Revamped golf club & its Omari’s Grill want to host your next event. See

By GARY NAGER

Over the past few years, I’ve written quite a few stories about Omari’s Grill at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, because owner Anass El-Omari is a classically trained chef who serves great food at the restaurant named for him.

However, over the past year or so, Anass has recognized that most of the people dining at his golf course were, of course, golfers who didn’t necessarily care about his delicious pastas, steaks, fresh fish and other more upscale options. So, even though I personally am not thrilled about the changes to the menu, I still love the burgers, grilled chicken and chicken Philly sandwiches and the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. People also rave about the mozzarella sticks, onion rings, shrimp tacos (far right photo on next page) and Colombian-style empañadas.

An avid low-handicap golfer himself, Anass says, “Most golfers want sandwiches, burgers, wings and other faster items. So, that’s all we’re serving at Omari’s now.”

In addition to the beautiful, equestrianthemed par-72, 6,748-year public golf course, Anass and his wife Susana Herrera are now focusing on hosting special events at their 7,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, which comfortably seats 100 people inside, and 40 people on the screened-in patio outside, plus still more people on a second outdoor patio that doesn’t have a screen.

“Our clubhouse is a great place for birthday parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners, quinceañeras, baby showers, memorial services, seminars and. of course, golf tournaments,” Susana says. “We average at least two of these events per month.”

Anass and Susana have only owned the golf club and course for four years, but revamped the course’s greens in 2019 and expanded and finished renovating the clubhouse itself last year. The Lexington Oaks clubhouse also features a full-liquor, fullservice bar and a nice pro shop for golfers.

And, although both the course and restaurant are open to the public, there also are golf memberships available. There also is league golf play almost every day of the week. All of the league and more golf info appears on the website LexingtonOaksGolf.com.

The course hosts about 20 tournaments each year, and will again be home to the 2nd annual RADDSports Charity golf tournament in December (see ad on pg. 33). The Place For Your Big Event!

According to its website, Lexington Oaks Golf Club’s impressive clubhouse is “the perfect location for your big day. We will personalize your event to make your wedding or other special day a moment you and your guests will treasure for a lifetime. We offer customized food and beverage menus, audio visual equipment, full-service bars and builtin public address systems. Our staff is specifically trained in food and beverage operations and customer service. Our service goal is to anticipate every need before you ask and to exceed your expectations.

“If you’re looking for an even greater experience, Lexington Oaks Golf Club offers an array of special touches to enhance your big event. We have put together a comprehensive listing of our menu options (there are a lot more than just the Omari’s menu), services and other information.”

Best of all, the price is always right. If you compare Lexington Oaks Golf Club’s rates with other golf courses and/or banquet facilities in the area, I’m personally confident you won’t find better (or even comparable) food, drinks or professional service for less anywhere else. Jannah and I hosted the baby shower for

our granddaughter Rosie there more than three years ago and everyone who attended raved about the food, the room and the service. In other words, even though Omari’s Grill is no longer serving the fresh fish or pastas I loved for dinner, you can’t go wrong hosting your next big event or golf tournament at Lexington Oaks Golf Club!

Lexington Oaks Golf Club (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.) is open every day from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Omari’s is open for lunch & dinner Wed.-Fri., for lunch only Sat.-Sun., and is closed Mon.-Tues. For more information, call (813) 907-7270, visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com or see the ad on pg. 45.

Speaking of Italian, the new Carrabba’s Italian Grill, located at 25298 Sierra Center Blvd. (between Bonefish Grill and Aussie Grill, on the north side of S.R. 56) has officially opened to the public and there’s no doubt that it’s already a local favorite.

The newest location of the chain, which serves 130-year-old recipes created by the family of founders Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, is one of more than 200 in nearly 30 U.S. states, with about 70 of those being located in Florida.

