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Gary’s Favorite New Tampa Restaurants Of 2021 — Stonewood Is Still #1!
Local Dining Opinions by Gary Nager Every year, in the issue after we report the results of our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest, I always feel compelled to give you my dining favorites, including all of the restaurants that opened in (or very near) Wesley Chapel and New Tampa the previous year. As someone who remembers when Good Fellas, The Boston Cooker, The Ultimate Bagel and Joy-O-Wok in Tampa Palms were the only restaurant options in New Tampa — and who has sampled every new place to eat since then — I do feel uniquely qualified to provide you with my annual list of favorites in both of our distribution areas.
And, even though quite a few new eateries opened in our distribution areas in 2021 after the reader voting ended, my top-25 “survey” lists aren’t quite as different from the readers’ lists this year as they have been in previous years, especially in Wesley Chapel. And, I’m excited to say that this year, both Stonewood Grill & Tavern and Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant have both repeated as my Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, respectively, which is a pretty big accomplishment, considering all of the new competition that opened in 2021 in both of our distribution areas.
On pages 28-32, you’ll find short write-ups about my 25 favorite restaurants (new and existing) in New Tampa for 2021, and on pg. 36, you’ll see an expanded writeup on Treble Makers and the rest of my top-25 favorites in Wesley Chapel.
There’s also alphabetical listings of my #s 26-50 favorites in both markets — of the nearly 100 eateries I sampled in 2021 in Wesley Chapel and more than 80 I sampled in New Tampa — as well as top-10 lists of my Favorite New Restaurants, Favorite Pizza Places, Asian/Mediterranean and Latin eateries, Dessert places and Bars in and around New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.
Enjoy! And, try to remember that, as it says above, these opinions about local restaurants are mine alone, so I don’t expect you to agree with me about everything (or anything). Feel free to let me know (see pg. 3) when you agree or disagree!
I also congratulate Epperson resident Kevin Ullery (photo, right), who won a $100 gift card to Moschella’s Italian Eatery & Market in Wesley Chapel. I still have three winners who have not yet told me what restaurant they choose for their gift cards — Jane Worden of Tampa Palms ($60), April Parrish of Lexington Oaks ($35) & Toni Lawrence of The Ridge ($25). If you know any of these winners, please have them email me at ads@ ntneighborhoodnews.com to claim their prizes!
Check out the rest of Gary’s 2021 Favorite Restaurants in New Tampa on pgs. 28-32!
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STONEWOOD GRILL & TAVERN
17050 Palm Pointe Dr., Tampa Palms (813) 978-0388
Despite the fact that a number of new restaurants have opened in New Tampa the last two years, it was still too hard for me to disagree with our readers as to which restaurant in New Tampa is my #1 favorite for 2021 — Stonewood Grill & Tavern!
There is no doubt that despite the fact that all seven of my top New Tampa favorites on this page are good enough, in my opinion, to one day challenge for New Tampa’s #1 restaurant, Stonewood still has the best (and best variety of) steak, the best ahi tuna appetizer and some of the best fresh fish options, and those have always been the most important choices for yours truly. Stonewood also has delicious bruschetta, an outstanding sweet tea brined pork chop, an excellent blackened chicken pasta, super-tasty Tuscan chicken and great new crafted bowls with ahi tuna, southwest chicken or salmon, plus an incredible “two hand” chicken club sandwich with bacon and Swiss. When you throw in the fact that Stonewood also is mine and Jannah’s favorite bar in New Tampa, with superlative service and fair drink prices, and you
Stonewood Grill & Tavern has the best filet mignon (above) and the best ahi tuna appetizer (below), making it the #1 restaurant in New Tampa, according to our editor and readers.
can understand why it has repeated as my favorite restaurant in New Tampa this year (as it has been with our readers every year but one since 2015) and has long been in my top 5.
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VIA ITALIA
8644 Hunter’s Village Rd.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake
A(813) 475-4857 lthough I still prefer it for pasta moreso than for its amazing variety of pizzas, the reason Via Italia ranks as my #2 favorite restaurant in New Tampa is because those pasta dishes are all so authentic and delicious it’s hard for me to go very long without them. A lot of places in our area have good pasta with pesto sauce, but Via Italia’s pesto Genovese is the best and also is the only place that serves authentic pasta pesto Siciliana (photo). And, add in delicious bruschetta, meatballs, oven-baked chicken wings, lasagne, cavatelli with broccolini and sweet Italian sausage and the “intensely flavored” linguine alle vongole (clams) and you have one of New Tampa’s best. If owner/chef Roberto Maganuco ever adds fresh fish and/or grilled steaks and chops, it could easily be my #1.
ACROPOLIS
14947 Bruce B Downs Blvd. Oak Ramble Plaza
E(813) 971-1787 ven though Acropolis Greek Taverna (see ad on pg. 24) isn’t new, it was taken over by new owners Eddie Nasr and Stacy Esposito in 2021 and has definitely returned to its former top-5 glory with both yours truly and our readers. My favorite dishes are the saganaki (fried cheese) appetizer, the lamb lollipop chops and the amazing Athenian fish pictured above, although there are many other Greek specialties I enjoy, too — including the mini-gyro trio (lamb, pork and chicken), the pastitsio (Greekstyle lasagne), the chicken Rhodes (in garlic parmesan wine sauce) and the pasta Santorini (in a creamy lemon wine sauce), to name a few — to keep me coming back for more. And, while the “Acropolis dressing” on the Greek salad isn’t a traditional Greek vinaigrette, it’s pretty yummy.
