Season's Fresh: A Chick Pick

Like movies, some restaurants appeal to women and getting men into them practically requires an earth mover.  To determine if a place fits into a tennis ladies or Red Hatters category, for example, I simply ask myself if Hubmeister would set foot in the door. 

Just as he wouldn't be caught dead watching "Sleepless in Seattle," Hubs undoubtedly would go next door for Wood Fired pizza or Big Papa's Pit barbecue before he'd opt for a meal at Season's Fresh.  I, on the other hand, do not possess these studly standards and enjoyed a quick bite there.

Blame It on Rio sang the praises of Season's Fresh even before it moved from a New Tampa shopping center location north of I-75 to its current venue in a restaurant-filled strip center off Bearss Avenue near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.  She was excited when the owner decided to move to a more visible location.  Lo and behold, I hear the tennis ladies have discovered it.

As the name suggests, the Season's Fresh culinary focus is on seasonal, organic ingredients.  The menu consists of wraps, paninis, soups, salads and smoothies, which are served in better-than-your-average-sandwich-shop surroundings. 

The multi-talented owner has been a caterer and a decorator; the latter skill she has applied here to create a bright, contemporary space featuring modern art showcased against a backdrop of pelican blue-gray walls.  Red cushions, black tables and white chairs add to the colorful mix.  Exposed overhead ducts are painted black with a few wood beams added to warm things up.  An inviting, tree-shaded patio presents a nice niche to dine alone or with friends.

The ordering procedure is similar to Panera's, but here the food is brought to your table.  I got a sandwich and Rio ordered a panini.  My Shaved Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich ($7.95) was served warm. 

It lived up to the fresh ideal, with hunks of oven-roasted white-meat chicken, caramelized onions, fontina cheese and spring greens, all encased in thick country bread that was warmed to a toasty crunch in a panini press.  While there was no shortage of pungent fresh herbs, in fact there were too many, the missing links were moisture and fat.  The dry sandwich cried out for a saucy partner, or at least a slather of butter on the bread.  Since I noted that wraps are accompanied by a choice of dipping sauce, I will be sure to order a side of sauce with my sandwich next time. 

A few cornichons and nicoise olives, as well as a small seasonal side salad, are included with sandwich selections.  Rio is a regular and highly recommends the soups, which change daily. 

My favorite part of this place is the Illy coffee bar.  Italian coffee gets my vote as one of the best and Illy is up there with Lavazza.   I have not discovered any other business in Tampa that serves it.  I mentioned this to the owner, who said the Illy honchos have strict guidelines about the product, including the equipment on which it is prepared.  She has thousands of dollars invested in Illy-approved coffee apparatus. 

I can see this spot taking off with organic-frenzied USF students, laptop-toting coffeehouse junkies, health-conscious yoga fanatics, and generally those who appreciate fine ingredients and are fatigued by the often careless preparation and waning food quality at Panera. 

But Season's should stick to the hours it advertises if it wants to build a customer base.  I stopped by a few days ago for lunch and it was closed.  According to the hours posted on the front door, it should have been open.  And I can't find the hours on the website, either, which brings me to my...

Verdict:  Needs tweaking but has promise.

Restaurant Info:
Season's Fresh
2816 East Bearss Avenue
Tampa
813-866-4444
http://www.seasonsfreshcafe.com/

Quick Bites, Greek Style: The Hungry Greek

Are you lamenting the closing of Louis Pappas near USF?  I'm not. 

When Acropolis opened in the same strip center on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, that place was doomed.  The Pappas food was okay, but the orders were always screwed up, at least ours were.  For our Greek-to-go, we turned to the Acropolis salad.   A deconstructed gyro and salad combo, it's a flavor bomb bargain for $10, easily feeds two normal appetites, and you actually get what you order. 

But I am not here to discuss the merits of Acropolis or the demise of that Louis Pappas location; I am tipping you off to another place that you can rely on for a fast Greek food fix.

The Hungry Greek has two restaurants in Tampa, one in the Westchase area and this one, which occupies a strip center space on the west side of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, north of the Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel.  It serves an extensive menu of Greek favorites in a noisy dining environment that I would compare to Moe's.  The operation is also somewhat similar:  You order at the service counter, pay, take a tabletop prop to identify your order, and your meal is brought to your table on plastic plates. 

It's a simple system, in a simple atmosphere, and the food is simply good.

I ordered a gyro, and Blame It on Rio, my lunch recruit this day, put in a request for dolmades.  I added a Greek side salad and Rio's "Light Meal" included one.   The salad, the kind with the potato salad lurking deliciously beneath the vegetables, was not on a par with the outstanding Greek salads for which I drive to Tarpon Springs, but it was tasty.  The greens were cold and fresh; the beet was sweet; and the dressing and feta were tangy. 

I also liked the gyro, which consisted of crispy slices of a seasoned beef and lamb mixture that I watched being shaved off the spit; it included the traditional accompaniments of tomato, onion and tzatziki.  The meat was not as intensely seasoned as that on most gyros I have sampled, the kind where you reek of garlic for days.  Sometimes I am in the mood for major garlic overload, i.e., Acropolis, and sometimes not.  For those who prefer less garlic, this gyro meat is a good alternative.  The tzatziki was average; it didn't knock my socks off.   The commercially prepared pita bread was soft and acceptable.

