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May we suggest . . .

By Times Staff
Published June 7, 2007

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These restaurants sampled and recommended by St. Petersburg Times food critics. Inclusion is not related to advertising. Got a restaurant we should try? Send submissions to weekend@sptimes.com or to Weekend, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

Most entrees less than $10

Balkan Food Store and Bakery

Cuisine: Breads and Dessert, Market This is among several shops that have opened in recent years to serve immigrants from Eastern Europe with products from their homeland, including fresh breads. Its burek is made from a rope of dough filled with meats or cheese. Small kifles are like curved hot dog rolls. A lovely, light round loaf is called lepine. Sit down for coffee, pastry and sandwiches next door. 6837 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 526-1341.

Dave's Restaurant

Cuisine: American, Local Flavor Grilled cheese sandwiches, egg salad made to order, patty melts, meatloaf, country fried chicken, liver dinners and spaghetti and meatballs are made with comfort and care. Even veal cutlets, as industrialized as ever, retain a flavor of TV dinners past. All come on heaping plates and rarely cost more than $7.95. Of course, pig-out breakfasts served all day long. 2339 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 895-6057.

Frenchy's Cafe

Cuisine: Local Flavor, Seafood Forget fancy settings. These cozy, hole-in-the-wall favorites on Clearwater Beach serve up seafood fresh from the boat at bargain prices. This tiny spot is the original. Try the specialty crabby shrimp sandwich. Served with cold beer, good humor and modest fixings (plus great desserts). 41 Baymont St., Clearwater. (727) 446-3607. www.frenchysonline.com

Frog Pond

Cuisine: Breakfast and Lunch This breakfast-heavy crowd pleaser is a must stop for vacationers - perhaps because they couldn't eat frittatas, skillets and omelets this big at home (many need doggie bags here). Or get homemade strawberry jam. Come early, pick between waffles and eggs, make sure you get some thick bacon, sit back and wait. Then eat and head for a very long walk on the beach. 16909 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach. (727) 392-4117.

7390 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. (727) 363-7205.

Green Iguana

Cuisine: American, Casual Dining Some great beer food is here: monstrous burgers, world-class onion straws and sturdy red chili that tastes as if it has been simmering for days. The Iguana is less successful with fern-bar fare. 8790 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. (727) 209-1234.

9202 Anderson Road, Tampa. (813) 288-9076.

1708 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. (813) 248-9555.

4029 S West Shore Blvd., Tampa. (813) 837-1234.

Heather's Place

Cuisine: Casual Dining, Local Flavor When the New Age needed a small-town backyard, it headed to Safety Harbor. No attitude or edge, just beer, music and blue jeans with whatever Heather's cooking - chorizo, burgers or crab cheesecake - in this friendly old house under the oaks. 519 Second St. S, Safety Harbor. (727) 724-2933.

Jo-El's

Cuisine: Deli and Cafe, Market Joel and Ellen Goetz rescued locals starving for a full-service kosher grocery more than 20 years ago. Their St. Petersburg store is a warehouse brimming with deli, smoked fish and other appetizing goods, plus a kosher butcher shop and dining space for sandwiches. 2619 23rd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 321-3847.

Louis Pappas Market Cafe

Cuisine: Greek Under Louis Pappas, the late grand colossus of the Tarpon Springs sponge docks has been miniaturized into seven branches. It now fits many more on-the-go neighborhoods and lifestyles with Greek salad , pita sandwiches or hearty leg of lamb and moussaka. 13823 W Hillsborough Ave., Tampa. (813) 925-3500.

14913 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. (813) 910-9000.

2560 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. (727) 797-3700.

3409-D Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa. (813) 839-0000.

7877 Gunn Highway, Tampa. (813) 926-5202. www.louispappas.com

Pipo's

Cuisine: Spanish/Cuban Tampa's blessed with many steam-table cafeterias. Thank goodness several are Pipo's, dishing up the best roast pork ever to sidle up to rice and beans or snuggle up in a loaf of Cuban bread. 3879 Northdale Blvd., Tampa. (813) 269-7476.

7233 W Hillsborough Ave., Tampa. (813) 882-0184.

Regina's Philippine Cuisine

Cuisine: Asian, Market This little Asian grocery has a small steam table and takeout business with a distinct Filipino flavor. Entrees change daily, but you'll usually find noodles, crunchy vegetables, pork and chicken spiked with garlic, vinegar and sweets. 9727 66th St. N, Pinellas Park. (727) 544-7145.

Whistle Stop

Cuisine: American, Casual Dining, Ice Cream Parlors Fried green tomatoes, plain or fancied up with cilantro and crumbles of goat cheese, are just the start here. There's a tuna Caesar salad and wraps of portobello, turkey, catfish and veggies, plus crackling calamari salad. Don't forget burgers, hot dogs, catfish, fried dill pickles and Working Cow ice cream, too, at this more than 50-year-old roadside attraction. 915 Main St., Safety Harbor. (727) 726-1956. www.whistlestopgrill.com

Most entrees $10-$20

Alfano's

Cuisine: Italian Classically prepared Italian food, superb (and affordable) wine list and elegant building make you feel at home, not outclassed. From tomato soup and pasta with simple sauces to fine veal and chicken with rosemary, cooking is fresh and service is warm. 1702 Clearwater-Largo Road, Clearwater. (727) 584-2125. www.alfanosrestaurant.com

Cesare's on the Beach

Cuisine: Italian Cesare Tini, the muse of such landmarks as Spartaco, Paradiso and the former Primadonna, and chef August Galiano brought their signature "anything you want, I do for you" service to the beach. Count on classic pastas, pink sauces, meltingly soft gnocchi and the veal supper Sinatra would sing for. 794 S Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater. (727) 449-8797.

Jerk Hut

Cuisine: Caribbean Namesake jerk, brown-stew, escovitch and pepper shrimp are lusty platefuls of genuine Jamaican at both locations. Dress them up with collards and reggae veggies. 1406 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. (813) 632-9551.

207 E Twiggs St., Tampa. (813) 223-4473.

Latin American Grill Argentinian Steakhouse

Cuisine: Latin American, Steaks Steaks, sweetbreads and barbecue from the range and the big cities of Brazil and Argentina are carefully fire-cooked and served in big quantities. 3780 Tampa Road, Oldsmar. (813) 855-0332. www.latinamericangrill.com

Luna

Cuisine: New American The moon is cobalt blue as it enters the trendy quarter, lots of flash, glitz and happy hour bar buzz in the heart of a hotel for Carillon's HSN/high-tech biz. All-day menu is short yet clever, with hefty sandwiches, unusual vegetables, good lamb smartly sauced and grilled fruit for dessert. 950 Lake Carillon Drive, St. Petersburg. (727) 540-0050.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Cuisine: Brunches, Pub Tampa Bay is blessed with a variety of pubs, and this one has the most charm on tap, fine beers, rosy cheeked publicans and smart pub eating with the spice of the colonies at every meal, including brunch. 4115 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. (813) 832-3037. www.maddogs.com

Maggiano's

Cuisine: Family Style/Home Cooking, Italian Americans have eaten red-sauce Italian food like this for years, but we haven't had it in a place like this since the '20s ... or The Godfather II. This chain's stage-set version of Little Italy is lively and the family-style dinners heaping: a theme park formula that packs 'em in. 203 West Shore Plaza, Tampa. (813) 288-9000. www.maggianos.com

Mecca

Cuisine: Asian This little shopping center has more than its share of good eating, and you can take one of the best home with you. At Mecca, takeout went uptown to Asian noodles, panini and lots of salads, made fresh and with extra style. Check the blackboard for dinners to go. 3235 Tampa Road, Suite 105B, Palm Harbor. (727) 773-8839.

Primi Urban Cafe

Cuisine: Italian Proprietors Arno and Irene Von Waltsleben have created the atmosphere of a cozy Italian village market. Shelves of bottled water, canned tomatoes and the like line two walls, and a beautiful, big communal table dominates the middle of the room. The menu offers up the requisite Italian fare, from polenta to gnocchi at dinner and toasted panini, burgers, salads and pastas at lunch, all gussied by little touches like flavored mayos and homemade chips. 27 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 895-4909.

