TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

A Taste of the Stew

ADVERTISEMENT

By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 11, 2007

COOKING WITH JOE: Got to hang out Monday with Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon at the Tropicana Field kitchen run by chef Gary Brosi. For the second consecutive year, Maddon is cooking his "Thanks-Mas" charity dinner for the needy of the area.

Maddon, Brosi and a dozen helpers were cooking more than 1,500 meatballs for spaghetti dinners he's serving this week. He drove down to Bradenton on Tuesday. Today he's in St. Petersburg. On Thursday, he'll feed folks in Tampa. On Monday, Maddon stirred huge tureens of sauce with a paddle and chopped spicy and sweet sausage for the meal.

Maddon marked the first Thanks-mas last year, serving several hundred people at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul shelter in St. Petersburg. This year, meals for the three shelters will cost more than $1,300 out of his own pocket.

Maddon's an interesting guy. When he first hit town, I did a story about his love for food and wine. He's a huge wine freak. One year when he was an assistant coach for the California Angels, he and a pitcher held a contest to find the best bottle of wine for less than $20.

He was a lot of fun during the cooking on Monday. He even carted in his own Bose speaker system so he could play the music on his iPod to entertain the volunteers. The shuffled playlist ranged from Sinatra to Black Sabbath to Barry White and Billie Holiday. There was even some Meatloaf thrown in for good measure.

You can see a gallery of photos I shot on my blog, The Stew, at TBO.com, keyword: Stew.

BISTRO IN THE HEIGHTS: I keep hearing good things from readers and friends about Bungalow Bistro in Seminole Heights. The restaurant, at 5137 N. Florida Ave., serves lunch and dinner in a restored building with outdoor balcony seating. The original structure was a garage apartment that was saved from demolition and moved to Florida Avenue before Hillsborough Avenue was widened in 2000.

The menu features seasonal gourmet items such as the Bungalow Bstro Salad, panini sandwiches and desserts. For information, call (813) 237-2000 or go to bunglaowbistro

tampa.com.

CUP THAT CAKE: Cupcakes continue to be the rage in some pastry circles. (Magnolia Bakery and Buttercup Bake Shop continue to slug it out in New York City.) Keep an eye out for the opening of The Cupcake Spot as soon as this week at 2401 S. Dale Mabry in South Tampa. Former PR exec Nicole Rogers plans to offer such delectables as the Chocolate Elvis (banana cake with peanut butter butter-cream frosting and a dollop of chocolate ganache), the Forget Love, I'd Rather Fall in Chocolate (a devil's food cake with a 100-year old butter-cream icing recipe) and Bunny Hops (spiced carrot cake with nuts with traditional cream cheese frosting).

For information, go to

thecupcakespotinc.com or call (813) 258-3111

HIP-HOP SHOP: After many delays, including a change in location from St. Petersburg to Tampa, the HipHopSodaShop is set to hold its grand opening Tuesday at the former Bull Ring Sports Bar at 1241 E. Fowler Ave.

Benjamin Chavis, CEO of H3 Enterprises and former head of the NAACP, says the restaurant aims to "combine popular music with healthful dining options and flavor with socially-responsible capitalism." The company hopes to establish a chain of restaurants across the country.

The Bull Ring's 11,000-square-foot space has been renovated. Where once there was a sports bar, now there is a recording studio, multiple video screens, tableside video-gaming and a DJ/MC booth with surround sound. The store will also carry clothing, MP3 players and recorded music.

Menu items include such appetizers as Boneless "Keep It Real" Buffalo Wings, Recording Studio Lump Crabcakes and Classic Onion Rims.

Here's hoping no Biggie-versus-Tupac-style rivalries break out between the East Coast Break Dance Wrap and the West Coast Graffiti Wrap.

For information, go to

hiphopsodashop.com.

SWEETBAY Sweetbay Supermarket is hosting semifinals for "Appetizers With Style," a holiday recipe contest for students at local high schools and career centers in Central Florida with culinary programs. The contestants must prepare appetizers using an original recipe and at least one Sweetbay brand item. The finals will take place in January.

Students participating in the contest are from Bowers-Whitley Career Center, Hillsborough High School, Leto High School, King High School, Plant High School, Robinson High School, Sickles High School, Simmons Youth Services and Wharton High School.

Read Jeff Houck's multimedia food blog, The Stew, at keyword: Stew.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT