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Archive for the ‘Eating, Food & Dining’ Category

OK Seminole Heightsians, it’s time to put your lunch where your mouth is, or your money where your lunch is, or something like that.

If you haven’t eaten at Nani’s Sandwich Shop on Nebraska next to the Publix you’re doing your neighborhood a disservice. Support local businesses, spend money in your community, and eat at Nani’s Sandwich Shop.

Check out this review of Nani’s at My Seminole Heights.

Decent breakfast places were hard for me to find when I moved to Tampa. They were all around, I just didn’t have much luck finding them.

I wish I had known about Tampa Bay Breakfasts then!

“We have breakfast at mom-and-pop homestyle diners and restaurants throughout the Tampa Bay area. We avoid national chains, drive-throughs, and convenience stores. We like blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs. And strong black coffee, diner style. Lots of coffee.”

This Sunday, March 21, Grand Hampton will be hosting a Fresh Market Day.

Grand Hampton
8301 Dunham Station Dr.
Tampa, FL 33647
11 am -3 pm

Be forewarned, however, that inclement weather may prompt cancellation. From the email message –

“The weather report currently shows a 40% chance of rain for Sunday. It’s our hope that the rain will hold off until later in the day, making for a good market day.

“In the case however that the weather report shows 50% or more on Sunday during the hours of 11 am – 3pm, the market event will be canceled and the re-schedule date for this event will be on Sunday, April 18th, 2010.”

This event is open to the public.

Bike Friendly and Pet Friendly.

Bathrooms available and Parking close to the Market.

This Sunday, March 21, Grand Hampton will be hosting a Fresh Market Day.

Grand Hampton
8301 Dunham Station Dr.
Tampa, FL 33647
11 am -3 pm

Be forewarned, however, that inclement weather may prompt cancellation. From the email message –

“The weather report currently shows a 40% chance of rain for Sunday. It’s our hope that the rain will hold off until later in the day, making for a good market day.

“In the case however that the weather report shows 50% or more on Sunday during the hours of 11 am – 3pm, the market event will be canceled and the re-schedule date for this event will be on Sunday, April 18th, 2010.”

This event is open to the public.

Bike Friendly and Pet Friendly.

Bathrooms available and Parking close to the Market.

All I really want to share is the title of this post and the image below, but I suppose I should put it into some context.

The folks at Fast Company learned that hot dogs are the “perfect plug for a child’s airway,” and decided to design a new hot dog delivery system.

Fast Company's Hot Dog Redesign

They used Play-doh to model future hot dog designs.

I think Maggie at Boing Boing is the one who termed it “a less-deadly processed meat paste sausage.”

Mark Menjivar traveled the US for three years taking photographs of the insides of people’s refrigerators. This refrigerator study is a fascinating glimpse into the American diet.

“You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the United States.

For three years I traveled around the country exploring food issues. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the effects they have on us as individuals and communities. An intense curiosity and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional portraits.

A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened the question, “May I photograph the interior of your fridge?” to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed “as is.” Nothing added, nothing taken away.

These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full story of one’s life.

My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care. How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for the land.”

Here’s Good Magazine’s article about Menjivar from last year.

Bar Tender | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household | Goes to sleep at 8AM and wakes up at 4PM daily. | 2008

All of this prompted me to wonder – What would life be like without a refrigerator? I should write a book, My Year Without a Fridge. Of course, that would mean living without a fridge, which I’m not inclined to do. I started to take a picture of the inside of my refrigerator for this post, but it seemed to be an oddly intimate and revealing image. I’ll just say that it’s mostly bare, and I currently have neither takeout boxes nor US flags in my refrigerator.

I totally spaced and forgot to mention that the Food Network’s Adam Gertler visited Tank’s Tap Room on February 1 to sample the “W.T.F burger, The Tankinator, and Tankenstein, The S’Moreger” and to take on the “3rd Circle of Hell Challenge.”

I meant to put up a post a few days before the visit to alert those who might be interested in hanging out and watching the Food Network tape, and seeing if Gertler was up to the challenge.

Sorry, Tank, my apologies for spacing.

Anyway, I can say that Tank’s Tap Room is a GREAT bar and comes highly recommended by R/CT.

13150 North Dale Mabry Highway
Tampa, FL 33618
(813) 961-2337
Map

THE TANKENSTEIN – A MONSTER OF A BURGER! A JUICY POUND OF CHAR-GRILLED BEEF PATTY GOODNESS, PILED WITH FRIES, SHREDDED BEEF, CHEESE, CRUSHED CHERRY PEPPERS, COLE SLAW, BLUE CHEESE DRESSING, L.T.O., & TOPPED WITH A FRIED EGG..ALL ON A TOASTED GARLIC CIABATTA ROLL. IF YOU’RE SCARED, JUST SAY SO.

