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Seminole Heights: Tampa's newest dining destination?

Neighborhood attracting eclectic restaurants, taverns

Staff photo by ANDY JONES

Bartender Rob Moody, left, chats with patrons at the Independent, a new beer hall in Seminole Heights.

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By KATHY STEELE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2009

TAMPA - Busy, traffic-humming Sligh Avenue at Florida Avenue seems an unlikely corner to find a true taste of Spain.

But 70-year-old tapas recipes from Andulusia are cooking at El Sevillano.

More improbably, El Sevillano – the translation is "person from Seville" - is sharing its a Seminole Heights location with a long-time insurance business owned by the chef's father-in-law. But it all is very real to chef Jose Romero and his wife, Stephanie, who opened their tapas bar and restaurant within the past month.

"He was literally born in a kitchen," said Stephanie Romero, who met her husband on a vacation to Spain more than five years ago. He was the waiter at his family's restaurant, among the oldest in downtown Seville; she was the only one in a group of 18 diners who spoke Spanish.

The couple is among the latest to bring something different in dining destinations to Seminole Heights.
El Sevillano has tapas; The Independent pours German and Belgium drafts from the tap and imported micro-brews by the bottle at a tavern on Florida; and Nani's Sandwich Shop on Nebraska Avenue is almost ready to slice Cuban sandwiches and stir black beans and rice.

"We're ravenous for these kinds of places. Before we'd have to get in a car and drive to St. Petersburg or South Tampa," said Janie Johnston. She was enjoying a golden brew recently at The Independent, the European-style tavern that mirrors the first tavern of the same name which owners John and Veronica Vellines opened in St. Petersburg five years ago.

Other recent or long-time dining choices include Ella's, Nicko's Diner, Front Porch Grille, the Taco Bus, Three Coins Restaurant, Martha's Place, Rincon Catracho (formerly Viva! La Frida!), Bungalow Bistro, Cappy's Pizzeria, Stephanno's Pizza and Bay Fogona Deli (formerly Merino's Deli).

Under construction, on East Hillsborough Avenue, are Sangria's Spanish Tapas Bar & Restaurant, LeRoy's Gastro Pub and Myoumi Sushi Bar.

Veronica Vellines said their St. Petersburg location had loyal Seminole Heights customers. Many now can walk or ride bicycles to their new hang-out and order brews from Belgium, Germany, Poland, Sri Lanka or California. The beers are for "independent" tastes, she said.

The couple converted an old gas station that most recently had been used as a sign, graphics and print shop. They tapped into the beer market initially by using John Vellines' 12 years of experience with a Belgium brewery.

"I think that what the neighborhood is happy about is that they can hang out in their own neighborhood," said Veronica Vellines. "We're trying to make a real community meeting place."
They hope to add a café with coffee and a beer-friendly menu of cheese, humus and sausage dishes, and German pretzels.

Rob Moody lives in Seminole Heights and works part-time at The Independent. "It's a lot better than more used car lots," he said. "You're starting to see regulars stopping in. Everyone wants to know if you're from the neighborhood and are jumping into everyone's conversation."

At El Sevillano, the Romeros are nurturing their own casual dining, content for now with a small space that offers a handful of tables inside and outside. The menu includes marinated pork and Spanish chorizo on skewers, called pinchitos, and fried shrimp in a traditional Spanish batter, called gambas rebozadas. Take-outs and catering are available.

Each dish is made fresh and to order. "I really like it when people like the flavor of the food," Jose Romero said. "I'm really picky in the kitchen."

For years the squat concrete building at Florida and Sligh was father-in-law Ricardo Pineda's insurance office. When the Romeros began talking about opening a restaurant, Pineda said he would give up half the building to make way for El Sevillano.

"We know the potential on this site," Pineda said, adding traffic studies show 45,000 vehicles a day pass by the corner. The restaurant ultimately could expand to the entire building, he said.

On Nebraska, across from a Publix grocery store, Ralph Soler is turning his used appliance shop into a sandwich shop, pushing for an early December opening.

A freshly-painted mural of Nani, Soler's mother-in-law, graces the shop's outer wall. Inside, booths and kitchen equipment are being installed.

The menu will offer Spanish and Cuban food including black beans and rice and paellas from favorite recipes of Nani's grandchildren. "They love her food, the way she cooks," said Pilar Soler, who has worked at other restaurants, including the now-closed Seabreeze Restaurant on the 22nd Street Causeway.

Area residents view all the activity as a good sign.

For years Seminole Heights has had a thriving residential life but its commercial corridors have lagged, said Johnston. The opening of Starbucks more than two years ago, at Hillsborough and Central Avenue, seemed to be a turning point, she said.

"I think the commercial will come up to the residential," Johnston said. "It can only get better with more businesses."

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

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