Tryst: It’s Not Just a Hip Nightclub … The Food is Amazing Too (2024)

Must Eat Mexican Treats in St. Pete If you search this site for “Mexican”, you may notice that I do all of the Mexican restaurant reviews. Why? It’s because I love Mexican food so much that I could literally eat it every day for a week straight. (I actually have done that before.) Two and a half decades ago when I traveled all over the country in sales, I would try a different Mexican restaurant in every town—going to a new town every day. Something else I’d like to mention is that I have been to Tijuana, Mexico City, Oaxaca,Zihuatanejo, and Cancun—although I’m not sure Cancun counts. I mention my Mexico travels because it came up in the midst of discussions in our Facebook Group. I was asked if I ever went to Mexico because my iteration of “authentic” was being questioned. We learned something interesting while posting our Mexican restaurant reviews. The word “authentic” tends to trigger an avalanche of criticism and disagreement. It reminds me of the“Slowly I Turned” sketch – a popular vaudeville sketch wherein a character is relating a story and is triggered into violent outburst when the listener inadvertently utters a triggering phrase. – Wikipedia(My favorite is Abbott & Costello’s Niagara Falls.) To try to put the “authentic” issue to rest, I asked, what is authentic American food? There’s more than one style. Just look at all of the different types of barbecue for example. Just like there are different regions and styles in the US, the same goes for theUnited Mexican States. Our friend Robert has been traveling around Mexico for a little over two years now, and when we were talking to him about Mexican food, he said, “There’s no such thing as Mexican food. There’s Oaxacan food, Tapatío (Jalisco), Yucatan, Sonoran food, etc.” If you go to Mexico and say you are looking for authentic Mexican food, no one will know what you are talking about. It’s all REGIONAL FOOD. Most “Mexican” in the US is either Tex-Mex or Mexican-American food, and there are regional variations here too, which often cause debates to break out. Californians think they have the “best most authentic Mexican food”, but don’t tell that to a Texan because they really “know what the best Mexican food is.” Ok, on to the list! THE LIST IS IN RANDOM ORDER. 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in St. Pete, FL for 2024 Chile Verde Authentic Mexican Food 2801 22nd Ave North St. Petersburg, Florida 33713 (727) 800-2679 Chile Verde Facebook Chile Verde has been going strong for a little over five years now. The Tacos Mexicanos are done traditional Mexican-style with just meat, chopped onions, and cilantro. That’s it. The meat is well-seasoned and the tacos are delicious. The meat choices are steak, barbacoa (bbq beef), chicken, pork, tongue, tripe, and lamb. You can see that it’s not fancy, served on a styrofoam plate, but it is tasty. They also have Tacos Americanos where you get the tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. There is a small Mexican market inside with hot sauces, canned refried beans, chiles, tortillas, corn meal, etc. Order at the counter, and the food is brought to your table. Carmelita’s 5211 Park St North St. Petersburg, FL 33709 (727) 545-2956 Carmelita’s Website Here’s another Mexican family using their recipes from home serving up the St. Pete area for 40-years. This one is quite traditional too. When they have Menudo on the menu, it’s a good sign. You can also tell that the salsas are made fresh every day. Carmelita’s actually has five locations: Pinellas Park, Largo, St. Petersburg, Dunedin, and New Port Richey. They are all run by separate Mexican families, but with the same menu and recipes. VIP Mexican Restaurant & Lounge 10625 Gulf Blvd Treasure Island, FL 33706 (727) 360-5062 VIP Website VIP on Treasure Island has somewhat of a cult following. It is a unique experience, and the two most important things you need to know are: 1. Go early. 