FRAMMI
17631 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
B(813) 523-5075 efore 2021, this restaurant was still called “Oakley’s Grille” and featured some of New Tampa’s best hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and a few Italian specialties from new owner Luca Ammirati, who took over a couple of years earlier. But, when Luca decided to add an entire additional menu of his native Italian specialties and rename his restaurant Frammi (see ad on pg. 39) early last year, it catapulted all the way up my list of favorites, with an outstanding black angus beef ragu, pasta pesto Genovese, a semispicy sausage ragu, a spicier arrabiata red sauce and the savory pasta vongole (clams) pictured above. Yes, Frammi still has those great burgers, fajitas, chicken and pressed sandwiches on his expanded American menu, but it is his new and extensive (without being expensive) Italian menu that keeps me coming back for more.
THE GRILL AT MORRIS BRIDGE
10920 Cross Creek Blvd. (813) 388-5353
When I first heard that a new, upscale restaurant was coming to the space previously occupied by Beef O’Brady’s and a couple of failed Italian restaurants in the Cross Creek Plaza, I was excited about the possibilities. Once I got to sample the new Grill at Morris Bridge (see ad on pg. 24) opened in Dec. by brothers Frank and James Gouveia and Executive Chef Daniel Friley, I was even happier. No, The Grill isn’t cheap, but it has excellent steaks, delicious fresh fish, the best Caesar salad in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, great crab cakes, authentic New England clam chowder, a tasty dry aged pork chop and a wonderful rigatoni with chicken and baby broccolini, plus New Tampa’s best wine list and amazing bar food and drink specials.
FAT RABBIT PUB
16029 Tampa Palms Blvd.
City Plaza at Tampa Palms
E(813) 252-3004 ven though the Fat Rabbit Pub could have dropped a little more in my personal rankings when it stopped offering a fresh fish special every week, the fact is that this is still one of New Tampa’s best restaurants with one of its most creative, better-than-sports-bar-food menus in our area. The Fat Rabbit serves the best blackened wings, plus delicious burgers, an amazing blackened chicken roll appetizer, delicious street tacos (with pork, shrimp or short ribs) and new rice bowls like chicken tortilla and the tasty and tender short rib bowl shown above, plus blackened chicken, Tampa Palms cheese steak, Key West grilled chicken and other unique sandwiches, and the area’s best tater tots, all coupled with an ultra-premium liquor bar and craft beers.
LIMA PERUVIAN
You may not have known that Peruvian food has long been considered the best of the Latin cuisines, but if you try owner Oscar Escudero’s Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine, you’ll understand why it’s true. Yes, the rotisserie chicken is outstanding, but I love Lima for its fresh fish ceviche (available with one or a trio of unique sauces), lomo saltado Lima (beef tenderloin tips or diced chicken breast woksautéed with soy sauce, onions and tomatoes) and tallarin saltado with flamed tenderloin tips, a variety of shellfish or diced chicken (photo) with lo mein-style noodles, pescado a la chorrilana (fried fresh fish filet), Peruvian-style fried rice and some of the best black beans and rice in our area. And, you can top it off with a Cusqueña Peruvian beer.
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CALI
17004 Palm Pointe Dr. Shoppes at The Pointe (813) 975-1222
17515 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (813) 978-1225
It seems that virtually every restaurant in our area now serves some sort of bowls, but Cali (formerly Ciccio Cali) was undoubtedly the first local restaurant to focus on the nowpopular bowl culture. Cali also serves great wrap sandwiches (like the California club wrap with bacon and char chicken), unique baked pizzas and of course, those epic bowls. The bowls at Cali are all available with seared ahi tuna, char or blackened chicken, grilled steak and a variety of veggies proteins (like lentil bites) and bases, but my favorites are the Hot & Crunchy bowl with seared ahi tuna, the Lean & Clean bowl with char chicken, roasted broccoli and cauliflower and the grilled steak fajita bowl.
BAYSCAPE BISTRO
10630 Plantation Bay Dr. @ Heritage Isles Golf Club (813) 994-3445
For good, old fashioned American cuisine with a variety of other options, owner/chef Eddie Bujarski’s Bayscape Bistro offers breakfast all day (try the brioche French toast, meat lover’s hash or the Breakfast in Hand), smaller plates like delicious battered and fried grouper baskets, wings and chicken strips, a fresh grilled mahi and other sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, and wonderful signature dishes like mojo pork loin, a 12-oz. ribeye steak, a pasta garden with roasted veggies, roast half chicken and a really delicious country fried chicken (photo). Yes, even though it’s located at a golf course, Bayscape is open to the public and also features karaoke on Friday nights and $25 family of four takeout meals.
FRESH KITCHEN
8648 Hunter’s Village Rd. The Village at Hunter’s Lake (813) 336-3800
My third favorite new restaurant to open in New Tampa in 2021, Fresh Kitchen is a Florida-based mini-chain with 15 locations either already open or opening soon, and it has some of the best options for your freshly made bowl of any restaurant. My favorite proteins are the grilled steak, the almond-baked chicken planks (both shown in the bowl above), grilled citrus or BBQ chicken and even Caprese tofu. My favorite bases are the baby kale Caesar and kale slaw, but Jannah loves the sweet potato noodles and spinach salad bases. We both enjoy the parmesan broccoli and sesame green beans, as well as the creamy white ginger and herb balsamic vinaigrette sauces.
LAS PALMAS
6431 E. County Line Rd. (813) 803-3903
Usually, when a restaurant drops multiple places in my rankings, it’s because the place either reduced its food quality or deleted items from its menu that I loved. Well, Las Palmas owner/chef Ramses Garcia didn’t reduce his quality at all, despite the fact he had to close his storefront restaurant because of a fire in 2021 and open a cool food truck in the parking lot of the same plaza later that year, but he did have to reduce his menu because of the truck’s much smaller kitchen. Among the casualties was perhaps my favorite Las Palmas dish — the merluza a la Russe (fried white fish in Russian sauce). Even so, Las Palmas still ranks among the best in New Tampa, with a perfect roasted pork entrée, vaca frita (stir-fried beef, above) and grilled chicken entrées, plus Ramses’ award-winning Cubans.
