Man, do I have a lot of calories in my future, or what?

I’ve got a lot on my mind. It seems Tampa’s Ceviche Tapas Bar is moving where St. Bart’s Island House/Chateau Prive (1502 S. Howard Ave., Tampa) was and Big City Tavern in Centro Ybor just closed. B.T. Nguyen, of Restaurant B.T. fame, is opening a crèpe restaurant called Flip on Kennedy Boulevard and MacDill Avenue in Tampa, but there are also some fine crepes to be had each Saturday at the art exhibit in Williams Park in St. Petersburg. They’re made by Glenn David Cryer, who sells garden accessories and lush crepes (blue cheese, spinach, green apple, mushroom, walnut, prosciutto) out of his crepe-mobile called La Crepe D'Or.

Then, in other news, there’s a new tea shop called Emma’s Rose (911 Central Ave., St. Petersburg) open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Haven’t tried it yet. I just had a good meal at the brand new Indian restaurant called Raga Asian Indian Restaurant (16080 US Hwy 19 N., Clearwater) which opened a couple weeks ago. I’ve got the two new BayWalk restaurants (Banbu and Grille 121, where Dan Marino’s was) on my radar, and I’m looking forward to the opening of MJ's (9600 4th St. N., St. Petersburg), where Domenica Macchia, the old chef at Redwoods, will be executive chef. The Ben Thanh Vietnamese, which closed several years ago at 34th St. and 30th Ave. in St. Petersburg has reopened at 62nd Ave. N between 49th and 34th streets. Looking forward to checking it out—Chris Sherman really liked the old one.

Still haven’t heard when The Table (535 Central Ave., St. Petersburg) or Hammerheads (256 Second St. N, St. Petersburg) are opening. Anyone?

Comments

[dreaming]

bummer that big city closed. centro ybor was so promising when it opened. now, that block is so empty. there has to be a better formula that works there..

[Jimbo]

Centro Ybor was ill conceived from the start. Ybor has a lot of character and history but will always be a party hangout for 20 somethings. And let's face it..Baywalk is pretty dismal too. That's why the Semblers want to unload it. These structured complexes don't work well in downtowns.

[Sesto Ramadori]

Good comment on the downtown complexes!
Downtowns cannot be created by one company in a complex because there is way to much structure and too many rules. St. Pete downtown is well on it's way and if they relax some rules and extend the hours for bars and clubs the nightlife will flourish even more. A downtown should be a mosaic of independently owned businesses each one lending its own character and charm to the landscape. I grew up in Montreal and long for a St. Catherine or Cresent street here in Tampa Bay!!!!!!

[The Mouth]

Sesto, I utterly agree. An individual's vision is almost always more compelling than a concept created by committee, as in chain restaurants or shopping complexes. Maybe if we are all more mindful about patronize independent restaurants we can fend off the incursion by big chains.

[Kathryn Bergeron]

Ragan Indian Restaraunt Tri City at US 19
Having lived in Atlanta for 18 yrs and enjoyed "American" authentic Indian food, I decided to try Ragan after reading the Weekend review. Found it over priced ($4.50 for a beer), $6.95 for 6 pieces of cauloflower appetizer pieces, and lamb vindaloo (served in a ridiculously small bowl for a $13.95 dinner portion). Service was extremely slow, beer was warm and portions small. I give this restaurant until June 1 to exhaust their SBA loan and default, to turnover, once again, a corner of Largo that needs a good, consisently reliable restaurant. They show major disdain for patrons, and have not a clue about service, American sized portions, and "PR". Food critic Laura Riley missed the mark on this one. We give it a 2 on the scale of 1-10.

[Christine]

I just heard that MJ's in St. Pete is set to open in September (they're advertising for employees on the club website).