DOWNTOWN CONCIERGE By Nanette Wiser
From the The St. Pete Pier marketplace and restaurants to Grand Central and beyond, new watering holes beckon and old favorites have reopened with social distance safety regulations in place. I love the to-go and pick-up options many purveyed during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Be sure to check ahead on their social media or website pages before exploring our faves.)
Sadly, some of our favorite festivals have been rescheduled for 2021, including Savor St. Pete and Clearwater Jazz Festival. Social galas are mostly online, raising funds for good causes and awareness on social issues. CASA’s 24th annual Peace Breakfast on Oct. 21 (October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month) will be held virtually oninteractive platform Lunchpool. www.casa-stpete.org/event/peacebreakfast
Happily, the Shine Mural Festival returns for its sixth year this November 7-14 and is partnering with Pangea Seed Foundation’s Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans program, and calling it “SHINE x Sea Walls: St. Petersburg.” The signature block party will be replaced by virtual events. Right now, you can tour the murals with the Pixelstix app, which brings 80 murals from past Shine Mural Festivals to life.
SIP & SASHAY
Your favorite 3 Daughters Beach Blonde Ale beer is available as a 12-pack at ABC and Total Wine just in time for Brady Bucs season. (Motorwork Brewing in Bradenton offers a new craft in honor of Gronkowski.) Also, at 3 Daughters is live music and an express menu featuring beer cheese nachos, buffalo chicken dip, burgers, salads and sammies.
Just steps away from The DALI, USF’s Bayboro Brewing’s 2,500-square-foot space hosts 20 taps with various bottled brews and a large outdoor beer garden. A new coffee shop and bakery fit for the caffeine-addicted and conscious shopper, Crislip Cafe serves locally brewed coffee, a lovely lavender latte, desserts, wine and local craft beers.
Also in the Edge District is CellarMasters, selling wines by the bottle/glass with a focus on natural vintages and craft beers, plus locally-sourced cheeses and charcuterie plates. We can’t get enough of these boutiques such as Hawthorne Bottle Shop, Lolita’s and Sophia’s Enoteca + Cucina for our “to go” at home feasts.
Need a shot in the arm? Look no further than Central Ave.’s Pour Judgement where you can sample from 269 different shots (Twix-flavored!) and nibble gourmet pressed sandwiches.
Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails now hosts The Mezzo Bottle Shop offering retail wine and Italian favorite Amaro for sale, to drink on premise or at home. Most offerings are natural, organic or biodynamic. Stay healthy with a juice cleanse subscription service from popular Squeeze Juice.
Java is still all the rage. David and Duane Hogg’s www.Hoggbatch.com coffee roastery, crafting unique beans barrel-aged with spirits (bourbon, rum, whiskey) have opened a production facility in Grand Central District.
Drive through 1 Pineapple Espresso, a small batch roaster with healthy fresh food or check out Flatbread & Butter in Uptown St. Pete for coffee, breakfast and pizza.
LET’S EAT:
Get your Cuban food fix at Bodega’s new location at 1180 Central Ave. With a second location in Tampa’s Seminole Heights, all your favorites (Cuban, vegetarian sandwiches) are on the menu. Their other restaurant, Baba is a Lebanese eatery and bakery.
Do you love Grace’s and Gracie Pasta & Provisions in Pass-a-Grille? If you do, GP&P opened a second shop in The Edge District purveying pasta, gourmet cheeses, jams and local fruits and vegetables. Yummy Europe delivers European gourmet delights (cheeses, sausage, smoke meats) plus wine, beer and coffee for a charcuterie evening at home.
Need specialty meats for BBQ this weekend? St. Pete Meat & Provisions shares space with Greenstock, and you can pick up specialty cuts of pork, beef, poultry and veal as well as specialty sausages, marinated meats and more.
Got a craving for homemade pasta? Welcome Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta To Go, with five pastas and nine artisan sauces to mix and match.
Also, on Central Ave. is Wild Child Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, serving seasonal salads and Korean fried-chicken sandwiches. With a second location at Sparkman’s Wharf, Central Avenue’s Naked Farmer showcases the bounty of local farmers in a seasonal menu that includes build your own bowl.
With outdoor seating and takeout/delivery Hooters’ fast casual Hoots serves up yummy wings, tenders, shrimps with multiple sauces. Red Mesa Quatro serves up Cubans, Ranch fries, BBQ chicken sandwiches, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, poke bowls and Pad Thai with pick up at 1st Avenue’s Red Mesa Cantina (at press time; in-person dining coming).
We can think of nothing more entertaining than hanging out at Sunshine Kitty Café, open for drinks and mingling with adoptable cats by reservation only. New to Grand Central is a new entertainment and education venue, The Mar, featuring live music, dance performances, improv comedy, meditation, and creative education in-person and via livestream.
Pinoy’s Filipino fare is delicious and healthy, especially the vegetable lumpia, curry and pancit made up of stir-fried rice noodles, carrot, celery, green beans, onion and cabbage. The historic Manhattan Casino food hall got a facelift and new tenants – Chef Mel (3 Generations food truck) and the Graveley brothers will join Deuces Coffee and Calle 22.
Kahwa Coffee launched Hope Roast to raise money for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Vanchetta Food Truck is now parked at Cage Brewing. Ciccio’s Taco Dirty will open in St. Pete. Toss Salads & Wraps features pre-made or build-your-own salad bowls. Book and wine bar Book+Bottle is the perfect place to unwind. Karma Juice Bar is now serving at the Racquet Ball Club of St. Petersburg. Ruby Elixir’s new food license means a return to live entertainment. Check out TRU Hotel in Grand Central.
SHOP BOP:
Local philanthropist Pat Rossignol’s 1634 Signature Fragrances can be found in The Dali gift shop. Our favorite is Pour le Jour, a dramatic overdose of spicy pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardoman with elegant back notes of vanilla and ambery woods. HSN celebrity and lingerie queen Rhonda Shear will open a new consignment shop in DTSP this fall, Retreat St. Pete, with reasonably priced, curated furnishings, décor, art and designer goods from Chanel to Laboutin.
COMING SOON:
Later this year, Para Deco Coffee Roasters will open in the Plaza Tower & Courtyard, replacing a boutique. Caddy’s On Central space will be home to two new restaurants, The Brickyard and Pizza N’ Brew from Sarasota’s Segreti Hospitality Group. The Brickyard will serve American fare and apps to share, live music and more. Just opened or opening in Grand Central are LALA St. Pete, the Grand Central Brewhouse, Raining Berries, and Mammamia Gelato Italiano.
PIER PERFECT:
At the southern end of the Overlook, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille serves authentic Florida and Caribbean fare. Spa Beach Bistro is a casual shady café with grab-and-go food items. The Driftwood Café is perfect for ice cream and snacks, rising nine feet from the Pier Point deck and connecting to the tilted lawn. My favorites are the elegant Teak and Pier Teaki, the new hot spot under the same ownership as the Birchwood and The Canopy.
DTSP NEWS:
The Station House, Coronet 300 and Smalley-Green Auto Building were designated to be local historical landmarks by the City’s Community Planning and Preservation Commission and will be listed in the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places. Another $1 million and up luxe housing tower with fifteen residences is planned for 100 4th Avenue North in St. Petersburg. Also on the rise on the 1st Avenue N. is the 11-story boutique Galaxy Hotel.
City of St. Petersburg has a 30-year agreement with the Glazer Vision Foundation in support of the playground at the St. Pete Pier. The Glazer Vision Foundation will contribute $1,500,000 toward the Glazer Family Playground located within The Pier District.
Featured image courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg.