THE W.T.F. – 1/2lb BURGER, BACON, EGGS, FRIES, AMERICAN CHEESE TOPPED WITH MAPLE SYRUP ALL BETWEEN TWO TOASTED WAFFLES! SOUNDS RIDICULOUS-TASTES GREAT. YOU CAN TRUST A FAT GUY.

3RD CIRCLE OF HELL CHALLENGE – WE TAKE OUR REGULAR TANKENSTEIN BURGHER AND ENLARGE IT TO MAMMOTH PROPORTIONS. IT’S OVER 8 LBS. OF MEATY LOVE’N! THE CHALLENGE? CONSUME THE ENTIRE BURGHER ALONG WITH 1 lb. OF FRIES (WITHOUT SHARING OR PURGING IN ANY WAY) WITHIN ONE HOUR. IF YOU’RE SUCCESSFUL AND STILL CONSCIOUS, WE’LL GLORIOUSLY CELEBRATE YOUR AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT YOUR MEAL IS FREE, YOUR PICTURE WILL BE DISPLAYED ON OUR “GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT” WALL, AND YOU’LL GET A FREE PINT OF BEER TO WASH IT ALL DOWN!

Check out the rest of their menu here, and their website here. (Watch your volume at work. Website starts playing music automatically.) Or, become their Facebook fan here.

I totally spaced and forgot to mention that the Food Network’s Adam Gertler visited Tank’s Tap Room on February 1 to sample the “W.T.F burger, The Tankinator, and Tankenstein, The S’Moreger” and to take on the “3rd Circle of Hell Challenge.”

I meant to put up a post a few days before the visit to alert those who might be interested in hanging out and watching the Food Network tape, and seeing if Gertler was up to the challenge.

Sorry, Tank, my apologies for spacing.

Anyway, I can say that Tank’s Tap Room is a GREAT bar and comes highly recommended by R/CT.

13150 North Dale Mabry Highway
Tampa, FL 33618
(813) 961-2337
Map

THE TANKENSTEIN – A MONSTER OF A BURGER! A JUICY POUND OF CHAR-GRILLED BEEF PATTY GOODNESS, PILED WITH FRIES, SHREDDED BEEF, CHEESE, CRUSHED CHERRY PEPPERS, COLE SLAW, BLUE CHEESE DRESSING, L.T.O., & TOPPED WITH A FRIED EGG..ALL ON A TOASTED GARLIC CIABATTA ROLL. IF YOU’RE SCARED, JUST SAY SO.

THE W.T.F. – 1/2lb BURGER, BACON, EGGS, FRIES, AMERICAN CHEESE TOPPED WITH MAPLE SYRUP ALL BETWEEN TWO TOASTED WAFFLES! SOUNDS RIDICULOUS-TASTES GREAT. YOU CAN TRUST A FAT GUY.

3RD CIRCLE OF HELL CHALLENGE – WE TAKE OUR REGULAR TANKENSTEIN BURGHER AND ENLARGE IT TO MAMMOTH PROPORTIONS. IT’S OVER 8 LBS. OF MEATY LOVE’N! THE CHALLENGE? CONSUME THE ENTIRE BURGHER ALONG WITH 1 lb. OF FRIES (WITHOUT SHARING OR PURGING IN ANY WAY) WITHIN ONE HOUR. IF YOU’RE SUCCESSFUL AND STILL CONSCIOUS, WE’LL GLORIOUSLY CELEBRATE YOUR AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT YOUR MEAL IS FREE, YOUR PICTURE WILL BE DISPLAYED ON OUR “GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT” WALL, AND YOU’LL GET A FREE PINT OF BEER TO WASH IT ALL DOWN!

Check out the rest of their menu here, and their website here. (Watch your volume at work. Website starts playing music automatically.) Or, become their Facebook fan here.

Brian Ries at CL’s Daily Loaf reports that a new restaurant is coming to Seminole Heights. Michelle and Greg Baker of the Trib’s Culinary Sherpas and owners of Cook & Company will soon sign the papers to buy a spot in Seminole Heights to open The Refinery.

…the new spot will be called The Refinery and will feature a large selection of small plates — “bigger than most tapas,” according to Michelle — and a few entrees, like basil-miso battered tofu and bison country-fried steak. “The lunch menu will be seasonal and brunch will be a collection of dishes from our favorite restaurants across the country,” says Michelle.

The dinner menu will change almost nightly, partly due to The Refinery’s focus on sourcing local ingredients as much as possible. The Bakers plan to have hydroponic farm Urban Oasis grow a lot of their produce, and hope to work with local foods guru John Matthews of Sarasota’s Suncoast Food Alliance. “The menus will tell you where your food is coming from,” says Michelle. “We’re hoping to start a trend. We know a lot of chefs will come in and we want them going back to their owners and saying ‘we can do this, too.’”

Congratulations, guys! I can’t wait for you to open.

***

Chris Ingram at Irreverent View files an ethics complaint against Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White.

