25 It was the year foods arrived in cute mason jars. It was the year local diners became comfortable uttering the word “charcuterie.” It was the year of innovative new concepts and lots of eager customers. St. Pete/Clearwater welcomed a raft of appealing new chains and saw celebrity chefs begin to stake out territory, as well as its first legit ramen house. Here are Tampa Bay Times food critic Laura Reiley’s best of the best…
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Z Grille | American Casual
$$ 104 Second St. S, St. Petersburg (727) 822-9600 Downtown St. Pete is fertile ground for ambitious independent restaurants. Owner Zack Gross and head line cook John Sybert are still sending out deviled eggs and a ridiculous but delicious more-is-more houseground foie gras steak burger, but there’s a lightness and brightness to the dishes. Must eat: Gross, a James Beard semifinalist in 2009, built his reputation on an over-the-top mentality, but there’s a fresh restraint with spicy shrimp wraps, duck confit pot stickers and tikka masala sea scallops with a foil of curried cauliflower puree and chile-tinged cucumber salad.
• WATERFRONT CONT.
Frenchy's
Frenchy’s, Clearwater Beach
Frenchy’s is almost synonymous with Clearwater Beach. There are several different locations, ranging from quaint and tiny to big and beachy. But Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill is consistently the most popular, right on the quartz sands of Clearwater Beach. The menu: Grouper sandwiches are a favorite, as well as garlic crab fries, shrimp and rich, savory She Crab soup.
Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill & Bar, Clearwater Beach A favorite since 1926, this open-air restaurant with a slate of live music is as enjoyable in the rain as in the sun. The menu: Try fried gator bites, grouper sandwich with remoulade or wasabi scallops. And don’t miss the donachos, nachos fashioned from doughnuts.
Fresco's
Fish Tales Seafood & Steak House, St. Petersburg
A true waterfront joint means diners can pull up by boat. Dock your vessel and belly up to the rustic tables at this charming, Old Florida tiki-style favorite. Boat docking is free. The menu: It’s all about creative seafood uses here, including skillets, salads and a “spicy seafood volcano” that tastes and looks exactly like it sounds.
Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro, St. Petersburg
This dockside restaurant has been around for 20 years, with stunning, up-close views of St. Petersburg’s sailboats that are especially inviting at twilight. Dogs are welcome. The menu: Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner entrees run the gamut from surf to turf. Plus, they have a full martini menu.
Paradise Grille
Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, Tarpon Springs Z Grille
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AM E R I C A’ S B E ST B E ACH ES
This family-owned favorite is all about a love of fishing, and the restaurant’s pictures of family, friends and local fishermen reflect that. You’ll learn something, too: A “rusty belly” is another name for a large male grouper. The menu: Grouper, of course. In nuggets, skewers, sandwiches and salads. There’s even a souvlaki grouper, a nod to Tarpon Springs’ Greek tradition.
ABOUT OUR TOP 25: Laura Reiley, of the Tampa Bay Times, is a former food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Baltimore Sun. She is the author of four books in the Moon Handbook series: Florida Gulf Coast; Walt Disney World and Orlando; Tampa and St. Petersburg; and Paradise Coast. She has cooked professionally and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. Reiley dines anonymously and unannounced. The Times pays all expenses.