stevez wrote:I just got back from another trip to Tampa. I don't have much new to report other than the big Bern's scandal I posted about above. I revisited a few of the places that I've posted about before. Waltz-still a can't miss. Hugo's-still turning out great Cuban Sandwiches and even better pork sandwiches. Ted Peters-still going strong and serving the best key lime pie North of Key Largo (not to mention the smoked fish).
One classic place that I've never posted about is Frenchy's. Frenchy's is the classic on-the-beach grouper shack.

OK, been thru a few of the Tampa/St.Pete threads now - and need a little help with choices, beginning to get a little overwhelmed with the sheer number of options

Will be driving down to Fort Lauderdale (spending a week or so in FL)... am thinking of driving down the west coast of FL (down the I-75). Would like to make 1 stop for lunch somewhere in the area. Would love to stop in at one of these great Seafood spots... would any be remotely convenient off the I-75? And what would the recommendation be - Grouper Sandwich etc?

The above (only 1 meal!) is clearly insufficient.. might be able to stop by overnight on my way back. That is, potentially a late-lunch, a dinner..a breakfast, maybe even an early lunch! (Ok, realistically maybe only 2-3 meals, not 4 .. This will likely be in the Treasure Island vicinity. My current thoughts are two among Ted Peters, a Grouper Sandwich (or Grouper/seafood entree) meal (Dockside Daves? Frenchy's? Keegans?).. maybe Walz?

(Ive not historically been a *huge* fan of Cuban sandwiches, at least from La Unica etc in Chicago... would Columbia be worth a trip ahead of all the great seafood options, or would places in Fort Lauderdale/Miami be comparably good for Cuban? And/or the Devilled Crab Cakes? Seeing as I have several days there?)

Finally... it was mentioned that the Devilled CrabCakes travel well. Would this be true of any of the Smoked Fish from Ted Peters too, maybe? I'll carry a cooler with some dry-ice if I can..

Thanks!

c8w

P.S. Oh, one more thing... if you had one evening to spend in the Treasure Island vicinity... what beach/bar would you choose for a sunset with a great atmosphere, a terrific drink (and perhaps some excellent seafood to go with it)?

Here is a post of mine from awhile back, would be a tad out of your way by taking 41 instead of Alligator Alley over to Lauderdale, but well worth it, believe me. Grimm's Stone Crab. Great stuff, call before venturing there just to make sure. Stones should just be starting to be in season.

Man does not live on the east coast of South Florida alone.

On Seinfeld, Jack Klompas tells Jerry he has to "...drive Doris over to Naples" from Boca.

If that ever happens to any reader here, he would be well-served by taking Hwy. 41 west (runs parallel to Alligator Alley a few miles south) to Hwy. 29, then south about 10 miles to Everglades City for the freshest, biggest & most succulent stone crabs in the USA.

Grimm's Stonecrab, like many of the other stone crab establishments, sits on the shore of one of the inlets, and they do a brisk business selling three different sizes of stones to be eaten under the canopies at picnic tables. They're not cheap (usually in the teens per pound--enough stones to stuff four people runs me ~$70) but with their famous honey mustard sauce, it's a combination hard to beat. Yum. To go, there's a Circle K around the corner with cheap styrofoam coolers & plenty o'ice.

I have to drive from Tampa once a year to visit a client in Miami, and a quick visit to Grimm's really paves the way for good conversation and eventually, sales.

Don't miss it in season, between October 15 & May 15.

Grimm's Stone Crab, Inc.
205 Copeland Ave. N.
Everglades City, FL 34139
(239) 695-3222

The better seafood places are on or near the beach, so not particularly convenient from 75. The places in Ybor for Cubans, Devil Crabs (NOT deviled, and not crab cakes), garbanzos and cafe con leche are all just a short hop down I-4 and then back to 75. I would go to Tropicana or better yet Brocato's, which is east of Ybor and even closer to 75. Columbia is great - drop in to see the place and the gift shop, or have a real sit-down meal (with wine!) but I like the local spots much more for the basics like soup and sandwiches. Tropicana will sell you frozen devil crabs. Brocato's too, most likely (don't know for sure). You will need to deep fry them, or at least pan fry in an inch of oil.

