TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Gulfport boasts great dining off the beaten path

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

A group of co-workers relax over Mexican food at Peg's Cantina & Brew Pub in downtown Gulfport.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 2, 2009

GULFPORT - It's safe to say Gulfport now rivals Dunedin for the title of Best Little Quirky Place for Dinner in Tampa Bay.

Consider your options within its four-block waterfront downtown.

There's the intimate, baroque flair of La Cote Basque Winehouse, a family-owned French restaurant which has won numerous awards during its 36 years for such dishes as veal crepes, escargots de bourguisnonne and Jager Schnitzel .

Not up for French?

Peg's Cantina and Brew Pub offers upscale Mexican and homemade brew in an open-air setting. Pia's Trattoria does the same with its comforting Neopolitan fare. Caddy-corner across Beach Boulevard, the lump crab cakes nearly melt in your mouth at Back Fin Blue Café.

Fried green tomatoes and shrimp and cheese grits frame the Southern fare on the verandah at Isabelle's in the haunted Peninsula Inn, which also features a Six Tables by-appointment restaurant. There's upscale Brazilian-style rodizio dining at La Fogata and stylish tapas and cocktails at its bar, Bellini's. The Village Pub does British fish and chips and pints of beer. Domain Food and Spirits sells sandwiches and drinks. There's pizza pie at Dominics, casual food at Yummy's, beach grub and karaoke at O'Maddy's, and coffee at Java Nirvana.

Just beyond the waterfront district, you'll find the Havana Café packed on weekends on Gulfport Boulevard, and Asian takeout at Try My Thai at the counter inside the Tower Shore Market on 58th Street.

Until about a decade ago, visitors had a dining choice of either La Cote Basque or a picnic bench on the beach. The occasional seedy biker hangout or drunk hatchery would emerge on Shore Boulevard, but then fade away. Other than Gulfport Boulevard acting as a back road to Interstate 275 from Pasadena, there are no through streets to provide a customer stream.

Lori Rosso, Gulfport Chamber of Commerce president, says the twice-monthly Art Walks that started about seven years ago finally lured outsiders to the waterfront for something other than senior citizen dances at the venerable Gulfport Casino. That prompted artists to open galleries and lured young professionals and hip singles to take up residence in the 3-square-mile village. During the most recent real estate boom, the town became known for being one of the most affordable places to buy a bungalow near the water.

That infusion begat more festivals and events. Fresh markets on Tuesdays. The 49th Street South Blues Fest and the Gulfport Gecko Fest in September. Eco-friendly events. It helped that there were no parking meters to fill, like on St. Pete Beach or in downtown St. Petersburg. There aren't any streetlights, for that matter.

As the art shops came and went, independent restaurants moved in to replace them. Italian native Pia Maria Goff and her husband Tom moved to Gulfport after meeting each other in Venezuela. They were looking to move somewhere closer to his hometown of Sarasota to open a restaurant where she could serve food she missed from home. Gulfport was reminiscent of her birthplace in Pozzuoli, Italy, on the Gulf of Naples.

Even off-season, it's common to see people drifting from one place to the next, sipping and dining, many with their dogs in tow. "Gulfport is very dog-friendly," Rosso says.

"I think [Gulfport] is the best-kept secret," Goff says. "It's got a little Key West style. People know each other. It's very open, very diverse. It feels like time stands still in Gulfport. Even though it's close to St. Pete and Tampa, it's somehow forgotten."

Gulfport restaurants

• BACK FIN BLUE CAFÉ
2913 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 343-2583
4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday

"Old Florida Dining" is found at chef/owner Harold Russell's refurbished 1920s cottage. The jumbo-lump Maryland-style crab cakes are the signature item, with fresh grouper and southern barbecue salmon also featured. Don't leave without a slice of Key lime pie.

• BELLINI'S
2838 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 327-4222; 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Hip tapas and cocktails are just around the corner at this sister-bar to La Fogata Churrascaria. The Death By Chocolate martini (Van Gogh Dutch chocolate vodka with Godiva chocolates and garnishes of Hershey's syrup and chocolate shavings) is reason alone for a visit.

• DOMAIN FOOD & SPIRITS
5501 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 347-1928
11 a.m. to close Tuesday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to close Sunday

Sandwiches and other finger foods (try the whole belly clams) are a perfect match for this live music spot, which overlooks Gulfport Beach. The Divas in Paradise drag show next Saturday should bring a little South Beach flavor to the waterfront. The Sunday champagne brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. is a feast fit for a hangover.

• DOMINIC'S PIZZARIA
2930 Beach Blvd., Gulfport; (727) 323-2015
Open Thursday through Tuesday. Open for lunch Tuesdays only.

