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Briefs: Olympic feast

By CHRIS SHERMAN from staff and wire reports
Published February 1, 2006

Apres-ski dining after the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, won't require a trip on Alitalia.

Chef Fabrizio Schenardi, a native of Turin, is setting an Olympic menu of hometown flavors at Pelagia, (813) 313-3235, in the Renaissance Tampa Hotel at International Plaza.

The hearty, winter-warming cooking from the Piedmont includes braised beef with polenta and Barolo, trout in arneis wine with artichokes, wild mushrooms and bagna cauda at dinner Feb. 9-28. Regional wines are available, too.

If you must have a gold medal, Neiman Marcus is next door.

Billy Moore, the St. Petersburg restaurateur who put his name on crabs and country cooking in Tierra Verde, has something new in his trap.

Moore buys crabs and grouper up and down the Gulf Coast during the season, but he went empty-handed like the rest of us in the off-season. He has tried Texas crabs, but they couldn't match ours.

Then a customer steered him to Ecuador. Moore says Pacific stone crabs meet the standard. They're a bit less expensive - and available all summer long.

Billy's Stone Crab, 1 Collany Road, Tierra Verde; (727) 866-2115, has both local stoners and Ecuadorians on the menu now - and also big Dungeness clusters.

A bright new restaurant with spunky graphics, fun food and takeout opens this month with a multicultural menu and an inspired name, Fodalo Grill, at 351 W Bay Drive, Largo; (727) 518-2100. Food runs from steaks, ribs, pulled pork and burgers to Thai salmon, tilapia with capers and basil-chicken chili. There are wraps, focaccia and panini of course, plus cheese fries and PB&J, priced $5.99 to $17.99.

Fodalo's bills itself as a "restaurant with a purpose" and a Christian fish symbol on the menu is a clue. Ask about the name, you'll find it's a hip-hop abbreviation of "For the Lord." Beside a pledge of fresh seafood, high quality meats and good value, owners stress a commitment to biblical principles, including Sunday closings.

- Mitchell's Fish Market, a smart long-list seafooder based in Ohio, opens its 14th location and the first in Florida at West Shore Plaza in Tampa this week. It will be one of the first here to have a variety of oysters plus a dozen fish, most fresh off the jet, and an on-site fish market. Mitchell's pulls trimmings from around the world: Shanghai fish steamed in ginger, smoked salmon and deviled eggs and hoisin tuna.

Lunch prices, $7.50 to $14.50; dinner runs to $39.95.

- Indigo Coffee, which has three roadside drive-throughs in Tampa and one hospital location, has opened a sleek sit-down and takeout cobalt blue unit in Olde Hyde Park Village. Indigo dreams of dozens more places between here and Atlanta.

- Valentine's is a perfect fit. The Melting Pot restaurant chain, where romance is molten and lovers go cheese-dipping, will celebrate its anniversary on pink-letter day. The Melting Pot started in 1975 in Maitland, but the modern corporation based in Tampa is celebrating its 25th. There are more than 90 offspring.

Now that Sara's Secrets has wrapped on Food Network - which didn't renew Sara Moulton's contract after 10 years of various instructional shows - where can fans get her mix of solid cooking tips and chat? Until Moulton's PBS cooking series debuts, check out her latest book, Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals (Broadway Books, $29.95).

The book offers 200 recipes that can be prepared in an hour or less, and some are designed for longer cooking on the weekend for reheating for a quick dinner later in the week.

Did you promise to eat healthier in the new year?

The Clemson (S.C.) Extension Service offers these suggestions: - Use nonstick pans to reduce the amount of oil you need for cooking.

- Buy a steamer insert and steam your veggies. It will help retain nutrients and eliminate the need for oils or fats for cooking.

- Use a gravy separator to de-grease gravies and sauces.

- Keep your spice rack well stocked. Herbs and spices add flavor without adding calories. For example, dill enhances fish, tarragon is good for poultry and rosemary is great with pork.

- Grill foods when possible, whether indoors or outdoors. Vegetables are great grilled, too.

Compiled by CHRIS SHERMAN from staff reports and the Associated Press and Knight Ridder Newspapers.

[Last modified January 31, 2006, 12:44:04]