Back on the beach, all your choices are fine. I'd go up to Frenchy's for the view and grouper if you don't mind the sometimes tedious drive up the beach, but Waltz is basically across from TI at John's Pass. Keegan's has the most interesting menu (especially for FL on the beach) but it's on a side street in a neighborhood off the beach. No view. Ted Peter's is a destination and on the mainland right next to the bridge to the beach at TI. Skyway Jack's is right off of 275 north of the Skyway bridge, which is one of America's most spectacular and underappreciated. I'd suggest that you come back up that way to go to the beach. It is not much out of the way compared to 75 on the way down, but it will actually save some minutes on the way up.

NB, efficiency in getting to places near or on the beach is paramount. The surface streets to and on the beach are packed with tourists after Thanksgiving, slow, and filled with speed traps.

I'll agree with everything that JeffB said. I'd also say that the Cuban Sandwich places he mentions as well as Ted Peters would be perfect stops for some to go food to munch on in the car, if you don't want to linger. I'd also agree that a drive up to Clearwater to Frenchy's is the way to go for your seafood shack on the beach at sunset fix, though it's a bit of a (nice) drive from Treasure Island. If you're around at dinner time, I'd consider a visit to Waltz a must, if they're open (call first). Waltz is not very far from Treasure Island at all and continues to have the best quality fish and seafood in the area. Also, if you happen to be in Treasure Island and are jus looking for a decet place for a beer and some fried seafod, TJ's is pretty good, though not a destination.

JeffB wrote:The better seafood places are on or near the beach, so not particularly convenient from 75. The places in Ybor for Cubans, Devil Crabs (NOT deviled, and not crab cakes), garbanzos and cafe con leche are all just a short hop down I-4 and then back to 75.
......
Tropicana will sell you frozen devil crabs. Brocato's too, most likely (don't know for sure). You will need to deep fry them, or at least pan fry in an inch of oil.
.........
I'd go up to Frenchy's for the view and grouper if you don't mind the sometimes tedious drive up the beach, but Waltz is basically across from TI at John's Pass. Keegan's has the most interesting menu (especially for FL on the beach) but it's on a side street in a neighborhood off the beach. No view. Ted Peter's is a destination and on the mainland right next to the bridge to the beach at TI. Skyway Jack's is right off of 275 north of the Skyway bridge, which is one of America's most spectacular and underappreciated. I'd suggest that you come back up that way to go to the beach. It is not much out of the way compared to 75 on the way down, but it will actually save some minutes on the way up.

There are 2 drives - there, and back... and one of the main reasons for the drive down to FL being I-75 (and not I-95) was first-hand proof last year of your old advice - that it was very boring, that driving thru the Everglades would be way cooler.. and the food would be better too

In that spirit, on the way to Fort Lauderdale, I was sort of planning on taking the Skyway Bridge anyway, due to the fun-drive factor (followed by the Everglades drive across). The hope currently is to cross the Florida state-line sometime morning-ish... and spend most of the day driving down FL to Fort Lauderdale. I can be at Fort Lauderdale late evening (on Saturday).. so a quickish breakfast, a 30-min-odd lunch break (not too far off anywhere on the I-75 or the 275), and maybe even something to-go for later... all possibilities on the way down to Fort Lauderdale (and can happen anywhere on the drive in FL). I presume the best such choices anywhere on that drive are in the Tampa/St Pete area..

Given what you say above.. Skyway Jack's might well be possible on the way to Fort Lauderdale itself (brunch/lunch?).. and maybe something else too (Brocato's? Especially iff they have to-go devil crabs along with sammiches). No kind of Grouper/Shrimp/fish spot any sort of convenient on the way down (ie near I-75 or I-275) at all? (Ted Peter's would be too far off of 275 to pick up anything on the way down I presume? Ybor etc seem to be on the way from 75 to 275 anyway.. Devil Crabs - especially if they can be warmed in an oven for example - would be one thing I'll load up on for the night and next day.. anything from Ted Peters would just add to it!)

