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EDITORIAL POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is a publication covering public issues, the arts and entertainment. In our pages appear views from across the political and social spectrum. They do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.
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There are still nearly 70 days until the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2025-26 season opener, but that didn’t stop hockey fans from filing into Amalie Arena to warm up their beer-drinking muscles. Bolts Brew Fest—the Bay area’s only arena-sized, super air-conditioned, beer festival—returned to downtown Tampa last Friday, complete with Denis Phillips greeting fans and the festival’s own signature Blue Line Blueberry wheat ale brewed by our pals at Channelside Brewing. See all the photos via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Ray Roa
Saturday, August 16 · 5 - 8pm 2009 N 22nd Street, Tampa, FL
• VIP $125: Just released - Only 20 pairs available • General Admission $75: Wine tasting experience and BBQ pairings.
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from August 07 - 14
You down with 8-1-3?
Tampa is celebrating its OGs with 813 Day next week—though 656s are still welcome. Aug. 13 (8/13) has more or less been the city’s official holiday since 2016. But in 2022, the 813 area code ran out of new phone numbers, leaving newbies with 656. The Unlock Tampa Bay Visitors Center (pictured) and Sparkman Wharf are throwing parties this year with giveaways, food, selfie spots and more ways to show local pride. The first 20 people at Unlock Tampa Bay get a free 813 shirt. There, local mascots will be ready for hugs and photos, including USF’s Rocky the Bull, Raymond of The Tampa Bay Rays, and The Tampa Bay Sun’s Solé (photos optional, we see you masklophobics). There will also be a DJ and over 30 vendors selling wares and giving away freebies. Partiers can get free samples from local restaurants, plus a food truck for the extra hungry. 813 Bash: Wednesday, Aug. 13. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. No cover. Unlock Tampa Bay Visitors Center, 201 N Franklin St. No. 102, Tampa. visittampabay. com—Marleigh Brown
Return of the Fluff
Shortly after his visit to Tampa Bay Comic Con, comedian Gabriel Iglesias is back in Tampa—though showing up in cosplay to see him might not go over the same this time. The 49-yearold’s “Legend of Fluffy,” was Netflix’s top-performing comedy special for the first half of 2025. He also starred in “Mr. Iglesias,” a sitcom that ran three seasons on the platform from 2019-2021. Fluffy’s comedy has evolved over nearly three decades, but is based on his everyday life, love for food, and his large MexicanAmerican family.
Gabriel Iglesias: Next Thursday, Aug. 14. 8 p.m. $135 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5223 Orient Rd., Tampa. casino.hardrock.com/tampa— Jani Burden
Italian food meets Japanese sensibility in Tampa’s newest fine dining experience. Kinjo, a Wafu-Italian pop-up, opens Wednesday. The concept is run by chefs Eric and Adriana Fralick (pictured), the minds behind Michelin-starred Koya. While the restaurant’s permanent location is under construction, its team will serve fresh pasta, house-cured meats and melt-in-your-mouth crudo in the former KōL ā b Hospitality (around the corner from Koya). It’ll also have wines from Italy and France and Japanese sake, along with craft cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. Reservations for the seven-course tasting menu are $150 per person. A la carte reservations are also available (but both go fast).
Kinjo pop up: Opens Wednesday, Aug. 13. 807 W Platt St., Tampa. kinjotampa.com
Selene San Felice
07-13, 2025 | cltampabay.com
Mama miso
Block-buster
Watch where you step because there will be no shortage of Legos in Tampa this weekend. The third annual Brick Fan Expo showcases professional builders—like “Lego Masters” Season 2 winners Mark and Steven Erickson—building zones, games, speakers and character meets. The two-day event features a mosaic of large displays made by master builders including trains, castles and scale model cities. Builds inspired by Disney fairytales, “Lord of the Rings,” Marvel superheroes, Star Wars and more will also be on display. Lego (stylized in all-caps) enthusiasts of all ages can hit the building stations to make a car and put it to the test in the 125-foot Lego RC off-road course. Dan Steininger, one of only eight official LEGO® Master Builders, is a featured guest ready to guide audiences through multiple Strongest Bridge competitions. Tim Croll from Season 2 of “Lego Masters” also hosts minifigure building competitions.
LEGO Brick Fan Festival: Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 9-10. Gates at 10 a.m. $19 & up. Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S.-Hwy 301, Tampa. floridastatefair.com—Jani Burden
That thing
It’s been a really hard year for Krystal Ralph. She lost her father and stepmom smack in the middle of last year’s hurricane. On the day she purchased her new shop, her aunt died. The lows made depression and anxiety hit harder and almost knocked the longtime Tampa artist out of the game. “I just couldn’t create to save my life it seemed,” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. But traveling and a new opportunity to take over the shop she’s worked at for so many switched things up. “Anyone who knows me knows I’m an emotional being. Speaking, sharing, and learning as well as hearing your story is how we as a community of beautiful people heal each other and grow,” Ralph said about the energy she’s bringing to a new solo show opening this weekend. “The show and new opportunity has brought me to the surface and breathed new life into my soul,” she added. “I’m not sure why life has to work this way for me but the good and bad are tied so tightly together. It’s almost a sign to just do the thing.”
‘The Workshop’ new work by Krystal Ralph: Saturday, Aug. 9. 7 p.m. No cover. Corner Club, 1502 E Sligh Ave., Tampa. @ devilswrkshop on Instagram—Ray Roa
For the first time in 10 years, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission is looking to make bear hunting available again—and there’s a chance for folks to say something about it. On Wednesday, buses will pick up bear lovers and conservationists from locations all around Florida and bring them to northern Florida for the final FWC meeting discussing the bear hunt. The free rides come courtesy of Sierra Club’s Florida Chapter, which is taking a stand against the killing of Florida’s black bears. The nonprofit will offer three free round-trip buses with pickup locations including Tampa, Brooksville, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando and Gainesville, along with a discounted hotel block for anyone who wants to drive themselves as well. Food will be provided for the bus ride and the waiver must be completed by Sunday, Aug. 10. Departure times are around 3 a.m. and are expected to bring activists back home no later than 10 p.m. Specific pickup location details will be sent as a response to RSVPs. For more information, see pg. 21.
Hop on the Bear Bus to Stop the Hunt: Wednesday, Aug. 13. No cover. sierraclub.org—Jani Burden
Daaaa bears
Service mentality
Tampa Democrat enters race to unseat Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman.
By Ray Roa
Last month, Tampa Republican Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman drew a Democratic challenger as she seeks a third term in the Florida House in 2026. On Monday, July 21, Tampa Democrat Kellas "Kell" Ross Cameron opened a campaign account to run against Gonzalez Pittman in Hillsborough County’s House District 65, according to Florida's Division of Elections website.
In a phone call with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Cameron—an educator at University of South Florida, immigrant, and member of the LGBTQ+ community—said he thinks it’s time to send real folk to represent them in Tallahassee.
“I don’t see a lot of folks really fighting for making Florida more affordable, fighting for more opportunity,” he added. “We have crises in education, infrastructure, housing, and I see a lot of folks on both sides of the aisle really just fighting either culture wars or for their own ambition.”
sure people know who he is. He also thinks that South Tampa needs a “pragmatic” elected representative.
“We have not had one in quite a while who’s just wanting to get out there and really put the ‘public servant’ in ‘public servant,’” he added.
“The people of South Tampa should know that who they’re sending up to Tallahassee is really fighting for them and not for themselves.”
Voter registration deadline for Tampa’s District 5 City Council race is August 11
ELECTIONS
Early voting in the special election for Tampa’s District 5 City Council seat doesn’t start until September, but the voter registration deadline—Monday, Aug. 11—could have already passed by the time you read this.
A press release says Cameron, who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 18, lives in South Tampa with his husband Jayson. It adds that the most urgent challenges he wants to tackle include housing and home insurance reform, public education, affordable childcare and healthcare, plus infrastructure and public transportation.
“I’m not running to check a box—I’m running because South Tampa deserves leadership that shows up, listens, and delivers real solutions,” Cameron added in the release. “This campaign is rooted in service and shared purpose, and together we can build a Florida that works for all of us. Plain and simple.”
The race is happening after the tragic passing of Councilwoman Gwen Henderson on June 10. Henderson, who was elected to the seat in May 2023, had more than 15 months left on her term, triggering a special election. Only registered voters who live in Tampa’s District 5—which stretches west-to-east from Tampa to parts of the end of Broadway Avenue and northsouth between parts of Riverhills to Harbour Island—can vote in the election.
“I see a lot of folks on both sides of the aisle really just fighting either culture wars or for their own ambition.”
The special election ends on Sept. 9, with early voting running Sept. 4-7. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held Oct. 28. Anyone who wants to vote by mail must ask the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections for a mail ballot.
He’s holding a campaign launch at 1920 Ybor on Sept. 24.
The News Service of Florida points out that Gonzalez-Pittman received 57.2% of the vote as she won a second term in November. Cameron told CL that he thinks his outcome will be different because he’s getting out early to make
There are currently 13 active candidates in the crowded race, but that field could get skinnier after the qualifying deadline on Friday, Aug. 15. The community has plenty of chances to get to know the candidates in between now and the election, too, with multiple community forums scheduled.