LIANG’S BISTRO
Although Liang’s has always ranked higher with our readers than it has with me, there are a few facts that I can’t deny — 1) Liang’s is the only quality sit-down Chinese/Asian fusion restaurant in our area, 2) it has great signature dishes like crispy fish, teriyaki chicken, sizzling teriyaki or Shanghai steak and 3) the best Chinese appetizers in our area. My favorites are the house-made crispy egg rolls, the marinated chicken skewers, the pork or chicken dumplings and the NY-style Liang’s BBQ ribs, which are usually more lightly sauced than what’s shown in the photo above (the way I prefer them), but are always tender and tasty. I also truly enjoy the wok classics (especially the wok-tossed mixed or the Korean BBQ veggies with chicken or beef, and the Chinese-style fried rice.
ORONZO
HONEST ITALIAN
18027 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. (813) 730-0100
While it’s not a “traditional” sit-down Italian restaurant, owner Dan Bavaro’s Oronzo Honest Italian (see ad on pg. 37) is now a two-location fast-casual mini-chain with excellent food at extremely fair prices. Our favorite starters include the tomato basil soup and the trio of meatballs, plus the new chicken parm and meatball parm Italian -style burritos (the grilled chicken Caesar and Caprese burritos are great, too), the delicious protein bowl (with farro, brown rice, spicy soppresata ham, grilled chicken and a pesto drizzle) and the amazing pasta (served in Chinese takeout-style to-go containers) dishes like homemade spaghetti, imported penne or the hand-cut zucchini noodles (shown with pesto sauce in the photo above).
KOBE JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE
17641 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. KobeSteakhouse.com
Despite the fact that its location in the Pebble Creek Collection closed towards the end of 2021, the fact is that Kobé has been the best Japanese steakhouse in New Tampa since the day it first opened. We’re hoping to see the location at the new address a mile or so south on BBD (new address shown above; in the former location of Macaroni Grill and two failed Mexican restaurants) open sometime soon, but we still have no word as to when. Kobé not only features a great variety of proteins available on the teppanyaki hibachi table (including both filet mignon, above, and sirloin steak, chicken, scallops and lobster and shrimp that I can’t eat), it also has very good sushi and one of the best (albeit shortest) deals for food during Happy Hour.
CANTINA REAL MEXICAN
10032 Cross Creek Blvd. Cross Creek Center W (813) 406-4856 hen it first opened a few years ago, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cantina, but after a recent quality upgrade, it is now my favorite of the two Mexican restaurants (the other being Don Julio’s) in/near New Tampa. Jannah and I are now fans of the sizzling fajitas (we either get chicken or the chicken & steak combo shown above), and have enjoyed some of the other menu options, too. And, the menu itself is huge, with everything from smothered chicken to stuffed grilled chicken breast (called pechuga rellena), jerk pork chops, carne asada steak, enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas, tamales, flautas and tacos, all of which (at least the ones we’ve sampled) are pretty darn good.
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SUSHI CAFE
New Tampa has lost a number of really good sushi places, but Sushi Café is still one of the best that remains. Whether you’re looking for a huge variety of unique and fresh sushi rolls (my favorite is the soft shell crab roll), very good appetizers (gyoza dumplings, skewered chicken yakitori or chicken, veggie or soft shell crab tempura) or tasty entrées like the “hibachi from kitchen” (meaning not prepared tableside at a teppanyaki table) entrées like filet mignon, chicken, scallops or veggie (or combos with shrimp and lobster, if you’re not allergic to them), tasty fried chicken katsu, Sushi Café is always a good choice.
WOOD FIRED PIZZA
2822 E. Bearss Ave. Palms Connection Plaza (813) 341-2900
While most people love it for its thincrust Neapolitan-style wood fired pizzas (which are delicious, by the way), the reason Wood Fired Pizza, Craft Beer & Wine Bar makes my list of favorite restaurants in (and adjacent to) New Tampa is because of its other menu items. The jumbo wood fired wings (photo) always come out crispy and are uniquely seasoned with lemon pepper and topped with caramelized yellow (sweet) onions and rosemary. The wood fired meatballs are baked in a delicious tomato sauce and topped with house-made fresh mozzarella and NY ricotta. I also enjoy the sausage, onions & peppers and the great wine list.
MICHI RAMEN
No, I’ve never really jumped on the ramen noodle bandwagon, but Michi Ramen has so much more to offer than just those popular noodle-and-broth bowls. I’m a big fan of Michi Ramen’s fried chicken wings, soft shell crab, tatsuta-age (popcorn-style fried chicken served with spicy mayo) and the pork gyoza dumplings shown above. I also enjoy the braised pork rice bowl (with egg and seaweed and cucumber oshinko, or Japanese pickle, over rice). Because Michi Ramen opened as takeout-only during the pandemic, I’m sure a lot of you have never checked out its beautiful interior, especially the full-liquor bar.
LITTLE GREEK
Although it’s not the same kind of upscale, sit-down place for lunch or dinner as Acropolis, Little Greek Fresh Grill is a great fast and casual way to enjoy some tasty (and popularly priced) Greek and Mediterranean specialties. My favorite starters are the spanakopita (spinach pie) and the fried pita chips with tzatziki sauce. I enjoy both the traditional Greek and Caesar salads. My favorite pita sandwiches are the Greek chicken, gyro and Olympian (chicken and gyro meat combined) pita sandwiches and my favorite entrées are the steak or chicken souvlaki skewers and the perfectly seasoned gyro platter shown above. The French fries and desserts are also pretty yummy.