On the way back up.. I think Iam firming up my decision to leave Fort in the morning, drive up and do a late brunch followed by an evening meal in St Pete - then stay overnight, do an early breakfast, and drive on. So potentially 3 meal-possibilities in the area ... Skyway Jack's, and 2 of Keegans/TedPeters/Frenchys/Walz...

Thanks for all the help guys - it sounds like its going to be real fun eating!

c8w

OK, let's be ambitious. You are right that if you go to the Skyway by following 75 to 4 to 275, back to 75, you can efficiently hit a bunch of spots. If you want to get crazy, stop at Brocato's for cafe con leche and pan tostada and get a tray of schiacciata, a once-ubiquitous remnant of Tampa/Ybor's strong Sicilian presence that has been throroughly coopted into the Cuban/Gallego/Asturiano tradition, a Cuban, hold the lettuce, and a tray of devil crabs. It opens early for breakfast. Then you can drive the short way down a surface street to Ybor's Bourbon Street-ish 7th Avenue, stop into the Columbia to see the damn Moorish splendor of the interior; grab some cigars at the fuente store and some coffee at what is likely the country's oldest and least known continuously operating artisinal coffee roaster (La Naviera) and drop into Tropicana for more coffee and a guava pastry if you'd like. Or do a crab-off. Then back on nearby I-4 to 275 over the bridge to St. Pete, where Skyway Jack's is just off the highway. Eat up and take the 15 minute surface street trip to Ted Peter's for lunch and smoked fish to go. Then it's just the lovely blandness of Sarasota and Naples between you and the Ft. Lauderdale/Boca/Miami doucheplex.

I highly encourage you to have Cubans in both cities, since the bread (lardy in Miami, crisp and airy in Tampa) and ingredients (add salami (good) and often lettuce, tomato and mayo (hold all 3) in Tampa) differ. Also look out for the many other Cuban sandwiches in both towns. I'm partial to picadillo (the original Sloppy Joe) and pan con lechon, extra juicy myself.

I'm no expert, but you should explore the Haitian northern regions of Dade County for something unlike what you will find elsewhere in FL or the US. Also keep an eye out for the tropical fruit places down in Homestead if you make it there.

If near Bradenton/Sarasota , german rest. in Bradenton, FL on Manatee Ave++ "EDELWEISS" Open maybe year+.
visited on - 12/18/13
Highlight of my week, food-wise. Simple location (don't expect much) but flavors/tastes with honest home style. OMg, I moaned throughout.
Wife had Bavarian Schnitzel w/mustard,bread coating, red cabbage & pork gravy. In-laws had Hungarian Goulash w/mashers and red cabbage. I ordered verbal special-- roasted pork shank** w/german potato salad, sauerkraut, house made spatzle. The shank was perfectly tender, not dry. Sides were seasoned/spiced nice. Balance of salt, ssour, sweet, gravy. Every morsel sumptious.

We did pizza at Demetrios'. Not great nor , even good, rather pedestrian. staff perky but unattentive

Gecko's is a well run local group with burgers,sandwiches,salads, apps, sports tv

fiddler

I spent two nights in Tampa last week as it had been far too long since I had visited Bern's Steakhouse. Usually we go to the Columbia Restaurant for lunch in between our two dinners at Bern's but this trip we decided to do something slightly different. My traveling companions really like lobster, so we drove to a place called Lobster Haven. The place seemed to be mostly a market for lobster to go and a wholesale lobster business, but there were a few tables for dining in. We had two lobster rolls and two orders of nicely grilled fresh grouper. I would guess that each lobster roll had the meat from a 1 1/4 pound lobster with just a bit of mayo on a traditional roll. We also shared a pound of peel and eat shrimp which were a bit on the small side (say 30 per pound) but quite fresh and flavorful and a cup of clam chowder which was a bit too thick from too much roux.