See a list of them to the right, and send information on yours to rroa@cltampa.com. All events are free-to-attend unless otherwise noted.
Friday, Aug. 15. 11:15 a.m. Tampa Tiger Bay Club. Cuban Club 2010 N Avenida Republica de Cuba, Ybor City. $35 & up. tigerbayclub.com
Saturday, Aug. 16. 2 p.m. Florida Rising candidate forum. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 2200 N Oregon Ave, Tampa. flrising.win/tampaforum
Monday, Aug. 18. 5:30 p.m. NAACP Hillsborough community forum. Middleton High School, 4801 N 22nd St., Tampa. @ HillsbrghNAACP on Facebook
Wednesday, Aug. 20. 6 p.m. C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library, 2607 E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Tampa
Friday, Aug. 22. 10 a.m.-noon WMNF on-air forum and debate. wmnf.org or 88.5-FM
Tuesday, Aug. 26. 5:30 p.m. Tampa Arts Alliance Candidate Forum for the Arts. The Portico, 1001 N Florida Ave., Tampa. tampartsalliance.org
Wednesday, Aug. 27. 6 p.m. Tampa Heights Civic Association, 2005 N Lamar Ave., Tampa. @TampaHeightsCivicAssoc on Facebook.
ROOTS DOWN: Kellas Ross Cameron wants to live up to the title of ‘public servant.’
Bear down
Sierra Club will shuttle local activists to oppose bear hunt.
By Jani Burden
For the first time in 10 years, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission is looking to make bear hunting available again—and there’s a chance for folks to say something about it.
On Wednesday, buses will pick up bear lovers and conservationists from locations all around Florida and bring them to northern Florida for the final FWC meeting discussing the bear hunt. The free rides come courtesy of Sierra Club’s Florida Chapter, which is taking a stand against the killing of Florida’s black bears.
“Together we can stop the FWC from approving this cruel and reckless plan,” Sierra Club FL wrote on social media. “No science backs it. Even FWC’s own data shows that bear populations have not exceeded their habitat capacity. Human-bear conflicts are preventable through education and smart waste management — not bullets. Trophy hunting is cruelty, not conservation.”
In 2015, Florida’s black bear population took a big hit with over 300 bears killed during the twoday hunt. Now, Governor DeSantis’ appointees to the FWC are planning another potentiallydisastrous hunt according to the Sierra Club.
Florida wildlife officials are considering a three-week hunt (significantly longer than the 2015 hunt), which has not yet been approved.
As previously reported, on May 21, the commission voted 4-1 to support a draft of the proposal for the hunt that would take place in December. The stand alone "no" vote came from Vice Chairman Steven Hudson suggesting that the hunt was unnecessary.
ENVIRONMENT
The Sierra Club argues the impact of the 2015 hunt took its toll on Florida’s black bear population and their population still isn’t fully recovered.
The nonprofit will offer three free round-trip buses with pickup locations including Tampa, Brooksville, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando and Gainesville, along with a discounted hotel block for anyone who wants to drive themselves as well. Food will be provided for the bus ride and the waiver must be completed by Sunday, Aug. 10. Departure times are around 3 a.m. and are expected to bring activists back home no later than 10 p.m. Specific pickup location details will be sent as a response to RSVPs.
The next step for the FWC’s bear hunt proposal will be happening at a commission meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 13 in Havana—30 minutes outside of the state capitol—where the Sierra Club is hoping for a big turnout.
While bearhuman interactions have increased over time, this can partially be attributed to deforestation. Consumer Affairs says over 360,000 people moved to Florida in 2023, creating the need for more housing. This has forced Florida black bears to move into more populated areas causing an increase in these human-bear encounters.
FWC data says the black bear population is nearing 4,000, and supporters of the bear hunt would argue they are working toward population management and safety from human-bear interactions.
In the past 50 years, Florida has recorded 42 incidents of bears physically making contact with people. The year with the most was in 2022 with eight. There were only two recorded in 2024.
FUZZY MATH: Environmentalists say FWC’s own data does not support killing bears.
KAREN
PARKER/FWC
DOGE days
St. Pete says it will ‘fully cooperate’ with Florida DOGE audit.
By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix
The City of St. Petersburg is the next target of the state of Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts. In a nine-page letter dated Aug. 1, state auditors say that among the programs the city has implemented that they want more information about are those addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion; transportation; homelessness; and the environment —or, as described in the letter, “The Green New Deal.”
The letter alleges that St. Pete taxpayers have seen their annual burden from property taxes increase by “over $95 million in the past six years, an increase of over 75%.”
targeted by Florida DOGE last month—said that the state had erred in some of its calculations about the level of local spending in the letters they received.
Regarding St. Petersburg’s DEI programs, the first ask by DOGE auditors is to find out “all jobs with the responsibility to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, or so-called anti-racism, whether or not within the Office of Equity or elsewhere.”
LOCAL NEWS
Is that accurate? The city isn’t saying.
“We have received a follow-up letter from the State Division of Governmental Oversight and Efficiency and are reviewing it carefully,” Mayor Ken Welch said in a written statement. “The City of St. Petersburg will fully cooperate, providing any additional information or clarification as requested.”
DEI in the crosshairs
Officials from Broward County and Gainesville —the first two local governments
Officials also want to see “all official goals, policy statements, mission statements, positions, or commitments made by any office or department within St. Petersburg that included diversity, equity or inclusion, and all actions taken by those offices or department in support of those activities.”
Florida DOGE also wants to know of the names and qualifications of those who conducted DEI training and the names of those who attended those trainings.
Targeting the environment
Regarding environmental initiatives, during former Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration the
city signed a pledge to transition from fossil fuels and toward a 100% renewable, zero-emissions energy future. Now Florida DOGE wants any documentation related to that pledge and all expenses associated with attempting to reach that goal.
In January 2019, the city was selected to participate in the American Cities Climate Challenge, an initiative backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future. Florida DOGE is now requesting “all actions, communications and expenditures to date in support” of that program.
And officials would like to know of any purchases or leases of electric vehicles (EV), “EV infrastructure, energy purchases associated with EV infrastructure, solar power systems, carbon credits, carbon charges, or other reduction mechanisms. ”
Mayor Welch added that “we will address any questions that may arise from the State’s process and move forward with clarity and accountability in the best interest of the residents of St. Petersburg.”
‘This is serious’
Some city council members expressed concern upon learning of the DOGE requests.
“This is serious. There’s a major chance that funding for DEI roles and parades can be cut,” said St. Petersburg City Councilmember Corey Givens Jr., referring to funding the city gives every year to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day and St. Pete Pride events.
Tampa Bay-area state Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner ripped the DeSantis administration after learning of the audit, scheduled to take place on Aug. 13 and 14.
“This isn’t fiscal oversight, it’s political retaliation. And the cost falls on working families who depend on local services to survive and thrive,” Rayner said in a statement. “If we’re serious about responsible budgeting, we should be solving Florida’s housing and insurance crisis, investing in strong public education, and working around the clock to bring down everyday costs. That’s how we build a Florida that works for all of us.”
She went on to say that if Desantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia “were serious about reducing wasteful spending and helping working-class Floridians, they would start with cutting all tax breaks to billionaires and publicly traded companies, then they would help underserved communities throughout the state recover from storms and work to fix our state’s broken insurance system so people can still afford to live here.”
DOGE emerged from a DeSantis executive order and legislation signed by the governor earlier this year. Failure by municipal leaders to cooperate could bring costly fines.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions.
TIME TO SHINE: Mayor Ken Welch said he’ll act in the ‘best interest of the residents of St. Petersburg.’
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Concerning Citizens
Hillsborough judge’s insurance ruling could have far-reaching implications.
By Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida
After a homeowner argued the process was unconstitutional, a Hillsborough County circuit judge on Aug. 1 blocked the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from using a controversial arbitration process to resolve disputed claims.
Judge Melissa M. Polo issued a temporary injunction to prevent Citizens from sending cases to arbitration at the state Division of Administrative Hearings instead of potentially facing civil lawsuits. Polo wrote that Tampa homeowner Martin Alvarez “demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success” on his arguments that the arbitration process violates part of the Florida Constitution designed to ensure access to courts.
arbitration clause at issue compels insureds (policyholders) into a forum that lacks neutrality, discovery, motion practice and meaningful judicial review.”
The ruling could have far-reaching implications, as it at least temporarily blocks the arbitration process statewide — not just for Alvarez. The process is one in a series of moves by the state and the insurance industry in recent years to curb lawsuits that they blame for driving up costs.
LOCAL NEWS
Citizens leaders and state insurance regulators approved the arbitration process in 2022, and the Legislature put it into law in 2023, according to a state House staff analysis.
law specifically authorizes the DOAH (Division of Administrative Hearings) process and we believe that the law is constitutional. Beyond that, we do not comment on pending litigation.“
Alvarez filed a lawsuit and a request for a temporary injunction on July 11, about a month after Citizens sent his claim dispute to the Division of Administrative Hearings for arbitration. Along with arguing the process violates the constitutional right to access to courts, Alvarez contends it violates due-process rights.
Documents filed in the lawsuit and at the Division of Administrative Hearings said Alvarez’s home was damaged in October 2024. Citizens’ request for an arbitration hearing indicated the dispute involves $72,811.
employees. Critics argue that the arbitration process has overwhelmingly resulted in disputes resolved in Citizens’ favor.
