American food shows its colors at Eats

Review

When it comes to food, you don't get much more American than fast-food burger joints and steakhouses.

So when Chris Rose - who has more than a decade of experience working with those staples - decided to open his own restaurant, the theme came easy: American.

But Rose and his partner, Jess Scoggins, didn't just stick with what they knew; they traveled the country in search of regional offerings. What they came up with ranges from the traditional to the surprisingly delicious.

Eats American Grill, near Britton Plaza in South Tampa, is in a relatively small building with sparse parking. On a recent Thursday night, the first thing we noticed was customers walking from nearby parking lots.

The atmosphere is that of a family-friendly sports bar. Every table has a good view of one of the flat-screen televisions hanging on the wall. A speaker on each table can be tuned in to the programming of your choice. Luckily for us, a Disney movie was playing during our visit, which kept out little one happily occupied while waiting for dinner.

We started with the complimentary potato chips and ranch dip. The homemade chips were crispy and well salted.

We couldn't decide among the appetizers, so we went with the sampler, in which you pick three smaller portions. We chose fried dill pickles, cheese fries and pineapple fritters.

The pineapple fritters were by far the fave. Pineapple, celery and onion was battered and fried, offering a unique mix of flavors. The Polynesian sauce was a nice touch.

The cheese fries did the job, although we felt guilty eating them. They were smothered - and we mean smothered - in chili sauce, melted cheese and bacon.

The thick cut pickles were perfectly fried, golden and crunchy, and the pickle stayed in place - a big plus.

For entrees, we tried the Sirloin and Walnut Salmon. We questioned how a restaurant with such a wide variety of choices would cook a steak, and were pleasantly surprised with the result. The tender 8 oz. steak was seasoned well and cooked to perfect medium. The salmon, with its crunchy walnuts, complemented it well, although the teriyaki sauce was a bit heavy.

The blackened chicken dinner wasn't in the same league as the steak and salmon. The chicken came out dry and bland.

Other options included chicken tenders, crab cakes and pork chops.

On another visit, we went for lunch.

We tried the Classic Black and Blue Burger. The burger was evenly cooked, juicy and covered with just the right amount of blue cheese. The bun, however, was a bit wimpy for the plump burger and was soggy from the start.

We also tried the Midwest BLT, a truly unique offering. It had the traditional crispy bacon and lettuce, but with fried green tomatoes, instead of the traditional red ones. It was a nice combo but, as with the burger, the bread - this time Texas toast - wasn't quite substantial enough for the sandwich.

Service was excellent during both visits. Our drinks were never more than half empty, and our servers had plenty of suggestions.

New items are coming, too. Rose said he plans to offer themed dishes during six- to eight-week promotions.

He promises to keep coming up with unique takes on regional food. Case in point: Just in time for Gasparilla, Eats is featuring New Orleans' Crawl Fish Pie.