2. Get the Beef Tamale. Although the tamale doesn’t look pretty in the above photo, it is so so good! This place is so small and so good that there is always a wait. We went at 5:00 pm on a weekday during slow season and had a 40-minute wait. You can’t be shy or claustrophobic here as it is so tight, you are right on top of each other and there is no such thing as a private conversation … yet there is a wait every night … for good reason. VIP also has a location in Indian Rocks Beach now. Nueva Cantina 1625 4th St South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 851-9579 Nueva Cantina Website Nueva Cantina has been rockin’ their special style of Mexican food for six years now. They have some more traditional items, and great fusion, like the Picadillo Tacos, and Tex-Mex, like their excellent Fajitas. Above,Modelo Marinated Chicken – Honey-lime Modelo marinated chicken served with Mexican rice, black bean corn salsa, salsa rojas, and fresh cilantro. The chicken is nice and juicy and the roja sauce gives a nice, sweet heat. It’s complex, rich, tender, and has a great depth of flavor. Below, a more traditional item – Beef Enchiladas with black beans & rice. So many Mexican places taste all the same that you would think the beans and rice all came out of the same big shared can and box, but not these. They are fresh and delicious, and packed with flavor. The enchiladas are some of the best we’ve ever had. TacoMiendo St Pete Mexican Restaurant 4747 66th St N Kenneth City, FL 33709 (727) 498-6369 There’s nothing elegant, no fusion, or frilly plating. It’s just darn good Mexican food made and served by Mexicans. There’s Tex-Mex too as most diners expect this when they go to a “Mexican” restaurant. Don’t be surprised if your server speaks better Spanish than English. They are open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and […]

There area a TON of places offering chicken wings in St. Pete, and this year our list has 15. They are not ranked, but are listed in random order. First, A Little “Wingstory” I’ve been bingeing on food history, and gorging myself on culinary education for the past several years, and the more I learn and experience, the more I find out about disagreements and controversy everywhere. Should you use the water pan or not in your Weber Smoking Mountain Cooker? Chili with or without beans? What’s the best pizza dough recipe? In this case, it’s about who invented Buffalo wings. If you couldn’t care less, then just skip down to the list like half of the readers already did. (By the way, it’s not a ranking. They are listed in random order.) If you like a good food story, then keep reading. Buffalo wings were invented in 1964 in Buffalo, New York.The Anchor Bar claims to have invented them. Some feel this isdubious because the bar specialized in Italian food. Also, three different people, two of them owners and one an employee, all have a different story of how they originated. Even the husband and wife original owners can’t agree. The most popular story is that their son’s friends stopped in late one night with the drunk-munchies, and didn’t want the regular Italian fare, and asked for something off the menu. Mom, Teressa Bellissimo, thought about the “useless” chicken wings order that they received by accident that day, and decided to discard the tip, and separate the drumettes, and flats, fry them up, and then toss in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and butter. Ta-Da! Buffalo Wings are spontaneously invented! To this day they have a sign saying “Home of the Original Buffalo Chicken Wings”. Another story goes that John Young, an African-American, actually invented Buffalo wings before the Anchor Bar. Back then the chicken wing was considered a throwaway part of the chicken, and they also were only sold as a full wing that included the drumette, the flat and the tip in one piece. John Young’s Wings and Things started selling chicken wings in 1963, a year before the Bellissimos claim to have invented them. SIDE NOTE ON PRICES: Hand-written notes of Young’s from 1963 show that chicken wings cost the restaurant 25¢ a pound back then. A local restaurteur tells me about prices today. “It fluctuates a lot, but it’s typically no lower than $2/lb, and lives in that range until Super Bowl, where it peaks around $3.25 lb. During the height/peak price of the pandemic they were at $4.50/lb. We took them off the menu when they hit $3.50/lb. The fluctuation is typically completely related to demand from sports bars and pizza places during football and basketball season. Come April, it starts to go down after March Madness.” So, do we have black people’s food being appropriated by white people, albeit Italian-Americans?An argument could be made either way. John Young was selling chicken wings in Buffalo before the Bellissimos. Back then, more well-off people did not eat chicken wings. They were considered throw-away parts of the chicken, but poorer people would eat them because they were more affordable. However, Young’s were different than the Bellissimo’s in a couple of ways. The Bellissimos made them in the way we still think of Buffalo Wings today—separated flats and drumettes, and hot sauce with butter, amongst other ingredients. John Young left the wings intact, including the tip. (We have a new one like this on the list this year.) He had his own sauce called Mambo Sauce which is completely different than Buffalo wing sauce. There’s a myriad of more details to the full story, but that’s a sum up of this story, and a warm up for our list of the best wings in St. Pete. Best Buffalo Wings & Chicken Wings in St. Pete Wings remain one of the hottest food items, literally and figuratively—proper use of the word, ‘literally’ (you’re welcome)—and St. Pete’s eateries are happy to oblige. Here are the Best Wings in St. Pete for 2024 The Burg Bar & Grill 1752 Central Ave St. Petersburg, FL 33712 (727) 894-2874 The Burg Website From Haley: The wings at The Burg Bar & Grill are outstanding. Choose how you want them to be smothered from their list: mild, medium, hot, nuclear, bbq, sweet Thai chili, garlic parmesan, blackened or jerk. I went with medium for a little spice and it was perfect. If you’re like me, you’re okay with getting a little messy as long as it’s worth it. I’m here to tell you that these wings are finger licking good. Mangosteen 656 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 954-3381 Mangosteen Facebook A life-long chef friend of mine told me about these so I had to check them out. Mangosteen goes a little more rustic, or peasant-style / street food by leaving the wing intact instead of separating the flats and drumettes. They leave the tip on too just like John Young in Buffalo did in 1964 when he claims to have invented Buffalo Wings. Mangosteen is Asian themed, and this style is likely how some of the Asian cultures do it with the full wing. These are done like spicy fried chicken. They are crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside with a little bit of heat, and there’s some extra sweet heat when you dip them in the chili sauce. Category 36 Taphouse & Kitchen 7430 Gulf Blvd St Pete Beach, FL 33706 (727) 575-7317 Category 36 Website From Haley’s review: The wings at Category 36 come in either a batch of 5 or 10 with the choice of mild, medium, hot, BBQ, or garlic lemon pepper. The first time around I ordered the mild and the second I got them with BBQ. They know how to smother the wings in a tasty sauce but what’s equally important is the preparation and let me just […]

It’s seems like dinners often get planned and reservations get made, but lunch is usually spur of the moment, winging it as your empty stomach takes over the thinking. We’re here to help you find some great options that are all local independent eateries, all casual and quick, but with amazing food. 10 Best Lunch Spots in St. Pete Chosen by Locals for 2024 Samurai Cat 407 Central Ave St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 471-5852 Samurai Cat Website Samurai Cat opened in late-Spring of this year, and they provide a totally unique experience in St. Pete. They are a Japanese-niche cafe and bakery offering lunch and early dinner items not found anywhere else in town. (Check the hours, as they were open for breakfast during season, but not in the summer as this is being written.) The Cold Sesame Udon Salad was delicious and filling. I like how they intertwine the cabbage strands with the noodles. There’s a nice contrast of chewiness with the udon, and crispy bright notes with the cabbage. The freshness of the cucumber and umami of the sesame soy sauce pull it all together. It’s quite delicious as is, but you can also request some chili crunch oil if you like spice, and that puts it really over the top. (This is not shown in the photo as I put it on after I started eating.) Be sure to squeeze the lime onto it too. Menu description: chilled udon noodles dressed with sesame soy sauce, tossed with thinly sliced cabbage, cucumber, chives, and sesame seeds. The Tamago Sando (egg salad sandwich) is another favorite of