GLORY DAYS
17508 Doña Michelle Dr.
G(813) 513-7550 lory Days Grill is another of mine and Jannah’s go-to locations for tasty food and a watch-every-game sports bar atmosphere. Like so many of our favorite places, Glory Days has done away with many of our favorites — zucchini sticks appetizers, proprietary blend burgers and cauliflower crust flatbread, to name a few, but the remaining menu items, especially at this location, are still great and the service, especially at the fun bar area, is always excellent. We enjoy the All-American cheeseburgers, the comeback chicken (with sundried tomatoes and feta cheese in lemon-butter sauce), fried chicken & waffles, the wine-braised short ribs (and short rib grilled cheese) on the “seasonal special” menu and ranchero chicken wrap shown above are all among our favorites.
THAI RUBY
Thai food is more than just the lesser-known stepchild of Chinese and Japanese cuisine and Thai Ruby has long been among the very best in New Tampa, as well as one of the most beautiful dine-in restaurants. The fried appetizers are all pretty great, including egg rolls, Thai spring rolls and fried wontons. My favorite dishes are the pork in garlic and black pepper sauce (sautéed with mixed veggies), the chicken or beef with ginger sauce and the roast or fancy duck duckling dishes, both of which have crispy skin and are served over a bed of mixed vegetables. Thai Ruby also has my favorite Thai-style fried rice, shown above with chicken. And, like most Thai places, Thai Ruby has a great variety of vegetarian dishes, too.
POKE ISLAND PLUS
8636 Hunters Village Rd.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake W (813) 866-7653 ith New Tampa’s huge number of bowloriented places that have opened over the last 2-3 years, one of the best ways for these places to distinguish themselves from the competition is by offering menu items the others simply don’t have. A case in point is Poké Island Plus, which opened in 2021. Although it does feature a variety of very tasty poké bowls, with tuna, spicy tuna, fried chicken, salmon, steamed shrimp and tofu are extremely popular, Poké Island Plus also offers great sushi and Vietnamese specialties, like the pork, cabbage and onion gyoza dumplings, steamed bao buns and the super-tasty bun noodle bowl shown above with marinated grilled pork.
MAHANA FRESH
17512 Dona Michelle Dr. Big Bear Crossing O (727) 238-9967 ne of the things you hear all the time these days is that supply chain shortages and personnel problems have caused a lot of problems for businesses nationwide, especially in the restaurant business. Well, Ryan Mortti, the owner of the Mahana Fresh location in New Tampa, actually had to close for several weeks towards the end of 2021 because of these issues. But, the good news is that Mahana Fresh (see ad on pg. 24), another excellent bowl place, has reopened and still has great bases like basmati rice and my favorite kale crunch salad, awesome veggies like sesame ginger broccoli, honey sriracha Brussels sprouts and garlicky cilantro green beans and delicious proteins like grilled steak, spicy ahi tuna and three types of grilled chicken.
BURGER 21
20304 Trout Creek Dr. (813) 501-4910
You have to hand it to burger places like Burger 21, which really only had beef burgers (I prefer the bacon cheeseburger, but not with BBQ sauce) when it first opened in New Tampa but has now expanded to include a variety of grilled and fried chicken sandwiches (from the Monterey, chicken skinny and chicken fajita burgers to the tasty crispy chick), salads and now a spicy Thai shrimp burger that I can’t eat, as well as chicken tenders, a 101 Dog Combo (with two 100% beef hot dogs served on a New England-style roll), plus really good French and sweet potato fries, onion strings (all of the sides are also available in a shareable size) and some of the best hand-dipped milk shakes (the bananas Foster and chocolate peanut butter shakes are way decadent) and floats and chewy chocolate chip and other house-made cookies.
PEABODY’S
When our office was located in the same Shoppes at Amberly plaza as Peabody’s Billiards & Games, I spent an awful lot of time eating and drinking there and shooting the occasional game of pool. The food was always great and even though Jannah and I visit as often, we still enjoy the huge wings, the homemade burgers, the country fried chicken and New Tampa’s best loaded potato skins (photo). The quesadillas, blackened chicken breast, New Tampa Cuban and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches are all pretty good, too. And, while Peabody’s has replaced their true NY-style pizza with a variety of flatbreads that we haven’t sampled yet, it’s still a great place to watch the games, too, with plenty of TVs, a premium full-liquor bar and of course, pool, darts and other on-site games. GARY’S NEXT 25 NEW TAMPA FAVORITES
(in alphabetical order)
All of these restaurants also are pretty good, just not good enough to make my Top-25 in (or adjacent to) New Tampa this year.-GN
Al-Sham Palace Bean Bar Co. Bearss Tavern & Tap Cappy’s Pizza Capri Pizza & Pasta Don Julio’s Authentic Mexican First Watch Ginza Gu Wei Noodles & Grill Halal Cafe Ho King Hummingbird Jerk House Hunter’s Green Country Club Island Fin Poke Co. Juice Factory Koizi Endless Hibachi & Sushi Minerva Indian Restaurant Mint Cocktail Club Mr. Dunderbak’s Precinct Pizza Saffron Indian Cuisine Sake House Taste of NY Pizza Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club The Brunchery
GARY’S FAVORITE RESTAURANTS TO OPEN IN/NEAR NEW TAMPA IN 2021
Considering how the pandemic continued to affect business in our area, a lot of new restaurants still managed to open in (or adjacent to) New Tampa in 2021 and the following were my most welcome newcomers.
