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Upscale diner serves chat with chili

Tribune photo by JEFF HOUCK

An added dining treat: Getting an up-close look at Domenica Macchia whipping up her pan-fried pound cake.

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By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 18, 2009

Growing up, I used to eat at McCrory's five-and-dime in the Tyrone neighborhood in St. Pete. I remember sitting on the stool with the spinning top and thinking how cool it was to watch the short-order cook make enormous amounts of food.

Except for a few rare places, that experience is pretty much impossible to find now. That's why I was so excited to eat at Diner 437 on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg. Friends had told me that chef Dominica Macchia was working the line, just a few feet from the extended counter.

The restaurant, which opened earlier this month, serves upscale diner food. Macchia had been helping to open a restaurant named Shackleton's Folly, but when it ran into snags, she jumped at the opportunity to work at Diner 437.

How upscale? French fries cooked in duck fat. A burger with Fontina cheese and a fried egg. A short-rib sandwich that several friends have told me is their favorite.

Macchia's New York Chili — "It has a little attitude," she says — was deliciously smoky and meaty with subtle chipotle seasoning. Also, the pan-fried pound cake with a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream is not to be missed.

The best part for me: getting to chat with Macchia as she makes the food. A natural talker with a motor that doesn't quit, she adds a flavor and personality that the restaurant wouldn't have if she were behind a wall in a hidden kitchen. She seems delighted to be in the new situation, and the energy flows through the food. It's great — and rare — to meet a happy chef.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Diner 437 is, appropriately, at 437 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. It's owned by Greg Pugh of Ringside Cafe in St. Petersburg.

Burger fans, unite

You folks love your burgers.

I got tons of responses from readers last week after I wrote about the alleged "best burger in America" served at Le Tub Saloon in Hollywood, Fla.

Tom Corona wrote to tell me that Charrans, a family-owned bar in a strip mall at the corner of West Hillsborough Avenue and Sawyer Road in Tampa, "makes the best cheeseburger I have ever eaten."

Their burgers are made from a half-pound of ground ribeye, cheese and extras like bacon and mushrooms.

"I've started salivating just thinking about their food," Corona writes.

Sally Ballas, co-owner of Carrollwood Deli on North Dale Mabry Highway, says she's a huge hamburger fan. When she doesn't eat one of the corned beef or pastrami sandwiches at work, she enjoys the Monster Burger at … wait for it … IHOP.

"It is the best I've had," Ballas says. "Funny at a pancake house, right?"

Right.

Another place to try

"Coastal Living" magazine says Phillippi Creek Village Restaurant & Oyster Bar in Sarasota is the best seafood shack in Florida. Check out the details online at creekseafood.com.

Quote of the week

"Revelations, Book 2, Verse 3: 'And a lieutenant shall reject the muffin.'"

— Firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) to Kenny Shea (John Scurti) on the TV show "Rescue Me" after Scurti's character is too depressed to eat baked goods in the fire station's kitchen.

Cuppy the Cupcake expands

I'll admit it. I was a bit dubious when I heard that Tampa was getting a cupcake store in late 2007.

My reasons: It seemed like the gourmet cupcake craze was over. New York and L.A. had gone through their phase by the time ours started. Sure, it was smart for Nicole Rogers to start The Cupcake Spot on busy Dale Mabry in south Tampa, but it seemed like a pedestrian-driven item. I wrote a story because I thought it was a cool concept, not knowing how it would fare.

Shows how much I know.

She and her boyfriend-now-husband Doug Longo were successful enough to branch out to downtown St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, the couple recently moved their Tampa store to a larger, 1,200-square-foot location in the former Mike's Pies spot at 3225 S. MacDill Ave. The move, she says, offers more parking and better baking facilities.

My favorite cupcake of hers remains the Chocolate Elvis (banana cake with peanut butter buttercream and a dollop of chocolate).

For information, call (813) 839-7077.

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