Where Tampa Bay dines with intention. From the chef who closes when the pasta runs out to the wine list that demands a conversation — we find the tables worth the reservation.
Chef Marcus Rivera brings a Spanish-influenced kitchen to the historic Ybor City Market building on East 8th Avenue. The croquetas arrived hot. The whole fish was handled correctly. For a kitchen in its first week, this was a confident operation.
Ferrell Alvarez has been cooking on North Florida Avenue in Seminole Heights since 2013. The argument he has been making for ten years is that this neighborhood was worth the drive before anyone else agreed.
Mise en Place has been at the corner of East 8th Avenue in Ybor City for more than three decades. In a city that does not reliably keep restaurants open for three years, this is an anomaly that requires explanation.
The table we were given was not the best table in the room, but it may have been the most instructive. The kitchen at On Swann does its work in view of anyone who pays attention — and the kitchen at On Swann is worth paying attention to.
Six rooms doing something worth your time — from a Seminole Heights kitchen that sources whole animals to a St. Pete wine bar that constitutes a full evening. The drive, in each case, is worth it.