1. Frammi 2. The Grill at Morris Bridge 3. Fresh Kitchen 4. Poké Island Plus 5. Bean Bar Co. 6. Mint Cocktail Club 7. First Watch 8. Provisions Coffee & Kitchen 9. Halal Café 10. Windy City Pizza (Closed)
Although not all of the places listed below serve the true New York-style pizza I love most, they are all pretty decent places. For me, taste of NY is #1 because it has the best NY-style in New Tampa, but Via Italia has the best variety of pizza types, Capri, Westshore & Precinct all have good NY-style, while the sadly out-of-business Windy City & Cappy’s had/have authentic Chicago-style and Woodfired, Cali & Oronzo are all cracker-thin crust favorites. — GN 1. Taste of NY 2. Via Italia 3. Capri Pizza & Pasta 4. Woodfired Pizza (Bearss) 5. Windy City Pizza (OOB) 6. Cali 7. Oronzo Honest Italian 8. Cappy’s Pizza 9. Westshore Pizza 10. Precinct Pizza
Although both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel still have limited numbers of Mediterranean places, I still think I will go back to not including Mediterranean/Greek/Middle Eastern places in the same category as the much more populous Chinese, Japanese, Korean & Thai options. Acropolis and Little Greek are both Greek favorites, Liang’s has my favorite Chinese appetizers, Kobé is a quality Japanese steakhouse, Sushi Café and Sake House are reliable sushi spots, Thai Ruby & Thai Lanna are quality Thai places and Michi Ramen and the new Poké Island Plus both have tasty Japanese/Vietnamese appetizers that keep them on my list. — GN 1. Acropolis Greek Taverna 2. Liang’s Bistro 3. Kobé Japanese Steakhouse 4. Sushi Café 5. Michi Ramen 6. Little Greek 7. Thai Ruby 8. Poké Island Plus 9. Sake House 10. Thai Lanna GARY’S 4 FAVORITE LATIN RESTAURANTS in NEW TAMPA
Considering how many popular local Latin restaurants have gone out of business in our area, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I could only bring myself to vote for four local latin eateries, but all four of these are pretty good. Las Palmas closed its restaurant location in 2021, but also opened the excellent Las Palmas food truck in the parking lot of the same plaza, but without being able to serve its full menu, I couldn’t put it ahead of the amazing Lima, with its authentic Peruvian chicken, fresh fish ceviche and multiple other outstanding dishes. Cantina definitely improved its quality to make it a solid third choice & Don Julio’s also is pretty good.— GN
1. Lima Peruvian Cuisine 2. Las Palmas
3. Cantina Real Mexican 4. Don Julio’s Authentic Mexican GARY’S 10 FAVORITE DESSERT PLACES in NEW TAMPA
This is always a tough category for me because 1) I love dessert so much and 2) can’t enjoy it as often as I would like because I’m fat, but the top five listed here are all outstanding, while the second five are still good enough to merit attention. Bruster’s is still my favorite ice cream, but only narrowly over Ice SSScreamin’. I love Smallcakes’ cupcakes and ice cream The Cake Shop’s variety of cakes, too. Twistee Treat’s soft serve is about as good as it gets. — GN 1. Bruster’s Real Ice Cream 2. Ice SSScreamin’ 3. Smallcakes Cupcakery 4. The Cake Shop 5. Twistee Treat 6. Sprinkles Ice Cream Parlor 7. Ice Spice Café 8. Baskin-Robbins 9. Starbucks 10. Dunkin’ Donuts
GARY’S 10 FAVORITE BARS in NEW TAMPA
Sorry, Mr. Dunderbak’s fans, but Jannah and I are not beer drinkers, and prefer hard alcohol to wine when we go out, so places without full-liquor bars can’t crack my top ten when these are all pretty great. Stonewood has the best New Tampa “vibe,” while Fat Rabbit, the Grill at Morris Bridge and Bayscape are all close behind — and the Grill’s wine list is #1 when we want to enjoy wine with our meal. Peabody’s has pool tables, darts and always blaring music, but skews a little younger, as does Mint, because of their proximity to USF. Via Italia’s bar is small, but offers ultra-premium cocktails at very fair prices. Glory Days is up there with Peabody’s as the best place to watch all the games. PJ Dolan’s has karaoke and live music and Hunter’s Green CC ranks just ahead of Tampa Palms G&CC as a fun destination. — GN 1. Stonewood Grill & Tavern 2. Fat Rabbit Pub 3. Grill at Morris Bridge 4. Bayscape Bistro 5. Peabody’s Billiards & Games 6. Via Italia 7. Mint Cocktail Club 8. Glory Days Grill 9. PJ Dolan’s 10. Hunter’s Green Country Club
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TREBLE MAKERS
6034 Wesley Grove Blvd. The Grove at Wesley Chapel (813) 406-4371
Even though a number of local chain restaurants made it to my top-25 list of Gary’s Favorites in Wesley Chapel for 2021, I am still someone who most appreciates great mom-&-pop eateries. And, as someone who has been observing, enjoying and writing about the local dining scene for 28 years next month, I just have to say that of all the mom-&-pop places that have opened in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa (at least those that are still in business) since I bought the Neighborhood News in 1994, Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant (see ad on pg. 39) truly is my #1 favorite — now for two years in a row!
In order to be at the top of my Favorites list, a restaurant has to specialize in the items that I appreciate most when Jannah and I go out to eat, whether for lunch or dinner.
First of all, we love sharing a great steak (Jannah prefers filet, but I also love a NY strip and the lollipop lamb chops on this page).
Second, our favorite places always have to have great fresh fish on the menu, too. You can keep us coming back for more with grouper, snapper, mahi-mahi or the amazing wahoo bianco shown on this page — it’s my favorite new dish in Wesley Chapel for 2021 — so thanks to Treble Makers Executive Chef Kevin Maggard for staying creative.
Co-owners Jamie and his brother Joe Hess and Lee Bevan also are to be commended for sticking to their guns with providing an affordable, yet upscale, fine 2. Grillsmith 3. Falabella Family Bistro 4. Zukku-San Sushi 5. Florida Ave. Brewing Co. 6. Noble Crust 7. BlueFin Japanese
dining experience with great food, located in Wesley Chapel proper, despite all of those chain restaurants and having to fight through the worst pandemic our lifetimes.
And, while Treble Makers is still also an entertainment destination, especially on weekend evenings, you owe it to yourself to check it out during the day or any night other than Friday or Saturday — when Jamie admits that the service can be slower due to the sold-out nature of most of those dueling piano shows.
