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Splendors of St. Petersburg
AJ's Deli Cafe
111 Second Ave. N.E.
The Plaza Courtyard
813/821-4151
Spiro and Angela Cachia feature gyros and Greek salads but also serve Philly Steak, Italian and Cuban hoagies along with 30 other sandwiches, chicken and shrimp Caesars, breakfast omelets and French Texas toast at budget-pleasing prices, $2.60 to $4.50, indoors or out, from 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekends.
Apropos Bistro & Bar
300 Second Ave. N.E.
813/823-8934
This waterside wonder on Tampa Bay overlooks St. Petersburg's City Marina. At 7:30 a.m., the staff begins serving al fresco breakfasts built around brie and bacon omelets, fresh-baked croissants and pancakes filled with blueberries, cinnamon apple and raisins or bananas and walnuts. At noontime I like the seasonal fruit and smoked salmon plates as well as the Caesars bristling with grilled chicken or bluefin tuna showered with parmesan. Breakfast and lunch served Tuesday through Saturday and dinner, with entrees $8.95 to $16.95, Thursday through Sunday.
Bay Gables Tea Room
136 Fourth Ave. N.E.
813/822-0044
This two-story 1910 Victorian, opened in 1992, serves lunch, afternoon tea and a Sunday brunch featuring a great parade of omelets, Belgian waffles and my favorite, scrambled eggs enlivened with terragon and spring onions atop puff pastry and hollandaise. Midday meals include the quiche of the day, cheese tarts and enough cheddar and Branston pickle for a real Ploughman's lunch. Lunch, with entrees $6.50 to $12, is served Monday through Saturday, afternoon tea on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. (reservations required) and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Bayou Restaurant & Bar
16 Second St. N.
813/895-2968
Eat and drink indoors or out in this casual cafe, which could become the headquarters in the Tampa Bay area for crawfish etouffe, gumbo good enough to write New Orleans about, jambalaya, red beans and rice plus Po' Boys and many other specialties from Creole country. Lunch and dinner, with entrees priced from $5 to $14, are served daily and, Wednesday through Saturday, into the wee hours - 2 a.m.
Benson's
244 First Ave. N.
813/823-6065
This is an antique-filled surprise with a select array of specialty foods, excellent espresso and cappuccino, superior pies and cakes plus salads, soups and sandwiches, including Richard the Lion Hearted loaded with honey-baked ham and pineapple slathered with their own barbecue sauce. Big Steve's Slammer is a mouth-bender layered with double-smoked Lebanon bologna, capicola, provolone and salami coated with coarse grain mustard. This is a perfect place for an early morning muffin and wake-up coffee or tea - it opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends. Sandwiches, salads and sweets are served noon and night at pleasing prices, $4.50 to $6.25.
The Garden
217 Central Ave.
813/896-3800
Chef Karim Chiadmi prepares chawarma, tabouleh and hummus along with Greek salads, lamb kebabs, the tiny North African semolina grains called couscous plus chops and steaks from the grill, "fresh fish or no fish," and solid sandwiches, served in the namesake garden or indoors by the bar. Revolving art shows fill the walls and there's live entertainment on the weekends. Lunch and dinner, with lunch entrees $4.50 to $7.50, are served daily.
Keystone Club
320 Fourth St. N.
813/822-6600
Dressier and more expensive than the downtown competition, but what price the best steaks and chops in St. Petersburg? Served in an English club-like setting with attentive, caring service, whether you celebrate Cleopatra with prime rib or filet mignon, crab imperial or succulent scallops. Lunch is served Monday through Friday and dinner nightly, with entrees $10 to $16.
Le Grand Cafe
243 Central Ave.
813/821-6992
Tropical Courtyard Cafe
247 Central Ave.
European-inspired lunching and dining temptations at the Tropical Courtyard Cafe include coconut-coated chicken fingers with honey-lime dipping sauce, cold curried shrimp in pastry boats, conch fritters, grilled grouper with rum-spiked almond-citrus sauce and nutmeg crab salad with guinea egg. At Le Grande Cafe, with the same owners as the Tropical, I like to start with the goose-lobster roulade, homemade pate or five-onion tart, then get serious with salmon papillotte with julienne vegetables, crisp roast goose with chestnut-raisin stuffing, duckling with a shallot-raspberry sauce or the giant veal chop with cognac-zapped mushrooms. Both open for lunch and dinner, with entrees $10.95 to $29.50, served daily.
The Pier
800 Second Ave. N.E.
813/821-6164
Visit St. Petersburg's very own pyramid and answer the riddle of the Sphinx as to why it's upside down as you enjoy something Italian at Nick's On The Water (813/898-5800) or Spanish specialties at a branch of Florida's most famous Spanish restaurant, Columbia (813/822-8000). En route, be sure to stop at the excellent Museum of History and the Museum of Fine Arts with its own exhibit, "The Lure of Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs Revisited."
Sol Caliente Cantina
320 First Ave. N.
813/823-9128
This Mayan marvel, with its funky "Flori-bean Fajitas" and what the owners proudly proclaim to be "Absolutely the Best Damn Burger north or south of the border," is good enough to be one of Florida Trend's 1996 Best Newcomers, presented to the state's finest new restaurants. Lunch is served Monday through Friday and dinner, with entrees $6.95 to $14.95, nightly.
Stone Soup Central
27 Fourth St. N.
813/895-1493
Ask to read the stone soup fairy tale while you're waiting for your waist-watching, good-to-yourself natural food, including the stone soup of the day. I like the veggie sandwich with avocado, thin slices of cucumber, sprouts and tomato on toasted pumpernickel or wheat roll. Decor is all minimalist black and white and there's a comfy counter for watching the happy crew in action. Open Monday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with entrees $3.95 to $5.25
Tamarind Tree Cafe
537 Central Ave.
813/898-2115
I like a place that declares on its menu it has "Nutritious Foods for the Informed with an Emphasis on Vegetarian Selections," and then lives up to the promise with tabouleh served with pita and vegetable sticks, tempeh burgers, no-butter spinach rolls and veggie lasagna. Lunch is served Monday through Saturday and dinner, with entrees $2.75 to $5.39 and pizza a specialty, only on Saturday.
Tangelo's Grille
226 First Ave. N.
813/894-1695
The downtown headquarters for reliable Cuban sandwiches layered with roast beef, ham, pork and turkey plus chicken raised to cordon bleu status or marinated in Mojo sauce and served with cheese, mayo and peppers. On the side, what else but black beans and white rice? Lunch and dinner, with no entree over $4.75, are served daily.
The Vinoy
501 Fifth Ave. N.E.
813/894-1000
The painstakingly restored super-luxe hotel has triple-treat attractions for dining: Alfresco poolside, perfect for conch fritters, gazpacho, spicy shrimp salads and jerk-spiced roast chicken with Caribbean rice; and the up-upscale Terrace Room and Marchand's Grill for lunch and dinner. Dress for the occasion and start with smoked chicken quesadillas, seared sesame-seed-crusted tuna sashimi or grilled figs with Parma ham, then proceed to bouillabaisse, orrechiette pasta, grilled swordfish or filet mignon. Breakfast (at Terrace Room only), lunch and dinner, with entrees $11.25 to $22, are served daily.