We were the only diners there fort lunch that day and the place isn't much to look at, but we left quite satisfied. There were tanks as you enter the establishment that probably held about 500 lobsters.

If you're in Tampa and need a lobster fix, I would definitely recommend a trip.

http://www.lobsterhaven.com/
12807 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL ‎
(813) 855-2888

But did you go to Epicurean???

Epicurean is the name of a new hotel directly across the street from Bern's. It is my understanding that the majority owner of the hotel is the owner of Bern's. We were offered a tour of the premises, but never had time to do it justice. The restaurant in the hotel is called Elevage.

I might consider staying at the hotel at some future date, but I don't plan on dining at the restaurant there. If I spent a week in Tampa (which is highly unlikely), I would have dinner at Bern's Steakhouse every night.

our first dinner in our round-south-Florida trip last week was Sea Critter's Cafe in St Pete Beach. I knew I'd seen it referenced here, but there's no review. As a walk-in we took what we could get table-wise, which proved a little chilly out on the bar by the docks (there's plastic over the walls, but not the door). Most of the time that shouldn't be an issue, so don't let that stop you from going there.

A very tasty red pepper soup was our app.
SueF had crab cakes which were very tasty, but she'd have liked a little more crisp to them. My grouper with key lime butter sauce was outstanding.

Overall, very nice -- not stellar, but we enjoyed everything very much. Service was terrific, and the bayside seating would have been a lot more enjoyable if it were warmer than 54F. This is the kind of place that would be a shoo-in for a GNR for the warmth of the service alone.

Sea Critters Cafe
2007 Pass-A-Grille Way
St. Pete Beach, Florida 33706
727.360-3706
http://seacritterscafe.com/

Sea Critters is right across the street from Gennaro's, which maybe 20 years ago was a single storefront & quite good Italian, dirt cheap. Still there?

jnm123 wrote:Sea Critters is right across the street from Gennaro's, which maybe 20 years ago was a single storefront & quite good Italian, dirt cheap. Still there?

Yes, but they've taken over the storefront next door for seating.

I just returned from a conference in Tampa/St. Pete, and I had some most excellent food. Alas, there was no smoked mullet, and the post above makes me even sorrier I didn't have it. My dad was born and raised in St. Pete. so we used to go down to visit the relatives when I was a kid, and even as we left the airport, I always insisted that we stop at one of the many smoked mullet stands that used to be by the side of the road. I was told that Ted Peters was one of the few places that still served it, but I didn't have time to get there. Glad to know it's good. Next time.

Places I did enjoy: In St. Pete, there was Sea Salt, where the scallops with sauteed leeks, tasso ham, and truffle cream was astonishing; 400 Beach, where I had my first fish taco, this one filled with mahi mahi and served with a side of mango salsa, and also got to taste a friends seared ahi tuna, which was wonderful; and Locale Market, which has a Chicago connection -- David Burke set up their meat aging operation, we were told -- and a thing of beauty it was, but so were all the wonderful dishes available for immediate consumption, though most particularly the grouper sliders.
http://seasaltstpete.com/
http://www.400beachseafood.com/
http://localegourmetmarket.com/

In Tampa, a trip to Columbia was a necessity, not having been there in at least 30 years. Oldest restaurant in Florida, at 110 years -- and just as beautiful as I remembered, and just as good. The new revelation was Ulele -- a restaurant that focuses on ingredients found in early Florida, but prepared with modern sophistication. Adored the alligator hush puppies, lobster cakes were great, and garlic bathed oysters were beyond amazing. Of the non-fish items, the mac and cheese was the best I've ever had, and the smoked chicken liver pate was outstanding. (We were a large group, so we had a buffet. More things get tried that way.) The restaurant is inside the old 1906 waterworks building, and they've kept a bit of the industrial ambiance, though that is softened by the lush surroundings and riverside setting.
http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/ybor.asp
http://www.ulele.com/

Didn't get to dine at but did visit Bern's Steak House, which is notable for having more bottles of wine on hand than any other restaurant in the world. (The Tour d'Argent in Paris is #2.) They have 100,000 bottles in their cellar and another half million plus in a nearby, specially designed wine warehouse. We also got to tour the new Epicurean Hotel, a hotel with a strong food focus, from lettuce growing on the walls to gourmet foods in the hotel rooms to cooking classes on site -- created by the people who own Bern's Steak House, and just about a block away.
http://www.bernssteakhouse.com/
http://epicureanhotel.com/

So the Tampa Bay Area is definitely gearing up to lure the world of food fanciers down for a visit.