Citizens has argued, in part, that the process helps resolve disputes more quickly. But Alvarez’s motion for a temporary injunction said arbitration is not a “product of mutual assent and bargaining between the parties” and that private insurers don’t have similar authority to effectively require arbitration.
“Because the (Citizens) arbitration requirement … and the policy create different classes of individuals being treated differently, the arbitration requirement violates the plaintiff’s due process,” the motion said.
“Plaintiff also established that he and similarly situated Citizens policyholders will suffer irreparable harm absent injunctive relief,” Polo wrote. “Specifically, enforcement of the
“We have received the order and our legal team is working on a response,” Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier said Friday afternoon in response to the temporary injunction. “State
The constitutional issues stem from a decision by the Citizens Board of Governors in 2022 to approve what is known as a “policy endorsement” that allows Citizens or policyholders to direct claims disputes to the Division of Administrative Hearings, according to the state House staff analysis. That has led to Citizens sending hundreds of cases to the division, keeping them out of the civil court system.
Arbitration hearings are conducted by administrative law judges, who are state
The state House this spring approved a bill (HB 643) that would have revamped the arbitration process, but the bill did not pass the Senate.
Citizens was created as an insurer of last resort but became the state’s largest insurer in recent years amid problems in the private industry. Insurers blamed litigation for the problems, and the Legislature in 2022 and 2023 passed laws aimed at helping shield carriers from costly lawsuits.
Citizens had 781,467 policies as of last week.
WEIGHING OPTIONS: The 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Tampa, Florida.
DAVE DECKER
Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm Saturday 3pm-6pm
RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES
Stay curious
Slim Charmer signals an even brighter future for the Bay area dining scene.
By Kyla Fields
In a small, retro building located next to its sister concept, lies the nonchalantly-cool Slim Charmer—offering no signage other than a snake decal on its door and an elusive motto that beckons the curious diner. Located in an unassuming building amidst an undeniably-booming stretch of Central Avenue, this newly-opened cocktail bar and tasting room offers an ultra-curated libations list and intimate menu of small plates to match.
Although Slim Charmer has only been open for about five months, its staff moves with a sense of ease throughout the minimal space, quickly delivering rounds of small plates, confidently pouring wine and slinging frosted martini glasses.
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Slim Charmer
When guests walk through the door, they’re met with a dark, cool hallway-meets-dining room, with a six-person bar to the right and a handful of tables and booths lining the rest of the low-lit, slender space. It’s cool in a figurative sense, and literally, too, with the air-conditioning blasting—a welcome respite from the summer heat.
2706 Central Ave. St. Petersburg Wednesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-midnight. @slim_charmer on Instagram
The intimate cocktail bar and tasting room—with a total capacity of 26—boasts an “if you know, you know” type of vibe (said with the least amount of pretention as possible), with ultra-dim lights, flickering candles, black cement-like walls, slatted wooden ceilings and dark tables cool to the touch.
Slim Charmer’s raw bar is a logical first step in the experience, only after a martini (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) or something else from its sprawling drink menu.
Executive Chef and co-owner Rob Reinsmith and Chef de Cuisine Scott Grimm start things
off classically with market-price oysters with champagne mignonette, cocktail sauce and horseradish—although these accompaniments can change daily. A delicate crudo misto ($18) with yellowtail tuna and Faroe Island salmon is accompanied by buttery Castelvetrano olives, capers, Calabrian chilis and lemon while its other raw fish option—monochromatic hamachi dish with strawberry-rubarb verjus, pink peppercorns, Espelette and a pop of basil ($21)— offers sweeter and fruiter notes contrasting the crudo’s brininess and touch of spice.
Folks from the Pacific Northwest and Northeast may be more familiar with the razor clam, a mollusk not typically seen on Bay area menus but can still be found on Gulf Coast beaches. Slim Charmer’s rendition is served slightly steamed and chilled ($18), with a wonderfully-balanced yuzu salsa verde and pickled green tomatoes. The acidity of its garnish helps bring out the natural sweetness of the clam, offering a chewy and tart bite to be slurped (or politely-spooned) right out of the slender shells.
refined Big Mac you’ve ever had. The $20 dish features smoked cheddar, pickled mustard seeds, cornicorns and large shards of toasty ciabatte crostini to scoop it all up. The flavors are utterly familiar—not to mention perfectly seasoned—while the composition of the dish makes it exciting and fun to eat.
“It’s cool in a figurative sense, and literally, too…”
All three dishes on the small plates portion of Slim Charmer’s menu also stand out in their own ways. Ribbons of thinly-sliced speck ham are placed on a large pile of crispy, housemade potato chips ($16) and tied together with a creamy and decadent Parmesan espuma (“foam”) and black truffle. The $17 ndujastuffed, bacon wrapped dates accompany a smoky salsa rossa that balances the creeping spice of its porky filling and sweetness of the dates. These two small plates, while decadent and savory, definitely juxtapose the fresh and bright flavors of the restaurant’s raw seafood offerings.
The only non-seafood option on “The Raw” portion of the menu is also a must-order: steak tartare that tastes like the most luxurious and
Another highlight of the evening is a warm salad of roasted and raw carrots, fava beans, goat cheese feta, cured olives, mint and fried shallots ($16). Filled with herby goodness, the plate is a perfect collection of wonderful textures. continued on page 35
IYKYK: Unassuming from the outside, Slim Charmer holds treasures within.
DAVE DECKER
Rounding out the small plate offerings are three toasts: a $16 vegetarian option with locally-sourced roasted mushrooms, smoked mushroom cream, Cambozola cheese and vin cotto on sourdough, as well as an $18 option with little neck clams, pancetta, spring onion, Calabrian chili butter and fennel pollen. And if you’re feeling fancy, there’s $26 stracciatella and caviar focaccia toast with pickled shallots, meyer lemon and chives that Chef Reinsmith— who beat Bobby Flay last year—says will stay a constant on the Slim Charmer menu, despite wanting to change other items seasonally.
Slim Charmer’s drink options actually take up more space on the menu than its food offerings (diners must literally flip past several pages of drinks before finding the food).
Beverage Director Sydney Knowlton told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the spirit-forward cocktail list ($12-$15) reimagines classics in its enhancement of the room’s dark, and sexy, date night vibe. The apple martini is actually a re-definition and refinement of an often-bastardized American staple, with a 50/50 gin martini, espresso martini, and lychee martini showcasing the individual strengths of a small front-of-house team made up of all bartenders. A small, but mighty, wine list is focused on honest winemaking and breaks the trend of cocktail bars that hit home runs with spirits while phoning in the grapes. Throw in the N/A options, and Knowlton’s stacked lineup makes Slim Charmer a true destination.
more intimate and laid back environment,” Chef Grimm told CL.
Most nights, Reinsmith works shoulderto-shoulder with Grimm—who cut his teeth at Wild Child for several years prior—in a tiny kitchen that maybe spans 100 squarefeet (roughly the size of a food truck, if not smaller). Armed with one induction burner, a sandwich press, a hybrid oven and a cold line that contains a sea of little nine pans, its menu was designed to be somewhat easily executed by just two people.
A chef’s creativity can be showcased through the quality and seasonality of ingredients, but also through limitations of space and equipment.
Realizing how truly small the Slim Charmer kitchen is, the level of execution and technicality showcased from Chefs Reinsmith and Grimm becomes a tad more impressive.
“This has been a good lesson in restraint, every single component in one of those nine pans definitely needs to be there,” Reinsmith says. “The menu was designed in a way where we can get away with these impactful, bold flavors although it’s easier to execute—the toasts are a great example of that.”
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Despite offering a smaller menu—largely due in part to its literally tiny kitchen—there still feels like there’s quite a selection of flavors and techniques on display.
For now, the only large format dish on the Slim Charmer menu is an $85 dry-aged, 16-oz. steak accompanied by ramp butter, roasted garlic and a cheesy arugula salad. For the steep price tag, it may make more sense as a shareable, group-centered item, but its flavors were nonetheless comforting and well executed.
Slim Charmer’s menu feels like a “choose your own adventure” game of small bites, easily shareable plates and dishes that cater to a variety of (good) tastes. If Wild Child—Slim Charmer’s sibling concept, opened in 2020—is marked by its Asian-Latin fusion with bright flavors, herby garnishes and pops of acid, Reinsmith’s new venture dims the lights a bit with notes of savoriness, richness and umami that match its sleek, cool atmosphere.
While both restaurants share the overarching “New American” description, Reinsmith says he didn’t want Slim Charmer to be “Wild Child 2.0,” citing more of a Mediterranean and European influence instead.
“Wild Child is a more up-tempo, kind of vivacious restaurant where this is a more tamed,
Throughout Slim Charmer’s menu are whimsical little phrases that help characterize the martini bar, like “crafted for the curious” and “sip boldly, dine fearlessly.” Constantly evolving, this tasting room concept does not stick to a traditional appetizer-entree-dessert type of structure. It invites a diner and a drinker who has an open mind—someone who isn’t worried about getting in and out in under an hour. Slim Charmer is not turning and burning tables, but delivers a cozy and curated hospitality experience with a killer beverage and food program to boot.
