Peering back over my shoulder at 2008.

Just about everyone anticipated 2008 as the year of ethical eating. Local, sustainable, organic, eco-friendly, carbon-neutral, biodynamic—these were all concepts flung into heavy rotation by Michael Pollan and others, given a frenetic stir by scare after food-safety scare. Sober, measured decision making about food became so important that it began to be legislated. New York City and then Philadelphia mandated calorie contents be posted for menu items. Los Angeles banned new fast-food outposts in beleaguered neighborhoods. (The subtext to all this: We’ll make them make good choices, dammit!)

But then the economy preoccupied us and all that talk trailed off. It became the year of back to basics. The year to drag out Grandma’s Depression-era recipes, the year of the coupon.

For restaurants, all these things added up to a serious case of schizophrenia. Yes, it became the year of the two-for-one special. (Also another year of small plates. They’re cute and also cheaper.) But there was also a lot of energy and innovation in restaurants nationally. Why, the famously star-stingy Frank Bruni gave three-star ratings to seven of his top ten best new NYC restaurants (as opposed to zero last year). He even declared the year the best in restaurants since 2004.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, trends are slower to catch, tastes are less mercurial and the dining public less fickle. Still, some national trends found purchase here.

• It was the end of bottled water.
• The launch of bacon and all things salty in desserts.
• We finally got cupcakes and tangy, Pinkberry-style yogurt shops.
• We got real Breton-style crepes.
• It was the year of those vexing square plates and even more annoying long rectangular plates that defy you to balance a knife on.
• The first year mid-price restaurants starting swapping out your white napkin for a black one if you're wearing dark pants.
• It was the year those long peppermills officially fell out of favor.
• It was the year we were introduced to smoked salt.

I agree with Brian Ries that we deserve to catch up to other big metro areas and get us some noodle bars, real cheese plates, organ meats and other “alternative cuts,” and even one of these newfangled gastropubs.

I’d also like to see more family-style service (or pricing by portion size), better kids’ menus (just say no to nuggets), more small desserts, more seasonally changing menus (what's wrong with serving winter greens and tubers when they're in season, then asparagus and new peas when they're in season?) and more printed special lists. I'd like to see less [con]fusion food and more that focuses in on a very specific regional cuisine. Foods of Istria, cuisine of Abruzzo, ya know?

I'm hoping 2009 brings healthy food that tastes good and restaurants that connect with local farmers to work toward the mutually beneficial showcasing of luscious produce. And maybe most important, I'm hoping in 2009 the St. Pete Times continues picking up the tab for my meals.

Red Mesa Cantina open!

Here's a NYEve treat for you. Chef Chris Fernandez will be serving a five-course meal in the courtyard of the brand new Red Mesa Cantina, at the site of the defunct De Santo (128 3rd St S., St. Petersburg). The dinner will consist of chef's selections from the new menu and a bottle of wine. There will be two seatings one from 7 to 9 p.m. and the other from 9:30 until whenever the party's over, ya know. The first seating will be $100 a plate and the second will be $125 a plate. After the second seating, guests will be able to use the table for the rest of the evening. Call quickly for reservations, (727) 510-0034.

Some Clearwater resto tips

Through one of my many moles in the field, I've recently learned that there is a new restaurant going into the former site of 1stN10 Sports Bar on Missouri Avenue in Clearwater. The new restaurant may be called Balla's Steakhouse. There's also a "sold" sign on the former site of Wild Fish on US 19 in Palm Harbor. We'll be looking to see what moves in. Also, Psghettis (as in, spaghetti, toddler-style) is still under construction at the former site of Rio Bravo restaurant in Clearwater (also on US 19 near Cody's).

Egg nog and iFood

Backwater's annual eggnog toast will be held tomorrow 5 to 7 p.m. Join the Backwater's crew for a little housemade complimentary eggnog with enough kick to start the season. Rudolph's nose is always red after this toast! Backwaters and Maggie Mae's, 1261 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater. (727) 517-7383.

Stocking stuffer: Available on iTunes for a mere 99 cents and powered by Kraft Foods, the iFood Assistant is a new recipe/grocery application for iPhone or iPod touch. iFood Assistant makes meal preparation, planning and grocery shopping easier by allowing you to create grocery lists that travel with you; a GPS to locate nearest stores with promotions or sales; it can help you find items aisle by aisle in the store; and find quickie recipes with step-by-step instructions.

Ocean Prime to open in Intl. Plaza

After introducing Mitchell’s Fish Market to Tampa in 2006, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants will add another property to International Plaza (2205 N. West Shore Blvd.) on January 23. Ocean Prime, the Modern American Supper Club aims to be “sexy, sophisticated and fun” (and who doesn't?).

“Back in the day, a supper club was the place to be. The vibe was hip, the food amazing and everyone had the time of their lives. At Ocean Prime, we’ve revived and redefined this great dining tradition,” said Ocean Prime general manager Brandon Davis.