As a bonus, there are also nice beaches and fabulous museums.

Cynthia wrote:In Tampa, a trip to Columbia was a necessity, not having been there in at least 30 years. Oldest restaurant in Florida, at 110 years -- and just as beautiful as I remembered, and just as good. The new revelation was Ulele -- a restaurant that focuses on ingredients found in early Florida, but prepared with modern sophistication. Adored the alligator hush puppies, lobster cakes were great, and garlic bathed oysters were beyond amazing.
http://www.ulele.com/

heading down to Tampa this weekend for business/leisure. Business dinner at Columbia, can't wait.

I looked at the menu for Ulele as I was intrigued by your description of garlic bathed oysters. I didn't see that on the menu but did chargrilled oysters.

Sweet Willie wrote:heading down to Tampa this weekend for business/leisure. Business dinner at Columbia, can't wait.

I looked at the menu for Ulele as I was intrigued by your description of garlic bathed oysters. I didn't see that on the menu but did chargrilled oysters.

The garlic-bathed oysters were also chargrilled -- so probably the same thing. Didn't mention it in the original post, but they also brew their own craft beer.

Also worth noting -- Devil Crab (emphatically not deviled) is a local specialty that just doesn't need to be tried, unless you're simply into local specialties. It's a great mass of crab meat and bread crumbs fried kind of in the shape of a football. Not bad, but just not the most interesting thing to eat in Tampa.

And if you like cigars, Columbia is at the far end of the main street of Ybor City, a historic, multi-ethnic area that leans heavily toward Cuba and has a dozen or more cigar shops. Kind of a rough area late at night, but a bunch of history -- and hand-rolled cigars.

It wasn't mentioned above but Ulele is actually the brainchild of Richard Gonzmart, the 4th generation of the Gonzmart family of restaurateurs and the owners of Columbia.

And I have to disagree with you on the putdown of Devil Crabs--I'd agree that when poorly made, they aren't very good but a well made one is delicious. Not unlike a crab cake---when it's all filler, it's nasty but when it's full of good crabmeat, it's a wonderful thing. In my opinion.

I haven't made it to Ulele yet but my family loves it. I hope to check it out one of these trips home.

Agreed. A good devil crab is the apotheosis of croquets, in seafood form.

As much as the Cuban sandwich, maybe more, it is the intersection of cultures in Tampa and the essentially local product. Day old bread and the ugly pickings of blue crab.

JeffB wrote: it is the intersection of cultures in Tampa and the essentially local product. Day old bread and the ugly pickings of blue crab.

Indeed -- which is why we tried it. Perhaps the one we had wasn't very good, but "day old bread and the ugly pickings of blue crab" sounds like a perfect description of what we ate. Not bad, just insipid in comparison to livelier items available in Ybor City.

But perhaps there is a better version elsewhere.

Well, like anything else there are better and worse versions of Devil Crab. You didn't happen to mention the source of your single experience with them before affirmatively advising everyone not to waste their time. So to balance that out, I'm emploring all Tampa visitors to eat Devil Crabs (with Crystal hot sauce and a bowl of garbanzos ideally) and report back.

And, to be fair, all of the Cuban/Puerto Rican fried snacks - empanadas, croquetas, papas rellenas, yucas rellenas, etc. go from sublime to sodden quickly. They need to start out well and be handled properly. That isn't often enough the case. Brocato's is a safe bet due to the quality of the product and high turnover.