Pizza, Stromboli and calzone head the menu, along with stuffed shells and lasagna. Friends rave about the homemade potato chips and garlic knots. The butter garlic wings were a hit, too. Oh, and there's free delivery, if you're in Gulfport.

• HABANA CAFÉ
5402 Gulfport Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 321-8855; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

This is Gulfport's home for authentic Cuban cuisine. Along with the traditional lechon, picadillo and palomilla, don't miss the Camarones Borracho (drunken shrimp sautéed in olive oil, white wine, onions, garlic and mojo sauce).

• ISABELLE'S/SIX TABLES
2937 Beach Blvd., Gulfport; (727) 346-9800; 5 to 9:30 p.m. daily
Six Tables: one 7:30 p.m. seating by request Thursday through Saturday

Located at the refurbished Peninsula Inn, Isabelle's offers Southern food with quirky flair. The restaurant is named for the friendly ghost, which roams upstairs. She has a martini at the bar named for her, too. The signature fried green tomatoes are served with pimento cheese, roasted red pepper sauce and Vidalia onion relish. The Six Tables Restaurant in another wing of the inn, is available by appointment and serves a seven-course $80 prix fixe menu (excluding wine, tax and gratuity).

• JAVA NIRVANA CAFÉ
2908 1/2 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 323-5904
7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

The expressed goal here: "coffee bliss." This is the town's coffee hangout, with Panini sandwiches, wraps, bagels and salads also on the menu. The pomegranate acai smoothie is crazy delicious.

• LA COTE BASQUE WINEHOUSE
3104 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 321-6888
4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

The one constant in Gulfport's restaurant scene for more than three decades, the Swiss Frohne family operates this intimate but lavish restaurant. French, German and Italian classics are the cornerstone of the award-winning menu. (Fun fact: sisters Carmen and Simone Frohne - the daughters of founders Ernst and Theresa Frohne - are married to two brothers.)

• LA FOGATA
2832 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 327-4200; 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

With a wine list of more than 200 labels, this is the swankiest restaurant in town. (Call ahead for reservations.) The South American churrasco concept of skewered meats roasted over open fire is in full force here for $34.90 prix fixe. (Table-only and tapas ordering also are available.) If you miss ordering a La Fogata Caipirinha, you've made a grievous error.

• O'MADDY'S BAR AND GRILL
5405 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 323-8643; 11 a.m. to close daily
Bar: 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

Here's the math: pub grub + karaoke + outdoor porch + waterfront view = good times. Be sure to try the Worthington's Cheese Steak Philly. Your stomach will thank us.

• PEG'S CANTINA AND BREW PUB
3038 Beach Blvd., Gulfport; (727) 328-2720
5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday

Tony Dodson and Peg Wesselink's upscale-but-casual Mexican eatery was so popular, it moved to its current larger location about a year ago. The cantina's interpretations of fish tacos and burritos are the most popular items. People rave about the tomatilla jalapeno fire-roasted salsa that lights up the taste buds. Peg's son, Doug, makes homebrew beer called GOOD, (Gulfport Original On Draft) that's so popular, they're going to start making it in 30-gallon batches.

• PIA'S TRATTORIA
3054 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport; (727) 327-2190; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

Pia Maria Goff transported her beloved cuisine from Naples to this quaint outdoor patio trattoria, fitting the menu with homemade exotic lasagna and dynamic seafood staples like Fruiti di Mare (mussels, shrimp and clams over pasta).

• TRY MY THAI
5800 28th Ave. S, Gulfport; (727) 345-8387
11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Tucked in a corner of the Tower Shore Market convenience store, it's not the most obvious place to order Thai takeout food, but it will satisfy your craving for Asian fare. The chicken pad Thai and panang curries get a big thumbs-up.

• VILLAGE PUB
5519 Shore Blvd S., Gulfport; (727) 329-8825
11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday

Pub food for the British soul is the order here at this beachfront restaurant. If the cod fish and chips drenched in vinegar doesn't get you, the shepherd's pie will. Give the beef curry a go, if you like a little spice.

• YUMMY'S CASUAL CAFÉ
2914 Beach Blvd., Gulfport; (727) 321-9869; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 5 Sunday

Adjacent to Java Nirvana, this is as low-key and easygoing as it gets, with nine kinds of hot dogs and lots of sandwiches. (Loaded with peppers, onions, relish and mustard, the Chicago dog fits the classic definition.) The jumbo Polish sausage was so big, it almost needed its own area code.

Reporter Jeff Houck can be reached at (813) 259-7324.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT