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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2008

MEXICAN/ SOUTHWESTERN

CARMELITA'S, 5211 Park St. N., St. Petersburg; (727) 545-2956. Carmelita's has been cooking since 1983, and for good reason: The down-home casual atmosphere, inexpensive menu and hearty fare keep customers satisfied. Consider the generous, sizzling mound of ideally marinated beef that makes up the fajitas, along with fresh guacamole. The same goes for the delicious and filling Tacos al Carbon, the meat tender and laced with flavor. The kitchen creates a Del Rey wet burrito drenched in a heady ranchero sauce, and mixes scrambled eggs and Mexican sausage in the chorizo burrito. ($$)

CASA TINA, 369 Main Street, Dunedin; (727) 734-9226. Tiny Casa Tina ambitiously attempts Mexican authenticity and variety, plus nongreasy dinners and a decent beer selection. The menu includes Enchiladas Verdes, Enchiladas en Salsa Roja, Tostada Vagabunda, Chiles Rellenos and Pollo en Mole Verde, among others. ($)

CHIHUAHUA MEXICAN GRILL, 4101 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa; (813) 837-2138. This smartly designed spot in south Tampa blends the hot and cool primary colors of Mexico's flag around the motif of its namesake dog. The clean, cubistic decor enhances the fare: Generous, reasonably priced appetizers and entrees that reflect American tastes. Purists may nitpick, but the menu is pleasantly varied, the product fresh and flavorful, and meals presented without drowning in grease. Consider the Mexican Fajitas, served sizzling with sauteed veggies on a cast iron skillet, accompanied by a cilanto-lime infused rice, Monterey Jack cheese, fresh guacamole, sour cream and a pile of flour tortillas. ($$)

EL TACONAZO, 913 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa; (813) 232-5889. Seminole Heights' beloved "Taco Bus" serves up fresh, hearty Mexican favorites at a price that can't be beat. The colorful atmosphere is matched by the friendliness of the staff and the bright flavors of fresh cilantro, lime juice and sweet red onions in the chicken burrito. For starters, don't miss the shrimp ceviche. Who needs air conditioning? ($)

GUADALAJARA MEXICAN RESTAURANT, 4502 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa; (813) 879-4096. This colorful eatery is attracting a large lunch crowd with a weekday special that includes two tacos (soft or hard), tostada, enchilada, rice and beans. The separate dinner menu includes beef or chicken fajitas, Carne Asada (grilled beef skirt steak), Mariachis (beef or chicken kebabs served on skewers with green pepper, tomatoes and onions) and short ribs. ($)

MIGUEL'S, 3035 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, (813) 876-2587. Good Mexican is hard to find around here, but this unpretentious little spot is a contender. The product is fresh, the kitchen creative, and the price doesn't sting. Nachos a la Miguel, beef or chicken, are good, as is the hearty Taco Salad. Miguel's offers five lunch specials for about $4 each, all of which cut the mustard nicely. ($)

MOE'S, 3810 W. Neptune St., Tampa; (813) 258-4560. Among the "fast casual" Mexican chains, this is the one with fish or tofu tacos, and the widest array of salsas and hot sauces, all made on site with fresh ingredients. Also, they holler at you (in a nice way) when you come in. ($)

RED MESA, 4912 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg; (727) 527-8728. The menu here is surprisingly large, with enough options to satisfy most tastes. Start with Queso Fundido, a Oaxaqueno-style cheese fondue with rajas de poblano, onions and mushrooms; Empanada turnovers stuffed with sirloin picadillo, salsa and sour cream; Cedar Roasted Salmon; and Enchilada de Marisco, shrimp and crab meat sauteed and rolled in corn tortillas, topped with smoked gouda creme. ($)

TAQUERIA MI MEXICO, 4205 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa; (813) 387-0091. Searching for an authentic alternative to chain Mexican? This is the place. The refried beans are homemade, not canned. The salsa is ground from fresh chiles. And tortillas come with meals, not as a side order. Tacos, quesadillas, gorditas (meat-stuffed fried tortillas) and sopes (tortillas stuffed with refried beans and meat) can be filled with your choice of bistec (steak), pollo (chicken), lengua (tongue), barbacoa (barbecue), chorizo (Mexican sausage), sesos (brains), tripita (tripe), al pastor (roast pork), de fajita (shredded flank steak), de carnita (fried pork) or de mole (with mole sauce). You'll also find platters and four different kinds of salsa. ($)