“Background: Commissioner White was involved in a sexual harassment case in 2009. A civil court jury found Mr. White guilty of sexual harassment and awarded a large sum of money to the victim. Hillsborough County was a co-defendant with Mr. White.

“On January 21, 2010, Mr. White’s peers on the County Commission voted to sue Mr. White to recover the extensive legal fees the county has expended in defending him for his shameful and reckless acts which he has failed to own up to.

“When this matter was brought to a vote before the Hillsborough County Commission, Mr. White voted against the motion for the county to sue him to recover the aforementioned costs. This is a clear violation of Florida Statutes prohibiting elected officials from voting on matters before them which would cost or benefit them financially.

“Action requested: investigation and appropriate fines, penalties, and removal from office for Mr. White’s blatant disregard for Florida law and the voters and taxpayers of Hillsborough County.”

Ingram writes – “Good government is a non-partisan issue; where is the Democrat’s outrage?”

***

Not really a blog, but a handy site, Florida-Friendly Landscaping offers a lot of great advice on how to make your yard more Florida-friendly.

***

Sinfonian ended Blast Off! earlier this year. I actually wrote a long post about it, but it’s still in the draft queue. Here’s Sinf explaining his decision to end one of the funniest progressive blogs in Florida after 5+ years. So long Blast Off!, and thanks for all the laughs and liberal camaraderie. I hope you return soon.

***

Alan Snel, Tampa’s best bike blogger, is asked to give an invocation at a recent city council meeting and offers the following -

“May we find inspiration in anything we deem holy so that we who attend this legislative forum can make our city a better place to live and a safer place to walk or ride a bicycle. May we embrace the diversity of our city and respect our differences so that when we congregate here as one in the spirit of the Jeffersonian sense of town hall, we work sacredly and bind our efforts to represent the interests of all Tampa citizens. Let’s have a glorious government meeting in the spirit of making our city a place we can be proud to call home.”

Amen

Brian Ries at CL’s Daily Loaf reports that a new restaurant is coming to Seminole Heights. Michelle and Greg Baker of the Trib’s Culinary Sherpas and owners of Cook & Company will soon sign the papers to buy a spot in Seminole Heights to open The Refinery.

…the new spot will be called The Refinery and will feature a large selection of small plates — “bigger than most tapas,” according to Michelle — and a few entrees, like basil-miso battered tofu and bison country-fried steak. “The lunch menu will be seasonal and brunch will be a collection of dishes from our favorite restaurants across the country,” says Michelle.

The dinner menu will change almost nightly, partly due to The Refinery’s focus on sourcing local ingredients as much as possible. The Bakers plan to have hydroponic farm Urban Oasis grow a lot of their produce, and hope to work with local foods guru John Matthews of Sarasota’s Suncoast Food Alliance. “The menus will tell you where your food is coming from,” says Michelle. “We’re hoping to start a trend. We know a lot of chefs will come in and we want them going back to their owners and saying ‘we can do this, too.’”

Congratulations, guys! I can’t wait for you to open.

***

Chris Ingram at Irreverent View files an ethics complaint against Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White.

“Background: Commissioner White was involved in a sexual harassment case in 2009. A civil court jury found Mr. White guilty of sexual harassment and awarded a large sum of money to the victim. Hillsborough County was a co-defendant with Mr. White.

“On January 21, 2010, Mr. White’s peers on the County Commission voted to sue Mr. White to recover the extensive legal fees the county has expended in defending him for his shameful and reckless acts which he has failed to own up to.

“When this matter was brought to a vote before the Hillsborough County Commission, Mr. White voted against the motion for the county to sue him to recover the aforementioned costs. This is a clear violation of Florida Statutes prohibiting elected officials from voting on matters before them which would cost or benefit them financially.

“Action requested: investigation and appropriate fines, penalties, and removal from office for Mr. White’s blatant disregard for Florida law and the voters and taxpayers of Hillsborough County.”

Ingram writes – “Good government is a non-partisan issue; where is the Democrat’s outrage?”

***

Not really a blog, but a handy site, Florida-Friendly Landscaping offers a lot of great advice on how to make your yard more Florida-friendly.

***

Sinfonian ended Blast Off! earlier this year. I actually wrote a long post about it, but it’s still in the draft queue. Here’s Sinf explaining his decision to end one of the funniest progressive blogs in Florida after 5+ years. So long Blast Off!, and thanks for all the laughs and liberal camaraderie. I hope you return soon.

***

Alan Snel, Tampa’s best bike blogger, is asked to give an invocation at a recent city council meeting and offers the following -

“May we find inspiration in anything we deem holy so that we who attend this legislative forum can make our city a better place to live and a safer place to walk or ride a bicycle. May we embrace the diversity of our city and respect our differences so that when we congregate here as one in the spirit of the Jeffersonian sense of town hall, we work sacredly and bind our efforts to represent the interests of all Tampa citizens. Let’s have a glorious government meeting in the spirit of making our city a place we can be proud to call home.”

Amen