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May we suggest . . .

The Weekend dining guide is a listing of restaurants around Tampa Bay sampled and recommended by St. Petersburg Times food critic Chris Sherman and other staffers. Recommendations are not related to advertising. A portion of the guide runs weekly in Weekend. You can also find dining listings at www.tampabay.com

SUNDAY BRUNCH BUFFETS

This causeway landmark sets long tables of eggs, fruit and breakfast fare, as well as carving stations for steamship rounds and ham, plus fresh shellfish and sushi. 7720 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa; (813) 281-0770.

The most famous of Suncoast brunches, with a view of the gulf and beaches from in and around the fifth-floor restaurant. Food includes a long, cold seafood buffet, chilled chops, gourmet salads and mousses, plus a carving station, eggs, pastas and hot entrees, such as Asian duck and a large pastry display with crepes and fresh waffles. 3400 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach; (727) 360-1881.

This waterside night spot is almost as busy on Sunday mornings - and still serving sushi. Brunch lines also include a pasta station, fresh waffles, smoked salmon, hot entrees, fruits and desserts. 601 S Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa; (813) 277-0112.

Brunch with a view of Tampa Bay has been a Tampa hit since the hotel seafood restaurant opened. The spread includes egg dishes and waffles, plus pasta, hot entrees and an abundance of the restaurant's specialty: seafood. Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa; (813) 207-6815.

The priciest in town, brunch in the Terrace Room includes breakfast items such as waffles and eggs Benedict made to order, plus smoked seafood, carved meats, fresh fruit and a large bread and pastry display. Reservations suggested. 501 Fifth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg; (727) 894-1000.

OTHER BRUNCHES

The biggest Florida chain to make brunch a daily specialty, it serves eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles and crepes as well as sandwiches and salads, spiced from Italian to Cajun. It draws a big-city line Sunday mornings in downtown Tampa and crowds anywhere it opens. Open for breakfast and lunch only. 2569 Countryside Blvd., Clearwater, 727 712-8769; 520 Tampa St., Tampa, (813) 307-9006; 11610 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, (813) 961-4947; 2726 E Fowler Ave., Tampa; (813) 975-1718. www.firstwatch.com

This neighborhood favorite serves most of its menu, from burgers to grouper dinners, plus pancakes, omelets, skillets and poached eggs five ways, from Benedict to tenderloin, for a full-bore Sunday buffet. 3121 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 821-6516.

Jo-To

Tampa's pioneer sushi bar packs them in with lively chefs who do their tricks with salmon (fresh and smoked), mackerel, eel, conch, shrimp, scallops, sea urchin and roe, as well as fried shrimp, grouper and softshell crab. Plus a full Japanese menu. Beer and wine. 310 S Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 875-4842.

Sharply done eating with good ingredients, cleanly prepared with style. The menu offers plenty for those with no fear of raw fish, from octopus and seaweed salad to an appetizer of usuzukuri, paper-thin slices of snapper. Entrees cover traditional meals such as teriyaki, tempura and pad Thai. 1163 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 898-7625.

It's hard to know where to start in this all-you-can-eat affair, part of a California-based chain: tempura, noodles, salads, cold seafood, hot entrees, sushi or dessert. All are served with big variety in frequent, small batches. Two of the best items are the roast chicken with crispy skin and juicy flesh and spicy shell-on shrimp. The sushi selection is large, varied and surprisingly handsome. Beer, wine, sake. International Plaza, 2223 N West Shore Blvd., Tampa. 813 872-8725. www.todai.com.

The movie mall at BayWalk gets some uptown taste and civilized space, along with mighty handsome hand rolls. Sushi would be enough, but Tokyo's kitchen delivers a good deal more - soba noodles, udon noodles and finely crusted shrimp tempura. Beer, wine. BayWalk, 195 Second Ave. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 823-1912.

You get more than traditional sashimi and sushi here, with many all-vegetable items, big makimono hand-rolls, raw beef and cooked fish. Menu includes sesame noodles, tempura and bento-box specials. Beer, wine. 5901 Sun Blvd., Isla Del Sol Shoppers Village, St. Petersburg; (727) 867-0770.

