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Everybody's Business

Savor the tastes of Greece in Ybor

Taverna Opa expects to open later this year, with Greek and Mediterranean dishes, ouzo and maybe a plate smashing or two.

By MICHAEL CANNING
Published September 30, 2005

People dancing on bars and tabletops isn't exactly new to Ybor City. But how about doing it to a tsiftetelia beat?

Taverna Opa at Seventh Avenue and 20th Street will be just the place to do it.

This will be the fourth location for the Greek restaurant and bar franchise based in Hollywood, Fla. Founder Peter Tsialiamanis, a native of Konitsa, Greece, said many of his customers used to ask him when he would open a Taverna Opa in the bay area.

His answer: mid to late December.

The Taverna will occupy the former Carlino's on Seventh Avenue and La Cueva nightclub. It will have 6,000 square feet, a large patio and seating for up to 220.

An adjacent building under construction will house Giorgio's Bakery and Bistro, a side concept near Tsialiamanis' Hollywood Taverna Opa. The 90-seat casual restaurant will feature an onsite bakery and Greek and Mediterranean menu items.

Taverna Opa will be a little more formal and expensive. Meze, the Greek version of Spanish tapas or small plate fare, will be offered along with Greek and Mediterranean dishes.

And expect all the traditional ouzo drinking, tabletop dancing to tsiftetelia music and plate smashing.

Well, maybe not a lot of plate smashing. "Occasionally," Tsialiamanis said. "At special times."

BYE, MARY. HI, JILLY: Kathy Wiley laughed when she thought about the "ridiculous fountain," an accessory of the former Mary Z Tampania Cafe. The short-lived restaurant at 223 S Howard Ave. has been resurrected as Jilly Jo's restaurant.

The fountain's exit was high on Wiley's list of changes, along with gutting the kitchen and erasing the old business' "medieval, Moorish" decorating scheme, as she puts it. Now the small cafe at Howard and Platt Street "is a lot more like me," said Wiley, former advertising manager for the Flyer, who lives in Dade City.

It's also got the mark of her college-age children. She named the place after her daughter's nickname. Her son, University of South Florida theater major Mason Wiley, is helping her run it.

The menu reflects the business' avoidance of any particular theme, a refreshing choice for SoHo. Wraps, sandwiches, paninis, soups and salads pretty much sum it up. The restaurant also has beer, wine, and takeout.

One thing saved from Mary Z is the lacquered plywood veneer floor. "That's one thing they did right," Wiley said. "Those floors are indestructible."

A redesigned bar and TVs are coming soon.

SoHo was her most obvious choice for trying a restaurant, said Wiley, who worked at bars and restaurants during college. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

"I like SoHo a lot," she said. "If I can't make it on SoHo, I must be a real idiot."

PARTY PEOPLE ON MACDILL: Party Designers, a one-stop shop for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, company functions and other events, has opened at 3403 S MacDill Ave.

The owner, Alexis Toro, also owns the Gentlemen's Barbershop next door. His wife, Jelitza, manages Party Designers.

The Toros can handle everything from cakes and catering to decorations, invitations, flowers, gift baskets, photography and video service.

Party Designers' secret weapon is the cake recipe. Alexis said his wife took several baking courses in her native Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and distilled the best from them into her secret concoction. Jelitza does the baking on-site.

Aside from event planning, Party Designers also doubles as a retail party supply store.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Alexis bought his barbershop a year and a half ago, after it had enjoyed a three-decade run as Julio's Barbershop.

- Do you know something that should be everybody's business? Call 226-3382, or e-mail mikecanning@hotmail.com

[Last modified September 29, 2005, 09:21:10]