El Cap

3500 4th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33704
Tel: (727) 521-1314

The burgers are tasty and the shoestring potatoes are an absolute must. El Cap is a St. Petersburg landmark worth visiting, but be prepared for the fact that the service is a little brusque. People, especially sports fans, love to hang out here with friends. Dress your handmade all beef burger or cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, etc. The ketchup and mustard are on the table within easy reach. Other bar food is available, as well as cold beer. A steady stream of people makes weekends difficult to find a seat in the dining room or a spot in the parking lot. The feeling among diners is relaxed and casual.

Gennaro's Ristorante Italiano & Pizzeria

2004 Pass-A-Grille Way, St. Pete Beach, FL. Tel. 360-0563

Heading home after a fun day at the beach we spotted a sign for Gennaro's Pizza. We hadn't been there before, but it looked homey so we went in. Long story short, we had a terrific dinner. I went around raving about the food to all my friends and soon discovered that I wasn't alone in my thinking. This little storefront restaurant has been around for awhile and it is better than ever. For me the hard part is deciding between the pizzas, all are delicious served on an elevated tray at your table. or the spinach, garlic and oil served over penne. But they have everything; Subs, soups, salads, veal dishes, shrimp alfredo....okay enough. I've never had enough room left for dessert but have always wanted to try the Cannolli. Give it a try it and let me know how good it tastes.

Fresh Market

2900 4th Street North St. Petersburg, FL
Monday - Saturday 9-9
Sunday 10-8

The new Fresh Market opened in St. Petersburg this month with a lot of fanfare and yes, a few parking issues. The interior is upscale, clean and bright, festooned with pumpkins, sunflowers and robust Fall fruits and vegetables. This Fresh Market has the distinction of being the 100th store opened in the chain. I was in search of comfort food as I was headed to a dear friend's house whose father passed away over the weekend. The bakery drew my sweet tooth in and wouldn't let me go empty handed. I packed a new burlap Fresh Market bag with Orange Cranberry Walnut bread, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Almond Stuffed Sugar Cookies and imported English Breakfast Tea, preparing for an afternoon of photo sorting and reminiscing. The Whoopie Pies went first, because well, who doesn't love spice cake sandwiched by a lovely cream center? Speaking of love, the not too sweet, but very satisfying Cranberry bread was a hit, and the cookies had a wonderful rich center that went along nicely with the tea. There was much more to experience in this brand new space, but the weekend crowd was a bit overwhelming for in depth shopping. Not sure there is anything new here, but the family owned business is bringing quality prepared foods and groceries under one roof. They deliver the goods, inspire the gourmet (or gourmand) in us, and maybe provided a little comfort to my friends.

Museum of Fine Arts -- MFA Cafe

255 Beach Drive NE., St. Petersburg, FL. Tel. 822-1032

On recently becoming a member of the MFA I planned to take full advantage of everything it had to offer. The museum is very good at promoting their exhibits and gallery talks through both website and newsletter. Quite often though, there's the urge to explore first hand, take a closer look, and so I discovered the Cafe. Actually, I can't take any credit, it would be hard to miss. When the new Hazel Hough wing was built a cafe was placed in the very large atrium beneath a wall of windows that look out onto the sparkling waters of Tampa Bay. Ingenious! Who could resist wanting to dine on stark white tablecloths in such a setting. It oozes sophistication. I've found the lunches and dinners to be light and flavorful and am always pleasantly surprised by their presentation. Salads and seasonal soups are fresh and healthy, but a heartier meal can be had. Dine al fresco on the terrace beneath the palms even tour the museum when you're done. It's all worth the visit and you might even become a member! Prices are reasonable and there's no entrance fee to dine in the cafe or to visit the museum store.

