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Restaurant Insider: A Peek Behind Fortu’s Premium Curtain

A matcha cocktail, crispy potato appetizer, flowery cocktail and raw hamachi appetizer are in frame on a wooden table.

There’s no screaming in the Fortu kitchen.

No overbearing culinary legend with a way too loud voice and a way too big ego at the helm.

Nathan Howey leads the cuisine team with a baseball cap on, and lots of jokes. He’s a man of few words, and he’s determined to steer away from the frigid elitism of the fine … Continue Reading

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10 Best Mexican Restaurants in St. Petersburg FL 2024

Chicken Taquitos
Must Eat Mexican Treats in St. Pete

If you search this site for “Mexican”, you may notice that I do all of the Mexican restaurant reviews. Why? It’s because I love Mexican food so much that I could literally eat it every day for a week straight. (I actually have done that before.) Two and a half decades ago when … Continue Reading

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Best Wings in St. Petersburg FL 2024

Wheelhouse Ma Brown's Extra Hot

There area a TON of places offering chicken wings in St. Pete, and this year our list has 15. They are not ranked, but are listed in random order.

First, A Little “Wingstory”

I’ve been bingeing on food history, and gorging myself on culinary education for the past several years, and the more I learn and experience, the more I … Continue Reading

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Best Places for Sushi in St. Petersburg FL 2024

Ora Salmon from New Zealand

Having completed my Foundations of Sushi Masterclass with the Master of Japanese Cuisine Academy last year, I thought it would be a good time to update the list for the best sushi in St. Pete. Technically, sushi means sour rice that is served with raw fish. Even though this is a sushi list, we also took sashimi into consideration. Sashimi … Continue Reading

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10 Best St. Petersburg Brunch Spots 2024

Bier Boutique Breakfast Tots

It’s the weekend and time to treat yourself to a terrific brunch, but where should you go? We have compiled a list of the best brunches in St. Pete to help with your decision.

Before we get into the list, an important thing you should be aware of is that there are other publishers of “best of lists” that do … Continue Reading

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Best Burgers in St. Petersburg FL 2024

The Library Burger
Best Hamburgers / Cheeseburgers in St. Petersburg FL 2024

Hamburgers! Who doesn’t get excited by hamburgers? I used to wonder why they were named this when there was no ham involved. It’s because they get they their name from Hamburg, Germany, home of a dish called the Hamburg steak that eventually evolved into what we now consider hamburgers.

“The Hamburg … Continue Reading

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Best Pizza Places in St. Petersburg, FL 2024

The-Diablo-Pizza-Featured
Best Pizza Joints in St. Pete

In the past three years, I’ve learned more about pizza than ever, and I continue to study and make about 100 pizzas a year myself. Lori and I are also Certified Pizza Judges with the Pizza Cook-off Association, and we took a pizza making course in Naples, Italy.

We’ve also eaten at the top … Continue Reading

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Fortu Restaurant is a Welcome Addition To Downtown St. Pete

Carrara Farms Australian Wagyu Bavette Steak

As a lover of all types of Asian food—I’ve taken Asian culinary courses (including a sushi masterclass), cook it at home several times a week, and have eaten it since I was a kid growing up in New Jersey back in the 1970s—you might be surprised to know I was actually a bit apprehensive when I saw the announcement on … Continue Reading

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Best Upscale-Casual Restaurants in St. Petersburg FL 2023

Grilled Black Grouper - Beluga Lentils, Colossal Crab Meat, Coconut Curry

Being in Florida, the land of vacations, fun and casualness, the term “Fine Dining” is not a favorite of some restaurateurs here as they are concerned it might make their establishment unapproachable to some potential customers. There was one restaurant where I described the food as “gourmet”, and was asked by the owner to not use that word for the … Continue Reading

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Best Taco Places in St. Petersburg FL 2023

Taquitos Tacos - Chorizo, Carnitas, Barbacoa

As I sat down to write this, the first thoughts that popped into my head were 1) Everybody loves tacos, 2) There sure are a lot of different types of tacos these days, and 3) what is the actual origin of the taco—is it really Mexican, and how close to the original are they to what we eat today?

So, … Continue Reading

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15 Best Happy Hours in St. Petersburg FL 2019 by Locals

Half PriceHouse Margaritas from Red Mesa

Ah, happy hour, the time of day that most look forward to Monday through Friday. When the clock strikes 5:00PM, folks all over scramble to the nearest watering hole to belly-up to the bar with a libation, or two, after a long work day. If you weren’t already aware, St. Pete’s dining scene is chock full of incredible happy hours, … Continue Reading

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Top 10 Cheese & Charcuterie Boards St Petersburg, FL Rated by Locals

Custom Charcuterie and Cheese Board with accompaniments from Lolitas

What’s not to love about a meticulously arranged board loaded with fine cheeses, gourmet charcuterie and luxurious accoutrements? Personally, it’s one of my favorite meal genres (to eat and create), best enjoyed slowly with the best of company and a divine bottle of wine. It’s the type of culinary dining experience that brings folks together, and always acts as a … Continue Reading

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Top 20 2019 Casual Dining Restaurants St Petersburg, FL by Locals

F.G.B.L.T. Fried Green Tomatoes, Tabasco-honey glazed Pork Belly, Pimento Cheese from Noble Crust

From Ramen and Charcuterie, to elevated pub fare and BBQ, in our city, noteworthy casual restaurants are quite abundant. What deems an eating establishment as casual? In my humble opinion, casual restaurants possess a welcoming, non-intimidating vibe, and are suitable for most any occasion. The restaurants on this particular list have the above qualities, and then some. These establishments also … Continue Reading

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