Lately, fireworks and the Fourth of July call out ringing declamations of the sad state of independents in the retail trade, especially restaurants.
Tough competition and tough times abound, sure, but something about the restaurant business leads entrepreneurs to soldier on. After first bites at two new independents, I'm glad they do, and I urge them to keep trying.
In St. Petersburg, Reiner Heimann, who brought us a contemporary light touch to Continental cooking in 1996, returned to his old location last month. It's now under the name Bayfront Tower Grill (1 Beach Drive, St. Petersburg; 727-551-2001), with a more casual menu of meat and seafood, and a full bar in the works.
He's off to a good start with straightforward main courses that include crisply done sea bass and inch-thick pork tenderloin with a choice of mix and match sauces, priced under $20.
Several side dishes showed Heimann's classical elegance and European roots: silkly marinated salmon, tomato soup kissed with orange juice and zest, stout Mitteleuropean yellow pea soup, and cream-besotted tiramisu for dessert.
The restaurant needs to perfect some of the other trimmings and correct some missteps in global seasonings. Bread was dull and old, and the sauces didn't include a winner on my visit: Tarragon cream was a cold flavored butter, and chimichurri was too much of a pepper sauce (make mine simple: vinegar, parsley, olive oil and maybe garlic).
All my dishes were accompanied by an Asian vegetable melange too heavy with celery and bean sprouts, not the right accent.
Although service faces the tough challenge of succeeding Ruth Heimann, who died two years ago, it has the casual good nature to deliver a friendly watering hole and traditional dining to St. Petersburg's growing condo row.
Even veteran culinary prospectors will be surprised to find Garrett's in the rough of Tampa's Gandy Boulevard.
Yet amid the paint balls, scuba gear, used TVs and botanica saints, there's now chestnut gnocchi, baby vegetables, foie gras and snapper with a lavender beurre blanc.
That's the work of Garrett Andrews, a chef who left International Plaza's Profusion to start a place with the help of his family and some former co-workers. (Uncle David is CEO; brother Lance manages and tends bar when not on duty at MacDill Air Force Base).
Despite the location, Garrett's is cozy and bright, with wood, tile and alabaster lamps, and a short, ambitious menu that Andrews calls Continental. Few others of that name (or any other style locally) would try a creamy veloute of peas and fish stock for shrimp and scallops on linguine. I think it's a fine, if rich, idea; peas and scallops are always good.
Tenderloin of rabbit wrapped in prosciutto and leeks was more daring, but not yet successful. It's too tough. Green apple rosemary jelly for the pork needed more herbal kick.
But Andrews has added lots of extras: morel cream sauces, great roast potatoes, a smart wine list and a drop-dead cake of couverture chocolate for dessert. Lunch runs to $8; dinners range between $14.75 and $24.75
After two weeks, Garrett's (2908 W Gandy Blvd., Tampa, 813-835-0463) is off to a promising beginning and wants to be one of our best. That will take time, but it's a bolder effort than most established restaurants have tried.
Tampa Bay bouillabaisse
Here's what has floated to the top of the news stewing in our pot as summer gets started.
On the downtown St. Petersburg watch, an oft-turned corner will taste the Pacific again, as Asia Grill (277 Central Ave., 727-821-1211), a venture started by neighbor Vincent Fortunato. Asia will specialize in quick-serve Chinese and Japanese cooking with food-court style and prices, plus ready-to-go sushi.
Fans of Dong Phuong alert: Bowls of hot pho and refreshing bun noodle salads are again on the menu of Tampa's Henderson Boulevard, two doors from the spot where Phuong Lu once held court. May Pho Pasteur (3646 Henderson Blvd., 813-877-7739) has different owners and no social butterflies, but neighbors still hungry for Vietnamese will find it bright, clean and bargain-priced. Many variations on bun and pho, plus hu tieu noodles and com rice dishes. Nothing is priced over $7.