Slim Charmer’s debut menu can be characterized as balanced and cohesive, with future plans to change certain dishes as often as every few weeks. It might be dimly lit inside, but the future is very bright at 2706 Central Ave.
The new bar and restaurant from the minds of Wild Child offers a touch of luxury, without feeling too traditional or pretentious. Its effortlessly-cool ambiance is supported by a curated menu that juxtaposes raw, acidic seafood preparations with comforting plates that help fill bellies after a few stiff drinks.
For now, Slim Charmer is open from 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays and 5 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays, with plans to expand operating hours in the future. Its kitchen closes an hour before the bar closes, so make sure to follow last-call protocols.
Reservations via Resy are definitely recommended, although Slim Charmer keeps its bar open for walk-ins. And if you can’t snag a table right away, you can always grab a drink on Wild Child’s patio next door.
TALL ORDER: Slim Charmer’s cocktail menu reimagines classics in its enhancement of the room’s vibe.
DAVE DECKER
Veg out
Annapurna Kitchen dishes savory eats out of a Tampa Heights temple.
By Kyla Fields
Tampa Heights’ new South Indian restaurant breathes life into the tired phrase, “hidden gem.” Located next to the Sanatan Mandir temple at 311 E Palm Ave., Annapurna Kitchen dishes made-to-order favorites like dosa the size of a forearm, uttapam and samosas. All of the dishes are vegetarian and most items are vegan—but everything on its small menu is packed with rich, savory flavors.
Annapurna Kitchen—which takes its name from the Hindu goddess of food and nourishment—operates out of a to-go window, but guests are more than welcome to dine-in at its banquet hall-turned-restaurant, filled with plastic tables and chairs.
the temple. Last year, temple members Sam, Yatendra and Rani Kumar donated the kitchen and restaurant to Sanatan Mandi.
Annapurna Kitchen largely serves its community before and after services and caters the temple’s popular religious events, but Mahato says more and more folks from the surrounding Tampa Heights neighborhood are stopping in for a bite.
Longtime chef Mahato has helmed the temple-associated kitchen for the last several months and wants to eventually introduce more dishes to its menu. Since the food is currently served in a very casual way, he wants to add a few more entrees and larger format meals.
OPENINGS
Annapurna Kitchen
Dosas—a thin, crepelike pancake made from a batter of fermented rice— can be prepared with a variety of vegetables, spicy dipping sauces, chutneys and hearty stews, while uttapam is a thicker, flatbread-like dish that’s made from the same batter as dosas.
311 E Palm Ave., Tampa
Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.
He also plans to add Indo-Chinese offerings to the menu, most notably a Manchurian-style dish that boasts deep-fried veggies that get coated in a sticky, tangy sauce.
Medu vada, savory doughnuts made of fermented black lentils or “urad dal,” steamed rice cakes known as idli sambar and chole puri—a chickpea curry with a side of fried bread—are all popular menu items, too.
For a sample of Annapurna Kitchen’s best eats, the Punjabi Thali offers a platter of rice, naan and a spread of savory sides like creamy lentils, a tomato-based paneer dish (that’s reminiscent of tikka masala) and curried chickpeas—all for $13.
Temple chef Subodh K Mahato tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the restaurant is able to keep its prices so low because it’s technically a nonprofit organization associated with
Before leading the temple-associated kitchen, East India-born Mahato worked on several cruise ships based out of Miami. While he’s spent over 20 years honing his skills in Italian and American steakhouse-style cuisine, he’s delighted to be focusing on Indian food once again.
You can place to-go orders at Annapurna Kitchen by calling (813)-999-1098, but there’s no social media or website for the restaurant. The temple associated restaurant also offers catering services.
And if you’re unsure of what to order at Annapurna Kitchen, Chef Mahato or his employees are happy to recommend dishes.
Sanatan Mandir’s Annapurna Kitchen is open from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. SaturdaySundays.
RAY ROA
DOWN SOUTH: South Indian cuisine is the specialty at this kitchen.
Bring home the bacon
Tampa chef wins $10K in ‘Epic Chef’ finale.
By Kyla Fields
Local chefs, foodies, sponsors and supporters packed into South Tampa’s Epicurean Theatre for the finale of Epic Chef 2025 on July 28. After a few weeks and several rounds of competing, two Tampa-based chefs faced off for the Epic Chef title and a grand prize of $10,000— representing the 10-year anniversary of Feeding Tampa Bay’s local cooking competition.
And for the first time in Epic Chef history, two female chefs—Executive Chef of Amalie Arena Marvilou Mapa and Rooster & the Till’s Angel Gaston—competed against each other in the finale.
bright succotash of corn, bell peppers, tomato and canned peas.
Throughout the competition, Gaston and Mapa worked well together in the small space, often passing each other tools and ingredients to share.
This year’s judges—Mise en Place co-owner Maryann Ferenc, Tampa Bay Times food critic Helen Freund and “Dinner Deas” host Chef Jeff Philbin—deliberated after the second round of cooking.
FOOD NEWS
Epic Chef is a “Chopped”-style competition where the contestants have to incorporate mystery ingredients into a well-composed dish that’s judged by three criteria: presentation, taste and creativity.
The final round of Epic Chef was split into two rounds of cooking with separate batches of mystery ingredients. For round one, Gaston and Mapa had to incorporate white chocolate and a whole duck into their dishes, while round two delivered the challenge of pairing canned peas with an entire tilapia.
While the two chefs prepared their dishes in two separate rounds of 30 minutes, hosts Chef Rachel Bennett, Feeding Tampa Bay president and CEO Thomas Mantz and ABC Action News’ Sean Daly introduced the judges, engaged in crowd work, and honored Epic Chef’s longtime sponsors.
Throughout the event, Mantz emphasized the mission of the local nonprofit, describing the importance of everyone in Tampa Bay having the right and access to healthy food and sustenance.
Bennett pointed out that Gaston may have been the underdog since she’s a line cook competing against an executive chef, but she proved to be a worthy contender that brought Rooster & the Till’s signature global influence to both of her dishes. During round one—despite never having broken down a whole duck before—Gaston delivered a garam masala-seasoned duck breast with carrot and white chocolate puree, mushrooms and a fennel salad, while Mapa also presented a seared duck breast with all-spice, celery root puree and a white chocolate and red wine reduction.
During round two, the chefs differentiated their approaches to the mystery ingredients, with Gaston choosing to sear the tilapia filet and serve it with a spicy romesco sauce and canned pea and caper topping. Mapa stuck to what she knew best by presenting a fried chunk of tilapia over a bed of cheesy polenta and a
They eventually deemed Chef Mapa as the winner of Epic Chef 2025—and she tearfully accepted the Marty Blitz award and a whopping $10,000. Gaston received $5,000 for second place.
In a sentimental and touching acceptance speech, Chef Mapa spoke about her struggles as both an immigrant from the Philippines and as a single mother. With the prize money, she plans to book a ticket for her and her son to visit family in the Philippines.
For more information on the annual Epic Chef competition and the year-round work that Feeding Tampa Bay does to help end food insecurity, head to feedingtampabay.org.
TOTALLY EPIC: Marvilou Mapa plans to use her prize money to see family in the Philippines.
Hot dog
Tampa sandwich shop is No. 6 in the U.S., say Yelpers.
By Jani Burden
Tampa’s sandwich shops are on a roll. Chicago Paulies, Box of Cubans and Gulf Coast Sourdough & Wild Yeast Breads recently served up knuckle sandwiches to the other sandwich joints in Tampa, and all placed on a new Yelp list of the top 100 sandwich shops in America.
Every Florida shop landed in the top 50, but Chicago Paulies—located at 1301 N Howard Ave. in the shadow of Interstate-275—took top spot in Tampa Bay at No. 6. Known for its huge Italian beef and Chicago-style dogs, this walkup hole-in-the-wall is only open from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Even then, the Yelp reviews stay consistent and say Paulie serves up some of the best Italian beef—and extended conversation—in the area.
Riverview’s family-owned Box of Cubans was next at No. 29. Besides its juicy Cuban sandwich, the restaurant also serves breakfast, a dozen different gourmet sandwiches, bowls, bakery items and an impressive lineup of empanadas. After being named Yelp’s best restaurant in Tampa Bay in 2023, it opened up a location in Tampa right off of Interstate-75 just south of the Wesley Chapel exit.
brutally honest, so Florida showed out and had a total of eight sandwich shops on the list.
The Sunshine State also took the top spot with Franky’s Deli Warehouse in South Florida being named 2025’s ultimate sandwich shop in the U.S.
Vegan food truck Nana’s Rooted serves its last customers in Tampa
A popular, plant-based food truck recently said, “See you later” to Tampa Bay. Last month, Anisa Mejia of Nana’s Rooted is marked her last weekend at Tampa’s Food Truck Culture (4914 E Broadway Ave.).
FOOD NEWS
“Thank you for loving us, supporting us and building community here—my heart is so fuzzy, as I will miss a lot of you guys,” Mejia wrote on Instagram. “I will try and hug as many of you as I can, BUT this is NOT a goodbye! This is a “See you later.” She explains that she and her family are moving to the DMV area (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) and will eventually reopen Nana’s Rooted 2.0 after licensing and inspections are approved.
