I have something to share with you.

Florida. The sun, the beach, and yes, the humidity. But I am on vacation and ready to relax.  We flew into Tampa and stayed overnight in St. Pete to visit my grandmother before heading south so of course we had to try some of the local spots.

Z Grille
I searched for a great spot to visit when we landed in Tampa. Something different, not the standard seafood restaurant. I found Z Grille, a downtown restaurant with a James Beard nominated chef. The reviews looked good so we entered the address into the rental car navigation system. We walked in and noticed the decor- lots of skateboards with interesting designs. The menu had numerous options and I wanted to try half of it. And our server was great! My daughter loved her cheeseburger(kids menu- big plus!) and my husband and I ordered three things to share. First Dirty D’s Deviled Eggs. They change the selection daily and today was a lemon chive caviar, a red hot(meaning spicy) and the California(see the recipe here). I opted out of the spicy one but enjoyed the other two(lemon was our favorite to my husband’s surprise). Then we ordered the Dr. Pepper Fried Ribs and the B’ ass Sandwich. The sandwich – fried shrimp, bacon, avocado and garlic mayo  – a good sandwich but next time, I would order the scallop appetizer or the pork belly tacos to try something different.  The ribs on the other hand were awesome – a little sweet a little spicy with a fantastic slaw. I could eat these every week during happy hour.

Beverly’s La Croisette
My husband loves breakfast so I knew I had to find a cute spot to make him happy.  And as long as they had chocolate chip pancakes, my daughter would be happy too.  The trick was to find a spot that my 95 year old grandmother would enjoy.  Beverly’s is a simple no-frills restaurant with an attached bakery that the locals love.  My daughter and I had pancakes, my grandmother and husband had eggs.  In case the line is long, there are two other breakfast spots across the street.

Hurricane Seafood Restaurant
For our last meal in florida, we wanted to sit outside and enjoy the sun and a view of the water.  We found a spot recommended by locals and figured how bad could it be, after all there was a twenty minute wait.  We both ordered the clam chowder and the grouper sandwich.  We enjoyed the weather and the view. Better luck next time!

My other post from this trip is On the Road:  Naples, Florida.  I guess it’s time to work on those New Year’s Resolutions of eating healthy!