Jannah and I have enjoyed those shows, but most of the time, we just visit for a great meal. My favorite appetizers are the sesame-crusted seared ahi tuna appetizer (right), the potato gnocchi with smokey Alfredo sauce and the sweet & spicy fried calamari.
In addition to the delicious, tender steaks and the wahoo (bottom pic), our favorite entrées are the coconut curry grouper (center left) which doesn’t really taste like curry at all; I told Kevin and Jamie they should just rename it coconut grouper), the savory penne alla vodka (to which we add the most tender grilled chicken) and my new favorite grilled double lollipop lamb chops (top). All are amazing. I also really enjoy the diver scallops and bruschetta chicken entrées, but it’s hard to sample everything on the menu because we love all of these items so much. I don’t think we’ve had any of the handhelds on the menu other than the brisket/chuck blend cheeseburger and the blackened chicken sandwich, which also are among the reduced number of menu items available on the lunch menu at reduced prices. Our favorite sides are the Brussels sprouts, the parsnip purée served with the wahoo and the garlic mashed potatoes.
In other words, Treble Makers is my back-to-back Favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel for good reason.
Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner. For dinner & show reservations or more info, call (813) 406-4371, visit TrebleMakersofWC. com or see the ad on pg. 39. — GN
8. Omari’s Grill 9. Top Shelf Sports Lounge 10. Chuck Lager
11. Longhorn Steakhouse 12. The Hungry Greek 13. Bonefish Grill 14. Bubba’s 33 15. Glory Days Grill 16. Outback Steakhouse 17. Vallarta’s Mexican
18. Umu Japanese & Thai 19. Arroy Thai 20. Rice-N-Beans 21. 900º Woodfired Pizza 22. Amici Pizza 23. Capital Tacos 24. Texas Roadhouse 25. Brooklyn Water Bagel
When you think of people who might own your neighborhood liquor store, you probably weren’t thinking about an accountant and a clinical pharmacist, but that’s exactly the story of Dev Swaly and his wife Shejal Parmar, the owners of the new The Liquor Shoppe, which opened a few months ago in the former location of Café Olé in the Cross Creek Center plaza on Cross Creek Blvd. at Kinnan St.
Dev (the accountant who owns Ameriken Consulting) and Shejal (the head of the pharmacy residency program at AdventHealth Tampa) are long-time New Tampa residents who saw a need for a new liquor store in the area and have made it clear that they are not only happy to have opened the store, but also promise to provide whatever members of the community want their neighborhood liquor store to provide.
“We already have lots of unique bottles here you won’t find anywhere else,” says Dev, pointing to the shelves behind the cash register, where everything from Lamborghini champagne to 14- and 15-year old bottles of Red Perfection bourbon (bottom right photo) are proudly displayed. “If there’s a special bottle you haven’t been able to find at other area liquor stores, I’m happy to find and order it for you.”
They also promise to offer unique gift ideas for many occasions, such as the bouquet of miniature Tequila Rose bottle roses shown top right on this page — a perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your favorite tequila lover — to amazing Dalmore Cigar Malt Scotch gift baskets (right) and more. Dev says Shejal creates the gift baskets herself and trust us, they’re pretty awesome.
And yes, there are also plenty of unique red, white and sparkling wine and imported, domestic and micro-brewed beers available, plus hand-rolled cigars and, perhaps best of all, free tastings of different beers, wines and spirits every other weekend, including a free tasting of Tequila Rose the weekend before Valentine’s Day (Feb. 12-13).
“As New Tampa residents, we’re big believers in the power of the Neighborhood News,” says Shejal. “We’ve already had quite a few customers tell us they’ve seen our ads, so keep looking for more announcements in the future.”
The Liquor Shoppe (10020 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open every day, 11 a.m.-10 p.m, and until midnight on Fri. & Sat.. For more info, see the ad below, call (813) 388-2164 or visit LiquorShoppe.us. — GN
Miller’s Ale House Opens Wesley Chapel Location!
Congratulations to general manager John French and his team on the opening of the new Miller’s Ale House at 25624 S.R. 54 (across from Zaxby’s, at the Wesley Chapel Blvd. extension) in Lutz. The restaurant officially opened to the public on Jan. 17 (the day after we went to press with this issue), but we were on hand for the Friends & Family preview on Jan. 15 — and we’re excited.
If you’ve ever visited any of the previous 111 locations (including the 26-year-old Brandon location), don’t be confused by the name Miller’s Ale House. The chain, which was started by Jack and Claire Miller in Jupiter, FL, 33 years ago, used to just name each Ale House for its location, but with the growth of the chain, changed to the name “Miller’s Ale House,” because, according to regional manager Doug Smith, “there were Ale Houses that weren’t ours everywhere and it was too hard to protect the brand.”
Smith calls the chain, “The firendliest place on the street” and says that while it is a sports bar, “it’s really so much more, with menu items like a fall-off-the-bone pork osso bucco (shank).” Smith also says that you can get a slab of equally tender BBQ baby back ribs on Monday nights for just $14.99 ($6 off) and Thursday is $15.99 prime rib night.
We enjoyed a sampling of the menu, with
All photos on this page by Charmaine George everyone giving high marks to the burger, chicken Philly, mahi-mahi tacos and fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. Considering that Jannah and I live basically across the street, you can expect to see us there a lot. For more info, visit MillersAleHouse.com. — GN
CUSTOM INT. WINDOW COVERINGS! Cust. fabrication of all types of window coverings — plantation & hurricane shutters, vert. blinds, roller, cellular, woven wood & Roman shades, cellular vert., panel tracks, retract. awnings, motorization experts, alum., wood & faux wood blinds & more! FREE installation on orders over $250! Call Henry @ 813-948-6363, email
TampaBlindsbyDesign@gmail.com or visit TampaBlindsbyDesign.com.
