Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 13, 2001
New in town
Flash and Italian chic make a landing in Pinellas Park Saturday when Bellarte opens under the high-rise tile roofs of the new Radisson, 12600 Roosevelt Blvd., (727) 561-7332.
Count Isla del Sol's Native Seafood a casualty of tough restaurant times, but it makes way for another Caspy's.
The first, a breakfast, lunch and ice cream shop, is still on Isla 10 years later.
Caspy's Wine Bar and Coffee Shop on St. Pete Beach opened five years ago. The newest place will be the largest, open for afternoon snacks and dinner, from grouper sandwiches to rack of lamb, plus late-night fare.
Bec's, the inventive South Tampa spot with more ideas than space, has taken its dough-zers, risers, brunches and egg custards to Brandon, 147 Bloomingdale Ave. E; (813) 662-3000.
What to drink with a Slim Jim? I'd pick a white zin but the Eat-Me sommeliers push 7UP -- a 20-ounce soda free with a giant "meat snack" at finer convenience stores through Jan. 31.
Such internal combustion would give my professional stomach more indigestion than the promotion's slogan, "7UP Yours."
Dish of tapenade with my bread . . . After butter came whole bulbs of roasted garlic; now there's olive oil poured over herbs and grated cheese or hummus. The Next Big Spread comes from the south of France, where a baguette's best friend is a savory vegetable jam. The most traditional is packed with olives, as served at Marchand's in the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg. For the olive phobic, Chandler's in Tampa makes tapenade of sun-dried tomatoes. And, of course, olive oil.