A Welcome Addition to North Hyde

Willa’s | By Ronda M. Parag

hile it can be a bit tricky to navigate the closed roads around the newest restaurant W in North Hyde Park, Willa’s is certainly worth discovering. Located at the corner of Fig and Rome in Tampa, the surrounding neighborhood residents are thrilled that Willa’s is now open. With nearly 2,500 new apartments and homes in the nearby area of south Tampa, downtown Tampa, Tampa Heights and just a short walk from UT, Willa’s is certain to become a neighborhood hot spot. The adjacent Willa’s Provisions serving up King State coffee, delicious pastries, soft-served ice cream and other to-go items recently opened.

Founded by Tampa natives, Nate Siegel and Merrin Jenkins, and named after Jenkins, great-great-grandmother William Lowry, the casual, chic, industrial-design restaurant and bar serves up a seasonal menu of classic American cuisine with French influences. The namesake of the restaurant was a 19th-century Tampa pioneer whose original family home remains today on South Plant Avenue. Willa’s devotion to the city and civic involvement still reverberates throughout Tampa: she convinced Andrew Carnegie to help fund the first public library in Tampa, established what would become the second Girl Scouts of America troop, and improved educational opportunities for children by forming the Free Kindergarten Association.

“To us, a neighborhood restaurant is casual, serves classic food people want to eat all the time and has an attentive staff that remembers regulars,” says co-founder Nate Siegel. “With Willa’s, we’re thrilled to serve and support Tampa with a place we hope locals and visitors alike will want to come again and again.”

The menu is divided between snacks, appetizers, sandwiches, soups and salads and plates, along with daily specials, created by Chef Zakari Davila, a Tampa native who trained at French Culinary Institute in NYC and Lyon. Most everything is made in-house, from breads to the tonics used in the crafted cocktails. A couple of our favorite cocktails were the Gingers Rule and the Manhattan.

A signature dish is the Rotisserie Chicken which is always on menu and is used to make stock and bone broth for many of the dishes including Chicken & Rice Soup, Schmaltz Potatoes and more. The Miso Õra King Salmon with seared haricot verts, lemon & dressed greens was cooked to perfection. The Tahini Caesar Salad with romaine and kale with a mountain of grana padano and rustic croutons, was large enough for us to share.

Be sure to save room for a sweet finish made by Pastry Chef Benjamin Copeland (formerly of The Gasparilla Inn & Club). We tried the daily special of Creme Caramel, similar to a Creme Brulee, but no sugar topping, and it delighted with its sweet caramel sauce. M

1700 West Fig Street, Tampa, FL 33606 Current hours: Wednesday - Sunday from 5 - 10 p.m. Expanded hours for lunch and brunch expected soon. www.willastampa.com

Haiku Tampa| By Ronda M. Parag

he newest Asian fusion restaurant in downtown Tampa offers up unique flavors and ambiance. The T colorful interior, great music and tantalizing menu fill the space with an energy that provides a fun and festive dining experience. Haiku opened in late January and is a welcome addition to Tampa’s restaurant scene with its colorful design, both on the interior, and on the plate.

On a recent evening the restaurant was filled with beautiful people sipping cocktails and enjoying the energy at the bar. The central downtown Tampa location offers both indoor and outdoor seating at the ground level of the Element. Haiku offers the Izakaya style experience, which is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves cocktails and small plates. Izakaya’s are casual and offer a great place to gather with friends for happy hour and daily celebrations with beverages ranging from sakes to sangrias, and hand-crafted cocktails including a house favorite Ginger Bloom or the Dragons Breath.

Executive Chef David Reyes has always had a passion and interest in Japanese and Asian influence culture and food. He was raised in a Spanish Mexican family in Chicago, where his parents incorporated Asian influence in their cooking. With over two decades of hospitality experience, Chef Reyes looks to create “poetry on the plate.” Reyes brings plenty of passion and experience to Haiku’s Japanese fusion menu.

The menu offers a great selection of Asian inspired starters and sharable dishes including Duck Bao Buns, Tabesaki Wings and a selection of Tempura, Braised Pork Belly and Wood-Fired Yakitori. Choose from several ramen and rice dishes, and for vegans, there are plenty of menu options. Be sure to try the house specialty — Wagyu served on a hot stone with shishito chili, spicy mango, soy dim and veggie yakitori.

For sushi and sashimi lovers, be tempted with variety of rolls filled with tenderloin, crab, tuna, salmon or vegetables. While most Asian fusion restaurants don’t offer many dessert options, Haiku makes theirs in-house and a favorite is the Blossom & Pear Custard and the Flourless Chocolate Torte topped with matcha ice cream, crushed pistacho and salted rice crunchies.

The gorgeous, floral ceiling private dining space is ideal to host an intimate dinner for family and friends. Grab a seat on the outside patio while the weather is still ideal to enjoy a delicious meal or creatively crafted cocktail. M

808 N. Franklin Street (Ground level of Element condos), Tampa, FL 33602 Reservations are recommended. Open: Wednesday - Friday 4 p.m. Saturday - Sunday 11a.m. - 3 p.m., Dinner starting at 5 p.m. 813.644.5787 | www.haikutampa.com

Foto Bohemia Photo:

N 27° 56.802 W 082° 27.789

In Plant Park at The University of Tampa, stands the “Sticks of Fire.” This metal sculpture, by artist O.V. Shaffer, commemorates the ‘spirit of Tampa’ and is designed in seven parts to be symbolic of the ideal of perfection toward which everyone may aspire in one’s own personal way, and to serve as a meeting place on the green for the past, the present, and the future. M

TAMPA BAY + ORLANDO’S GUIDE TO ELEGANT EVENTS

Ronda Parag - 813-835-7700 Ext. 12 Stephen Parag - 813-835-7700 Ext. 14