Mary D. Scourtes | February 22nd, 2012
Just because I’m reaching for my trusty Dove Ice Cream Bar doesn’t mean I don’t like a heart-friendly menu. Who doesn’t like to enjoy dinner without having to loosen the belt? There are enough places where healthy doesn’t mean torture, simply not the food that Paula Deen unleashes on our arteries. The best restaurants in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater where you can find the best healthy, vegan and vegetarian food.
Read more: Tampa Bay restaurants where vegetarian, vegan, healthy and hedonist share menus
Mary D. Scourtes | February 8th, 2012
It took a stint of unemployment to help Todd Sturtz become a cheerleader for Tampa’s culinary scene. Last year, the chemical-environmental engineer and self-proclaimed foodie, started a blog, TastingTampa.com, and organized a dozen Food Truck Rallies throughout the area. The September rally at Hyde Park Presbyterian Church created lots of lines with almost 5,000 visitors. Todd recently launched 13th Step: A Support Group for Foodies, to promote the local talent in our area.
Read more: Food bloggers agree: Tampa’s Pelagia Trattoria makes a meal of discovery
Mary D. Scourtes | January 25th, 2012
Unabashedly rich and irresistible, few foods bring on such giddy cravings as chocolate. Love is sweet, but it’s much sweeter with chocolate. Its phenylethylamine is the same chemical that our brains produce when we fall in love. Quality chocolate stirs the same emotions and is positively addictive this close to Valentine’s Day in Tampa Bay. Charge up your appetite, and your wallet, with some luscious choices from candy land.
Read more: Chocolate is love in an edible form: Nine of Tampa Bay’s best chocolate shops
Mary D. Scourtes | January 11th, 2012
Osteria Natalina draws from its previous life as Spartaco to offer something new and something old. It’s set in the same location, a corner of a strip center in South Tampa. Its obscure location doesn’t keep it from being discovered — it’s a well-traveled haunt. And its short, uncomplicated menu, with English subtitles, showcases owner Spartaco Giolito’s hometown, Rimini, on the Adriatic coast.
Read more: Tampa restaurant review: Un-ostentatious Osteria Natalina showcases seaside legacies
Mary D. Scourtes | January 2nd, 2012
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, I met chef Michael Vaughn who feeds about 200 hungry entertainers who live in some of the 61 train cars parked just outside of town. Chef Michael says he likes the adventure. “It’s definitely the greatest show on earth. We are the world’s largest city without a zip code,’’ he adds. The 16-year saw-dust veteran may have learned to cook in the south but his cuisine spans several continents. His international mix of patrons come from seven continents, including Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Russia, Mongolia and Paraguay. Michael invites the animal trainers, trapeze artists and others to bring him recipes and teach him about their special dishes that personify their home country.
Read more: Food fit for a circus clown: Behind the scenes in Ringling Bros. kitchen
Mary D. Scourtes | December 28th, 2011
If old acquaintances are not to be forgotten, don’t choose a forgettable place to ring out the old year. Check out these ideas to ring in New Year’s Eve 2012 in Tampa Bay.
Read more: New Year’s Eve restaurant spots and events for Tampa Bay 2012
Mary D. Scourtes | December 14th, 2011
You never know who will be in your eatery in Ybor City. Sunday’s Fine Dining owner is still clucking about the rooster that took up residence in his office for a few days. His management style wasn’t so bad but his keyboard skills were all hunt and peck. Dave Sunday, armed with a skill set culled from the army, the Long Island fishing community and a degree from culinary school in New York (NYIT), has gotten notice here. Once a chef in South Hampton, N.Y. during summers, he chose to winter here and cook at the Straz Center for the Arts. Even that wasn’t his idea of paradise.
Read more: Any day is good at Tampa’s Sunday’s (Fine Dining)
Mary D. Scourtes | November 30th, 2011
The appeal of TV serials like Cheers, Friends and Always Sunny in Philadelphia, is having a tight group of buddies who are willing to exalt in your victories, commiserate in your setbacks, and, of course give you a rousting birthday celebration every year. Lacking a favorite watering hole and posse of pals, where can you go to pick up a little cheer on your birthday? A few restaurateurs value your big day and offer you an entrée (you may need to register ahead). With the economy faltering, even a free dreamy dessert, works as a treat. Just remember to BYOL (bring your own license).
Read more: It’s great to celebrate your birthday with these Tampa Bay deals
Mary D. Scourtes | November 16th, 2011
A wisecracking critic could have a field day mocking a restaurant during the first week during a dreadful economy. A writer with a chip on her shoulder could make mincemeat of a new enterprise that acknowledges her reservation but still doesn’t have a table available. Still, there is hope for Knife & Co. One of its defining features is the chef’s commitment to prepare almost everything in-house, from hot biscuits and grape jam to curing their bacon.
Read more: Restaurant review: Knife and Co. in Tampa still needs a little sharpening
Mary D. Scourtes | November 4th, 2011
Stumbling upon a deal at a favorite restaurant makes dining sweeter. While Groupon, Eversave and other marketing companies offer deals, there are places that have secrets that insiders feed on. The key to savings is eating early, on slow days, or with other night owls. Check out these super savory savings.
Read more: Where to get great deals on food in Tampa restaurants
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