Also representing the Bay area on the list is Seminole Heights’ Gulf Coast Sourdough & Wild Yeast Breads (No. 47), located in one of the most undersung strip malls of Tampa. While it isn’t open for dinner, Gulf Coast’s pressed sandwiches on a bed of house-made sourdough are available until 3 p.m. Sandwich lovers can grab one of its specialty sandwiches like meatball, pastrami or Italian. Additionally, the made-by-hand bread is sold by the loaf at the restaurant.
Yelp reviewers hold sub-stantial power. They fashion themselves as picky, observant and
Nana’s was known for its nourishing, plantbased dishes, unique smoothies, empanadas and beloved “plates of the day.”
Before opening her food truck in Tampa last summer, Mejia operated a popular brick and mortar in Ybor City. Following a series of controversial code complaints, Mejia eventually closed the Ybor restaurant and relocated to a nearby food truck, but never stopped dishing out her beloved, plant-based eats and spreading knowledge of holistic cooking throughout her community.—Kyla Fields
ASK ME ABOUT MY WEINER: Paulies is also known for its huge Italian beef.
August 23, 2025
MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE
Ego death
Comedy’s biggest clusterfuck is back in Ybor City.
By Selene San Felice
This week in Ybor City is the Super Bowl for kids who skipped school to watch “Whose Line Is It Anyway” reruns. And even if you weren’t among them, Countdown Improv Festival organizers Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters promise their “comedy clusterfuck” is worth seeing.
For its ninth year, the country’s biggest improv festival boasts a record-breaking 120plus acts. Along with Hillsborough Community College stages, this year the Commodore theater (811 E 7th Ave.) hosts shows all five nights.
The Saturday matinee for kids and families has also returned. And, thanks to a TECO sponsorship, there are now more military and veteran workshops.
• The Harmonica Jacob Show A recurring improv talk show throughout the festival hosted by Jacob Moyer of Delavan, Wisconsin. Aug. 7, 7 and 10:15 p.m. HCC Studio
• Swept Away! A Soap Opera Madison, Wisconsin trio Amanda Rogers, Lauren Aquino Kochanowski and Dan Row are joined by a talking broom. Aug. 8 at 9 p.m., HCC Studio
• Sloogle St. Louis comedian Joshua Slobe improvises with Google and AI. Aug. 8 at 10:40 p.m., HCC Mainstage
COMEDY
Countdown Improv Festival Select shows and workshops in Ybor City through Aug. 10 countdownimprovfestival.com
Buttermore and Peters are aware that improv has garnered a reputation of being corny or cringey, but they believe in ushering in a new generation of comedy that is bolder, freer and funnier than ever.
For that to work, Buttermore tells comedians to shed the sermonizing and self-centric tendencies of modern stand-up and collaborate.
“It’s egoless. At its heart, that’s what improv is all about,” Buttermore told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “If you’re up there looking out for yourself or trying to force your own point of view on the scene, it will not work…. It’s meant to be done in partnership with the people you’re up there with, or if you’re solo, up there with the audience.”
• EGOT San Diego duo and Countdown newcomers Amber Largent and Joe Partynski play delusional actors reveling in live THEATRAH. Aug. 9 at 9 p.m., HCC Mainstage
• Crossed Wires A Countdown Festival favorite from Madison, Wisconsin duo Amanda Rogers and Steve Wyeth, aka Atlas Improv. Aug. 9 at 7:10 p.m., HCC Mainstage Countdown venue the Commodore has also become a clubhouse of sorts, beyond improv, and it’s host to this trio of shows from homegrown talent that you won’t want to miss either.
• Salud and Happy Days Guest storyteller Arthur Baker shares misadventures of being the festival’s lawyer. Aug 8 at 7:15 p.m., The Commodore
“It’s egoless. At its heart, that’s what improv is all about.”
She can’t guarantee that every Countdown show will be a hit, but she does promise that in challenging assumptions, there will be something funny for everyone.
“If you think you know improv, think again and come check us out,” Buttermore added. It’ll be hard to figure out exactly where you want to experience Countdown, but the festival draws performers from across the country; here are a few visiting performances you might want to check out.
• Whatever Fate Decides A show based on a live tarot reading from a Rhode Island duo. Aug. 7, 8:35 p.m., HCC Studio
• The Captain’s Wheel: Local celebrity Version Guests including Kari Goetz, Christen Hailey, Stephanie Harrison Bailey go head to head against improvisers in challenges. Aug. 9 at 7:15 p.m., The Commodore
• John Must Die A solo show from St. Pete’s John Lasavath (co-owner of The Commodore), who won’t let an assassin take his spotlight. Aug. 6, 8:35 p.m., The Commodore
Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng bring their demented debate show to Tampa this fall
Former “Daily Show” correspondents Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng might seem like friends, but that’s propaganda from the corrupt liberal media. Their show, “Hasan Hates Ronny/ Ronny Hates Hasan: A Debate To The Death,”
promises less decorum and more personal jabs than a CNN presidential debate. The two will fight about “war, the economy, immigration, infrastructure, food, dating, family values, and of course, the impending Race War,” per the show description. Tampa is one of 19 cities on the tour, and there’s no better place for two libs
to duke it out than the city where Democrats turn into card-carrying members of the GOP.
Tickets start at $49.40 for “Hasan Hates Ronny/Ronny Hates Hasan: A Debate To The Death,” happening Oct. 10 inside Tampa’s Morsani Hall at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
FREE TO BE: Countdown founders Kelly Buttermore (L) and Justin Peters.
ON VIEW NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21
CREATIVE FREEDOM
FEBRUARY 1
Rising sun
Tampa
By Jani Burden
The Sun’s pioneer season was about as successful as it could be. Tampa Bay’s first-ever professional women’s soccer team finished with a record of 14-6-10, the first-ever USL Super League Championship, and plans for a permanent stadium in Ybor City. But next month, the slate gets wiped clean.
Tampa Bay Sun FC starts its 2025-26 season with an away game against Brooklyn FC on Aug. 23. Though the Ybor City stadium is far from becoming a reality, the team will play its first home match at Riverfront Stadium on Aug. 30 against a newcomer to the USL, Sporting Jacksonville.
While the current USL Super League Champions are hoping for back-to-back trophies, almost a dozen player transfers or changes (so far) have shaken up the roster.
One notable loss is the Tampa Bay Sun’s leading goal scorer Cecil Fløe Nielson, who will play for Italy’s Napoli Femminile this year. She had 12 of the team’s 45 goals during the 2024-25 season.
SPORTS
The Sun’s other big goalscorers Natasha Flint and Carlee Giammona remain in Tampa (for now).
As fans learned last year, the USL Super League season is split in half, with a month-long break for the athletes in between. For the Sun, the Fall season ends Dec. 20 and the Spring season begins Jan. 31.
The Tampa Bay Sun have 14 games in downtown Tampa this season, where Sun fans can head to Riverfront Stadium at Blake High School to see their favorite players on the pitch.
Regardless of these shifts in personnel, Christina Unkel, President and General Manager of Tampa Bay Sun FC wants to keep things moving.
“We’re ready to build on the tremendous success of our inaugural season,” Unkel wrote in a press release. “Together with our fans, we’re showing the Tampa Bay area the power of women’s sports. If you want to be inspired, see incredible action, or just have a great time, then come see the Sun next season.”
Clara Driscoll, American, 1861-1944, Manufacturer: Tiffany Studios, American,
Daffodil Lamp Shade with Iris Base, c. 1900, Leaded glass and bronze; modern wiring, Gift of Mary Alice McClendon in honor of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary
scorers,
Saturday, Aug 9, 2025 • 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Annual Tampa Noles Block Party
@ Italian Club of Tampa 1731 East 7th Avenue
From $43.44 bit.ly/NolesBlockParty
Saturday, Aug 9, 2025 • 11:00 AM
Free Flow Yoga @ HIVE
1802 East 3rd Avenue
Free to the public bit.ly/HiveFreeYoga
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025 • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Street Photography Class
@ Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
1630 East 7th Avenue
$81.88 - General Admission bit.ly/PhotographyClassYbor
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2025 • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Coffee & Referrals
@ Ybor City Coffee and Tea Co
1907 North 19th Street
$12.51- GA Early Bird, $20 - GA after August 4 bit.ly/CoffeeReferralsYbor
Saturday, Aug 16, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Bordeaux + BBQ | Wine Tasting Event
@ Chateau Cellars
2009 North 22nd Street
$88.02 General Admission
bit.ly/BordeauxBBQYbor
Saturday, Aug 16, 2025 • 6:00 PM
BOOKS, BREWS, & BREAKTHROUGHS
@ Ybor City Coffee and Tea Co
1907 North 19th Street
Open to the public bit.ly/BooksBrewsBreakthroughs
Saturday, August 16 - 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Billy Joel/ Elton John Tribute Band @ 1920 Ybor
Tickets start at $20 1920 E 7th Ave
https://bit.ly/1920BillyJoelTribute
Sunday, August 17, 2025 • 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Chicken Yoga w/ Yoga Loft Tampa & Ybor Misfits
@ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue
$14.64 General Admission bit.ly/ChickenYoga
Saturday, August 23, 2025 • 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tampa Brushes and Bubbles
@ Ybor City Society Wine Bar 1600 East 7th Avenue
Tickets from $46.21 bit.ly/BrushesAndBubbles
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 • 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Girls Night Out the Show®
@ Showbar Ybor
1613 East 7th Avenue
Tickets start at $19.12 bit.ly/GirlsNightOutYbor
(Don’t forget to VOTE for your favorite Ybor City restaurants @ vote.cltampa.com)
Jimmy’s Tacos 1604 N 17th St jimmystacosfl.com
Mema’s Alaskan Tacos 1903 N 19th St memasalaskantacos.com
Samurai Blue Sushi & Sake Bar 1600 E 8th Ave samuraiblue.com
Where to Live:
Casa Ybor • casaybor.com
Casa Ybor offers unique retail spaces, office spaces, and apartment homes for rent or lease in both newly constructed and lovingly restored historic buildings throughout the vibrant National Historic Landmark District of Ybor City near Downtown Tampa, Florida.
