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Have Fun Gormandizing the Castle

Old Castle Restaurant, Sun City Center

Did you know the Tampa area hosts fifteen German eateries? I’ve gone on rants before about experiencing a dearth of German restaurants, but now I must cope with an abundance. (Damn you universe for not giving me exactly what I want.) Some of the places get good reviews, others…not so much. Of course, some ignorance may taint those opinions. