Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Everybody's Business

Cappy's Pizzeria will move, then spawn

By MICHAEL CANNING
Published May 19, 2006

Move, then expand. That's apparently the plan for Cappy's Pizzeria on Howard Avenue.

Early next month, the SoHo pizza place moves to the former Thai House restaurant at 3200 W Bay to Bay Blvd.

A second Cappy's is set to open in Seminole Heights at 4910 N Florida Ave., tentatively by mid to late summer.

That's next to Covivant Gallery, one of the few survivors of a late 1990s art gallery boom in Seminole Heights that sparked a small flame in the neighborhood's stagnant commercial revitalization.

But any momentum that the critically acclaimed art gallery and popular pizzeria might collectively create may never happen.

Covivant owner Carrie Mackin said she might close the gallery. "It's 50-50 right now," she said, adding that her lease on the building is up soon and she's negotiating to buy it.

If she can't buy the building, Mackin said she's packing up and moving to New York.

Covivant will close June 5 for its traditional summer break. Whether that will be the gallery's final day ever remains to be seen, but Mackin said the arrival of Cappy's next door would be good for Covivant. "If I do stay there, I look forward to the business it would bring the gallery. We don't get much pedestrian traffic on Florida Avenue, so this is definitely going to help that."

A quaint outdoor courtyard that separates the gallery and the future Cappy's will be used for outdoor restaurant seating. Cappy's co-owner Steve White, who will franchise the Seminole Heights Cappy's, said the restaurant will seat about 70 indoors and out.

It will be patterned closely after the original Cappy's, which for 11 years has stood out on the roiling SoHo restaurant scene by offering a bare bones menu, relatively meager business hours and a ban on debit or credit cards.

The 1914 two-story bungalow on Bay to Bay will approximate the SoHo Cappy's early 20th century, northeastern urban vibe. The menu will still feature New York and Chicago style pizza and Greek salads, but White may add some new pizzas and pasta dinners. Also expect more parking. White may add lunch hours, but he said he has ample incentive to keep the traditional hours of 5 to 9 p.m. during the week and 5 to 10 p.m. on the weekends.

"We don't have a lot of overhead," White said. "We keep things simple. I think a lot of restaurants don't have to open for lunch, but they do just because others are doing it."

Today from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. is the opening reception for Covivant's final shows of the season, "$100 Smacks ... or More!" and "Iron-On Resistance." DJ Blenda and Itchyface will perform. Admission is $5. Call 234-0222.

NIGHT PEDIATRICIAN MOVED: After Hours Pediatrics' South Tampa location has reopened at the SouthTown Center, Dale Mabry Highway and Neptune Street.

Formerly at 2617 W Kennedy Blvd., the clinic is open from 5 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday. It offers on-site blood and urine tests, X-rays, stitches, broken bone care, prolonged asthma therapy, dehydration therapy, drug therapy and pain relief.

After Hours has eight locations in the bay area and Central Florida. Call 254-4209.

ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING: Will specialty fries and onion rings break the unfortunate pall that seems to hang over 223 S Howard Ave.? Strings N Rings Cafe co-owner Alan Smolar intends to find out when he opens there, tentatively on June 5.

The space at Howard Avenue and Platt Street would seem to be prime territory on Tampa's Restaurant Row. Yet two restaurants closed there in 2005: Mary Z Tampania Cafe and Jilly Jo's.

But Smolar said that with his concept and chutzpah, he has as good a shot as anyone to make it there. "Quite frankly, it's a gamble," he said. "But I just adore the restaurant business. I should've got into it 30 years ago."

Smolar opened his first restaurant, Strings N Rings, at 8830 N Himes Ave., 2½ years ago after a long career in food brokering and distributing.

The titular items are shoestring fries and finely cut, haystack-style onion rings. They come on their own, as an accompaniment or even decorative topping for hot and cold sandwiches, hot dogs and salads.

Tentative hours will be 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Do you know something that should be everybody's business? Call 226-3394 or e-mail mikecanning@hotmail.com.

[Last modified May 18, 2006, 12:15:24]