Super Bowl Ticket to Good Eats in Tampa Bay

by Missy Kavanaugh

If you’re coming to Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, this blog is to give you the skinny on the best places to go for things like getting a drink as well as team updates in our Super Bowl Watch and upcoming events. This post  happens to be about the best little-known places around town to get something to eat. 

Breakfast

If you are a baseball fan as well as a football fan, you HAVE TO check out Lenny’s in Clearwater–especially if you love food and great service. Lenny’s is the fave for players during spring training–or was last I checked. So there is tons of baseball history hanging from its walls.  They don’t have a website, but I can tell you, it’s worth the drive to Clearwater–they’re right on U.S. 19–just north of Drew Street. (From Tampa, hop on the Courtney Campbell Causeway, and follow 60 to US 19, turn right and it’s just 3 or so miles up the road on the left.) Lenny’s is a family-owned and operated business. As for Dan, the current owner. Tell him Missy sent ya!

Lunch

Frenchy’s has been on Clearwater Beach for more than 20 years. The first Frenchy’s was housed on Baymont Street, just off Mandalay. Now, as far as I know, Frenchy (the owner) didn’t exactly invent the grouper sandwich. But he has sure made it a signature dish for tourists and residents alike. Trust me, it doesn’t get any better than a grouper sandwich and a beer at Frenchy’s. Now Frenchy has expanded his grouper-sandwich kingdom to include the Saltwater Cafe, the Rockaway Grill, the South Beach Cafe, Frenchy’s Seafood Company and Off the Hook.  Frenchy’s is moderately priced and offers the best in beach vibe.

If you like smoked fish, you must drive down to Pasadena (that’s a section of St. Pete–just inland from St. Pete Beach), to Ted Peters. It’s awesome. This little shack on Pasadena Avenue has been packed with diners for 50 years. My first father-in-law had a saying, “If you can’t find a parking spot, that’s the place to go.” Ted Peters is definitely such a place. I defy you to find anyone in the last 50 years who’s been able to find one on the first try. But if you do find a parking space and then can snag one of the many picnic tables available for hungry diners, you will be treated to at least a pound of smoked salmon, mackerel or mullet, warm German potato salad with bacon, and coleslaw to revive your taste buds ’cause the smoky flavored fish ‘n bacon/potato salad combo is likely to have melted your mouth. So worth the drive…

And, you can’t come to Tampa without having a cuban sandwich, so I’m gonna name one of the best places to go to enjoy Tampa Bay’s other signature dish. (For those of you who don’t have a clue what goes into a cuban, let me enlighten you: roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on cuban bread–which is like, the best bread ever.)

La Teresita on Columbus Avenue is old-school, with a long lunch counter and diner-styled tables. Although I haven’t personally had the pleasure of experiencing it due to the fact that I don’t like cuban sandwiches, reviews of their cubans, arroz con pollo and cafe con leche are excellent. And it’s open 24 hours, so not only is it a great spot for lunch, but an EXCELLENTE spot for after-party munchies. Plus, it’s practically hail-mary distance from Ray Jay, so…

Dinner

Like any other fairly roomy city, Tampa has its gastronomical nooks and crannies. You can definitely find a variety of great food and ambiance at International Plaza’s Bay Street on Spruce Street (aka Boy Scout Blvd.) near the stadium, or you can drive a couple of miles to Hyde Park (head north on 275, take Armenia exit, turn right, then left on Horatio or Azeele–you can’t miss it!).

But there are a few places you may miss, if you do that. Like Boizao, for instance. Boizo opened two years(?) ago on Spruce Street, just off  West Shore Blvd. (and another hail-mary distance from Ray Jay). And it’s omg, slap-your-mama fantastic. After visiting the biggest, best stocked and most elegantly presented salad bar on the planet, you are visited by the friendliest (and may I just say, ladies, sexiest) waiters in town, who each carry huge, succulent cuts of Brazilian beef, pork and chicken and slice your portion right there at your table. Then they smile and walk away, only to return for seconds, thirds and fourths if you can stomach it. It is not only a delight for your taste buds but a real dining experience.

Now, if you don’t mind the drive and want to try running into a local celebrity like Hulk Hogan or Mike Alstott, you may want to check out Salt Rock Grill on Indian Rocks Beach (or Indian Shores if you’re gonna nit-pik). They have the choicest steaks in town, along with seafood so fresh the menu says “ask our waitstaff about today’s specials” and other specialities such as BBQ duck and double-cut pork chop. The atmosphere is beach cozy with fireplaces and a dock you can stroll pre or post meal, if you’re not too busy ogling the locals!

Okay, those are my picks. What are yours???