I can't let that last post sit there at the top.

Actual food news you can use:

Bill Shumate opened his first burger joint in 1964 in Norman, Oklahoma. Many restaurants and concepts later (like Bella’s on S. Howard), he and his partner Joanie Corneil have returned to these roots, back to square one with, um, Square One at 3701 Henderson Blvd. in Tampa. It’s burgers and lots of them, with nine basic types (Meyer Angus beef, kobe, sashimi tuna, portobello) with a whole passel of toppers (teriyaki ginger sauce, roasted black bean and corn salsa) and three types of buns. The menu shows admirable focus, but these are fancy burgers: think Angus beef topped with caramelized onion, sun-dried tomatoes and brie. For more information, call (813) 414-0101. (Ate there last night, great burger. Fries needed another minute. Mob scene of young families.)

The venerable Pepper Mill Restaurant in Clearwater has just been reinvented as the Belleair Grill and Wine Bar. Located at 1575 S. Fort Harrison Ave., the lunch and dinner restaurant aims for an upscale steaks-and-chops vibe with more than 20 wines by the glass. New owner Mark Marone has done extensive renovations (all while keeping the restaurant open, no small feat), remodeling the bar area and bathrooms and adding new lighting and carpeting. For reservations, call (727) 449-2988.

Casa Tina in Dunedin moved just down the street from its former spot, opening at 365 Main Street on February 13. A couple days later, the same owners transformed the original Casa Tina location (369 Main St.) into Pan Y Vino, a wine bar and tapas restaurant. Doesn’t sound busy enough? They’ve added circus performances at Casa Tina Saturday nights, with trapeze and other performers fro Clearwater’s Dance and Circus Arts. For more information, call (727) 734-9226.

In Tampa, Ceviche has settled into its new digs at 1502 S. Howard Avenue at the site of the former St. Bart’s Island House/Chateau Prive. Same array of more than 100 hot and cold tapas, but now there’s outdoor, poolside seating and a separate flamenco room in which Spanish guitarists and flamenco artists can do their thing. For reservations, call (813) 250-0203.

Comments

[Shannon]

Hi Laura,

My name is Shannon and I'm the editorial assistant at Foodbuzz.com. Following up on a recent email invitation to be a part of our newly launched Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I just want to reiterate that I am very impressed with the quality of your posts. I would love to send you more details about the program, so if you are interested, please email me at Shannon@foodbuzz.com.

Cheers!

Shannon Eliot
Editorial Assistant, Foodbuzz.com
shannon@foodbuzz.com

[Jon]

I ate at Square One the other day and it reminded me quite a bit of Burger Bar in Las Vegas. Except Burger Bar made a made burger. Square One was good, but they could definitely improve (the burger was just too thin to be able to come out at a nice medium rare). Dig the chipotle ketchup that the fries came with though.

[dreaming]

id like to like ceviche. but the time i went in, it was so incredibly noisy that i fled. betw the flamenco (good) and the loud drunken conversations among the younger 20-somethings (bad), i couldnt take it for more than 2 mins...

[mas]

Ceviche has lost all of its charm and character. It's sad, what once was a gem of a Tampa hideaway tucked into an indiscriminate, quaint location is now a loud, obnoxious restaurant with all the qualities and charm of any other chain restaurant in Tampa. The Ceviche in Orlando is worse yet, capturing the typical Orlando Disney-esque atmosphere. Feel and looks like Pirate of the Carribean--only less entertaining.