Either you love cucumbers or you are one hell of a lunatic.Florida State Fair
Don’t get signed out of your Instagram account as at least one of these openings is thirsty to get on your timeline. Especially the cucumber pizza at the Florida State Fair, which opens next Thursday.
And while we’re not surprised that Cake Drip fans turned the South Tampa bakery concept into a success leading to the opening of a new location, there’s a nice helping of other openings and food news to be consumed below. Stay up to date with Alexandria and Stephanie in real time via cltampa.com/food.
Now open
Aussie Grill The Outback Steakhouse-inspired concept opened its fourth freestanding location in Brandon. The menu includes sandwiches, burgers, large plates, and chef-curated salads made to order. The restaurant is open for food and online orders, and for pickup or delivery via UberEats and DoorDash. 1426 W Brandon Blvd., Tampa. aussiegrill.com
Bayou Bodega Husband and wife Robert Sickler and Yari Ramos will add to the to-do list on Tampas Davis Island when their natural wine bar and tapas restaurant open on April 20th. Tapas include garlic prawns with manzanilla, lobster mac, and fried sirloin with homemade chimichurri. Bread pudding with Caribbean fruits or Bayou Bodegas po-boy sandwich with serrano ham, garlic prawns, Manchego cheese and roasted piquillo peppers between bread from the local legend La Segunda. 241 E Davis Blvd., Tampa. bayoubodega.com
Ybor City Vegan Deli The Dunedin Vegan Deli Group, with three additional locations in Dunedin, Brandon and Sarasota, opened in Cigar City. The staff has ironed out the kinks since the April Fool’s opening, but the menu includes freshly cut “pourk” for Cuban sandwiches, pizza (whole cakes and pieces), breakfast rolls, deli meats per pound, phillies, burgers, and desserts. 1903 N 19th St., Ybor City. @yborcityvegandeli on Instagram
Main course Veterinarian Ashley Suttle aka “Chef Ai”, who opened at the old Roux location on St. Croix Plaza in South Tampa, has a new location for her restaurant and lounge. The menu includes old favorites like egg rolls and chicken and waffles, with some new items like “boujee biscuits”, sausage queso and several decadent desserts like “death by chocolate”, an oreo brownie biscuit with vanilla ice cream. Bottled beers, wines and cocktails are also available. “The only difference is that I had three separate menus in West Tampa, but this time it’s brunch every day,” Suttle told CL. 4205 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. @maincoursetampa on Instagram
Southside Fresh Market South St. Petersburg is considered a food wasteland, where residents do not have enough access to healthy food. But Judith Turner and Ramona Brayboy of Southside Fresh Market are changing that by bringing fresh and local food to the Melrose-Mercy and Jordan Park neighborhoods. An online option is in the works, but until then, the Southside Fresh Market will be open every Sunday from 11am to 5pm. 2184 9th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. southsidefreshmarket.com
Coming soon
Cake drop Surprisingly, The Cake Drip is a hit in South Tampa’s Hyde Park Village. Here, guests can enjoy various DIY experiences such as cake decorations, chocolate bars or their chocolate tasting flights. According to St. Pete Rising, the fun is making its way to St. Pete’s EDGE district when the boutique opens a second location in early June that was previously the Plain Jane boutique store. The owner Faronda Davis informed the website that the new location will offer a “brunch and lounge atmosphere” with a fully equipped bar. She said the 9am to 8pm of the place allow them to have more fun. 1104 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. thecakedrip.com
S Evers Street Downtown Plant City proves that the neighborhood is more than just strawberries. Three concepts will open soon or now.
ICYMI
Florida State Fair announced its food range for 2021, and it’s got what it takes for dreams and gastrointestinal nightmares, so of course we’ve graded all of the plates. You can read more about Flamin ‘Hot Cheeto Funnel Cake and more by finding this post on cltampa.co/magazine, or just wait for next week’s physical issue where we will publish the ranking entirely on newsprint. April 22-May 2, Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 US-301, Tampa. $ 5- $ 20. Floridastatefair.com
Publix plans to open a craft beer bar called Pours in South Tampa. Publix is demolishing a location but has something better up its sleeve – a craft beer bar. The Tampa Bay Business Journal has retrieved documents filed with the City of Tampa and says the bar – complete with seating – will be called Pours. The bar is part of a new business planned after the demolition of the old location built in the 1980s at the intersection of Gandy Boulevard and Himes Avenue. Further upgrades for the Publix prototype location are a cheese specialty department, a lounge on the mezzanine floor and a drive-through pharmacy. Pours, which includes kombucha, acai bowls, and wine in addition to craft beer, is included in Publix’s GreenWise stores, but would deviate from the norm for other Publix locations. There is no schedule for the demolition at 3615 W. Gandy Blvd.
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