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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.
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.
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.