Thanks for the clarification Cynthia on Ulele's oysters.

JeffB wrote:Brocato's is a safe bet due to the quality of the product and high turnover.

Is there generally less of a crowd at Brocato's http://brocatossandwich.com/ on weekdays or Saturday?

All I can tell you for sure is that it's crowded for weekday lunch, which is generally the only time I've been. Best bet might be late morning, after breakfast and before the lunch rush -- which is generally true for all casual breakfast/lunch spots. Can't recall if I've been there on a weekend, though I'd expect an earlier crowd picking up catering and sandwiches for tailgates and other events. It's a high-energy place with local color so I never worried about the crowd. It doesn't take too long. It's not NYC/Chicago. There's nothing like Hot Doug's or vintage Shake Shack in terms of lines in Tampa.

Sweet Willie wrote:Is there generally less of a crowd at Brocato's http://brocatossandwich.com/ on weekdays or Saturday?

In my experience, there is no time when Brocato's isn't a zoo, though certainly avoiding prime lunch time would be helpful. It's part of it's charm. You can place the order on line for pick up--you can probably call as well though I'm not sure about that. A word of warning though on their Devil Crabs--they are the HUGE ones--not a bad thing, just be prepared that they look like small footballs. And while their Cuban sandwiches are respectable, their Spanish (garbanzo) bean soup is NOT a good representation of the genre (or of edible soup for that matter).

Another great option is Seabreeze, a food truck-ish (it's permanently located at the Ybor address below) reincarnation of the Tampa landmark restaurant that is no longer. The recipe is the one I use when I make Devil Crabs at home and I love it. You can eat at the picnic tables or take out. Seabreeze is not open in the evening--check the web (Yelp or FB-they don't have a website) or call for hours.

Finally, I like the Devil Crabs at Alessi Bakery--again, no "eat-in" but they are cheap and delicious. And the baked goods aren't too shabby either!

Brocato’s Sandwich Shop - West Tampa
5021 E Columbus Drive
Tampa, FL 33619
813-248-9977
http://brocatossandwich.com/

Seabreeze
Address: 2111 North Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602
Phone:(813) 228-0033

Alessi Bakery - West Tampa
2909 W Cypress Street
Tampa, FL 33609
813-879-4544
http://alessibakery.com/our-story

Seabreeze was always the best devil crab. Original old cracker/Cuban place down by the port. Hadn't realized they came back to life. That's great. Tropicana was always a solid option for garbanzos and house made crabs too. My last visit wasn't that great but it could've been an off day.

Alessi is always good. The goofy Alessi imports commercials are in heavy rotation on the food channels these days. I tell my kids I know those guys from the old neighborhood bakery. I believe they also have the Vigo brand of Spanish stuff. I wonder if Alessi is still promoting boxing. A very entrepreneurial Siciilian/Cuban/Spanish outfit.

JeffB wrote:Tropicana was always a solid option for garbanzos and house made crabs too. My last visit wasn't that great but it could've been an off day.

Sadly, my last visit was pretty bad as well. The decline of Tropicana and the sale and subsequent decimation of Hugo's has left me pretty sad about the state of Tampa Cuban food. I know there are still good spots-but these were MY places and seeing them fade away is like losing part of my childhood.

JeffB wrote:Alessi is always good. The goofy Alessi imports commercials are in heavy rotation on the food channels these days. I tell my kids I know those guys from the old neighborhood bakery. I believe they also have the Vigo brand of Spanish stuff. I wonder if Alessi is still promoting boxing. A very entrepreneurial Siciilian/Cuban/Spanish outfit.

Apparently, they still are, even if their devotion to it led to some questionable business decisions!

boudreaulicious wrote:

Sweet Willie wrote:Is there generally less of a crowd at Brocato's http://brocatossandwich.com/ on weekdays or Saturday?

In my experience, there is no time when Brocato's isn't a zoo, though certainly avoiding prime lunch time would be helpful.

JeffB wrote:All I can tell you for sure is that it's crowded for weekday lunch, which is generally the only time I've been.