La Union • bit.ly/LaUnionYbor
Community, connection, and culture come together at La Unión Apartments, where Tampa’s rich history and vibrant future unite. Inspired by the historic social hall once on this site, our Ybor City apartments honor that legacy by fostering bonds among residents, the neighborhood, and the area’s deep-rooted heritage.
Miles at Ybor • milesatybor.com
Step into the pulse of Tampa’s most vibrant neighborhood at Miles at Ybor, where modern luxury apartments in Tampa blend seamlessly with the rich cultural tapestry of historic Ybor City. These aren’t just furnished apartments in Ybor City – they’re your gateway to an elevated urban lifestyle that celebrates both heritage and innovation.
Bradley’s on 7th 1510 E 7th Ave, Tampa
Festive gay bar with a pool table, happy hours & live entertainment in a dimly-lit setting. Coldest bar in Ybor. bradleyson7th.com
Zoom Room Dog Training 2409 E 2nd Ave, Suite 1
Providing exceptional dog training classes using only positive reinforcement. zoomroom.com
El Encanto Tattoo 1820 N 15th St
Located in Ybor City at the Historic Building ”El Encanto” encantoybor.com
So alive
Ahead of Clearwater show, Mike Campbell explains his dirty job.
By Josh Bradley
The last time Tampa Bay hosted Mike Campbell—Tom Petty’s right-hand man in the Heartbreakers for just over 40 years, and then some—he closed his set at the sinceshuttered Ybor City location of Orpheum with a rendition of John Sebastian’s “The Stories We Could Tell,” which his old boss would often dust off. And after years of more or less hiding in the shadows, original Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch came out from behind the kit and harmonized centerstage, right next to his old friend. Whether or not that finale was meant to be symbolic—considering the spontaneity of Lynch’s one-summer only position in Campbell’s solo band, The Dirty Knobs—that summer of what one could call the first Heartbreakers reunion tour does serve as another story to be told.
Needless to say, the last decade has been nothing short of a whirlwind for the 75-yearold, Jacksonville-born Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Tom Petty’s shocking death in 2017 following a triumphant 40th anniversary tour with his boys marked the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new one that was tricky to break into.
“I used to be really shy, intimidated and insecure, especially about singing,” Campbell told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay during a recent phone call. When he covered for Lindsey Buckingham on what seems to be Fleetwood Mac’s last tour in the late-2010s, he spent time hanging out with Stevie Nicks’ vocal coach Steve Real, who would give him some pointers that helped to boost his self-confidence. And if you know anything about the Mac, it doesn’t get much more confident than the White Witch herself.
“I realized that if you step up to the microphone and you’re not sure of yourself, you’re gonna suck, you know?” Campbell continued. “But if you step up, and you’re like ‘I know I can do this. I know I got this. I’m under control,’ and you’ve got the confidence, it’s usually pretty good.”
Though it’s understandable how confidence was an issue for him for so many years.
The best friendships are the ones where honesty is a two-way street, even when a plethora of constructive criticism all at once
can become a bitch of a pill to swallow. In Campbell’s autobiography “Heartbreaker” (which released earlier this year), he recalls how the “great truth-teller” Tom Petty gave him some unyielding advice upon first hearing some Dirty Knobs demos back in the day: The songs sounded like an imitation of him, and anyone who told Campbell that he sounded good was lying to him. The songs were shelved (he told CL that he doesn’t remember which specific six or seven songs Petty heard), and while his partner’s truth stung, he still saw
It comes through you, and then you just grab it and try to hone it into something that makes sense,” he added.
And like any creator, Campbell’s primary honing technique is as simple as constant revision and redos of arrangements, lyrics, and recordings.
“Once I feel like ‘well, this is not embarrassing,’ I might play it for somebody, see if they like it or not,” he mentioned. “It’s kind of an intimidating job, but I love it.”
own debut album Wreckless Abandon emerged in 2020. “It’s a continuation of playing live in the studio to get the takes down with some kinetic energy between the players, as opposed to building a song up track by track,” he recounted.
“It’s kind of an intimidating job, but I love it.”
Songwriting styles evolve over time, as well as the process of immortalizing those works on tape. While most of the Heartbreakers’ albums required polishing, as time went by, overdubbing and excessive production became less and less
it as an opportunity to work on his craft as a songwriter.
These days, Campbell cites movie conversations and chord changes in old songs as examples of how his material has evolved in the songwriting process. “It’s really starting from just a germ of inspiration, which comes from Lord knows where, some magical sphere somewhere.
necessary. “There was a lot of that shit going on back in the day, which I don’t do anymore. I don’t have patience for it—I just want to play,” Campbell declared.
But by 2010’s Mojo (the ‘Breakers’ penultimate record), the band was recording with little to no overdubbing, and this was a practice that Campbell imported over to his band when its
It was the same deal on the Knobs’ latest album, last summer’s Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, too. The record—which is either very Heartbreakerscoded, or proves just how Mike Campbell-centralized each Heartbreakers record was—featured guest spots from Graham Nash, Campbell’s fellow former Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, and in tow, a new second guitarist.
Founding Knob Jason Sinay (with an alter ego of Ape) left the fold in mid-2022, just before the band opened a few shows for The Who. And as difficult of a loss that was, Campbell swears that current guitarist Chris Holt (who had performed on some Don Henley solo material with Knobs bassist Lance Morrison) is a “godsend” due to his eclecticism, variety of instrumental knowledge, and his matching personality.
“He came in and just elevated everything like, 10 times,” Campbell recalled. “He sings great harmony, plays amazing guitars, and he also plays keyboards, which allows us to have a wider set list.”
While Campbell is unsure about any future Petty vault projects (which you’d have to ask his estate about), he brought up how the Dirty Knobs are starting to build up an impressive vault of their own, due to how constantly he’s writing material. In short, if you were worried, Campbell is making it pretty clear that his Clearwater debut next week—which is the second-to-last show of his summer tour—won’t be the last we hear of the Dirty Knobs.
And the show will continue the post-Heartbreakers brotherhood motifs that Pettyheads have been so lucky to witness, because joining the band on drums will be Steve Ferrone (founding member Matt Laug is out drumming for some band called AC/DC), who banged the cans for the Heartbreakers in the last 25-or-so years of their existence.
“We just had that bond of ‘all for one and one for all,’ and once we found our sound, we weren’t gonna let anybody fuck with it, you know?” Campbell explained. “We knew we had something special, and we were grateful for it.”
Even with the sandy-haired Gainesville boy almost eight years gone, the brotherhood of his Heartbreakers remains nearly unmatched. The stories it could tell, man.
MISFIT, TOO: Campbell used to be really shy, intimidated and insecure, especially about singing.
