Tampa restaurants earn more Michelin stars, Sweetwater Farm’s annual fundraiser returns, and more local food news

Openings

Little Philly There's a newly opened eatery in downtown St. Pete where shouting "Go Birds!" may be synonymous to a hello. Owners Sean Ford and Renaud Cowez are the minds behind a new East Coast-syle eatery called Little Philly, which dishes out traditional cheesesteaks and other favorites from the "City of Brotherly Love." Both Ford and Cowez have an esteemed background in the hospitality industry, with both partners collaborating on other local concepts like Beach Drive’s Tryst Gastro Lounge and cocktail spot Tropez. Little Philly soft opened earlier this week at 2063 Central Ave. out of the former of Job Site Burgers space in the Grand Central District, adjacent to neighbors like Love Food Central, Trophy Fish and 2D Cafe. While there’s no website or menu posted online just yet, ILovetheBurg says that Little Philly offers chicken cutlet sammies, hot dogs, water ice (a regional summer treat that slightly differs from Italian ice), sausage and pepper breakfast sandwiches and burgers in addition to its cheesesteaks. Vegetarian options like mushroom cheesesteaks and a variety of Philly-based drinks are on the menu, too. And for all of the cheesesteak aficionados out there, Little Philly also offers a homemade version of the beloved, yet contentious Cheez Whiz. 2063 Central Ave., St. Pete. @littlephillystpete on Instagram

Kahwa After a four year delay, Kahwa’s newest coffee shop has opened its doors—or drive-thru, rather. Kahwa's most recent outpost made its debut on Thursday, April 18 at 6601 4th St. N in St. Petersburg. While there’s no indoor seating at this location, folks can still order from its walk-up window and sit on its outdoor patio. The St. Pete-based coffee franchise offers a variety of coffee and espresso-based beverages—from lattes, americanos and cappuccinos to matcha, a variety of herbal teas and chai—in addition to pastries and light breakfast bites. Kahwa orginally planned to open its 4th Street location by the end of 2020, although construction and permitting obstacles delayed its opening by a whopping four years. Founders Sarah and Raphael Perrier launched their wholesale and retail coffee company in 2006 and over the years it has grown to be the “the largest independent coffee roaster in the state of Florida,” according to a press release. Kahwa now operates almost 20 coffee shops throughout the greater Tampa Bay area, with the highest concentration of cafes in its hometown of St. Petersburg. 6601 4th St N, St. Pete. kahwacoffee.com

Coming Soon

Juno & the Peacock Last summer, 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House closed for "renovations." Now it appears that two new concepts will debut from the downtown St. Petersburg location. The space at 400 Beach Dr. NE is now home to a new cocktail lounge called Pluma, and a new full service restaurant called Juno & The Peacock, which will offer a "new American coastal cuisine" for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. According to a press release, the menu at Juno & the Peacock will span everything from dry-aged steaks, to seafood towers, seared grouper, crab cakes and more. Over at Pluma, the lounge will focus on light bites and cocktails, as well as a "curated wine selection highlighting over 1,400 choices primarily sourced from New World regions." Collectively, the two spaces will be able to accommodate up to 268 guests with both indoor and outdoor seating. There's currently no exact opening date, but co-owners Shawn and Jeanna Damkoehler—who are also behind the nearby Mediterranean-Aegean restaurant Allelo—plan to open both the restaurant and the cocktail lounge by late summer 2024. 400 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. junoandthepeacock.com —Colin Wolf

Events

Taste at the Straz There’s no sense in skipping a Saturday night of live music, craft bevs and great local food, especially when you’re supporting the arts at the same time. The Straz Center for the Performing Arts hosts "Taste" its annual fundraising event this month, an event of perfect synthesis for foodies and arts lovers. There are over 40 participating restaurants including Tampa favorites like Besito Mexican and The Dan, as well as craft brew staples like 3 Daughters, Tampa Bay Brewing Company and others. Not a beer fan? No worries, craft cocktails and NA beverages will also be pouring. Taste (stylized "TASTE") takes place at the venue's lobby, Morsani and Ferguson Halls, and the Tampa Riverwalk, and also offers four stages with live entertainment from Paradigm, Stereo FM, Jaquay Pearce and Chris Flowers. The all-inclusive general admission tickets include unlimited sampling and raise funds to maintain Tampa Bay’s arts scene and support Straz’s education and outreach programs throughout the community. Straz already boasts provision of arts education programs for over a million students and hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship assistance. Tickets to the Taste at Tampa's David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, April 27 start at $95. VIP options include early entry or even private tables and start at $185. 1010 N Macinnes Pl, Tampa. strazcenter.org — Suzanne Townsend [event-1] 30th annual Pesto Festo Sweetwater Organic Farm celebrates a different type of herb—basil, that is—at its annual springtime fundraiser this month, which just so happens to fall on 4/20 this year. In addition to flowing drinks and good eats like pesto pasta, zoodles and pizza, Pesto Festo 2024 also features live music, kids activities, a dessert bar, silent auction, raffles, drum circle and other basil-themed festivities. Locally-brewed kombucha, beer and wine will be on tap, too. Funds raised help continue the community-ran organic farm’s mission of “exploring ecological interconnections, practicing appropriate land stewardship and mastering sustainable agriculture techniques.”Just a handful of sponsors for the 30th annual Pesto Festo this weekend include Mother Kombucha, Keel & Curley Winery, Squeeze Juice Works, Vigo and Kahuna’s Bar and Grill. Tickets to the 30th Annual Pesto Festo happening Saturday, April 20 at Tampa’s Sweetwater Organic Farm are still available and start at $50. 5521 Hanley Rd., Tampa. sweetwater-organic.org ICYMI

