Burger 21’s Tex-Mex Haystack

The new suburban spot called Burger 21 is full of surprises that lift it above the new "better burger" places — treats like po'boy shrimp burgers, bananas foster shakes and toasted marshmallow sauce for the sweet potato fries.

Even more amazing is Mark Johnston's answer to the question, how many Burger 21s would you like to open in, say, five years? "1,000."

That's right, one thousand. A remarkable goal in this economy for any business, let alone a Florida restaurant.

From left: Executive chef Chris Ponte, Front Burner Brands CEO Mark Johnston and wife Arlene Johnston [Photo: Lara Cern/St. Petersburg Times]

It's not just exuberant bragging, for Johnston comes from a very practical restaurant background. The Johnston family started the Melting Pot fondue chain and now presides over 146 Pots in the U.S. and abroad, plus six GrillSmiths in Tampa Bay.

In starting GrillSmith, the Johnstons made their first collaboration with an independent chef, and now they have one as a full partner in their expansion into burgers and, yes, pizza.?

He is Chris Ponte, a local hero of Tampa Bay culinarians and a graduate of the Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Ponte worked at Taillevent and Payard, and then opened Café Ponte in Clearwater, a Golden Spoon regular. Ponte is the one who made the molten marshmallow dip for the crispy seasoned fries as carefully as he makes truffled mushroom bisque at his
gourmet establishment.

Johnston's new Front Burner Brands also includes Peels, Ponte pizzerias still in development.

Such partnerships are becoming more common as both diners and restaurateurs adjust to a new reality of changing tastes, hours and formats that demand foodie-quality, at lower prices, in both stand-alone restaurants and chains.

"We see it in all our restaurants, ours and his. People we saw at least four times a year, now we see once or two," Johnston concedes. "I think the new sweet spot is between $7 and $12."

Diners want quality at that price point, even in a burger. Johnston, his wife, Arlene, and Ponte went through at least 20 tasting sessions to find the right mix and grind for the basic burger. Then there's chicken, turkey, tuna and black bean burgers — hand-pressed fresh and gently formed into regulation burgers and slider four-packs, then trimmed with onion jam, bacon and cheeses on a shiny brioche bun.?

All this is chef-inspired food without the chef price and carefully plotted to be repeated at least 400 to 500 times, ideally 1,000.

A Mediterranean Collaboration

Chef Steve Cook (left) runs Carmel Café's kitchen, and Terry Ryan is company president [Photo: Rod Millington]

Catering to a new decade a different way is Carmel Café and Wine Bar, a stylish, 140-seat Mediterranean restaurant in the Northwood Plaza area of Clearwater. Here too, chain veterans are collaborating with creative independent chefs.

In this case, the man at the door and chatting diners up at tableside is no less than a laid-back Chris Sullivan, better known as the founder of Outback.

Times have changed, but he clearly enjoys it. The economy may be tough, but "people aren't going to stop eating and drinking," he says, "and they still want to go out somewhere."

They are eating differently, in smaller bits and pieces, healthily and less formally, Sullivan says. His favorite dish on the menu is the mezze platter — three kinds of hummus and baba ganoush, starring muhamarra, the smoky Syrian dip of red peppers pomegranate, molasses and ground walnuts.

Carmel Café's lamb lollipops

There's steak frites for die-hard beef eaters, veal sliders and lollipops of lamb chops and meatballs, too. But the menu takes a broad tour of the Mediterranean through the Middle East and North Africa as well southern Europe. So the shrimp can be stuffed with Greek skordalia potatoes or grilled with Spanish romesco; saffron-pine nut chicken is served with olives and quinoa couscous; and fries are made of chickpea flour.?

The menu came together from an honor roll of local chefs and is now in the hands of Steve Cook, formerly of Mise en Place in Tampa. Most sides of fries, soups and dips run from $2 to $4. And most pastas and entrees come in small and large portions (none over $13). Likewise for wine: Three-ounce pours start at $3, and a long list of "interesting" whites and reds can be had for $29 to $82 a bottle.

Sullivan isn't talking about big numbers — yet. "I just want to get this one right and maybe a second." However, he and former Outbacker Nancy Schneid have assembled a team of top restaurant veterans. Just in case.