And, while I’ve never been the biggest fan of most chain eateries, the smaller new Carrabba’s “Bistro” setup is beautiful, has a great bar area and I already like many of the made-from-scratch dishes I’ve sampled, including the lasagne pictured above, the Tuscan-grilled pork chops and the unique Johnny’s Trio (above, right; we substituted filet for the sirloin steak Marsala it usually comes with), mezzaluna ravioli and chicken Bryan). “Try us for weekday lunch or early dinner,” proprietor Mark Kolter says. “Our

Ha Long Bay Vietnamese To Open On BBD

Congratulations to my new friends Nhan Nguyen and her husband Hai Chu and their family, the owners of the new Ha Long Bay restaurant, which is scheduled to have its Grand Opening on Friday, October 7, in the space at 20685 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. previously occupied by Aroi Thai-Tsuyu (not to be confused with the still-open Arroy Thai on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel).

Several months ago, we announced in these pages that the restaurant would be a new location of Hana Sushi, but when that deal fell through, Nhan and Hai jumped at the opportunity to open the fourth location of Ha Long Bay (the others are in St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Largo). Nhan and Hai also previously owned Ocean Blue Sushi Bar in Carrollwood.

The new Ha Long Bay, which will feature a variety of Vietnamese and Asian fusion favorites, including pho, banh mi sandwiches, Chinese-style stir-fry dishes, poké bowls, rice combination plates and a large variety of boba teas, will be managed by New Tampa residents Kay and Mandy Vongsa. “They are like family to us,” Nhan says. For more information, call (813) 406-4917 or visit HaLongBayNewTampa.com. — GN

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar & Rodizio On The Way

If there is one hole in the growing Wesley Chapel dining scene, it might be the lack of a true seafood place.

That hole will be getting partially filled soon.

A Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is in the process of being built in the same mini-plaza as the recently opened Chicken Salad Chick next to the Costco off S.R. 56 on the extension of Wesley Chapel Blvd.

The 4,162-sq.ft. oyster bar will have a 535-sq.-ft. patio and started the permitting process in July.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar has 10 locations in North Carolina and four in South Carolina, as well as single locations in Maryland, Georgia, Illinois and Texas.

The Wesley Chapel location, which is expected to be casual and no-frills like its other locations, is part of a Florida expansion that will add new restaurants in the Space Coast and Ocala areas.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar’s go-to items are the oysters on the half shell, although they also are served steamed and chargrilled. Other seafood items include scallops, ahi tuna, shrimp, snow crab legs and calamari, as well as American bar staples like chicken wings, burgers,

weekend dinner hours are always packed.”

For more info, call (813) 261-2691 or visit Carrabbas.com and please tell Mark that Jannah and I sent you! — GN

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is coming to the S.R. 56 area near Costco. fries and macaroni and cheese bites.

Tacos, po-boy sandwiches and shrimp ‘n grits also are on the menu, and, of course, beer and cocktails.

For more information, visit TheShuckinShack.com.

Also, in the same area, we told you in July but now it’s official — Rodizio Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse, has posted a sign saying “Coming Soon!” in front of the At Home store just south and across the road from Costco.

Rodizio Grill was the first authentic Brazilian steakhouse or “churrascaria” in the U.S. established in 1995 by Ivan Utrera. There is a location in Sarasota.

For more information, visit RodizioGrill.com. — JCC

Congratulations to Dew, Preeya & Will (1.-r. in top right photo), the owners of Umu Japanese & Thai restaurant (2653 BBD Blvd., in the same plaza as The Hungry Greek & Dickey’s BBQ Pit), which held a North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon cutting in conjunction with its Grand Re-Opening on Sept. 20.

Umu, which was closed for two weeks and for lunch for a while longer, as more focus was being placed on its upscale dinner items, is open again for both lunch and dinner and members of the NTBC got an amazing preview of Umu’s new and revamped menu items during the event.

In addition to huge platters of the restaurant’s always-outstanding sushi, Umu served delicious BBQ pork belly, pad Thai, shrimp fried rice (which I couldn’t sample, but look at it!), gyoza dumplings, crispy chicken katsu and more.

In other words, if it’s been a while since you visited Umu, you need to go try it again soon — and please tell the owners I sent you!

Umu Japanese & Thai is open for lunch and dinner every weekday and for dinner only on Sat. & Sun. For more information, call (813) 591-6121 or visit UmuJapanese.com. — Gary Nager; all photos on this page by Charmaine George

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