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Deliciously edgy

The Fly Bar & Restaurant opens on Franklin Street, the brainchild of a woman who feels just fine on the fringe.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published August 4, 2006

DOWNTOWN

This area is not known for bars, unless you count those in the boarded-up jail. It's not known for nightlife, unless you count the people waiting for the night's final city bus.

But on the north end of downtown, on a sketchy stretch of Franklin Street, Leslie Shirah has opened the Fly Bar & Restaurant.

Like a shining oasis in the middle of the desert, the Fly couldn't seem more out of place here, at least at first.

There's no pedestrian traffic around 1202 N Franklin St., three blocks north of the legendary Tampa Theatre and iconic watering hole the Hub. There are a few offices around, a whole lot of construction and a whole lot of nothing else.

There will be, though. Two large condominiums are under way next door: the Residences of Franklin Street and the Royal. Shirah's father, Harry Hedges, who owns the Fly property, is developing the Royal.

For now, though, Shirah pronounced SHY-rah has her work cut out. After jumping through the numerous hoops required to open a restaurant in the city, she finally had the grand opening for the Fly last Saturday. All things considered, it went exceptionally well.

Will city residents support the funky Fly until the community grows around it? Only time will tell. But Shirah, a Tampa native whose parents live on Davis Islands, has been through this before, having opened three restaurants in "emerging" San Francisco neighborhoods.

"All of my restaurants are in these kinds of eclectic areas," she said. "When I first told my dad I wanted to open here, he was like, 'Are you sure?' But I like sketchy if it has a soul to it. And I feel there's a soul here. And we're going to support it by bringing in local art and local music and creating a community."

Nancy Kipnis, a public relations consultant who works with downtown businesses, helped Shirah market the grand opening.

"I admire her because of her guts to do it. She's a real pioneer," Kipnis said. "This is probably one of the only places in Tampa that really offers that urban vibe. It's great to walk in and see a really cool, edgy place, with the brick exposed and local artists on the walls.

"It's perfect for our town. I was getting to the point where if I had to eat at another mall, I was going to shoot myself."

Shirah grew up in Sunset Park and graduated from Plant High School in 1988. She brought back to Tampa the same concepts she instituted at her San Francisco clubs: a cool, comfortable, urban ambience dedicated to the efforts of local artists, with live music several nights and a DJ on others. The building dates to 1923, and Shirah has retained its historical elements.

Three local artists contributed to the Fly's look: Sean Spoto, whose paintings adorn walls throughout the establishment; Adam Welch, who constructed the tabletops, back bar and other elements; and Dan King, who did all the ironwork. She provides space on the walls to local artists for free.

"I just want people to feel good, to feel comfortable," said Shirah, 36. "I want it to feel relaxed but sexy."

The Fly - named after Shirah's first San Francisco club - doesn't have a traditional dinner service, either. The menu leans toward "shared plates," though Shirah said they are not "tapas," the term most locals would use to define them.

These are more like full dishes but in smaller portions and presented in ways that make them easily shared by a group, she said. They also are not primarily Spanish in origin. The theme is "world fusion," marrying elements from many different cultures.

There are about 125 seats for dining. It's open until 3 a.m. every night, depending on business. The restaurant opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. weekdays and at 5 p.m. on the weekends. The full dinner menu is available at 5 daily.

The Fly has a weekday happy hour from 3 to 6:30 p.m., plus half-price items on the "swing shift" menu, which includes coriander-crusted yellowfin tuna and Kobe beef sliders.

The full menu offers dishes like tumeric-spiced lamb, Parmesan-dusted sea scallops and roasted striped corvina bass.

Carmen de la Cruz, 28, dug the Fly's vibe on opening night and used the restaurant's valet service, which runs Thursday through Saturday. She wasn't sure she could see too much late-night downtown business here, though.

"It's coming, but it will be a while," said de la Cruz, who works downtown as an office manager. "I think it will do well for happy hour, but I don't know if you'll get people to come all the way here for drinks in the evenings. But they should because it is nice."

Shirah said she wasn't worried: "When we opened the Fly in San Francisco, it was in a very sketchy region. And I know this sounds arrogant, which I don't mean, but the neighborhood really grew around it."

The Fly is growing, too. Shirah is getting permits to add outdoor dining along a sidewalk patio area. Meanwhile, the bar has a rooftop area where people can congregate to drink and smoke, or just enjoy a view of the city.

The Fly has plenty of parking across the street so customers don't have to walk a long way to their cars, she said.

"I have never, ever felt threatened down here," she said. "The cops drive around quite often, and it's incredibly well lit."

Buddies Jason Oh and Devon Martin weren't concerned with the environs. The Davis Islands roommates, who work downtown as loan officers, felt right at home. That's especially true of Oh, who grew up near San Francisco.

"This is exactly what we need down here," said Oh, 25. It would "be cool if it was on the other end of downtown, but there's enough stuff coming in there already. But the food's good and it's a chill place and we need more of that."

Martin, 30, liked it because "you think it's going to be pretentious, but it's not, and it seems like it can get pretty romantic and jazzy here in the evenings."

So they'll be back. Will that be enough to keep the Fly in business? Shirah hopes so.

"What I hope most is that Tampa comes out and supports businesses like these," she said. "If you don't come out, it goes away."

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431.

[Last modified August 3, 2006, 11:03:44]