Jeff Hostenske will be executive chef and operating partner of Ocean Prime, overseeing a menu of fresh seafood, prime steaks and handcrafted cocktails. There's a retro vibe to the menu: aged Wisconsin cheddar fondue, truffle deviled eggs, and classic oysters Rockefeller.

The restaurant has five private dining rooms, patio terrace with outdoor dining and a 1,600-square-foot cocktail lounge. Ocean Prime will serve lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and dinner nightly: Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. For reservations, call (813) 490-5288.

Arby's versus BK, which deserves a smack more?

Big burger enterprises seem to be plumbing new depths. Which of these commercials is more reprehensible? The one that features a logo-as-erection, or the one that prompts your kids to ask, "Dad, what's a virgin?" Add to that the fact that people from truly empoverished parts of the world were asked to eat junk food in a wacky stunt for BK's gain. Hmm, maybe I won't be eating one of these burgers anytime soon.

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The Vinoy's Marchand's launches new menu

St. Petersburg’s Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club has announced new menu items from the chefs at Marchand’s Bar & Grill. All guests, club members and visitors are invited to enjoy a new ceviche bar menu, served from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday (but not on Dec. 24, 25, 31 or Jan. 1). For $6, sample the shellfish ceviche with scallops, clams and mussels; cobia  ceviche with peanut butter (!!!), chili and cilantro; or corvina ceviche with radish and oranges. Beyond the raw fishies, there are wallet-friendly $6 dishes like mofongo made with plaintains and braised pork or smoked white fish with tomato and fennel-herb crostini. A shrimp ceviche is prepared with coconut, bell pepper and lime. Can't decide? For $12 you can try three.

But wait, there's more. Finish off a Saturday evening sweetly at the new Marchand’s chocolate buffet, served from 9 to 11 p.m. It includes assorted Norman Love chocolates or mini pastries like:

• Chocolate Espresso Torte
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Brulee
• Milk Chocolate Cheesecake
• Dark Chocolate Fondue Fountain
• Pineapple, Strawberries
• Pound Cake, Marshmellows
• Hazelnut Cookies, Pretzels
• Coconut Macaroons

Follow that 800-pound cheese!

It took five men, two dollies, a car jack, forklift and several ratchet straps and 2-by-4s to move an 800-pound, 9-foot-long provolone into carving position Thursday at Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Petersburg. The largest provolone ever to be shipped to the United States, it will be cut and sold in what has become an annual market tradition. (Last year’s cheese weighed 250 pounds.) The provolone from Italy took 8,800 gallons of milk to produce and loses 10 to 12 percent of its water weight each year of aging. The result is a more crumbly, crystalline texture and sharper flavor than ordinary provolone. Store manager Kurt Cuccaro expects the $14.99-a-pound cheese to be gone by Christmas.

Seriously cheesy, this big boy is roughly the weight, if not the shape, of a grand piano. Like a grand piano, moving it presented some logistical challenges. Store shoppers gawked during the 40 minutes it took to wrangle the Auricchio cheese from where it has hung in the cheese room for the past year and a half. The big cheese caught Mazzaro's eye at an Italian trade show, at which point they commissioned one of their own. They've already put in an order for an 1,100-pound provolone for next year. Cheese escalation, certainly, but nowhere near the world record. That honor goes to a Quebec, Canada cheesemaker who produced a whopping 57,518-pound cheddar cheese in 1995.

According to Cuccaro, the shipping of this cheese cost nearly as much as the cheese itself (about $2,000). On Saturday morning, Mazzaro's will begin cutting -- first with a wire (the circumference is too large for a knife), then each large round will be cut into wedges. Cuccaro suggests eating this very sharp, cheddar-like cheese out of hand, as a snacking cheese (as opposed to cooking with it). Of course, it could also come in handy if you have a serious mouse problem.

Body spray for your meat-lovin' man

In honor of Jay Cridlin's most excellent steak story, I bring you this stunning gift idea: Meat-flavored body spray. It's called Flame, and it's Burger King's present for your meat-lovin' man. It's touted as "the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat," and how could that be a bad thing? It'll set you back $3.99, but isn't that a small price to pay for so sexy a stocking stuffer?

The other white meat. Ew.

I just read an AP story coming out of Lima, Peru. Turns out officials in the coastal Peruvian province of Callao on Monday tried to talk folks into a low-cost, low-fat alternative to a traditional turkey this holiday season. Drum roll: GUINEA PIG.

The Andean rodent can feed seven or eight for about $3.20, Callao official Mario Sanguinity told Associated Press Television.

“The idea is to give the people a tasty, economical option,” he said.

Supposedly this miracle meat is protein rich and has zero cholesterol, and in flavor and texture compares with rabbit and dark-meat chicken. Gets me thinking about festive preparations...maybe a Wellington kind of thing you could call Pig in a Blanket.