FEEDER'S DIGEST FEEDER'S DIGEST
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Published: October 24, 2008
BEEF
BASCOM'S CHOP HOUSE, 3665 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater; (727) 573-3363. This American chop house showcases a variety of aged beef, hand-cut veal, pork and lamb chops, and a small selection of seafood. Try the expertly seared sea scallops, enhanced by baby spinach and grilled red onions. Enjoy a side dish called Gorgonzola Souffle, a cheesy bread pudding. ($$-$$$)
BERN'S STEAK HOUSE, 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 251-2421. While Bern's is foremost a steakhouse, the menu offers some creative alternatives. Seafood selections can be topped with more than a dozen sauces, including curry mango butter, lobster emulsion and truffle jus. A slate of daily specials features fresh fish; a seafood sampler platter with Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams and mussels; and other offerings paired with wines. You'll also find pork chops, rack of lamb, and a vegetable sampler platter. The huge array of aged beef - priced by cut, weight and thickness - still draws moans of ecstasy. ($$$)
BOIZAO STEAKHOUSE, 4606 Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 286-7100. Vegetarians would be wise to avoid Boizao Steakhouse, a lavish restaurant featuring the churrasco-style cooking of Brazil. It not only offers a pampered, entertaining night of dining, it stocks you up for hibernation. Gaucho waiters wielding heavy skewers of beef, lamb, pork and chicken scurry nonstop, or espeto corridor, among the tables, slicing succulent cuts onto your plate until your belt busts. The restaurant is spacious and richly appointed, with a sophisticated bar off a dining room dominated by an extravagant salad bar. The 14 cuts of meat are cooked on spits over a mesquite fire, then carried out and sliced tableside. Diners control their feast by displaying small cardboard discs, green on one side, red on the other, and the gauchos are quick to respond. ($$)
CHARLEY'S STEAK HOUSE & MARKET FRESH FISH, 4444 W. Cypress St., Tampa; (813) 353-9706. A lavish, attractive addition to Tampa's big-steaks showdown. The prime and choice steaks are the draw, especially the New York Strip and blue cheese-stuffed filet mignon. One of its seven dining rooms is private and has its own entrance. ($$$)
COUNCIL OAK STEAK AND SEAFOOD, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5223 N. Orient Road, Tampa; (813) 627-7600. What is Tampa's best restaurant? No argument should exclude the Council Oak at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where a fine meal is less a gamble than a given. The restaurant unfolds like an oasis, and diners can't help but be mesmerized by the posh design and atmosphere, top-shelf service and superlative menu. This is where a couple can drop $200 and feel good about the investment. Beef and seafood are the mainstay here, high-end USDA prime cuts and line-caught Florida fish. The kitchen creates small masterpieces with the rosemary-rubbed Dry Aged Lamb Chops and Free Range Organic Chicken with root vegetables. ($$$)
DEMPSEY'S STEAK HOUSE, Saddlebrook Resort, 5700 Saddlebrook Way, Wesley Chapel; (813) 907-4574. Beef, beef and more beef make Dempsey's a mouthful. The kitchen's prime cuts include a killer Black Angus Cowboy Steak; 24-ounce Aged Porterhouse; and a Center-Cut Pork Chop with whole grain mustard and rosemary marinade. Less adventurous eaters can pig out on a lavish salad bar, seafood entrees and other luscious items. ($$$)
E&E STAKEOUT GRILL, 100 N. Indian Rocks Road, Belleair Bluffs; (727) 585-6399. E&E buys corn-fed, choice-grade Sterling Silver beef from the Platte River area between Nebraska and Colorado. The meat is aged at least 25 days and seasoned with cracked black pepper. Go for the 9-ounce, center-cut filet mignon, seared rare and served with a cloying bearnaise sauce. The 12-ounce New York Strip is the next best option, followed by the 14-ounce Delmonico. Those wanting to bust a buckle can wrestle down the 28-ounce Cowboy Steak, which could feed a small family. ($$-$$$)
FLEMING'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE & WINE BAR, 4322 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 874-9463. This attractive, luxurious restaurant is usually packed with diners, but not just for its prime meats and high-end menu. An annually revised list of 100 wines by the glass entices lovers of the grape. The restaurant carries a sophisticated but casual ambience, with its rich wood accents, exhibition kitchen, stylish bar, spacious booths and alabaster chandeliers. The a la carte menu offers a solid lineup of beef, pork, seafood and poultry, and entrees arrive on large, sizzling plates. Thick cuts of USDA corn-fed beef range from an 8-ounce petite filet to a 40-ounce porterhouse, seared over gas broilers and drenched in butter. ($$$)
GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE, 615 Channelside Drive, Suite 203, Tampa; (813) 229-8000. The restaurant's roots go back 80 years, opening as a speak-easy in New York's theater district in 1927. It set a legitimate table with the end of Prohibition and carved a reputation for fine beef. Gallagher's sets the tone for dining with ornate high ceilings and lavish wood appointments and flooring. Guests can gawk into the two-story cooler, where huge slabs of chilled Midwestern meat on the bone are dry aged behind the glass. The menu is a la carte, the meat - with few exceptions - ideally prepared, the service crack professional, and the atmosphere tastefully subdued. ($$$)
LOGAN'S ROADHOUSE, 9218 Anderson Road, Tampa; (813) 884-5229. A moderately priced, casual chain restaurant out of Tennessee that offers steaks, shrimp, sandwiches, salads, chicken and spirits. A tender, marinated club steak and from-scratch yeast rolls bonded us to the place. ($$)
MALIO'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE, 400 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa; (813) 223-7746. Malio's has a posh look on the bottom floor of Rivergate Tower, the cylindrical "Beer Can" building downtown. Shedding its fraternity steakhouse mold, Malio's now acts slick and sophisticated, armed with top-notch service and a menu steeped in high-end beef. Consider the 16-ounce Ribeye, 18-ounce Prime Rib, or Australian rack of lamb. The wine list includes 300 choices by the bottle. ($$$)
RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE, 1700 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa; (813) 282-1118. Ruth's Chris may be the business traveler's best friend, offering prime quality steaks in dozens of cities. The beef, undeniably exceptional, arrives hissing hot from an 1800-degree broiler, juices sealed within a perfectly charred exterior. To this, the kitchen adds a butter glaze, which spits furiously from the platters. Appetizers and side orders include Asparagus with Hollandaise, Sliced Tomato and Onion Salad, Potatoes Au Gratin, Creamed Spinach and Seared Ahi Tuna. ($$$)
SHULA'S STEAKHOUSE, Wyndham Westshore Hotel, 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 286-4366. This upscale chain boasts a Miami Dolphins theme, including menus on footballs. Fancy steaks, from Kansas City strip to porterhouse, and a monster 32-ounce prime rib await those who like to dine on plainly prepared but delicious top-quality meats. Shula's also serves chicken breast, lobster, salmon, snapper and, of course, dolphin. ($$$)
SILAS DENT'S STEAKHOUSE & BAYSIDE BAR, 5501 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach; (727) 360-6961. This beach eatery emphases top-notch steaks and seafood. Food is prepared straightforward, but with fresh, quality ingredients. Plus, there are extras such as homemade bread sprinkled with oatmeal and served with dried tomato cream cheese, a sorbet break between courses and a Parmesan dressing salad tossed tableside. ($-$$)
TEXAS CATTLE COMPANY, 2600 34th Street N., St. Petersburg; (727) 527-3335. The market-style display (featuring hearty steaks and lobster) catches your attention at this cowboy-friendly eatery. A winner is the 18-ounce T-bone teamed with a baked lobster tail. Since the eatery opened in 1985, only a handful of people have the right to say they finished the 6-pound Texas Challenge - eating a 6-pound steak, salad, potato and bread in 75 minutes. If one finishes only half, the charge is $26. A skimpy finish (leaving more than 3 pounds) will cost $40. ($-$$)
WATERCOLOUR STEAKHOUSE AND GRILLE, 1201 Gulf Blvd. (Marriott Sand Key), Clearwater Beach; (727) 596-1100. Yes, Virginia, there are some excellent restaurants along the beach, and Watercolour proves our point. The kitchen cooks up a delicious fillet of Chilean Sea Bass, and grills nothing but certified black Angus beef - expensive and worth it. Waterfront views and good service enhance the dining experience. ($$-$$$)
BARBECUE