By Ray Roa
THU 07
C Lee Bains III w/The Burke Bros./Mark Wagner/Jeff Brawer In 2019, The Bitter Southerner suggested that Lee Bains III and his band The Glory Fires might’ve made “the Most Important Rock Record About the South Ever Released.” Deconstructed lives up to the hype, even 15 years after its release, on the strength of red-hot rock and roll that doesn’t shy away from America’s troubled past. Once signed to Sub Pop, Bains is on the road solo this time as part of his “Done Playing Dead” tour. (The Nest at St. Pete Brewing Co., St. Petersburg)
C KenTheMan Three years after landing on XXL magazine’s vaunted “Freshman Class,” and more after driving UberEats around Houston, Kentavia Miller headlines clubs across the country with her “masculine” energy. “People started telling me when I rap that I have this dominance in the booth, this aggression that a man would normally have,” she recently said about her moniker Kentheman. While the 31-year-old’s new album is titled Kinda Famous , don’t be surprised if this is the last time you see Kentheman in a room this small. (District 8, Ybor City)
FRI 08
C 808 Day: Deezy Wee The Reaper w/ Vern Senior/Beyo/Dfaz/WldChldBeatz/ Chido Keef/Spon/Yzm From “Planet Rock” to “Sexual Healing” and even Kanye’s 2008 electro-pop record, Roland’s TR-808 has left a mark on music in more ways than we probably realize. To celebrate, Tampa DJ and promoter Danny Fazioli is taking advantage of the calendar to celebrate with a summer party that collects Tampa rappers and producers who’ve also embraced the classic drum machine. Expect the walls to rattle as talent drops production and rocks mics during the backyard party. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
A.R. Rahman You might know his work from “Slumdog Millionaire,” but A.R. Rahman’s influence goes beyond Bollywood. The Grammy-winning 58-year-old composer will showcase his range during what’s billed as an immersive “Wonderment” concert that blends classical and contemporary Indian music into a cinematic show. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)
C Back To School Brainwash II: Dea & Saint w/Giorgi/Movie Props/Lesa Silvermore The only way to get over rearending a cop car is to write a song, especially if you’re Michael Giorgi. The once-Floridabased songwriter did that on “No Sign Of Stopping,” a new single that’s got the anthemic qualities of Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American. His band joins homegrown
favorites like genre-bending duo Dea & Saint for this no-cover barcade concert. (The Potion Portal, St. Petersburg)
Kevin Jordan Ries There aren’t a lot of chances for locals to see the Ries Brothers not on the same stage, but Kevin (guitarist for the reggae-rock duo that just released a new single with 311’s Nick Hexum), plays a solo set where we hope to see him show off some of the ambient instrumental music he works on in his free time. (The Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)
C Sonora Tukukuy w/Aliqua feat. Zanzibean/Domino Pink Miami has long been a melting pot of culture, and nowhere is that more evident than in the sounds that come out of the local scene. Sonora Tukukuy is one of the finest purveyors of genre-melding music and is known for the way it uses cumbia as the foundation for dance-floor ready funk that isn’t afraid to get weird either (how many bands use a theremin anymore?). Domino Pink, a shreddy garage-rock band from Palmetto, opens the show. If you can’t make this one, the Sonora Tukukuy plays a nocover show at The Bends on Thursday, Aug. 7. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)
SAT 09
Dream Window As the band’s 45th anniversary approaches, Best of the Bay-winning prog-rock outfit Dream Window plays the retail location of Bananas Music, In May, the six-piece premiered a new song called “It’s Only A Job,” which has a sound that embodies the vibe of an early, Peter Banks-era Yes song. It isn’t available on streaming yet, but knowing how long an instrumental break can go in progressive rock, expect a long night with lots of new material. (Bananas Records, St. Petersburg)—Josh Bradley
C Mustard Service w/Strawberry Milk
Cult/Sam E. Miami is all up in the Bay area’s culo this weekend. Cumbia fusionist Sonora Tukukuy plays two shows on both sides of the Bay, and Mustard Service is back to make a rare appearance in Tampa. The self-proclaimed “zest-pop” outfit is touring behind a brand new album, Vice City Magic , released last month. From the Spanish-language opener (“2 AM”) to breezy final track (“There You Go Again”), Mustard Service spends the record’s 32 minutes enhancing the seductive indie-rock from a 2017 debut, to great effect. Equallyeffervescent Houston band Strawberry Milk Cult opens. (Orpheum, Tampa)
C Walled City w/Spanish Needles/ Caught Fire/Headless State/Minnøch With DeSantis’ DOGE team on the way to audit St. Petersburg, there’s never been a better time to hear the message in music from homegrown acts like Walled City. The anti-fascist punk quartet released a new single, “Six Weeks,” over the summer. The searing track slams politicians who’ve weaponized the “sanctity of life” for votes. “No
THU AUGUST 07–THU AUGUST 14
social services, no safety net. Your baby? Your problem,” the band sings. “Even if left unsaid, Criminalized healthcare; can’t take the risk. It’s pro-life ‘til birth, then it’s over; that’s it.” The b-side (a live recording of “Our Bodies”) hits just as hard. (Noisemakers Music, St. Petersburg)
The Writer’s Room Showcase: Rebekah Pulley/Josh Plummer/Jay Taylor/Dean Johanesen/more Bayboro Brewing Co. has stepped up to give St. Petersburg vibes akin to the one at beloved-and-since-shuttered listening room the Hideaway Cafe, but the basement cabaret at Palladium Theater is doing the same with this workshop-inthe-open. Every two weeks, homegrown songwriters trade ideas, inspiration, and songs borne after pulling prompts from a hat. Eight songsmiths, including scene staples Rebekah Pulley and Dean Johanesen, take the stage in two separate sets.(Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
SUN 10
C Kesha w/Scissor Sisters/Rose Gray Brush your teeth with a bottle of Jack because Kesha closes her ‘Tits Out’ summer tour in Tampa. The 38-year-old pop star says her album Period (stylized as the punctuation mark), serves as her first record as an independent artist (she broke free from her previous contracts early last year) and as a rebirth of sorts. A press release describes Period , which was released on Independence Day (because of course) as “a raw, daring, and intensely personal sonic journey, a defiant act of self-expression that refuses to adhere to expectations or play it safe.” On its first U.S. tour in over a decade, glam-pop outfit Scissor Sisters will reunite for an opening set every night. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)—JB
C Sokolowski Trombone Project Filip Sokolowski, leader of what is perhaps the only Bay area band fronted entirely by trombones, has been on the scene since 2017 and is a pupil of beloved ‘bone badass Tom Brantley. His outfit includes Brantley, along with New Orleans-influenced James Wall (Schaff-Wall Collective), 2023 Pinellas County Rookie Music Teacher Kamyl Alicea, plus bass trombonists Nathan Petersen and Jordan Harris. For this Summer Bloom album release show, they’re joined by keyboardist Julian Pernett, drummer Rod Alnord and bassist Erik Hempel in the band’s pursuit of promoting new ways to experience trombone through innovative arrangements of standards and modern music. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)
C Yot Club w/Cathedral Bells If Wes Anderson was a Gen-Z songwriter confined to his home and obsessed with jangle-pop, then he might have ended up in Yot Club. Reared in Mississippi and based in Nashville, Ryan Kaiser saw his bedroom project explode off Soundcloud
Sokolowski Trombone Project
when “YKWIM?” went viral on the way to earning nearly 900 million streams on Spotify alone. He’s supporting Yot Club’s 2024 album Rufus and teasing tracks from a forthcoming new EP, Rule of Thirds (due Aug. 15). (Crowbar, Ybor City)
TUE 12
C Attack Dog Members of Attack Dog were probably toddlers in 2009. That didn’t stop the Philadelphia indie-rock band from naming its latest album Remastered 2009 , and the aesthetic, which harkens back to the ‘90s when bands like Pavement and Piebald were all the rage, is just as fun and irreverent. “God’s least favorite boy band,” Bradenton’s Spanish Bombs!, opens alongside Clearwater punk outfit Toe Knife. (Deviant Libation, Tampa)
D4vd A couple years after opening for SZA, David Anthony Burke is back in the Bay area. The 20-year-ol songwriter better known as D4vd (stylized all-lowercase) has a debut album to share, and initial reports describe a vulnerable set that signals a new era for the emergent talent. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
THU 14
Ego Likeness Absolution Fest is almost back, but fans of trance and industrial body music don’t have to wait. Communion After Dark continues to book acts from that spectrum and does it again with a Baltimore outfit fronted by Donna Lynch, who’s also doing a spoken word set. (Music hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)
See more via cltampa.com/music.
C CL Recommends
Less than a month after Wu-Tang Clan closed its final tour in Philadelphia, Method Man is getting together with his old friend Redman for a Tampa-exclusive show in December.
The rap superduo played a slot at the Hollywood Bowl last month to celebrate The Roots, and while there’s seemingly no animosity between the two, Redman recently stated in an interview that he doesn’t hang out with ol’ Clifford Smith outside of work. On the other hand, he’s more than open
Sokolowski Trombone Project (album release) Sunday, Aug. 10. 6 p.m. $17.49. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Brandon Bing Thursday, Aug. 14. 8 p.m. $14.48. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Dark Remedy w/Pistols At Dawn Friday, Aug. 22. 7 p.m. $15. Brass Mug, Tampa
Astari Nite w/His Panic (opening for Selofan) Saturday, Aug. 23. 7 p.m. $27.51. Crowbar, Ybor City
Tampa Death Fest: Deceptor w/ Precipice/Fupa Goddess/Smrt/Eternal Culling/Pontifex/Corrupted Saint/ Pantheon/Scarsin/MRSA/more FridaySaturday, Sept. 5-6. 4:30 p.m. $20 per day. Brass Mug, Tampa
Sheena Easton w/Chloe Lowery Sunday, Oct. 12. 7 p.m. $45 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
Sullivan King Friday, Oct. 24. 10 p.m. $48.81 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City
to creating a Blackout! 3 with his pal. Well, as soon as the latter finds time in between focusing on acting and production, anyway.
Tickets to see Method Man & Redman play Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Thursday, Dec. 18 go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. and start at $71.50.
See my weekly rundown of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—Josh Bradley
Peter Frampton Friday, Oct. 31. 8 p.m.
$93.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Hayes Carll w/Jobi Riccio Tuesday, Nov. 4. 8 p.m. $30.30. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
I’m a cis bisexual woman in my 30s, married to a man. I am an American and I’ve been living in Europe for the past decade. I’m self-employed, and it’s a pretty lonely existence sometimes. I don’t speak the local language well. It’s a very tightknit culture, and everybody seems like they’ve had their friend groups since birth. I’ve had a really hard time forming close relationships with people here. ANYWAY. My husband and I tried opening our marriage around 2018 and slept with other people on and off until last year. I don’t feel like the experience was a net positive for me; it really exacerbated my loneliness and anxiety, but we’re monogamous again and our marriage is fine. In the midst of all of this, I met a woman, and we became friends. It came up in conversation that I’ve been to certain nightclubs in Berlin and, after dancing around the topic, we both admitted to being in open relationships. Since then, whenever we hang out, she spends a lot of time talking about her dating life and how great it is, and goes into really explicit detail. I’ve told her that I’m not dating anymore. I’ve cried in front of her, telling her the effect that it all had on my mental health, but it doesn’t seem to stop her from viewing me as her kinky, open friend that she can talk about this stuff with.