TIJUANA FLATS, 10019 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 849-6900 (check the telephone book for other locations). Chain restaurant provides tasty Tex-Mex fare at reasonable prices. The buffet of hot sauces is not to be missed, nor is the cookie-dough burrito. Just don't mix them together. ($)

VALLARTA'S RESTAURANTE MEXICANO, 13731 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 264-7691 (check the telephone book for other locations). This cozy, family-friendly restaurant boasts more than 100 items on its menu. In addition to combination plates with three to four choices, diners can order sides and a la carte plates. This means you can design your own dinner, choosing from tacos, tostadas, chiles rellenos, quesadillas, chimichangas and fajitas - you name it. The Dale Mabry location offers a daily lunch buffet. ($)

CHINESE

CHINA BUFFET, 1245 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa; (813) 615-1310. The star attraction of this all-you-can-eat buffet is its surprisingly fresh, high-quality sushi. For lunch, they have an ample variety of sushi rolls, with a few pieces of nigiri (strips of fish atop fingers of rice) here and there. Plus there's vegetarian sushi for those who haven't yet made the leap to raw fish. For dinner, they put out more nigiri, which requires much more fish. The rest of the buffet is the standard fare of most Chinese restaurants - noodles, vegetables, different types of pork and chicken, soups and salad-makings. They also offer you-peel-'em crawdads and cold shrimp. ($)

CHINA GARDEN, 3904 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 805-2929. Arrive hungry and prepare to dine in a cafeterialike atmosphere with big crowds who come for the super lunch and dinner buffets. Daily features include a Mongolian "u-pick it, they cook it" BBQ. Choose from raw pork, chicken, beef and fresh vegetables, which you hand over to be sizzled on the griddle. Soups, sushi, dim sum, Korean kimchi, egg rolls, barbecue spare rib tips, fried rice and crisp green beans line up next to Egg Foo Young, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Hunan Shrimp, Peking Duck and Pork Lo Mein and much, much more. ($)

CHINA YUAN RESTAURANT, 8502 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa; (813) 936-7388. If your taste buds need excitement, consider China Yuan. A visit here is not a trip to Chinatown but to China. This authentic Cantonese spot is not Americanized, but a good place to explore new tastes. Try the Fresh Squid in Pepper and Black Bean Sauce or ask if the sweet blue crab dishes are available. Other good choices include Sizzling Pork Chops, Snow Pea Tips (an entree of flavorful, bright green leaves) and fried rice cooked with shrimp, chicken and ham. ($-$$)

HAO WAH, 1713 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa; (813) 253-2095. For appetizers, check out an order of six steamed dumplings, crab meat Rangoon, Chinese roast pork or fantail shrimp. A simple but tasty dish for $7 is honey chicken, the nuggets of breast meat crisp and butter fried, served with a sweet honey sauce. Other good bets are the flavorful Shrimp With Cashew Nuts, Seven Stars Around the Moon, the sizzling Goba and Flower Basket Delight. ($-$$)

P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO, 219 WestShore Plaza, Tampa; (813) 289-8400. The menu is representative of the major culinary regions of China (Hunan, Sichuan, Canton, Shanghai, Beijing), with a few Southeast Asian dishes thrown in. Entrees come with both white and brown rice, along with soy sauce, chili oil and vinegar. Try Spicy Ground Chicken and Eggplant, the minced chicken perfectly complementing the smooth wedges of eggplant. Cantonese Roasted Duck is presented with steamed wheat buns, julienned cucumbers and scallions, and plum and hoisin sauces. Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps (spicy chicken, water chestnuts and mushrooms) is a must-try appetizer. ($-$$)

T.C. CHOY'S ASIAN BISTRO, 301 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 251-1191. This Oriental bistro cooks up more than 100 Chinese dishes, including eel, octopus, abalone, shark's fin, Mongolian Beef, Japanese Seaweed Salad, Honey Glazed Scallops and whole Beijing duck. You'll also find 30 to 40 dim sum selections. Vegetarians will have no trouble finding zesty options. ($$)

BEEF

BASCOM'S CHOP HOUSE, 3665 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater; (727) 573-3363. This American chop house showcases a variety of aged beef, hand-cut veal, pork and lamb chops, and a small selection of seafood. Try the expertly seared sea scallops, enhanced by baby spinach and grilled red onions. Enjoy a side dish called Gorgonzola Souffle, a cheesy bread pudding. ($$-$$$)