TOM JOSEPH HANDYMAN: FREE ESTIMATES! Serving residents, Realtors & property mgrs. 30+ yrs home construction exp. Move in/out setups & repairs. Repairs for sale/rent. Hang flatscreen TVs. Setup wifi & home theater. Install closet organizers. Cabinets, pullouts, shelving. Gen’l carpentry. Crown molding. Kitchen backsplash. Door install/repair & more! Call 813-751-4998 or
email JosephHomesllc@outlook.com AMBLER ENTERPRISES Home Improvement. Call
James at 813-385-6402. 30 Years of exp. Specialist in Kitchens & Bathrooms. Referrals upon request. All interior work: Drywall, Texture Paining, Doors, etc. Use us once & you won’t need to look elsewhere. Google us
to see pictures: Wesley Chapel Ambler Enterprises. See our display ad at the bottom of this page!
JUNK HAULING SERVICE! • We handle all types of furniture removal — bdrm sets, chairs, mattresses & box springs • Hot water heaters & hot tubs - take apart & remove • Construction material • Carpet removal • Estate, eviction, yard, garage & attic clean-outs • Ofc, home & factory • Comm’l/res’l. Goril-
laJunkremovalExperts.com. For appts, call/text Nigel @ 888-346-5865. WESLEYCHAPELPRESSUREWASHING.COM
Soft pressure ext. house cleaning, screen enclosures, pool decks, driveways, sidewalks, fences, roofs, paver sealing & deck staining. We clean everything. No job too big/small. Exp. the difference when you hire a pressure cleaning pro. Licensed & insured. Owner operated. Call
for a free estimate or visit our website. 813-433-6015.
RAYMOND PAINTING. Ext. & Int. Svcs. Ext: Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pavers, stucco, roofing, leaks & wood rot repair. Int: Painting, plastering, ceiling & wall repairs & tiles. Licensed & Bonded. References available. Free estimates. Your Neigh-
borhood Arbor Greene Resident! We work 7 days. Call 813-994-5124.
CHARLES POPPE ELECTRIC. Electric of all kinds: pools, spas, svc changes, new circuits, low-voltage, repairs, upgrades, changes to existing, troubleshoot’g, GFCI performance testing, generators. We are experts w/40+ years exp. Discount of 50% off labor for senior citizens! Lic’d & Insured Master Electrician (EC 13002399) - free phone estimates. Call 813-477-9068. MILLENNIUM HOME REPAIR. Prof’ Handyman. Cabinet install, dry wall rep, tile install & rep, some plumbing, laminate flooring, light fixtures, int. painting, appliance install, pressure washing, paneling, window rep, awning install, carpentry, garbage disp, fence rep, crown molding, window blinds, seal baths & showers, TV mount & more. Call 813-400-1408 or email TycoonUnion@
yahoo.com.
DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Affordable, Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings & walls, retexturing, popcorn removal, room addt’ns, cracks, holes, plaster & stucco repair. 26 years exp. WC resident. State Certified. Call Ron for a free estimate: 813-784-5999.
TJ’s PRESSURE WASHING LLC. Houses, Fences, Driveways, Lanais & Screened Enclosures. Most resdt’l 2-car driveways & vinyl fences start at $75. House washing starts at $150 /1-story home, $199/2-story home. Need an instant quote? Text me a picture of the job you need done. Call Tj at 727-808-7775. TREE SERVICE
FITZPATRICK’s TREE SERVICE, INC. 27-yrs of Prof. Service. Licensed & Insured. Free Estimates. Tree Trimming & Tree Removal. Stump Grinding. DeadWood Removal. Affordable Rates. 24-Hour Emergency Storm Service. Free Mulch. Call 813-495-9541 or
813-788-TREE.
HOME HEALTH CARE
HOME DIALYSIS PARTNER: Why travel for dialysis? Home Hemodialysis Partner LLC ‘s Cert. Home Health Aide & Phlebotomy Tech will come to you! We attend mandatory training at your clinic, assemble your machine at home, check vitals, start & finish treatment w/you, maintain contact w/an on-call nurse & safely remove you from the machine. Accepting new clients June 21! Email YourDialysisPartner@gmail.com or
call 813.841.3754. SENIOR OVERNIGHT COMPANION SITTERS
Two kind senior sisters seeking work safeguarding your loved one during the overnight hours. We’ve been working w/the senior population for 10 years & have seen a need for local, English-speaking, backgroundchecked, Covid-tested, dependable companions w/their own transportation. Very reasonable rates. Call Diane
or Elisa at 813-938-8614.
COMPUTER & BUSINESS SERVICES
DO YOU HATE YOUR COMPUTER?!? WE CAN
HELP YOU! Troubleshooting, Installation, Networking & Virus Removal. WE COME TO YOU! Residences & Businesses, more than 25-Years Experience. Contact
Jeffrey Blank at 813-973-4507, visit WSICA.COM or email Wsica@wsica.com.
PROF’L TECH SUPPORT in your home or small biz. A+ Cert. computer tech w/20 years exp. Maint. & Repairs, Upgrades & Tutoring. More affordable than large chains! Friendly, personalized svc. Tech jargon explained. Remote assistance & refs. avail. Call (813)
957-8342 for free estimate or see our ad on pg. 41!
CLEANING SERVICES
PATY CLEANING SERVICE. Comm’l or resid’l cleaning service. We have our own supplies & 6 years of exp. Free estimates. Call 813 943 6054 or email patyclean-
ingservice@hotmail.com.
A-to-Z CLEANING & ORGANIZING. Home & Ofc Cleaning & Organizing Svcs! We use our own supplies. Affordable & Reliable. Family-Owned & Operated. WC resident. Weekly & Bi-Weekly / Deep Cleaning/ Move-In / Move-Out. Serving WC & NT. Call today for a FREE No-Obligation Quote: 813462-1270. Local references supplied upon request. B CLEANING SERVICES: Over 18 years exp.! Comm’l & Resid’l; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house & postconstruction clean-up; Window cleaning; Move-in & move-out cleanings; Pressure washing; FREE estimates.; Refs. avail.