ALEX'S SOUTHERN STYLE BAR-B-Q, 5362 W. Village Drive, Tampa; (813) 269-0050. Available from the pit are ribs, pork, beef, chicken and sausage, which Alex's serves alone, in combinations, by the pound and in family portions. Alex's Big Boy Platter, a sampler plate with more than enough meat for two, had at least a half-pound of tender, moist, shredded pork, along with chicken, ribs and sausage. The sausage was the tastiest of the meats and came in crumbly chunks coated with a sweet sauce. The mound of pork was flavorful, especially mixed with Alex's own barbecue sauce, which offers a good balance of tart and sweet. The sauce comes on everything, so tell 'em if you want it on the side. ($)
FIRST CHOICE SOUTHERN BAR-B-QUE, 10113 Adamo Drive (S.R. 60), Brandon; (813) 621-7434. Family recipes give First Choice's tangy sauce and distinctive sides a down-home flavor missing from just about every other barbecue spot except your own back yard. Sandwiches are a good deal for the buck at lunch, but for variety it's tough to beat the combination dinner platter, a choice of two meats and two sides. Fans of no-frills finger-licking will have no trouble keeping pace with the quick tempo set by the staff's rhythmic chopping. But go early for lunch - crowds frequently line up out the door. ($)
FRED FLEMING'S FAMOUS BAR-B-QUE, 4351 Fourth Street N., St. Petersburg; (727) 822-3733 (check the telephone book for other locations). In addition to good barbecue, 15 side dishes, fancy cakes and luscious milk shakes highlight the menu at this place, named for its owner, a consistent winner on the amateur barbecue circuit. Smoked turkey legs, corned beef brisket, ham steak and chicken are among the entrees. There are plenty of sandwich choices, too, including wraps. ($-$$)
HUNGRY HARRY'S FAMOUS BAR-B-QUE, 3116 Land O' Lakes Blvd., Land O' Lakes; (813) 949-2025. For lunch or dinner, Harry's stacks on helpings of delectable smoked meats and sides as though every meal was a church picnic. Chopped pork is the star, either on a bun or a platter, served with Texas toast and a choice of two side orders from among baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad. Other available sides are baked potato, green beans and corn on the cob. ($)
JIMBO'S, 4103 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 289-9724. People don't come to dine but to stuff their faces, slop sauce over the meat and wash it down with cold beer. Pork ribs are a staple, sandwiches are enormous, and a half-dozen hush puppies are perfect for sopping up the extra sauce. Surprisingly good burgers. Killer beans. ($)
KOJAK'S HOUSE OF RIBS, 2808 Gandy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 837-3774. A nice little getaway on the east end of Gandy Boulevard. The place for ribs, dirt cheap and casual. Not the place for starched white shirts. Sit on the porch if weather permits. Bayshore Boulevard is a quick jaunt. ($)
LEE ROY SELMON'S, 4302 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 871-3287. It's amusing to consider that this dressy-casual eatery bills its lineup as "comfort food." Yeah, comfort if you have an expandable Sans-A-Belt waistline. The ample portions would please an off-season Warren Sapp, particularly such oversized offerings as the fried green tomatoes appetizer, Smokin' Quesadillas and Lee Roy's Diet Plate (ribs, pulled pork and barbecue chicken). Mama Selmon's meatloaf - well-seasoned, with fresh bits of onions and green peppers - is a winner. You'll find plenty of other traditional Southern comforts, including fried chicken, crayfish-stuffed fried catfish, corn bread pudding and grits awash in bacon and cheese. ($$)
ROBERT'S MEATS, 3316 S. West Shore Blvd., Tampa; (813) 832-3584. The menu here is a meat lover's delight. Sandwiches include the quarter-pound Bobby Burger, Cubans, grilled filet mignon and New York strip. Barbecue dinners (ribs, chicken, beef and pork) come with two choices from a list of side dishes: potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, pasta miguel, barbecue beans and spinach pasta. Robert's has a no-frills dining room, or you can go for takeout and catering. ($)
SHANE'S RIB SHACK, 2081 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes; (813) 949-6790 (check the telephone book for other locations). Grab a bunch of paper towels from the roll on each table and dig into some messy platters at this franchise barbecue joint. From pulled-pork sandwiches to ribs to surprisingly good chicken wings, Shane's offers down-and-dirty barbecue in a squeaky-clean setting. ($)
Feeder's Digest is a weekly compendium of Bay area restaurants visited anonymously and recommended by Tribune restaurant critics. Prices are per couple for three courses, with a glass of wine each (where applicable) before tip and taxes.
$ means $30 or less
$$ means $30 to $60
$$$ means more than $60
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