Since stuffed grape leaves are not my favorite things, it was good to have Rio with me to weigh in on the dolmades.  Filled with ground meat, rice, tomato and herbs, they had a drizzle of lemony sauce on them, which was a nice twist.  She approved, and I preferred them to the dolmades at Acropolis.

A Greek restaurant must have dessert, right?  The Hungry Greek offers several sweet options, one being the perennial favorite - baklava.  I am not usually a fan of honey-filled Greek pastries but let me tell you that I would get the baklava again.  It was light, flaky and lip-smacking good. 

The Hungry Greek will not leave you hungry, dissatisfied or penniless.  Lunch for two, including two drinks, one dessert, tax and tip, was about $25.

Verdict:  Fills a void for fast Greek food.  I smell a chain coming on.

Restaurant Info:
The Hungry Greek
2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Tampa
813-345-8526
http://www.thehungrygreek.com/menu.html

Brocato's: Bigger Isn't Better

Calling all Tampa sandwich shops!  Do us traditionalists a favor and ask people if they want lettuce, tomato and mayo on their Cubans.  FYI - I don't, so please quit slapping that stuff on them like it's a given. 

It happened at Brocato's a few weeks ago.  I waited in line with the lunch crowd, walked to the counter and ordered a six-inch Cuban sandwich.  A few minutes later, with lust in my heart, I tore open the wrapper and what did I find?  A big, fat hammy Cuban full of lettuce, tomato and mayo. 

When people rave to me about the sandwiches at Brocato's, what seems to impress them most is how meaty they are.  To me, a good sandwich need not be measured by weight.  I had to remove mega-hunks of cold ham from this sandwich. 

The best Cuban (at the Columbia, hands down) focuses less on ham and more on slow-roasted pork, and by focusing, I don't mean piling it on three inches thick.  I mean preparing it with TLC and lots of seasoning, injecting so much flavor that only a few thin slices are necessary.  As with all cooking, flavors should be balanced, where one ingredient doesn't overpower the others.  If the ham is stacked to the gills, ham is all you are going to taste.  This ham was mundane and there was so much of it, I can't tell you what the pork tasted like.

Good Cuban bread is essential and this was decent but not killer.  I also wouldn't consider it pressed because all of the sandwich contents were cold.  Strike two.  That's one of the reasons I pass on lettuce, tomato and mayo.  I like my Cubans warm and smashed, with the Swiss cheese verging on meltdown. 

The crowd at Brocato's - a mix of business people grabbing a burly bite and laborers dropping by to wolf down a pound of meat - doesn't seem to mind, and I have heard of people driving miles to get one of their sandwiches or hefty, football-shaped deviled crabs. 

This family-run dive, off I-4 at 50th Street, does a booming business.  Mississippi Maven and I were lucky to land an inside table.  Don't expect much in the way of atmosphere.  It's a no-frills sandwich shop that's seen a few decades and it shows.  The overflow crowd can sit outside on a covered patio and take in the sights, sounds and traffic fumes of I-4. 

Hey, you aren't paying for ambiance and table service.  You will spend less than $10 for an overstuffed sandwich, chips and drink, and it will far surpass fast food and the precut refuse masquerading as food at most chain sub shops.

Verdict:  Overrated.

Restaurant Info:
Brocato's Sandwich Shop
5021 East Columbus Drive
Tampa
813-248-9977

Fuel Up at Taco Bus

First of all, I apologize for being such a slacker when it comes to taking photos while dining out.  I try to compensate for my lack of visual arts skill with scintillating prose.  [Smirk.]  My New Year's blog resolution is to take more pictures.   We'll see how that works out.

That said, after you read my profound remarks about Taco Bus, check out the link I am posting to another blog, a photographer's blog - a really talented photographer, if you ask me.  I don't know him; I just happened to look at his recent post about eating at Taco Bus and was amazed by his photos of the place.   Very nice.  With pictures like those, who needs my amateur attempts!

Okay, now for the best cheap eats you will find in this town, and not just cheap but ranking up there with the most flavorful. 

My fun and fabulous niece, Empress Ann, was visiting this week and we got a hankering to try the renowned Taco Bus.  Empress Ann grew up in Land O' Lakes and went to USF but had never heard of, nor dined at, Taco Bus.  In almost nine years of Tampa residency, I hadn't eaten there, either.  Son of Hubmeister has, though, and that picky child loves it.  He told me, "Mom, you've got to go there." 

It was high time I headed over to E. Hillsborough Avenue to sample the Mexican food I had read and heard so much about.  Son of Hubmeister said it's easy to miss the turn, so I thought it would be more difficult to find than it was.  Shortly after getting off I-275 at Hillsborough Avenue East, a sign for Taco Bus parking leads you directly to the restaurant/bus, which, by the way, is open 24/7.