mine. Itis tasty with the Kewpie mayo, and fun with the soft boiled, jammy eggs in addition to the egg salad. Be sure to try the onigiri (stuffed rice ball shaped like a triangle) too as these are super popular in Japan, but little known in this area. Shiso Crispy 1431 Central Ave St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 420-0704 Shiso Crispy Website Shiso Crispy is another favorite of mine that also has unique menu items not found anywhere else. They specialize in Japanese-fusion dishes that are packed with flavor. Famous for their posse of food trucks serving up Japanese and Asian Fusion around the Tampa Bay area, Shiso Crispy’s first brick & mortar opened in downtown St. Pete’s Edge District this past spring. Shiso Crispy is well-known for their gyoza (the Japanese word for dumpling) and their “dirty rice”. The Truffle Gyoza has potato, oyster mushrooms, black truffle mushrooms, Manchego cheese, and truffle cream. The outside has a nice chewy bite with some crispness and the inside is creamy, melts in your mouth and is full of umami. This was a previously discontinued item that has been revived exclusively for the St. Pete location. Two of our favorites are the Ahi Tuna and Short Rib Dirty Rice – sticky rice with gyoza sauce, gochujang sauce, fried onions, scallions, and sesame. These are of course luscious, and I dare you to try to eat the whole thing. I had to ask Ronicca about the name “Dirty Rice” because it is different than what one normally thinks of as dirty rice, which is usually dark and greasy, and Shiso’s seems quite clean and healthy. In this case, “dirty” is being used as slang to describe it as amazingly good, similar to lit, dope, rad, or bangin’. I wish you could have been there as it was a laugh-out-loud moment when Ronicca answered in her mock street voice accent saying, “I was testing out some recipes and I tried this, and I was like, ‘Damn! That rice is DIRTY!‘” The dirty rice dishes are craveable, and you can’t stop eating them. Do you know how when you are eating a bag of chips and you can’t eat just one? You just keep going and keep having more and more. The food industry’s little secret on that is MSG. When something has that ingredient, it makes it hard to stop eating. So I had to ask. The answer was, “No! People freak out about that. The reason you can’t stop eating it is because everything is sweet and salty, and perfectly balanced out to hit every area (of your palate)”. The Floribbean 2410 Central Ave St. Petersburg, FL 33712 (727) 826-0198 The Floribbean Website Located in the bustling Grand Central District on Central Ave, The Floribbean is a remarkable lunch spot if you’re on the hunt for something quick, casual, and straight up amazing. Everything was bursting with flavor. It’s a fast casual bowls concept from the same ownership as Urban Brew & BBQ. They have signature bowls, and build your own. I had the Floribbean Chili Bowl – garlic lime braised beef (shredded), sofrito, black beans, brown rice. It comes with lime crema sauce, but I substituted the Hawt Hot Sauce – vinegar based with habanero, jalapeño, ginger, and cilantro. The hot sauce has heat and great flavor. Lori built her own bowl of Cuban style pork (seared and braised for 6 hours, then double marinated), ginger black beans (tossed with garlic and ginger with a tangy lime finish), callaloo (fresh kale cooked down with coconut milk, jerk seasoning, and paprika) and jerk aioli – (Jamaican jerk spice, garlic, and vegan mayonnaise), chihuahua cheese. Williams Sub Shop 3801 Tyrone Blvd N St. Petersburg, FL 33709 (727) 347-9497 Williams Sub Shop Website They don’t just serve regular ole sandwiches at Williams Sub Shop, nope, they serve juicy, meaty, fresh, jam-packed 10-inch sandwiches. You can order any sandwich as a salad too. So now you have no excuse even if you’re going low-carb. If you’re like us though, you make exceptions and you’ll order all of the sides because the salads here are all homemade and how can you say no to fresh potato salad and coleslaw? The Yum Yum Sub is roast beef, turkey breast, ham, bacon, provolone cheese, and mayo. You can order it hot or cold with shredded mozzarella […]