BERN'S STEAK HOUSE, 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 251-2421. While Bern's is foremost a steakhouse, the menu offers some creative alternatives. Seafood selections can be topped with more than a dozen sauces, including curry mango butter, lobster emulsion and truffle jus. A slate of daily specials features fresh fish; a seafood sampler platter with Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams and mussels; and other offerings paired with wines. You'll also find pork chops, rack of lamb, and a vegetable sampler platter. The huge array of aged beef - priced by cut, weight and thickness - still draws moans of ecstasy. ($$$)

BOIZAO STEAKHOUSE, 4606 Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 286-7100. Vegetarians would be wise to avoid Boizao Steakhouse, a lavish restaurant featuring the churrasco-style cooking of Brazil. It not only offers a pampered, entertaining night of dining, it stocks you up for hibernation. Gaucho waiters wielding heavy skewers of beef, lamb, pork and chicken scurry nonstop, or espeto corridor, among the tables, slicing succulent cuts onto your plate until your belt busts. The restaurant is spacious and richly appointed, with a sophisticated bar off a dining room dominated by an extravagant salad bar. The 14 cuts of meat are cooked on spits over a mesquite fire, then carried out and sliced tableside. Diners control their feast by displaying small cardboard discs, green on one side, red on the other, and the gauchos are quick to respond. ($$)

CHARLEY'S STEAK HOUSE & MARKET FRESH FISH, 4444 W. Cypress St., Tampa; (813) 353-9706. A lavish, attractive addition to Tampa's big-steaks showdown. The prime and choice steaks are the draw, especially the New York Strip and blue cheese-stuffed filet mignon. One of its seven dining rooms is private and has its own entrance. ($$$)

COUNCIL OAK STEAK AND SEAFOOD, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5223 N. Orient Road, Tampa; (813) 627-7628. What is Tampa's best restaurant? No argument should exclude the new Council Oak at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where a fine meal is less a gamble than a given. The restaurant unfolds like an oasis, and diners can't help but be mesmerized by the posh design and atmosphere, top-shelf service and superlative menu. This is where a couple can drop $200 and feel good about the investment. Beef and seafood are the mainstay here, high-end USDA prime cuts and line-caught Florida fish. The kitchen creates small masterpieces with the rosemary-rubbed Dry Aged Lamb Chops and Free Range Organic Chicken with root vegetables. ($$$)

DEMPSEY'S STEAK HOUSE, Saddlebrook Resort, 5700 Saddlebrook Way, Wesley Chapel; (813) 907-4574. Beef, beef and more beef make Dempsey's a mouthful. The kitchen's prime cuts include a killer Black Angus Cowboy Steak; 24-ounce Aged Porterhouse; Wisconsin Milk-Fed Veal Chop; Roast Prime Rib of Midwest Beef; and a Center-Cut Pork Chop with roasted garlic and rosemary marinade. Less adventurous eaters can pig out on a lavish salad bar, seafood entrees and other luscious items. ($$$)

E&E STAKEOUT GRILL, 100 N. Indian Rocks Road, Belleair Bluffs; (727) 585-6399. E&E buys corn-fed, choice-grade Sterling Silver beef from the Platte River area between Nebraska and Colorado. The meat is aged at least 25 days and seasoned with cracked black pepper. Go for the 9-ounce, center-cut filet mignon, seared rare and served with a cloying bearnaise sauce. The 12-ounce New York Strip is the next best option, followed by the 14-ounce Delmonico. Those wanting to bust a buckle can wrestle down the 28-ounce Cowboy Steak, which could feed a small family. ($$-$$$)

FLEMING'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE & WINE BAR, 4322 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa; (813) 874-9463. This attractive, luxurious restaurant is usually packed with diners, but not just for its prime meats and high-end menu. An annually revised list of 100 wines by the glass entices lovers of the grape. The restaurant carries a sophisticated but casual ambience, with its rich wood accents, exhibition kitchen, stylish bar, spacious booths and alabaster chandeliers. The a la carte menu offers a solid lineup of beef, pork, seafood and poultry, and entrees arrive on large, sizzling plates. Thick cuts of USDA corn-fed beef range from an 8-ounce petite filet to a 40-ounce porterhouse, seared over gas broilers and drenched in butter. ($$$)