Thanks to you both, of course I didn't read this before getting to Brocato's at 1pm today Complete & utter madhouse.

As soon as I pulled into the lot I realized I had been to Brocato's years ago, then I was fortunate enough to hit it in the mid afternoon so it was relatively easy to place/receive my order.

Even though it was insanity, Brocato's was totally worth it. Mrs Willie & I split both a devil crab and a large Cuban sandwich. There is still Cuban sandwich left over in our fridge, as the large is a very large sandwich.

Had dinner at Copperfish Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar last night, couldn't be more pleased. There are some beautiful neighborhood areas in the nearby, nice for slow drives or walking around.

Cocktails were spot on, good mixologists.

Starters:
Fresh stone crab claws, full of flavor, not frozen.
Hawaiian style poke

Copperfish does offer grilled oysters but once I realized that it was stone crab season, we ordered the crab.

Mains:
Grilled Grouper with brussel/mushroom hash with lobster essence
Diver dry pack scallops over swiss chard/mushroom with pomegranate gastrique

Valet parking is $3.

Copperfish
1502 S Howard Ave
Tampa, FL
http://copperfishtampa.com/
-

JeffB wrote:Well, like anything else there are better and worse versions of Devil Crab. You didn't happen to mention the source of your single experience with them before affirmatively advising everyone not to waste their time. So to balance that out, I'm emploring all Tampa visitors to eat Devil Crabs (with Crystal hot sauce and a bowl of garbanzos ideally) and report back.

And, to be fair, all of the Cuban/Puerto Rican fried snacks - empanadas, croquetas, papas rellenas, yucas rellenas, etc. go from sublime to sodden quickly. They need to start out well and be handled properly. That isn't often enough the case. Brocato's is a safe bet due to the quality of the product and high turnover.

It was Gaspar's Grotto in Ybor City. The place had been recommended to us by someone in town as the best place to get devil crab. The other food we ordered (all to be passed, so the six of us got to try multiple things) was much more interesting. As a cultural icon, it was absolutely worth trying -- like cod tongues with scrunchions or seal flipper pie in Newfoundland -- but not the best thing we ate, by a long shot. If someone takes up your challenge, I hope they'll find and recommend a better version. And again, it wasn't bad, it was just not very interesting, and given that one cannot eat everything, next trip, I'd likely save the limited space in my stomach for something else. That said, perhaps something smaller than a football would have a better ratio of crispy exterior to stuffing-like interior. And this wasn't just my opinion. The other five people with whom I was dining felt the same. We'd been told this was the best version in Ybor City, so it seemed worth avoiding elsewhere. But perhaps the person making the suggestion was a relative of the owner. (The item we liked best was the plate of tostones with mojo-marinated shredded pork that had been cooked for 8 hours. So it's not that we didn't like anything. Just found the devil crab to be less vivid in comparison.)

Eat at Bern's on Friday night. Had a 1/2 bottle of a 1964 Hermitage for $30 ish and a 750ml of a 1985 Gigondas for about the same price. The Hermitage was much better! The steak was good but everything else was meh and I would not go there again for dinner. They are still talking up the organic "farm raised" veggies but on the kitchen tour noticed lots of commercial veggie boxes and bags of onions and such.

The wine list at Berns is definitely why you go (that and the bordello decor). Buying 1960s Spanish reds in perfectly good shape for 40 bucks isn't something you can do other places. The desserts and after dinner drinks are pretty special too. It's unfortunate the cigar rooms have long been gone (after they spent a ton on state of the art ventilation). The caviar program is pretty incredible too. Like wine, Bern wanted people to try it. Really cheap, high quality stuff of all kinds. The steaks have always been very good if not great. The sides have never been much to write home about despite the fact that Bern's had an organic farm in the early 80s when other restaurants were serving instant coffee. Incredible for Tampa, FL. Sounds like not much has changed. That's good.

Regarding Gaspar's Grotto, the pirate themed 3:00 am bar in Ybor, I think you were misguided, Cynthia.