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Not a revolution yet

In a shot heard 'round the restaurant world, Publix steps in with Crispers: its own soup, salad and sandwich shop. But the grocery giant has some dining-in kinks to work out.

For more than a decade, Paul Reveres have ridden through the restaurant industry crying "The groceries are coming! The groceries are coming!"

They warned that supermarkets would steal dining dollars with expanded deli sections and prepared meals ready to reheat. Restaurants in all price ranges responded with takeout menus and parking.

Not enough. At least one supermarket, Publix, has countered with its own restaurant chain, as majority owner of Crispers, serving faster food for diners with post-KFC tastes, family appetites and wallets, and over-Bennigan's style.

Crispers signs say Fresh Salad and Such, but the concept is bigger and the such is better than the salads. The menu raids Einstein Bros., Starbucks and Panera more than Sweet Tomatoes and the super-salad bars. It's a hefty helping of stacked sandwiches, soups, baked potatoes and slick flatbread pizzas borrowed from the trendiest bars.

High-fashion ingredients pop up throughout the menu: asiago cheese, ciabatta bread, sesame seeds, shiitake mushrooms, pesto, cranberry horseradish, Jamaican mustard and so on.

Crispers has appropriated modern graphics of bold, friendly doodles that look delicious on paper and draw lines out the door.

It seems perfect for Largo's downtown or Brandon, where even a mall can have suburbs. Westfield Brandon is just that, complete with lunchtime traffic jams that mayors Rick Baker and Pam Iorio would kill for. So Crispers fits in a small strip between and beyond the big box stores, where half the shops are places for too-busy locals to eat and drink.

Yet on my three visits to Brandon and Largo, Crispers hadn't mastered logistics, mechanics or atmospherics of modern casual dining. Too often food was dull, dry, late and not much fun.

The latter was a surprise. Would-be hip, modern chains from Atlanta Bread Co. up and down put the look and smell of food in bread baskets, glass cases and open kitchens. You inhale fresh bread or coffee and watch live preparations, all as rustic as corporate can get. Not expensive but lusty.

Crispers feels more like a shoe store painted in bright colors. Small parlors in the corner have the ice cream stand and cookie selection of a service-station convenience store, and the dried salad and other food on display shouldn't be. Only the baked potato, larger than an eggplant, appeals. I'd rather eat in a Publix deli or at the bakery counter any day.

Despite the assembly-line feel, production was not smooth. Crispers brags on toasted sandwiches, but a lunchtime hot sandwich in Brandon took three complaints and 50 minutes. "Everybody ordered hot sandwiches at once" was no excuse, and a begrudged apology and coupon didn't make up for it.

When business was slow, a roast beef and turkey with soft butterkase cheese came on time but as roast beef and muenster. Ciabatta was thin and hard, roast beef dry and walnut brown, and tomato was the palest pink. Neither honey lime dressing nor pepper jack cheese gave chicken fire, moisture or Southwest accent.

The most clever items are the flatbreads, long, thin crusts cut into eight triangles and topped simply, shrimply or tropically (pineapple, coconut and macadamia). Steer away from the grilled veggie: The toppings are too heavy for the thin crust. But others I tried had more style and the right crispness.

The strength is in the changing daily dozen of soups, chowders and gumbos, thick, hot and hearty. Soup is enjoying a revival around the country, and its quickie comfort is a pleasure even in sunny Florida. Crispers' best was my old favorite, a cream of tomato punched up with basil and pepper.

Steak chili, crab chowder and a surprisingly light potato bacon had zest. Crab chowder was a bit thick and vegetarian shiitake rice was bland and mushy. Chicken Alfredo was even more filling and soggy than you'd imagine. It's a pretty good range but the choices ought to include more beans, lighter textures and ethnic flavors.

Yet the details and complaints may not matter, because so many of us simply want someone to do the cooking and the dishes (or pick up our disposables). Crispers moves beyond fast food and takeout with all-day sit-down hours, more salads, big portions and modern accents. It now has about 30 locations in Florida and adds 10 to 15 each year (soon in South Tampa, Safety Harbor and St. Petersburg).

Sign me up for soup when I'm in a hurry, but otherwise I'd rather eat in a real grocery.

- Chris Sherman dines anonymously and unannounced. The St. Petersburg Times pays for all expenses. A restaurant's advertising has nothing to do with selection for a review or the assessment of its quality. Sherman can be reached at 727 893-8585 or sherman@sptimes.com

201 W Bay Drive, Largo

(727) 586-0288

11019 Causeway Blvd., Brandon

(813) 654-9940

15726 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa

(813) 969-2445

Hours: Open daily, hours vary by location

Reservations: Not accepted

Details: Credit cards accepted, no smoking allowed, no alcohol sales

Features: Outdoor seating, children's menu, catering, all available

Prices: $3.99 to $8.29