Wednesday, February 17, 2010

UC Tampa - Feb 2010 Edition Part 2















In This Issue


1. Food News: Get Greece-y. Moon Waxes. Bistro Wanes.

2. Davis Islands Dog Park Scheduled For Grooming
3. Walk into Ybor’s Secret Past
4. Seminole Heights Bicycle Club's Hub-Grub Bike Ride
5. Ride A Dragon - Tampa Dragon Boat Races
6. News & Rumors ... and much more!

Food News: Get Greece-y. Moon Waxes. Bistro Wanes.


The Bungalow Bistro of Seminole Heights will soon be home to The Refinery.


Seminole Heights ‘Bistro’ gets Refined
The Bungalow Bistro of Seminole Heights (5137 N. Florida Ave.) has been sold to Greg and Michelle Baker of Cooks-n-Company (a personal chef service). While currently still being operated under the “Bistro” moniker and menu, Greg stated the couple is planning to launch an entirely new restaurant, The Refinery, and menu by March 2009.

Click here to read full story.
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China Moon shines on Heights & West Tampa
China Moon New York Style Chinese Food is now open at 1900 W. Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. Blvd. for take out and delivery to residents of West Tampa, Wellswood, Seminole Heights, Riverside Heights and other nearby areas.


Click here to read full story.
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Shout Out for Channelside’s new Taverna Opa

Following UC Tampa’s exclusive story of Taverna Opa coming to downtown’s Channelside Entertainment Complex, the Greek restaurant is now open in the former Grille 21 location (underneath the old Margarita Mama’s).

Click here to read full story.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Celebrate the Bungalow - 2010 Hyde Park Home Tour


Historic Hyde Park Home Tour taking place March 6. See article's entire photo gallery here.

HYDE PARK – Many residents of historic Hyde Park will open their doors for the neighborhood’s 8th Annual Home Tour, Saturday, March 6, 2010. The tour will feature more than a dozen private homes, representing numerous styles and time periods, from historic to new construction.

Included on the tour will be residences along Tampa’s famous Bungalow Terrace, a mini-subdivision of 19 houses with front porches facing each other across a sidewalk (i.e., not a road, like usual), as well as Tampa’s only example of the Bungalow Court—a popular mode of construction in California circa 1909–1930.

“Bungalow Court will highlight gracious living on a small scale,” notes the tour’s co-chair, Tami Kirchner. “This calls for innovation and—in the case of the homes we’ll tour—illustrates a true sense of style.”

In contrast, the large, stunning, newly constructed Bayshore mansion of Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Stein is also a tour stop.

The Historic Hyde Park Home Tour is taking place in conjunction with a March exhibit at the Tampa Bay History Center exhibit, titled “The Bungalow,” along with a feature film documentary that provides an overview of Tampa’s bungalows (and their social and cultural context).

For Home Tour information, contact Tami at the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association: (813) 625-4141 or HHPNAhometour@tampabay.rr.com

Gimme Seven! New Restaurants Rolling into the Urban Corridor.


Old location of Big John's Alabama BBQ.

URBAN CORRIDOR – The new year appears to have brought with it a flurry of restaurants for downtown Tampa and its nearby, Urban Corridor neighborhoods. Seven dining establishments, some with names familiar to the area, some not, have either opened or are expected to open by the end of March.

West Tampa: Green Iguana Bar & Grill, a local’s hangout on Ybor City’s Seventh Avenue, is taking over the old Stadium Bennigan’s Bar & Grille location (2520 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.). This will be the company’s seventh Bay Area location with a full bar and open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. According to its website, the new location will “open soon;” however sources indicate “by the end of March.” Updates are available on the Green Iguana Twitter site: http://twitter.com/thegreeniguana.

Downtown: The Urban Cantina is set to open in downtown Tampa (200 E. Madison Ave.) by the end of February. The owner is reported to be Christopher Rivas, who is a resident of nearby SkyPoint Condominiums, where he was once reported to be opening a Mexican restaurant called Azteca. Those plans fell through, but from visual inspection of the new location, it clearly appears to be built out, fitted with tables and dining ware, and days away from opening. www.urbancantina.com

Sono Café will open February 6 inside the new Tampa Museum of Art. It will overlook the banks of the Hillsborough River and be accessible by everyone through an admission-free entrance. The café will seat 75, including waterfront tables, and offer menu items in accordance with the “Slow Food Movement.” The owners of downtown’s Mise en Place Restaurant will operate the café.

Already open is International Café, a lunchtime eatery open five days a week at 601 E. Twiggs St.

East Tampa: Big John’s Alabama BBQ is set to open at nearly the same spot (5707 N. 40th St.) as its old, demolished location (which happened because of a city road expansion project). For the many fans of the 40-year-old establishment, their wait will be over early February.

Ybor City: Gallery Rasika has opened on Seventh Avenue in the former location of L’Olivier Cabaret. It features modern Indian fusion dishes inspired from an “age old approach to dining,” according to its website. Much like tapas bars, guests are encouraged to choose a variety of appetizers and entrees and share them with their dining companions. www.galleryrasika.com

Heights Areas: Greg and Michelle Baker, the owners of Cooks-n-Company (the personal chef service), are planning to open a brick and mortar restaurant in Seminole Heights. Although a verbal agreement has been made for the couple to take over an existing “turn key” location, a contract has yet to be signed.

Once official, the Bakers hope to open The Refinery by the end of February, which will feature a large selection of small, “bigger than most tapas” plates made from locally grown ingredients when possible.

See original posting at www.uctampa.com.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

UC Tampa - Feb 2010 Edition Part 1














In This Issue

-
A SERIOUS ART ATTACK

-NEW RESTAURANTS ROLLING IN

-CELEBRATE THE BUNGALOW

-HALT! ARMORY BACK TO MARKET

-PRO BASKETBALL IN TAMPA

-NEWS & RUMORS ... and much more!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Armory Goes To Market (Again)

West Tampa's Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. See more photos here.

WEST TAMPA/SOUTH TAMPA - Heritage Square LLC, which three years ago won the bid to develop West Tampa’s Fort Homer Hesterly Armory site into a mix-use residential and retail campus, has withdrawn from the project. Christine Duffy, associate director of corporate communications and PR for Intelident Solutions, the owner of Coast Dental Services Inc. (and primary backer of Heritage Square) refused to cite a reason.

Read More Here.