A unique sushi bar from the folks who bring us Ciccio & Tony's Italian restaurant. In a fit of Atkins revisionism, the gang threw out the nori seaweed and instead fashion sushi into rolls of rice paper or over bowls of rice. That edge is balanced by Sunset Strip hip decor in pastels and equally retro desserts of ice cream cookie sandwiches. 1015 S Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 514-4426. One of Chris Sherman's best restaurants of 2003.

FRENCH

Leave the beach sun outside. Behind the white-lace curtains, you'll find la belle France and long-beloved specialties. Look for frog legs, coquille St. Jacques, great bearnaise sauce, pork chops in Calvados and chevre salad. Beer, wine. 15225 Gulf Blvd., Madeira Beach; (727) 392-8627.

Don't be surprised to find polished French food in an office complex in Largo. For 15 years, it has been the place for souffles, sweetbreads, duck, pate, lamb or a taste of Provence, the sunny side of France. 12551 Indian Rocks Road, Largo; (727) 596-6282.

Sheer high price - appetizers average $11 and entrees $25, not counting Beluga or chateaubriand - will impress showoffs. But that money does buy something friendly and familiar, not nouvelle or intimidating, just the old-school Continental that has meant big-bucks dining for generations: red meat, lobster and chocolate souffles served with fuss and a slight French accent. 136 Fourth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg; 727 894-7163. www.chateaufrancecuisine.com.

Continental cooking survives on the beach with charm in this intimate restaurant, where the Jacksons still cook with cognac and brioche; it's like having dinner with your aunt the gourmet. Make reservations, bring cash and your own wine; $37 buys three courses of goodies such as duck confit, lamb chops and pork encroute, rare treats of lamb kidneys and sweetbreads, or heirloom butter pie from Canada. 321 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach; (727) 596-5439. One of Chris Sherman's best restaurants of 2003.

Peter Leonavicius and Dominique Christini have painted their bistro sunshine yellow but kept the essentials: open all day long for coffee, pastries, sandwiches, crepes, pastes and heartier daily fare. Lamb shanks, duck confit, stuffed chicken and French sausages are always on hand; steak au poivre and coq au vin are there when you're lucky. The best of the wines are from Christini's homeland of southern France. 796 Indian Rocks Road, Belleair Bluffs; (727) 585-9777. One of Chris Sherman's best restaurants of 2003.

STEAKS

The late Bern Laxer's passion for quality remains and still brings connoisseurs of red wine and red meat to his legendary steakhouse and cellars. A new generation is adding subtle innovations in desserts and trimmings. Steak haters can have fish fresh from the tank, tour the kitchen, sample the caviar, marvel at the wine list and luxuriate in the dessert room. Red velvet alert: The taste that counts is in the food, not decor, although revamping is under way. Full bar. 1208 S Howard Ave., Tampa; 813 251-2421. www.bernssteakhouse.com.

Handsome, comfy bistro from a Nashville chain delivers painstaking quality in food, service and decor. Menu is familiar, not fancy, but roast chicken, steaks, Caesar salad, fish and desserts are best in class. Full bar. 913 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 354-9006.Outback Steakhouses

Birthplace of the chain that put steak back on the yupscale menu and Tampa on Wall Street is worth a visit by carnivores and stockholders alike. Steaks, lamb, chicken and shrimp "on the barbie" plus smooth operation can still draw lines. 3403 Henderson Blvd., Tampa, 813 875-4329, and many other locations. www.outbacksteakhouse.com.

Swank trimmings match the rich quality of red meat to give this north Pinellas neighborhood spot big-city treats. Good cuts of beef, fish and duck get dressed up with crab, bacon, cheese, exotic hollandaises and onion marmalade. Fine bar stock and affordable wines too. Fountains Plaza, 34980 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor; (727) 786-0077.

Eat and spend like a winner here, a big winner. Entrees are hefty enough to embarrass an NFL lineman. Most beef comes in 11/2-pound slabs, and lobsters are much bigger, but the clubby setting suits the skybox set. Best bets in sides are shredded potatoes and apple pie. Wines cost less than some steaks. Full bar. Wyndham Westshore, 4860 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 286-4366. www.donshula.com.

The people here have cooked steaks over wood fires for 25 years. So overlook the '70s Western theme and the passable side dishes. The star here is the meat: pretty, well-marbled classic cuts, some prime and mostly choice, aged and cut in house. 2600 34th St. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 527-3335.