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Seminole Heights Gets Taste From Future Restaurant

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By KATHY STEELE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 20, 2008

TAMPA - A taste of eclectic Americana is coming to Seminole Heights.

A new restaurant – Ella's – is under construction at Shadowlawn and Nebraska avenues. Its tentative opening is in March.

Owners Melissa Deming and Ernie Locke this week served up side dishes for the annual "eatin' " meeting of the Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association.

When the restaurant opens, the Tuesday-through-Saturday, dinner-only menu will be a melting pot of American, Middle Eastern and Asian. Lunches might be added later. On Sundays, there will be Kansas-style barbecue and live blues music for brunch.

The downturn in the economy doesn't give the owners pause. It might be different if Seminole Heights was saturated with restaurants, Deming said.

The two-story restaurant will have seating for about 50, including an outdoor patio. A second-floor loft could be opened for dining in the future.

"We also want to have a strong art element," Deming said. There will be a rotating art wall featuring American folk art. "I've been tapping into those kinds of resources."

The restaurant is named for her grandmother, Ella Hull, who grew up on a Kansas farm during the Depression.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.

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