Bear with me as I attempt to describe the unusual setup:  Picture, if you will, an outdoor patio sandwiched between an enclosed restaurant and a beat-up old bus - all of which are attached and surrounded by a rough-around-the-edges urban landscape.  The bus, similar to a food truck, serves walk-up customers who can take their food to go or find a place to plop down on site.  Shoot, nobody would blink an eye if you tailgated at your car, except they might be hovering for your spot.

The lot was full, so Empress and I did some hovering ourselves.  Customers here come and go pretty fast.  The place was busy, with working guys lined up at the bus, all the outside tables taken and only a few seats remaining inside. 

Newbies to Taco Bus protocol, we walked to a counter inside the restaurant and asked if we should order there or at a table.  It doesn't matter.  They are flexible at Taco Bus.  We ordered from a menu at the counter and took a seat at an empty table.  The waitress brought our drinks and, a few minutes later, our food arrived in little paper-lined baskets.

I had the lunch "meal deal" featuring two tacos with choice of filling, refried beans and rice.  A great deal for $7.50.  Taco fillings of your choice are enveloped in warm, pillow-soft corn tortillas, and topped with diced farm-stand tomatoes (not the impostors you see at the grocery store right now), mild white cheese, red onion, shredded cabbage and fresh cilantro.  I had one pollo (chicken) and one barbacoa (stewed beef) taco.  Both meats were seasoned well and packed with flavor.  

The freshness of the ingredients is what slaps you in the face. 

The refried beans were unlike any version I have ever tasted, and I think after eating these, that canned beans are all I have ever received in any American (a.k.a. Tex-Mex) simulation of a Mexican restaurant.  These were creamy with a slight sprinkle of finely grated white cheese on top, not a dry, clumpy mass of goo covered in a blanket of melted Cheddar cheese.

The orange-tinged Mexican rice, dotted with green peas, was also a winner.  Oh, and I can't forget the salsa.  Two big squirt bottles are on each table, one containing a mild red tomato salsa and the other, a hot green condiment of Mexican love.  The lip-tingling green one was my favorite.

Empress Ann had a carne asada torta and a side of Mexican rice.  The rice side could have fed a family of four.  Empress gave high marks to the torta (sandwich) of diced grilled steak, refried beans, and taco veggies and tried her best to down that gigantic plate of seasoned rice. 

I had been under the impression that dining at Taco Bus would be like camping out, but inside dining was perfectly comfortable with its sunny-yellow walls and peppy Latin music providing a cheery backdrop for authentic, excellent Mexican food.  This is a mood-lifter of a place to grab a quick bite with a friend or to dine alone.  My only regret is that I didn't discover it sooner.

Verdict:  A busload of magical Mexican food.

Want to see what it looks like?  Here's the photographer's link:
http://www.passportfoodie.com/2011/01/taco-bus-tampa-addictive-mexican-food.html

Restaurant Info:
Taco Bus
913 E. Hillsborough Ave
Tampa FL 33604
813-232-5889
http://tampatacobus.com/

Falafel Find: Byblos Pitas

One of my favorite bloggers in Atlanta, The Blissful Glutton (http://www.blissfulglutton.com/), got me in the mood for falafel.  Blissful takes awesome pictures and she recently posted an article about a pita place she loves in the ATL.  Her photos of falafel and other Middle-Eastern delights made my mouth water. 

Unlike the Glutton, I am neither an adept photographer nor a falafel expert.  The first time I tried the fried chick pea concoction was in London, where almost every streetside restaurant claimed to have THE BEST falafel.  The Food and Loathing family looked at each other and wondered, "What the heck is falafel?" 

Outside the British Museum at a fascinatingly unfriendly little restaurant - you read it right, I said unfriendly, as in these people were mad at the world - I ordered it.  And it was okay.  Probably should have gone across the street to the other guy who claimed his was the best falafel in all the land.  Unlike the Falafel Commando, the competition might have offered a greeting, forced a smile or feigned customer appreciation.  Picture the Soup Nazi on "Seinfeld."

After reading Blissful's blog, I decided to order a falafel appetizer the other night at Acropolis.  Again, I was unimpressed; it was passable but lacked something. 

Yesterday, it was time to do some comparison shopping.  Maybe falafel is not my thing.  I stopped by Byblos Pitas near USF. 

Thank you, Byblos.  I knew I would like falafel.  These were loaded with garlic and parsley flavor and included a spicy kick.  Maybe ground red pepper?  The patties were fried to a golden crisp and stuffed into a pita with my choice of toppings.
 

I asked the guy at the counter to suggest toppings because they have several sauces, dips, veggies and pickles displayed.  I figure the folks who make this stuff every day know which flavor combinations work well.  I ended up with really fresh cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and onions drizzled with a ladle of tzatziki sauce (my request).  The college kid helping me was pleasant and patiently answered all of my questions.

This is a quick-bite or takeout type of place with a bright and cheery atmosphere.  A full menu of Mediterranean-inspired pita choices is available, as well as soups and salads.

Cost:  $5
Verdict:  I'll be back.

Restaurant Info:
Byblos Pitas
2734 University Square Drive
Tampa
813-849-5050
http://www.byblospitas.com/