricks and the three different Ichicoro locations unleashed their talents in a culinary concert that featured specialty dishes along with craft cocktails developed just for the evening. 

Food trends have been a part of the food scene for as long as there has been a food scene. An article in The Daily Meal is a testament to that. (Check the link to see what peculiar trend was happening in the decade you were born). Recently poke (pronounced POH-keh) acai' bowls have jumped on the trend train and  have emerged as a thing. They followed Ramen two years ago, matcha, and tapas before that, all a part of the burgeoning Tampa food scene. Recent bowl eateries include Fresh Kitchen, Vale Food Co. in Tampa and Karma in St Pete. It's such a strong category that Laura Reiley, Tampa Bay Times food critic, recently wrote a top ten list to help cull the long list locally. ​

​Gengiz Kahn's owner Ergin Tek hails from Turkey so it makes sense that if he is going to run a restaurant it would be a Turkish leaning Mediterranean place. Although I've never met the guy I appreciate someone who is so community minded. Last year during hurricane Irma he closed down his restaurant and opened it as a shelter. Later in 2017 at Thanksgiving, he fed hundreds of people with his own money. Pretty outstanding.
The place bills itself as Turkish and vegetarian specialists. However, the menu shows several dishes containing typical Mediterranean fare protein like lamb and chicken. The dining room itself is fairly cavernous with very high ceilings and multiple tables taking up most of a block on Bay to Bay Boulevard.

18 Bagels Co. opened at 111 South Dale Mabry (SW corner of Kennedy and Dale Mabry) in the former Nosh space that replaced the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel store who opened where the Red Elephant Cafe once was. I'm hoping the 4th time's a charm. It's got good DNA. The proprietors also own the popular Yogurtology fro-yo stores, with over a dozen locations in the Bay Area and beyond.

Did you know that it is National French Fry Day (Friday) today? According to USA Today several restaurants have specials on their French fries. Dunkin' Donuts is honoring the day with a free serving of their new Donut Fries and I like free stuff! Unfortunately, I couldn't be one of the first 100 people through the door to get a free order, so I bought some to try.

Touting a motto of Southern Roots-Locally Refined, The Local took over the Square One space on Henderson Blvd. in South Tampa in late June. The interior redesign maintains the same layout but adds warm punchy lighting and woody surfaces. 
According to our server The Local is trying to elicit a local neighborhood vibe and feature their version of southern comfort food.

Comfort food as a genre has become increasingly popular over the recently in the culinary world. Standouts include (before they changed then closed) Fodder and Shine and the chain Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. It's an attempt to step back to simpler menus and dishes instead of the complex offerings that consume many refined kitchens.
Urban Comfort took over an old gas station on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg but kept much of its charm. The building still offers functional garage doors (albeit glass), and an industrial interior with pipe fitted benches and open ductwork. And, walking in, it just smells comfortable with a bouquet of fried chicken wafting through the place. Where's grandma?

Popular Rocco's Tacos and Tequila Bar doesn't hold up to the hype. 

Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar, delayed for months, opened in February in its new digs at Bay Street in International Plaza taking over the space once occupied by the Blue Martini. For a solid year there's been a lot of anticipatory hubbub about how great it would be to add the brand to Tampa’s culinary map. I was asked to visit and shoot specific dishes for Creative Loafing Tampa and looked forward to seeing what all the clamor was about. I dined anonymously.