Shakshuka Recipe

To date, I have made Shakshuka more times than I can count. Each time, I make additions that feel right and tweak the recipe, in hopes of reaching the status of can't get enough, lick the plate-good. Recently, I added a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (a pantry staple in our household) and…

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…

There are many restaurants downtown in which you can order fantastic wine, cheese and charcuterie to eat in-house, but where downtown can you go buy specialty wines, cheese and charcuterie to make and serve at home? Nowhere, until now. Come mid-December Bacchus (named after the Roman god of wine), a European inspired specialty market, will…

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…

Take a look up at the sky- at any given time, approximately 5,000 airplanes are navigating through the airways above the United States. It should come as no surprise that commercial planes account for a considerable percentage of this traffic up above. January 1st, 2019 will mark 105 years since the first commercial flight took…

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…

Back by popular demand...Simmer & Sift brings to life culinary masterpieces by the area's hottest chefs. Chef David Benstock will be cooking at the last installment of the third annual Simmer & Sift event of 2018 hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday, September 26 from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Chef David's…

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…

Fixie and Hazelnut Cream and Sugar, Please

No Matter what corner of the world you reside in, if you know and appreciate craft beers, there is a substantial chance that Cycle Brewing has crossed your radar. In less than a decades's time, Cycle has become a brewery that some would argue is among the best on the planet. In fact, in 2017…

About 14 months ago we published this piece on the opening of The Hideaway Pizza Pub. At the time, the projected opening date was in the Fall of 2017. Lots of red tape, blood, sweat and tears later, it finally, quietly opened about two weeks ago. It is an old house that was converted into…