Five Tampa restaurants earn Michelin stars in 2024 guide Tampa is officially a few stars richer—Michelin stars, that is. The prestigious international dining guide held its annual award ceremony at the Tampa Edition tonight amongst a crowd of excited chefs, cocktail-clenching restaurateurs and furiously-typing journalists. Intimate Scandinavian eatery Ebbe and omakase hotspot Kōsen are the newest Tampa restaurants to earn a prized star from Michelin’s anonymous inspectors. Koya, Rocca and Lilac—which received their stars last year in Miami—all retained their stars. The only new local eatery to snag a Bib in 2024 is South Tampa’s Streetlight Taco, which made its debut just a few months ago. The Bib Gourmand designation is awarded to restaurants that “leave you with a sense of satisfaction at having eaten so well at such a reasonable price.”The 2024 Florida Michelin Guide (stylized "MICHELIN") also recommends over a dozen restaurants in Tampa, including everything from culinary institutions like Bern’s Steak House and Columbia to modern concepts like Restaurant BT, On Swann, Olivia and Ponte. While only Tampa restaurants can be contenders for Michelin stars—since the guide has a partnership with Visit Tampa Bay and not Visit St. Pete Clearwater—the dining guide has plans to expand its footprint throughout the Sunshine State (hopefully, Pinellas County will be considered for its next round of growth.) Visit Tampa Bay’s Patrick Harrison told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay last week that “as time moves forward we’ll see the guide starting to branch out,” adding that hotspots like the Palm Beaches, Fort Lauderdale and the greater St. Petersburg area all have vibrant dining scenes. guide.michelin.com

Tampa Bay Taco Week 2024: Here are some of the exclusive specials happening at the best Bay area restaurants Tampa Bay Taco Week is here. For 10 delicious days—April 18-28—close to two dozen Bay area restaurants are offering exclusive specials. Have a look at some of the available deals below, then visit tampabaytacoweek.com for the entire list of participating restaurants! Tampa Bay Taco Week 2024 is brought to you by Ghost Tequila, Tampa Jet Boat Adventures, and Local Culture Creative. St. Pete’s longtime modern Italian eatery IL Ritorno has launched its multi-course, spring tasting menu—which starts with a luxurious amuse bouche of wagyu tartare and caviar on a polenta cake and seared foie gras in a savory pastry, and ends with a fresh, tiramisu-inspired dessert with guava coulis, mint oil, mascarpone, green mango, macadamia nuts and lady fingers. Other highlights include its charcoal-grilled octopus over a pea foam, served with fennel crostini and artichoke, as well as its lobster tortellini entree, which comes with black trumpet mushrooms and a rich seafood broth. IL Ritorno’s spring tasting menu—which is available alongside its daily menu of pastas, vegetable and seafood-forward small plates and entrees—costs $125 per person. Reservations can be made on tock.com.

Chinese-American chain P.F. Changs is bringing its new fast casual concept Pagoda Asian Grill to 1550 66th St. N in west St. Pete, where it will dish out build-your-own bowls loaded with General Tso’s chicken, beef and broccoli and lo mein. The quick service offshoot debuted in New York last year and will be the first of its kind in Florida, although St. Pete Rising says that another Pagoda Asian Grill is headed to Orlando, too. Currently, there’s no projected opening date for St. Pete’s upcoming location.

Tampa’s beloved vegan baker Gabby Bakes hosts a pastry pop-up at her Seminole Heights shop at 4404 N Florida Ave. on Saturday, April 20, and treats like toasted sesame miso cookies, orange blossom cardamom shortbread, banana custard matcha sugar donuts and blueberry lavender galettes are on the menu. This to-go pastry pop up is first come, first serve and runs from 10 a.m.-1p.m. or until Gabby Bakes sells out (which happens quite often.)

Superfood spot Fit Bowl Co. recently announced that it’s opening a third location inside Armature Works, at least on a temporary basis. Its acai bowl and smoothie pop-up is now open at the Tampa Heights food hall from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday; head to @fitbowlco on Instagram for more information.

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