No Vacancy: Where You Can Eat, Drink, St Pete and Vacay Everyday

On Thursday night, we were invited to a pre-opening party for No Vacancy. Quite honestly we weren't sure what to expect. No Vacancy currently occupies the former King's Street space and is the brainchild of Stephen Schrutt of The Hunger + Thirst Group which also includes The Avenue and Park & Rec. Schrutt said that…

A couple of months ago Rococo Steak started opening at 11am for Sunday brunch. Kevin and I were invited in to photograph and taste a few of the brunch items. Brunch is done a lot downtown and we have covered quite a few of them, so I was really not quite sure what to expect.…

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PIECE WAS WRITTEN WHEN THE NAME OF THE RESTAURANT WAS THE PEABODY, IT IS NOW THE LIBRARY. From the minute you walk thru the doors of The Peabody, you feel transported back in time. A serene setting of tables within an old fashioned library surrounding a bar. All of this located in…

That's right! IL Ritorno will now be open on Sunday at 5:00, for dinner only (except for private events), starting on January 7th, 2019. So to thwart the inevitable question in advance, they will not be serving a brunch. They have had such a high demand for Sunday reservations and are constantly having to turn…

We sat down with Jason Saal, GM, of La V Vietnamese Fusion, Asie and Nouvelle Beauty Bar, and were given some exciting news. Asie's last day will be Wednesday, November 21st. The restaurant will shut down for a week and then reopen as Luna Loca (which means Crazy Moon in Spanish) on Friday, November 30th.…

Mazzaro's owners, Kurt and Mary Cuccaro, are set to open a new restaurant named Alto Mare Fish Bar, mid-November/early December right next door to Annata. (Alto Mare means deep sea in Italian.) It will be located where the Hooker Tea Co. used to be. The restaurant is a seafood concept with a Hamptons seaside coastal airy…

The Left Bank Bistro is a new St. Pete restaurant in the Historic Uptown / Crescent Heights area of town. It's located on MLK a couple of blocks north of Hook's. It's best described as "accessible French cuisine, coffee & cocktails in an intimate, inviting setting." They are now open for business in phase 1, which…

Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi is a fast-casual Pan-Asian restaurant that is opening its first Tampa Bay area location in downtown St. Petersburg. The 2,700 sq. ft. location is located at 320 Third Street South – in the base of the Camden Pier District apartment building, formerly AER. The grand opening is tomorrow, October 5th.…

Saigon Blonde recently opened to great acclaim several months ago on Central Ave in the old LUX location. Currently it is a bar that transports you to an atmosphere that is most assuredly Asian and makes you feel like you are on vacation on a lush tropical Asian Isle. But they were missing one thing…

Arriving on the St Pete scene in 2005, BellaBrava has been a mainstay in downtown for many years. Well before the restaurant boom that has hit us now. Originally occupying the space on Central Avenue, where The Acropolis Greek Taverna is now, they moved to their iconic Beach Dr location in 2010. After Chef Jeffrey…

Quietly, back in April 2018, 23 Restaurant Services, while in town for their buildout of Ford's Garage and Yeoman's Cask & Ale, stumbled upon Souzou Asian Kitchen and bought it. They've been running it as Souzou for months. The transformation is now complete, and Saké 23 debuts this weekend with their Grand Opening Events: Friday, 9/21…

The Crafty Squirrel is hosting a grand opening event tonight, Thursday, September 13th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. There will be a formal gathering with Mayor Rick Kriseman, a complimentary sampling of menu items, $250 in raffle prizes, and more! [caption id="attachment_12183" align="alignnone" width="4032"] Interior[/caption] Guests will have an opportunity to taste items on the menu…

When we first learned about Beantown Pub opening we were very excited to have something different opening downtown. Here's our original write up about Beantown Pub opening. It's nice to have a pub with pub food that's true to its roots. Beantown has been an institution in Boston for over 20 years and they brought…

Pacific Counter officially opened yesterday, Tuesday, Sept 4th. Kevin and I were invited for a sneak peek last Thursday, the day before their soft opening. We originally reported on them back in March. Pacific Counter is the culmination of a dream between partners, Tanner Loebel, Eric Bialek and Chef Chitt Tock. Tanner was the founder…

Stillwaters Tavern is, in their own words, "A Modern American Tavern, where classic American dishes blend harmoniously with old world flavors. The menu highlights items from both land and sea, with a focus on bringing unique flavors from our kitchen to your table." They work with local artisans and farmers to serve the best available…