Call 813-531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@hotmail.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHER AVAILABLE! Retired Professional Photographer (45+ years experience) in the Tampa Bay area. Corporate Events, Personal Occasions, Portraiture, Pets, Commercial Photography & Real Estate. Reasonable rates. Ask me about “Front
Porch Portraits,” taken from the safety of your
front porch, FREE OF CHARGE! Great for Families, Children, Pets & more! Call or Text (813) 748-3901 or
Visit: russellleprephotography.com.
Think you can write for print? Do you shoot & edit videos? Want to get paid? The Neighborhood News is looking to add freelance writers & /video editors. Email your resumé & no more than one writing or video sample to Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com, Attn: Gary Nager MISCELLANEOUS
AUTOS WANTED! Autos/trucks/small campers/small boats wanted! We pay top dollar! Any condition, Free Removal 24/7. For more info, call (813) 461-0062. Want To Buy A Home, Starting With $1,000? I’d Like to be your Realtor & share a list of beautiful homes & loan officers who can get you approved! I’m familiar w/ Down Payment & Closing Cost Assistance! Call/Text
(941) 400-2833. Robert Leonard, Future Home Re-
alty (27552 Cashford Cir., #101, WC 33544). Or, send
me an email to Robert@HomeSeminar.Info. ELITE RIDES. Private rides in a sanitized 2020 Te-
sla, plus concierge services. Airport, schools, medical appointments, shopping, etc. Courteous, reliable professional. New Tampa to Tampa Int’l Airport - $40 (one way). Driver vaccinated w/two shots. Cory Lake Isles resident. Call/text 813.765.2037. GET $500 TOWARDS CLOSING COSTS... when you buy a NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME with Florida Homes with Geri at Epperson OR Mirada. Schedule a PRIVATE TOUR of both Communities by a Resident Realtor. Join @LifeAtTheLagoon with @RealtorGeri
Call/Text 813-609-0966. Connect with me on Instagram & Facebook.
POOL SERVICES _
ALLSTARPOOLSOFTAMPABAY.COM. Pool cleanups, & acid washing of old pool finishes. Marcite, quartz & pebble finishes from $3K. We offer cool decking, Eurocrete & paver decking options. Paver, river rock sealing, leak detection & in-ground vinyl liner replacements avail. Quality salt & ozone generators, pumps, motors & filters. Mention this ad for a $79 pool svc. (restrictions apply). Serving NT & WC since 1990. Call/text 813-244-7077 or visit AllStarPool-
sofTampaBay.com.
TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing w/outstanding customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!!
Call or Text Chris today @ 813-857-5400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE!
AQUATEC POOL SERVICE has been keeping pools clear & swim-safe since 1994. WE DO POOLS RIGHT! Commercial & Residential. CPO #33-303052 Licensed & Insured. Service guarantee. Call 813-312-5694 TODAY
and get ONE MONTH OF QUALITY SERVICE FREE. www.aquatecpool.com.
POOL SERVICES (Cont.) _
NEIGHBORHOOD POOLS. Wesley Chapel owned & operated since 1999. Weekly service. No long term contracts. Mention this AD for one-month Free service. Call 813-907-7322 for details or text Joe at
813-758-7608.
LAWN & LANDSCAPING____
ALL DIMENSIONS LANDSCAPE & EXTERIORS,
LLC. Complete resid’l & comm’l landscape, hardscape & softscape. Mulch & decorative stone. Patios, decks, retaining walls, property maintenance & lawn care. Sod & lawn install’n, artificial turf, fencing, railings, soft & hard pressure washing, painting. We do anything exterior.
Call (724) 541-2535 or (813) 485-6661 for a 25% discount on labor & materials.
NTLC Property Maintenance. Residential & Commercial lawn maintenance for New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. Sprinkler repairs, tree trimming, mulching, landscaping & clean-ups also available. Licensed & Insured. CALL BILL @ (813) 973-3825. A.T.B. Landscaping & Lawn Service. Lic’d & insured, serving the Tampa Bay area 20+ years. Family owned & operated. Quality work, affordable rates. Gutter clean-outs, screen repairs, pressure washing & sprinkler repairs. Landscaping & property maint., including sod, tree & hedge trimming & clean ups. Other services avail. CALL 813-907-LAWN (5296). Jasmine Landscaping, Inc. Complete lawn maint.: Tree, palm & hedge trimming, planting, mulching, stones, sod replacement. Gutter cleaning, leaf removal & more. Cited by your HOA? Ask about our HOA Compliance Special, our Fall/Spring Special & FREE estimate! Lic’d & insured. Accepting new resid’l & comm’l accounts. Visa, MC, PayPal, Zelle, AmEx. Call or text 813-420-4465. Now hiring FT workers. HEAVY HITTER LAWN CARE: Veteran owned & operated lawn care maint. service, focused on lawn mowing, trimming, edging & blowing (flexible w/extra svcs.). Well maintained & professional laborer ensuring cust. satisfaction & on-time cuts. Rain or shine, quality & schedule will be kept. Lic’d & Insured. Call or text 678-673-7856
for your FREE Estimate.
FITNESS & WELL BEING
YOGA, PERSONAL TRAINING, NUTRITION & PHYSICAL
THERAPY w/DR. LAUREN LEIVA, DPT! Phys Ed for everyone, including all children, w/a certified personal trainer who also is a degreed Dr. of Physical Therapy. Ask Dr. Leiva about her PE4ME sliding scale pay program, volunteer opportunities and more! For more info, visit TheExerscienceCenter.com,
call 813.464.0313 or see the ad on pg. 28 of this issue.
All Neighborhood News Classified Ads appear in both New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News! 7 issues — $120; 13 issues — $200; or 26 issues (1 year) — $300! To order yours, visit neighborhoodnewsonline.net/Classified Listings