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE, 615 Channelside Drive, Suite 203, Tampa; (813) 229-8000. The restaurant's roots go back 80 years, opening as a speak-easy in New York's theater district in 1927. It set a legitimate table with the end of Prohibition and carved a reputation for fine beef. Gallagher's sets the tone for dining with ornate high ceilings and lavish wood appointments and flooring. Guests can gawk into the two-story cooler, where huge slabs of chilled Midwestern meat on the bone are dry aged behind the glass. The menu is a la carte, the meat - with few exceptions - ideally prepared, the service crack professional, and the atmosphere tastefully subdued. ($$$)

LEATHERBACKS STEAKHOUSE, 15000 Madeira Way, Madeira Beach; (727) 399-2227. Steak, seafood, ribs and chicken fill the menu, along with pork and pasta dishes. Good starters are Carretta Crab Cakes with horseradish-cayenne aioli and Shroom Bloom's mushrooms stuffed with habanero cream cheese. For dinner, try Max's Mixed Grill, grilled lobster tail, grilled chicken and shrimp brushed with a tangy lime butter; or Fort Matanzas Shrimp stuffed with crab and punched up with a lemony butter sauce. ($$)

MALIO'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE, 400 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa; (813) 223-7746. The old Malio's has reappeared with a posh new look on the bottom floor of Rivergate Tower, the cylindrical "Beer Can" building downtown. Shedding its fraternity steakhouse mold, Malio's now acts slick and sophisticated, armed with top-notch service and a menu steeped in high-end beef. Consider the 16-ounce Ribeye, 18-ounce Prime Rib, or Australian rack of lamb. The wine list includes 300 choices by the bottle. ($$$)

RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE, 1700 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa; (813) 282-1118. Ruth's Chris may be the business traveler's best friend, offering prime quality steaks in dozens of cities. The beef, undeniably exceptional, arrives hissing hot from an 1800-degree broiler, juices sealed within a perfectly charred exterior. To this, the kitchen adds a butter glaze, which spits furiously from the platters. Appetizers and side orders include Asparagus with Hollandaise, Sliced Tomato and Onion Salad, Potatoes Au Gratin, Creamed Spinach and Seared Ahi Tuna. ($$$)

SHULA'S STEAKHOUSE, Wyndham Westshore Hotel, 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 286-4366. This upscale chain boasts a Miami Dolphins theme, including menus on footballs. Fancy steaks, from Kansas City strip to porterhouse, and a monster 32-ounce prime rib await those who like to dine on plainly prepared but delicious top-quality meats. Shula's also serves chicken breast, lobster, salmon, snapper and, of course, dolphin. ($$$)

SILAS DENT'S STEAKHOUSE & BAYSIDE BAR, 5501 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach; (727) 360-6961. This beach eatery emphases top-notch steaks and seafood. Food is prepared straightforward, but with fresh, quality ingredients. Plus, there are extras such as homemade bread sprinkled with oatmeal and served with dried tomato cream cheese, a sorbet break between courses and a Parmesan dressing salad tossed tableside. ($-$$)

TEXAS CATTLE COMPANY, 2600 34th Street N., St. Petersburg; (727) 527-3335. The market-style display (featuring hearty steaks and lobster) catches your attention at this cowboy-friendly eatery. A winner is the 18-ounce T-bone teamed with a baked lobster tail. Since the eatery opened in 1985, only a handful of people have the right to say they finished the 6-pound Texas Challenge - eating a 6-pound steak, salad, potato and bread in 75 minutes. If one finishes only half, the charge is $26. A skimpy finish (leaving more than 3 pounds) will cost $40. ($-$$)

WATERCOLOUR STEAKHOUSE AND GRILLE, 1201 Gulf Blvd. (Marriott Sand Key), Clearwater Beach; (727) 596-1100. Yes, Virginia, there are some excellent restaurants along the beach, and Watercolour proves our point. The kitchen cooks up a delicious fillet of Chilean Sea Bass, and grills nothing but certified black Angus beef - expensive and worth it. Waterfront views and good service enhance the dining experience. ($$-$$$)

Feeder's Digest is a weekly compendium of Bay area restaurants visited anonymously and recommended by Tribune restaurant critics. Prices are per couple for three courses, with a glass of wine each (where applicable) before tip and taxes.

$ means $30 or less

$$ means $30 to $60

$$$ means more than $60

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