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Menu will change weekly but will remain French

By AMY SCHERZER Times Staff Writer
Published September 14, 2007

For the past 22 months, it has been Caprice Davis Islands Bistro.

Now a new owner, chef Bryce Whittlesey, comes home to offer French cuisine.

"The menu will change weekly, but always the focus will be the flavors of the Provence region, country rustic, not snobby," said the 1988 Plant High graduate, who moved to France in 1995 where he worked in five restaurants that were awarded two stars by the Michelin travel guide.

Whittlesey, 38, bought the restaurant Sept. 4; hustled all day transferring the liquor license, telephone number and other paperwork; "then prepped all night and opened for lunch on the fifth."

For now, he operates under the Caprice Bistro name, preferring to unveil the new name during a grand opening in a month.

To replicate the feel of a neighborhood bistro in Provence, artist Cindy Testa is texturing the stucco walls in warm, terra cotta colors and will paint a scenic mural. A wine bar with a view of the kitchen gets a touchup, too. A wine cellar will be installed to hold a selection "from table wines to rare vintages," he said.

Additional landscaping is planned for the courtyard where Whittlesey said "a barefoot guitarist will entertain diners."

The adjoining open-air bar, a popular Davis Islands hangout, will stay the same, drawing happy hour crowds starting at 4 p.m.

Whittlesey lived in Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala before moving to Tampa at age 16. His father and "biggest fan," Jim Whittlesey, lives in Hyde Park and is a member of the Chaine de Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society.

Before moving abroad, and marrying his wife Corinne, Whittlesey cooked in high-end restaurants such as Armani's and hotel chains, including Ritz-Carltons in Boston and Naples. He and Corinne have two children, Tyler, 7, and Amanda, 2. Aside from starting the restaurant, the family also must deal with Corinne's treatments for a brain tumor.

She stops by the restaurant as often as she can, he said.

Ironically, Whittlesey was offered a job at the Caprice site when the restaurant was called Native Seafood. He couldn't take it after he broke his wrist in a Jeep accident.

His restaurant will introduce pintxos, the equivalent of tapas from the Basque region. Among them, crab cake sliders, cod beignets and Tyler's Truffled Mac and Cheese, named for his son.

"My cold smoked salmon will be a staple," he said. "Sliced thin on pizza, salad, it's divine."

Soup and salad options include Mediterranean bread salad and grilled Caesar salad. Thin-crust, stoned-baked pizza averages $10 and include such toppings as duck confit, goat cheese, Serrano ham, roasted peppers, "always fresh herbs and garlic," he said.

Weekly entrees, he calls them the Piece de Resistance, might be pan-seared scallops and couscous, $23; white truffled lobster risotto, $21; and grilled pork chop with lentils and dried plums, $17.

Creme brulee and chocolate mousse are among the desserts.

Bon appetit.

Amy Scherzer can be reached at scherzer@sptimes.com or 813 226-3332.

Fast facts

Caprice Davis Islands Bistro

238 E Davis Blvd.

(813) 258-8100

Open Tuesday through Sunday.

Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dinner, 6 to 10 p.m.;weekends till 11 p.m.

Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.to 3 p.m.

[Last modified September 13, 2007, 07:58:40]