Low effort and high reward is the name of the game with this take on slow-roasted salmon. The slow-roasting process ensures tender and flakey salmon that melts in your mouth with each bite. The addition of citrus makes this dish quite refreshing while the chili crunch sprinkles in bold and spicy notes. Though the ingredients involved are minimal, together they are the utmost well-balanced. There isn’t a ton of produce in season right now in Florida, but citrus, including orange varietals and grapefruit are goods that you’ll find plenty of during this time of year. Marrying together the invigorating flavors in citrus with a high-quality, fatty piece of wild salmon is quite lovely. The chili crunch aids in adding some texture and the torn fresh dill (or basil) rounds out the dish. Avocado, which is also in season in September, pairs well with all of these ingredients too. If you’d like to also incorporate that, use 1/2 of a ripe avocado and slice it into thin pieces. You can certainly go the extra mile by making your own variation of chili crunch or chili crisp (trust me, it’s much easier than you may think!), but there are plenty of solid options on grocery store shelves these days. One of my favorites is from Momof*cku and you can find this at Rollin’ Oats (it’s actually on sale currently). They offer a regular chili crunch, spicy and also a hot honey version. Another reputable brand at Rollin’ Oats is by Mr. Bing – they have a mild and spicy option. When it comes to selecting your salmon, I always suggest reaching for the wild caught versus the farm raised. Rollin’ Oats doesn’t have a dedicated seafood counter; however, they offer quality frozen wild caught salmon that works great for this dish. Just make sure to safely thaw the salmon prior to roasting it. Slow Roasted Salmon with Citrus & Spicy Chili Crunch Recipe Discover a new favorite low-effort dinner with this slow-roasted salmon which is paired with vibrant bits of citrus and a spicy assist from chili crunch. 16 ounces salmon (skin on and preferably wild-caught – 1 large piece or two 8 ounce pieces are recommended)1 tsp olive oil1/2 lemon (sliced into thin rounds)1 grapefruit (peel and pith removed and cut into thin rounds and then into halves and quarters)1 orange (peel and pith removed and cut into thin rounds and then into halves and quarters)1/2 tsp salt (plus more, to taste)2 tbsp chili crunch (plus more as needed – choose your favorite brand – I love Momofoku which can be found at Rollin' Oats)dill or basil (fresh & torn into smaller pieces (garnish, optional))avocado (sliced (optional)) Heat oven to 250F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the salmon on the lined baking sheet brush with olive oil, season with salt and top with the lemon slices.Roast the salmon for an hour and remove from the oven – the salmon should be quite tender and should pull easily away from the salmon's skin in pieces. Don't worry about keeping the salmon filet in one piece – we want it to flake a bit into chunks.To plate, arrange the flaky salmon pieces with citrus and avocado (if using) on a serving platter – there is no right or wrong way to do this, so feel free to get creative with your plating. Top with 2-3 spoon-fulls of chili crunch and garnish with torn dill or basil. Season with more salt as desired. Dinner, Main Course, Main DishAmericanSlow Roasted Salmon, Slow Roasted Salmon with Citrus & Chili Crunch

Having completed my Foundations of Sushi Masterclass with the Master of Japanese Cuisine Academy last year, I thought it would be a good time to update the list for the best sushi in St. Pete. Technically, sushi means sour rice that is served with raw fish. Even though this is a sushi list, we also took sashimi into consideration. Sashimi is the raw fish without the rice. Most people know what sushi and sashimi are, but what most do not know is that the majority of the restaurants offering sushi in the U.S. are offering Japanese-American sushi, and only a small number offer Japanese sushi. Only one in St. Petersburg does. Japanese vs. Japanese-American Sushi Japanese Sushi No menu. Maybe a list of fish. (Unless it’s a place catering to tourists.) Sit at a sushi bar and interact with the sushi chef. Sashimi, nigiri, and hand rolls are served. Never multi-ingredient sushi rolls. Rice is always on the inside of a roll, and it has only one ingredient rolled inside – fish or vegetable. In Japan, you will never find sushi rolls that are fried, spicy, or filled with avocado. Japanese-American Sushi There is a menu, and it is often large. More