When Rays exit St. Pete, so will good eats

So, I'm watching and reading the coverage the past couple weeks about the Tampa Bay Rays saying they want a new home away from Tropicana Field. They can't wait to get out of downtown St. Petersburg. And I'm thinking, "What happens to Ferg's?"

Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill bet on the Rays back when they had Devil in their name, back when they were piling up 100 losses a season. Back then, you felt like you were breaking into the Trop to see a game even when you had a ticket.

Long before on-the-skids Central Avenue got its palm tree-and-paver makeover, Ferg's was the one place you could go for a beer before and after the game. For almost all of the seasons before Stuart Sternberg bought the team outright in 2006, there was more fun to be had at Ferg's than at the Trop. During the World Series run in 2008, Ferg's was a must-see mohawk-fest on the way into the stadium.

Along with the crowds came more restaurants, not the least of which is the outstanding Savannah's Cafe on Central Avenue. The flow of Rays fans driving the back way to St. Pete across the Gandy Bridge from Tampa made Fourth Street into a dining boulevard. The success of the Rays on the field translated into a reinvigorated restaurant and bar scene in downtown St. Pete as fans looked for places to party after wins.

Anyone who has visited Wrigley Field in Chicago or Fenway Park in Boston knows that the bars outside the ball fields are vital to the experience. St. Petersburg is only now starting to foster those off-the-field places where fans can find each other and celebrate their love of the team.

So I ask again, what happens to these places when - not if - the Rays move?

My guess: The weak ones won't survive. The strong ones will. And others will follow the Rays to wherever the stadium gets built, be that at the Florida State Fairgrounds, in downtown Tampa or, you know, Charlotte, N.C.

But only a fool would doubt that when the Rays leave downtown St. Pete the ripple effect on restaurants and bars will be anything less than enormous.

Downtown soul food

When the expected 15,000 people arrive to attend the Imperial Session of the Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners and Daughters of Isis in Tampa on Aug. 13, they'll have plenty of good eats in addition to the restaurants downtown.

A soul-food food court will be set up at Cotanchobee Park between the Marriott Waterside and Tampa History Museum. Developed by Tampa lawyer Jeraldine Williams-Shaw, it will serve three meals a day, Aug. 13 through 19.

"We are responding to the Shriners' specific request for ethnic foods. We are fortunate to be able to place the foods within walking distance of their meetings," Williams-Shaw said in a release.

Food will include barbecue chicken and ribs, locally grown collard greens, yams, chicken and rice and pig knuckles. Peach cobbler and potato pone are also planned for the menu.

More Pollo

Latin chicken restaurant Pollo Campero opened last week in West Tampa at 4060 N. Armenia Ave. It's the first in Tampa for the chain, which features grilled chicken, salsas, fried chicken and Latin sides such as black beans and rice, yucca fries and sweet plantains. The company says it plans five more locations in the area.

It competes directly with grilled chicken chain Pollo Tropical, which has two restaurants in Tampa, one in Oldsmar and another in Pinellas Park. In the past year, Pollo Tropical has revamped to offer a wider variety of side dishes and table service.

Food and Wine tickets

It's time to start thinking about the 15th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The fest, which lasts from Oct. 1 through Nov. 14 at Walt Disney World Resort, begins ticket sales at 7 a.m. July 20 for its special events and tastings, such as the Party for the Senses and Epcot Wine School.

New kiosks this year along the World Showcase will include the Belgium marketplace, which will serve steamed mussels with roasted garlic cream, and a South Korea stand selling barbecue short ribs with steamed rice and kimchi.

For tickets and reservations, call (407) 939-3378. Details about the special events can be found online at www .disneyworld.com/foodandwine.