Category: Restaurants
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Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
I’ve lived in Tampa for five years now, passed by Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen dozens of times but never stopped to try it out. Don’t ask me why. Maybe the name sounds like everything will be cheesy and I might not want cheddar on every aspect of my meal? Who knows? On a whim, I stopped.…
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Pinchers
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. I had asked my tour guide at the nearby Edison & Ford Winter Mansions tour (2 minutes down the road) where a good place for lunch might be. With heaven only knows how many restaurants in Fort Myers from which to choose, I sort of thought maybe she’d…
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Iavarone’s Italian Steakhouse
I’ve been to this restaurant several times and have had mixed experiences – one quite good, the second disappointing, the third acceptable but not outstanding. This time, knowing I would be offering an opinion on the restaurant to strangers, I tried to channel Gordon Ramsay. What would he think of the decor? Would he take…
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Lavender ‘n Lace Tearoom
Lavender ‘n Lace Tearoom is a family-owned business in Lake Alfred, Florida. It’s easy to drive right past it because it’s located in a residential area at the end of the block. Hafeez and Sara Bajwa have owned Lavender ‘n Lace Tearoom for almost 35 years. As the story goes, Hafeez was a merchant seafarer…
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Sal Rosa
Sal Rosa is billed as a Caribbean-Latin restaurant. It opened in September of 2023, replacing Bizou Brasserie at Le Meridien Hotel in downtown Tampa. I never got to eat at Bizou Brasserie. I stopped in once to look at their menu and it sounded good. I’m inclined to think they should’ve kept the brasserie. This…
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Yoder’s Restaurant & Amish Village
I’ve always had a fascination with different ethnic groups and unfamiliar traditions. Even though I often yearn for a simpler life, I’m a product of my upbringing and travels. I’m afraid I’d be far too liberal. I would find the Amish traditions restrictive and would spend my time negotiating which rules I complied with and…
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Circles Restaurant
This restaurant was recommended by a friend when she heard I was going to see the manatees at the Big Bend hydroelectric plant. She said it was five minutes away and had great food. I took her advice and, once there, asked to look around. The inside looks small but extends behind the hostess booth…
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Haiku Tampa
Many, many years ago, I spent six months in Ito, Japan. I discovered sashimi, sushi, gyoza and sake. Lord knows I drank enough sake to sink a ship. The dance troupe I was with stayed at a hotel on the side of a mountain and we were shuttled back and forth to the hotel at…
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Ponte Modern American
I think I may have a new favorite restaurant in Tampa. I can’t afford to go there very often but what a marvelous dining experience. Sleek on the outside, crisp and starched on the inside, it speaks elegance through and through and boasts an attentive staff with the Goldilocks touch – not too much, not…
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Hyde Park Village Experience
This little excursion was meant to get me three different blog posts, publishing one and saving the other two for future weeks when I’m too lazy to go anywhere. It didn’t quite work out that way. Hyde Park Village is a lovely shopping area with tons of restaurants and retail stores surrounding a lovely center…
Lisa Browder 