likely to be seated at a table, and no interaction with the sushi chef. Multi-ingredient rolls that are often much larger and sometimes hard to fit in your mouth, or to be eaten in one bite. Rice is more often on the outside of the roll. Rolls that are spicy, fried and sometimes include cooked ingredients, like tempura. If you want tempura in Japan, you have to go to a tempura bar. Unlike American restaurants that offer multiple types of Japanese and other Asian cuisines in one establishment, they have specialty shops such as sushi bars, tempura bars, ramen shops, yakitori joints, and so on. Japanese sushi bars usually have miso soup if you want something hot. These aren’t the only differences. There are entire articles on the subject. Another big one is the amount of soy sauce and wasabi that are used by Americans. I won’t even get into the “wasabi” we are typically served. (Maybe later.) We kick off the list with the only place that has the authentic Japanese experience, which is Sushi Sho Rexley. It’s not for everybody, and it is likely out of budget for some. The rest of the list is in random order. As with all of our lists, and unlike most other publishers, we personally went to all of these places, and ate all of this sushi, and took all of these photos. Here’s our 10 Best Places in no particular order, to Get Sushi in St. Petersburg Florida for 2024. Sushi Sho Rexley 214 2nd St N. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 835-8478 Sushi Sho Rexley Website “I will leave it up to you” is the english translation of the Japanese word Omakase. As I said earlier, there is usually no menu in Japan, and with Omakase, you don’t order the sushi. The chef chooses it for you, and you are served one thing at a time. A masu (pictured above) was originally a square wooden box used to measure rice in Japan, and it has now evolved into a vessel to hold a sake glass where you overflow the glass into the masu, and drink out of both the glass and the masu. If you look closely, you’ll see that they fill the glass to the rim, and let you be the one that spills it into the masu. You won’t find this in the Japanese-American places. It’s another sign of Japanese authenticity at Sushi Sho Rexley. You can see that the fish looks super fresh and delicious in the above photos, but look at the rice too. Americans typically think that white rice is boring, but in Japan the rice is more important than the fish. Koshihikari is the strain of rice used in Japan, and it is here at Sushi Sho Rexley too. It’s the good stuff. At Sushi Sho Rexley they also use real wasabi, meaning the actual root that is hand grated with nothing added. The wasabi we typically get is mixed with horseradish and other ingredients. Notice that the hand roll has the nori on the outside, and aside from that and the rice, there is only one ingredient – salmon roe. Sushi Sho Rexley is reservations only, paid in advance, and they have two seatings each night. There is an optional sake pairing. (Sushi Sho Rexley photos by Lori Brown) AHI Sushi 364 1st Ave N. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 290-9802 Ahi Sushi Website Ahi Sushi is the newcomer to the list having opened in February 2023. I wanted to give them some time, as other places that had been in the same spot have come and gone, so I waited until 2024 to go. I was happy to see that they successfully transformed the interior, which used to be a falling apart dump, into a refined little space worthy of elegant Japanese cuisine. From Lori’s post: Upon entering, the place is super clean, bright and airy. They have a small but nice selection of Sake. I almost didn’t order the edamame because most of the time, these days, it’s frankly just disappointing. By that I mean, sad and soggy, not salted properly and just not fresh. For something so simple, you would think everyone could do it right. No, they cannot, but Ahi Sushi can and it was fresh and fantastic. We ordered the tuna tataki done in a different style than I have ever had. The outside sear had a nice, spicy kick to it. We shared tuna, salmon and yellowtail nigiri that was so fresh. And sushi rice done properly. That rice is so good. It had the perfect stickiness and the flavor of sushi rice cooked properly. We shared a house special roll called the Yammi Roll – Inside: spicy tuna, cucumber, asparagus. Outside: salmon, […]