Munch's Restaurant

3920 6th Street South St. Petersburg, FL 33705
Tel 727-896-5972

Munch's Restaurant has been around since 1952 and they've certainly perfected the "diner" experience. I was there on Sunday morning, along with many other people looking for a hearty breakfast. The interior is clean, well kept and takes you back to the fifties with its counter and booth service. The service is fast and friendly, so you won't have to wait long for these homemade dishes. You could sense that most of the people happily waiting for their order were on a return visit. I chose the Gulfport SOS which turned out to be a delicious mountain of toast, cheese grits, ham and eggs. They served it with a little parmesan cheese on the side, which added some tang. I don't usually like white toast, but the heat caramelized the ingredients into a irresistible combination. My friend ate every bite of his Field Hash (I had a smidge), a perfectly seasoned combination of pork sausage, onions, peppers, and spiced potatoes. Munch's is unique in their ability to improve upon classic fare. Breakfast entree prices were mostly under $7 and there was plenty to fill up on. I'll be back to indulge in the Munch Burger, their Fried Chicken and the Fried Green Tomatoes. I'll let you know how that goes.

Bella Brava - The New World Trattoria

204 Beach Drive, St. Petersburg, FL. Tel. 895-5515

The definition of trattoria is, 'an informal restaurant or tavern serving simple Italian dishes'. Bella Brava - The New World Trattoria offers cuisine that is far from simple. Yes, their menu offers the familiar pasta dishes that we know and love but there are many very creative dishes too. Such as the Lobster and White Truffle Mac-n-Cheese? Need I say more.

Thin crust pizza is made to order in their Woodstone stove. My dining partner and I shared a BLT pizza; gorgonzola cheese melted over pancetta, oven roasted tomatoes, arugula and red onion. Sounds light? It was, and delicious. We each had a salad, my friend had the conventional Caesar and I tried the House Misticanza, so green and fresh with a light citrus dressing. Very good. We each ordered a glass of pinot grigio and escaped with a check of less than $36 for two. If we hadn't been late for the MFA talk on Egyptian art we definitely would have stayed for dessert. Next time.

Bella's large corner location with outdoor seating sits just across the avenue from the new French restaurant, Cassis (see my review), creating a very festive corner. It might be my imagination but to me the food at Brava seems to taste better since their move to Beach Drive. At the moment Beach Drive is bringing out the best in a row of new restaurants and St. Petersburg residents are making the most of it.

Bella Brava - The New World Trattoria. Well, if this is the new world I want more!

Worden Farm

Saturday Morning Market
Downtown St. Petersburg
Al Lang Stadium/Progress Energy Park
1st Street & 1st Avenue South
Every Saturday, October - May

I went to one of my favorite spots at the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Petersburg last Saturday. I missed them the first week, but was very happy to see the return of the Worden Farm booth on my return trip. They only have organic offerings and all the choices are fresh, green and unlike some of the choices at the surrounding grocery stores --- local. The upscale restaurants I've visited throughout the country lately seem to be putting an emphasis on local farms and organic choices. Until recently it was a challenge to buy quality organic vegetables and fruits in St. Petersburg. At Worden's, I picked up a huge bag of basil, some kale and a bucket of zucchini. It seemed like everyone in this part of the market had an armload of fresh picked basil. Its fragrance was intoxicating, but a family of three has a hard time consuming this much of the delicious herb. So I made plans to have people over and set about figuring out what to cook. I visited the Worden Farm website and found a great recipe for pesto. Yes, some people think that pesto has a checkered past, based mainly on its meteoric rise and fall in popularity in the nineties. I remember a particularly cheeky friend announcing after a few glasses of wine, "pine nuts are very underrated," (circa 1996.) We all laughed at the ridiculousness of it, but we were caught up in the fervor of the era too. The simplicity of the recipe, mainly basil, garlic, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil and a quick whirl in the food processor makes pesto an easy meal. Add a little fettuccine, simple salad, some bread and "voila," you have something to impress your friends. Everyone loved the pesto and for me, it brought back a great decade to my mind, one that saw the debut of the Food Network, a Pottery Barn catalog in every mailbox, and a full set of Calphalon listed on every bridal registry.