Tum Rub Thai

Cuisine: Thai Gentle service and smart taste fill this strip-center spot and every place setting with yummy salads, heart-warming soups, spicy frog legs, a big catch of seafood and a variety of desserts. 32716 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor. (727) 781-3515. www.tumrubthai.net

Yoko's Japanese Restaurant

Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi One of the reliable suppliers is this quiet but busy spot in the MacDill gourmet cluster. Students, professors, military brass and locals fill the small bar, snare tables or sit shoeless at tatami for tempura, bento boxes and clever sushi. 3217 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. (813) 835-4311. www.yokosrestaurant.com

Most entrees $20 or more

Chateau Prive at St. Bart's Island House

Cuisine: Caribbean, French In a space that has housed a parade of restaurants over the years, owners Philip Glassman and Scott Freyre have created a sleek home for that oh-so-au-courant style of cooking called French-Caribbean fusion, marrying fresh fish (Bahamian conch and shrimp fritters; plank-roasted wild Alaskan king salmon with a horseradish and molasses lacquer crust) and tropical fruits with such icons of French cookery as truffles and duck confit. Dishes are largely successful, the service earnest, the ambience agreeable, and the prices in the special occasion or expense account class for many of us. 1502 S Howard Ave., Tampa. (813) 251-0367.

Derek's Culinary Casual

Cuisine: New American This is true big city, indie style dining: sharp, chef-driven cooking in a plain storefront space in a not-yet-gentrified neighborhood. Choose foie gras, crispy rabbit, killer soups, scallops and peas, chicken and quinoa. Every course is a robust adventure, from small plates to dessert. 514 Central Ave., Sarasota. (941) 366-6565. www.dereks-sarasota.com

Grille 29

Cuisine: New American The solid service and eats from comfort food and trendy appetizers to surf and turf are an appropriate menu for grazing, mingling singles, families and movie fans and those trying to impress dates. The star of the place is a big elliptical bar converted to a dessert island. Channelside, 615 Channelside Drive, Suite 123, Tampa. (813) 221-2929. www.grille29.com

Laughing Cat

Cuisine: Italian The Laughing Cat calls itself "New Progressive Italian, " but don't hold that against it. The charm lies in the opposite, older direction, when Italian food was hefty and lusty. The menu lists more than 150 dishes, and it's hard to characterize the style except as too much. It is perhaps best at the modestly priced lunch buffet, where more than a dozen dishes are laid out on steam tables right in front of the kitchen. 1820 N 15th St., Ybor City. (813) 241-2998.

Maritana Grille

Cuisine: Fine Dining, New American In the Don CeSar Beach Resort. The pink wedding cake of a hotel appeals to Gatsby memories, and meals in the Maritana Grille are indeed fantasies of the rich and famous. Foie gras, lobster, veal and duck get dolled up with the latest micro greens, truffle oil and clever gnocchis, risotto and polenta. 3400 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. (727) 360-1881.

Massimo's

Cuisine: Fine Dining, Mediterranean There's nothing rustic about the cooking of Massimo Patano, yet his love of luxurious tastes is decidedly Italian. Veal, lobster and cream sauces abound, and Patano enriches them further with sage, ricotta, balsamic and bottarga. Always creative, always sumptuous and always one of the biggest surprises on U.S. 19. 31876 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor. (727) 784-1881.

Salt Rock Grill

Cuisine: Seafood, Steaks The first modern surf and turf joint on the beaches still packs them in with red-hot, straight-ahead cooking. Steaks are first-rate, lobsters monstrous, wine cellar deep, seafood and fish souped up in spicy broth. The unexpected treats are root vegetables, lentils and smart spicing. 19325 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores. (727) 593-7625. www.saltrockgrill.com

Watercolour Steakhouse and Grille

Cuisine: American, Fine Dining, Steaks No need to dread hotel food when you get a water view and solid bone-in steaks like these. Red meat gets proper saucing and fine crusty breads. Equally smart with seafood and pasta. 1201 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater. (727) 596-1100. www.watercolourgrille.com

[Last modified June 6, 2007, 12:11:15]