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Side dish
By CHRIS SHERMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 1, 2001
NEW APPETITES
The Castaway (7720 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa; (813) 281-0770) is the latest Occidental seafooder where sushi's going over big. The sushi chef works in the kitchen, so there's no bar. Diners can order appetizers, rolls or full meals throughout the dining room. It's now a standard lunch for some regulars who never dared raw fish before.
GLOBAL DRIVE-THROUGH
Fast food chains aren't just a U.S. invention:
Don Pan International Bakery, a spinoff of a Venezuelan chain with arepas, pastries, breads and egg tortillas in an updated setting, has been growing like Starbucks. It has 18 spots and plans a Tampa franchise.
The Thai government wants to get in on Americans' love for pad thai and satays. The Wall Street Journal reported plans for chains at three levels, from gourmet to fast food: Golden Leaf, Sweet Basil and -- you've got to love this for the fast fooder -- Elephant Jump.
I'VE HAD ENOUGH . . .
Zen advertising. Wolfgang Puck was first with "Live. Love. Eat." Now we have "Eat rice, drink tea, slurp noodles, stay healthy" -- Rice and Co.; "Life. Love. And a little sauce" -- Dish; and "Rock your Body & Dine" -- Pop City. But for me, Big Mouth Burgers says it best, "Blah, blah, blah. Shut your yapper. Cheeky monkey."
-- CHRIS SHERMAN, Times food critic
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