Creative Loafing Tampa — July 15, 2021

Page 27

RESTAURANTS

RECIPES

DINING GUIDES

Counter me in

Free grub and beer is just part of this week’s foodie news roundup. By Katlynn Mullins and Stephanie Powers

A

t this point, why even pay for your food and drink, amirite? (That’s wrong, actually; pay for it, and tip well, please.) Busch Gardens has free beer, and a local credit union is buying you lunch, but that’s not all that’s happening in local food news. See the latest roundup below. Open Pete’s General The second location of Pete’s General store and bakery is now open in St. Pete’s Grand Central district. This rendition of Pete’s is a lot less bodega-esque and a lot more focused on its signature baked goods. This rendition of Pete’s is a lot less bodegaesque and more focused on signature baked goods. Whether you’re looking for fresh bagels, biscuits, coffee cake or croissants, this manatee-manned storefront is waiting to greet you with coffee in hand. The hours at Pete’s new location match its first location (uptown at 495 7th Ave. N)—both are open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. or until product sells out. 2361 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. petesgeneral.com

a third Bay area location mearusing at just over 1,800-square-feet and found in between Grain & Berry and Amazing Lash in the Holiday plaza. This location is smaller than the two in Tampa, but there's still room for 40 indoor seats along with a pet-friendly patio and 40 more outdoor seats. La Segunda just celebrated its 106th birthday, making it one of the oldest and mostcelebrated flagships in the city. While the Ybor location is known for the Cuban bread it supplies local restaurants, the St. Pete location will focus more on delivery, catering and grab-andgo orders. Named one of Food & Wine’s Top 100 Bakeries in America, La Segunda is bringing its Cuban sandwiches to St. Pete, along with Italian cookies, guava-cheese turnovers and cafe con leche. An opening is expected this fall when the business’ hours will be 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. 2436 4th St. N, St. Petersburg. lasegundabakery.com Mr. Pinchos A local favorite for authentic Puerto Rican food, is set to open a restaurant in Riverview this year. The concept currently operates a food truck out of Riverview at 9401 US Hwy-301 S, and occasionally hauls it across Tampa Bay. Mr. Pinchos’ second location will be nearby, but this doesn’t mean the end of the food truck. You’ll still be able to get your mofongo fix until the new restaurant opens, along with made-to-order blue crab empanadillas or the concept’s namesake, pinchos pollo or pinchos cerdo (skewers filled with your choice of chicken or pork). Mr. Pinchos is open Thursday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. plus and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. 8203 U.S. Highway 301 S, Riverview. Mr. Pinchos on Facebook Ponte Tampa Chef Chris Ponte is forging ahead with the opening of his latest concept later this year at Midtown. Ponte Tampa—set to feature an “elegant array of Modern American cuisine” including local seafood and plenty of steaks—has been in the works since right after the 2019 debut of Olivia, an Italian restaurant Ponte owns with his wife Michelle and son JT Mahoney. He also owns On Swann and the recently-shuttered Cafe Ponte in Clearwater. 1010 Gramercy Ln., Tampa. midtowntampa.com

OPENINGS & CLOSINGS

Coming soon Common Dialect Beerworks Seminole Heights is getting a new brewery attached to the future location of Kendra and Mike Conze’s pet boutique Health Mutt, just across the street from Independent Bar & Cafe. A first reading for wet zoning went well, and final approvals should come before August. Plans uploaded to the City of Tampa’s permitting portal on March 29 show the entrance to Common Dialect’s brewery facing Florida Avenue, with the microbrewery behind it. A patio is planned for the south side of the building, with a nook carved out for a food truck. Mike—a six-year vet of Brew Hub—previously told CL that the 10-barrel facility would eventually become home to a core lineup of beers, plus foeder-aged mixed fermentation offerings, but anticipated Common Dialect to lean on “pilsners, maybe something barrel-aged, plus some double IPAs and IPAs” as it gets off the ground. 5023 N Florida Ave., Tampa. @commondialectbeerworks on Instagram La Segunda Bakery An iconic Ybor City bakery expands to St. Petersburg this fall with

PRETTY IN PINK: A ‘Hawaii Meets Champa Bowl’ from St. Pete’s Pacific Counter is up for grabs on July 19. Reopening Skipper’s Smokehouse There’s no official opening date, and live music announcements aren’t set for sometime in the next few weeks, but the iconic Tampa restaurant and venue held a limited-capacity four-day soft opening last weekend. Last summer, the 40-year-old institution closed in the wake of the pandemic. Eight months later—after entertaining several offers that just weren’t the right fit—Skipper’s surprised locals by announcing plans to reopen soon. The menu is different, but feedback was good, and “head bottle washer” Cricket Larson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, “What we’re doing right now is to ensure survivability. Not just for the next three months, but for the next five years—we want another four decades of Skipper’s.” 910 Skipper Rd., Tampa. skipperssmokehouse.com—Ray Roa ICYMI Coors Light made a beer with the actual ice the Lightning played on In what feels like an attempt to out Bud Lightning the competition, Coors literally scraped ice from the arena during the championship game, filtered, blended it with the company’s signature brew and sent it back for fans to enjoy at local bars last Monday during the team’s boat parade. Coors said a limited number of collectible 32-oz. “Champions Ice” growlers will also hit the market. coorslight.com

Free beer is back at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Sea World is in on it, too, but Busch Gardens says it’s bringing back the theme park and zoo’s best attraction. From now through the end of July, guests 21 years old and over can stop by the Garden Gate Café for two 7-oz. complimentary beers from 11:30 a.m. until one hour before the park closes. Free beer has been a Busch Gardens staple for 50 years, all the way back to when it was owned by Anheuser-Busch, but the park ended the promotion in 2009. In 2019, during its 60th anniversary, BG brought it back, and now it’s back again. 10165 N McKinley Dr., Tampa. buschgardens.com—Colin Wolf Grow Financial announces free food giveaways at Tampa Bay restaurants The credit union’s “Grow On Us” campaign is back and picking up the tab at local restaurants across Tampa and St. Petersburg from now until Aug. 2. Up for grabs on July 19 is a free “Hawaii Meets Champa Bowl” from St. Pete’s Pacific Counter. Pickup is at 10 a.m. On July 24, locals can get a Tampa Bakery Box complete with a piña colada cookie sandwich, orange creamsicle macaron, key lime pie cupcake, confetti cookie and a black cocoa cookie from Wandering Whisk (4505 Park Blvd N, St. Pete; pickup, again, is at 10 a.m.) Augustine’s Cheesecakes is up on July 30 and the Ice Dreammm Shop tops things off on Aug. 2. @growfinancial on Instagram

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