If you haven’t told her that hearing about her sexual adventures dredges up your own painful memories, your friend—if she’s really that dense (and some people really are)—might not know she’s upsetting you. And if she really is that dense, she’s not going to be able to figure out what she did wrong when you ghost her and might obsess over what she did wrong.
Or—hey—maybe she knows hearing about the last four dicks she sucked is making you miserable, and she doesn’t care.
SAVAGE LOVE
There’s only one way to find out whether your friend is either a well-meaning but clueless dolt who might be capable of a course correction or whether she’s a self-involved asshole who doesn’t care about you: speak the fuck up. If you say something—if you politely ask her to spare you the sex stories—you might save this friendship. If you ghost her instead, you’re definitely going to lose one of the few friends you have. Seeing as you feel isolated, ICHY, it seems to me that you should err on the side of saving this friendship.
Millions of people are going to share dirty pics online today, POSER, and most will face no negative consequences. But your fears are not unfounded: people have lost jobs, friends, and spouses—and gotten in trouble with their roommates—after making their homemade smut public. You can protect your identity by using a fake name and burner email, scrubbing metadata from your photos (don’t ask me how; I have to ask my husband’s boyfriend to turn on the TV), cropping your face out of photos, and blurring out uniquely identifying features, e.g. tattoos, freckles, shower tiles, framed family photos on your nightstand, etc.
me it will work out. And please don’t beat up on me, Dan, as I’m not the one who’s into that.—Very Anxious Nerd In Love Lacking Assurances
I won’t beat you up—you’re not into that—but I’m not going to lie to you.
I have hardly any friends, so I’d hate to lose her, but I also don’t enjoy her company when it’s so much about her amazing sex life. I get really anxious hearing about other people’s sex lives, which I recognize is a “me” issue. It’s not like I’m her only outlet for sex talk, because she tells me (brags, even) that she can talk very freely about her sex life with other friends, coworkers, and even her siblings. Do I politely decline her invitations to hang out until she gets the point and stops reaching out? Do I tell her directly that listening to her stories puts me on the verge of a panic attack? Do I work harder in therapy?—I Can’t Hear You
Fading away—declining your friend’s invites until she gets the hint—will definitely send a message, ICHY, but it’ll be a vague, self-defeating, and needlessly cruel message.
Zooming out for a second: this woman would have to be dense not to realize you don’t wanna listen to her sex stories. But some people are dense. You met her when you were open, and you cried in front of her when you shared your own story. Someone of reasonable emotional intelligence might think, “Hey, it might be painful for my friend to listen to my stories about KitKatClub when her experiences there were so painful.” But this friend—if she is a friend (more on that in a moment)—might figure you’re okay hearing about her stories since her experiences aren’t the ones that made you cry.
If you can’t find the words, ICHY, feel free to copy, paste, and send this to your friend: “I like spending time with you but when the conversation turns to your sex life it makes me feel anxious not because you’re doing anything wrong but because I’m still processing the fallout from my own experiences with openness, which weren’t great. Remember how I cried? You’ve got lots of other people you can talk to about this stuff—even your siblings—so I want to be the friend you talk with about anything and everything else. Deal?”
If this woman is an asshole, the next time you get together, she’ll launch into a story about her last visit to KitKatClub, and you can feel free to ghost her. If she’s not an asshole, she’ll talk with you about the shows she’s binging or the museums she visited in Berlin when she wasn’t getting fucked on the dance floor at Berghain, and you can keep hanging out.
I recently signed up for a free fetish website and discovered I LOVE sharing photos of my body and getting anonymous comments/likes. However, I’m keeping things pretty PG-13 for fear of my identity somehow being exposed. I literally worry about an ex recognizing my butt freckles or a roommate seeing our shower tiles. And the imagined consequences: how it might impact my job, my family, my reputation in the community, etc. I’d be turned on by posting more NC-17 or even R-rated content, but have been quelled by my fears. Any advice? Should I go for it with the naughty stuff or stay modest? —Posting Online Smut Entails Risk
And remember: Even if you delete an image seconds after posting it, someone may have already saved it and/or some bot may have already scraped it and an image you posted to one website (or shared privately) can end up on a million other websites. (A friend posted a photo online 15 years ago that became iconic in gay kink circles and wound up on coffee cups.) But in addition to the billions of dirty photos already in circulation and the millions that will be added today—to say nothing of the advent of AI porn and the penumbra of plausible deniability it has created (“Sure, that’s my face but that’s not me that’s AI!”)—your dirty pics will most likely get lost in the pile. And with almost everyone having shared a few dirty pics online these days, dirty pics have less power to destroy a person’s life than they once did.
P.S. No risk, no reward. P.P.S. Not giving a fuck who sees your photos is also an option.
I’ve been seeing this boy I really like for six months. I’m writing to you and not some other advice columnist because I don’t want my hangups to screw up the best relationship I’ve ever had. He’s into latex (he owns SO much latex clothing) and loves BDSM. When he has kinky sex with someone, he’s absolutely euphoric afterwards. Nothing we do together makes him feel the way a “play” session with a dominant man makes him feel. He says he enjoys vanilla sex with me, and I shouldn’t think he’s lying about that because he initiates all the time. But he only watches kink porn, never vanilla porn, and it’s hard not to get in my head about it. We’re both gay and in our 20s. He’s a little younger than I am, but he’s way more sexually experienced. He tells me that he’s never met someone in the kink scene he wanted to date (although some kinky men have wanted to date him), and he’s sure he wants a vanilla life partner. How do I know that’s not a lie? How can I be sure he won’t catch feelings for some kinky guy he plays with? I could never do the things he needs because I can’t bear to hurt him (or anyone!), and he says it wouldn’t work with me doing it to him anyway. Tell me why you don’t think he’s lying to me and how I can relax and enjoy this relationship. Tell
This relationship might not work out. Most relationships don’t. And your boyfriend could be bullshitting you about what he wants. In his kinky heart of hearts, your boyfriend might want a life partner who shares every single one of his kinks. But then he met you, VANILLA, and he really liked you… and he really enjoyed having vanilla sex with you… and right now, he’s thinking about settling for you.
That sounds awful, I realize, but being “settled for” isn’t a bad thing. No one gets everything they want in a relationship, VANILLA, which means there’s been some compromising—there’s been some settling—on both sides of every successful long-term relationship. There’s no settling down without settling for. So, if giving up on finding a kinky life partner is the price of admission he’s willing to pay to be with you, VANILLA, you can let him pay that price. And sucking up your insecurities—willing yourself to take his “yes” for an answer—will be the price of admission you pay to be with him.
Now for the good news: It’s entirely possible your boyfriend is telling you the truth. Some kinksters don’t like to mix romance and kink. Someone like your boyfriend may need his kinky play partners to be fantasy figures. VANILLA, and while life partners can make good or even great sex partners (and it sounds like you guys have good sex), life partners are not fantasy figures. They’re reality figures. And the fact that your boyfriend is young and experienced argues in favor of him telling you the truth. If he’s played with and dated kinky guys, he’s speaking from experience when he tells you that mixing kink and love doesn’t work for him.
So, it’s entirely possible your boyfriend isn’t settling for you at all—well, at least not where his kinks are concerned. And so long as you don’t make the mistake of asking him to choose between your insecurities and his kinks, this could work. It actually sounds like this relationship is already working, VANILLA, and will keep working—and may even work out—if you don’t let your insecurities screw it up.
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Pursuant to Section 715.109, notice is hereby given that the following property will be offered for public sale and will sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for cash: a 1986 BAYS mobile home, VIN 33610416V and the contents therein, if any abandoned by Dan Lee Jenkens (deceased), Known Heirs of Dan Lee Jenkins, and Unknown Heirs of Dan Lee Jenkins. on Friday, August 15, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at 1 Heron Drive, Tavares, FL 32778. ICARD, MERRILL, CULLIS, TIMM, FUREN & GINSBURG, P.A. Alyssa M. Nohren FL Bar No. 352410 2033 Main Street Suite 600 Sarasota, Florida 34237 Telephone: (941) 366-8100 Facsimile: (941) 366-6384 anohren@ icardmerrill.com smenasco@icardmerrill.com Attorney for Fountainview Estates, LLC
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Pursuant to Section 715.109, notice is hereby given that the following property will be offered for public sale and will sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for cash: A 2005 PALH mobile home, VIN FLFL470A31662LF31 and a 2005 FTWD mobile home, VIN FLFL470B31662LF31, and the contents therein, if any, abandoned by previous owners and tenant John Werner On August 18, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at 4810 NW Highway 72, Lot #211, Arcadia, FL 34266. ICARD, MERRILL, CULLIS, TIMM, FUREN & GINSBURG, P.A.
Alyssa M. Nohren FL Bar No. 352410 2033 Main Street Suite 600 Sarasota, Florida 34237 Telephone: (941) 366-8100 Facsimile: (941) 366-6384 anohren@icardmerrill.com smenasco@icardmerrill.com Attorneys for Desoto Village
