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Dirty laundry Stephen Schrutt, owner of Hunger & Thirst Restaurant Group, the same people behind downtown St. Pete’s big hitters, The Avenue, No Vacancy, Park & Rec and Tropicana Field’s BallPark & Rec, opened a new cafe and a sweatshop with a kitsch nickname. outside the laundromat. To enter, go to the discreet payphone under the neon ‘Talk Dirty to Me’ sign inside the laundromat, receive the numeric password, then type those numbers on the payphone keypad. The push of a washing machine takes you to St. Pete’s brand new underground bar concept. 1742 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. @dirtylaundrystpete on Instagram
Chophouse Gallery In the now closed JC Noodle House, the owners of this chophouse offer steak-free dishes (bacon-stuffed chicken breast, planked salmon or pork tenderloin) to accompany all kinds of meats, as well as the infamous $ 189 24k Gold – Tomahawk Crusted Steak. 14803 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. @gallerychophouse on Facebook
boos The new 1,650 square foot fender joint from the People Behind Hooters is on Mission Bell Plaza and is just the fifth Hoots location to exist and the second Hoots to open in Tampa Bay. Last year, the first Florida Hoots opened in St. Petersburg. Hoots describes himself as “a little bit of Hooters, a little bit of his own thing,” which essentially means that there is a menu similar to his older brother’s, based on tights, but the staff, including the men, wear tights. khakis and orange shirts.12817 North Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa. hootswings.com
Red ribbon Pinellas Park Red Ribbon store is the 34th Philippine franchise store in the United States. It offers “share” cakes, including the dark purple ube overload cake (pictured above, ube is a naturally purple yam) and the mango supreme cake made from Filipino mango. For “snack” treats, the bakery offers a variety of sweet and savory pastry options like chicken empanadas and a “cheesy mamon” butter sponge cake topped with cheese. 4053 Park Boulevard N, Pinellas Park. redribbonbakeshop.us
Tostones Inc The food truck announced the new permanent digs this month, and it looks like there are plenty of outdoor seating, TV screens and, of course, classic tostones, empanadas, crazy fries, nachos and sliders. 4236 W Waters Ave., Tampa. tostonesinc.com
Coming soon
Boulon Brewery Next Level Brands’ French bistro-style restaurant will serve Water Street breakfast, lunch and dinner in a three-in-one space: restaurant, bar and cafe. ICYMI, last year Jeff Gigante, formerly of Ciccio Restaurant Group and co-founder of modern Italian restaurant Forbici in Hyde Park Village, created Next Level Brands with real estate executive Andrew Wright and Gigante Hospitality co-CEO Joseph Guggino. The company’s first project announced this year, Union New American, is slated to open any day now in the Westshore District.1001 Water Street, Tampa. nxtlevelbrands.com
Chill Bros. Scoop Shop Boasting artisanal flavors and locally sourced ingredients, Chill Bros. – which opens its third Tampa location at the Epicurean Hotel on Dec. 3 – is known for iconic ice creams like its piece of café con leche, guava pastelito, and Tampa banana. Its current seasonal fall flavors include apple pie, oatmeal cookies, and pumpkin fluffée (spiced pumpkin ice cream with crispy brown sugar streusel and cinnamon marshmallow fluff), so shop- them before they gradually disappear.1207 S Howard Ave., Tampa. chillbros.com
The crane This steak and seafood restaurant will open in the former Wig Villa space by January 2022. In addition to fresh seafood and steaks, The Crane will also offer a wide selection of handcrafted cocktails to match its upscale decor. upscale and elegant. According to I Love the Burg, like its new concept sibling Mangosteen, located at 656 Central Ave., The Crane will feature Asian-influenced cuisine. 575 Central Ave, St. Petersburg. @thecrane_stpete on Instagram
Dave’s Hot Chicken And there won’t be just one, but eight potential Dave’s Hot Chicken locations serving Tampa Bay. The owners of the California chain have said they are considering Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties for their first locations, which could open as early as next year. daveshotchicken.com
King of the cooperative This new location, Pinellas’ first KOTC Hot Chicken Center, will open in late November or early December, in the space that previously housed Westshore Pizza in the Tyrone Mall. 6928 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg. kingofthecoop.com
by Portillo Chicago favorite Portillo’s is opening its third drive-thru Tampa Bay location near Tyrone Square Mall. The fast-casual Chicago-style steak and steak sandwich concept already has locations in Tampa and Brandon, but this is the restaurant’s first foray into the ‘Burg. 2300 Tyrone Blvd., St. Petersburg. portillos.com
Sterling Cigar Lounge & Bar The fill concept will be sandwiched between 7-Eleven and the Ink Spot tattoo parlor in Ybor City. Development website obsessed with Tampa Tomorrow permits. The 2,444-square-foot ground floor will be leased to an unspecified restaurant, according to TT, while the second and third floors, which have identical plans, will house the 8 Airbnb suites in the short term. While we don’t know much about the Cigar Lounge yet, the Rooftop Bar will certainly have seating facing 7th Avenue to meet all of your Ybor people-watching needs.
Mochinout The hybrid dessert franchise already has more than 20 branches nationwide and will bring its sticky donuts to Temple Terrace in 2022. If you’re not familiar with this latest dessert trend, a mochinut combines cake mochi. of Japanese rice, with a traditional American donut, creating an ultra chewy, tear-off dessert that is unlike anything else. Mochinut will also have Korean rice flour hot dogs (aka corn dogs) and boba on its menu.11401 N 56th St., Temple Terrace. @mochinut_tampa on Instagram
ICYMI
Florida Should Pay At Least $ 150,000 For Michelin Restaurant Stars Visit Florida spokeswoman Leslie Pearsall called it “a great opportunity to elevate Florida’s food scene and make a positive economic impact on the state,” but the Miami Herald, which said the figure could be 10 times higher than the $ 150,000 initially made public, is not having access to the exact amount despite the money coming from the taxpayers.
You can dine again at Icon Safety Harbor Pizzeria Gregario As CL pointed out last October, for the past year, the owner of the Gregario pizzeria, Greg Seymour, has been baking bread and providing take-out for customers to cope during the pandemic. But now, Safety Harbor’s artisanal pizzeria will let you eat your take out meals on the outdoor patio. And yes, you can still get Gregario’s famous ‘garlic schmoo’.400 2nd St N, Safety Harbor. @pizzeriagregario on Facebook
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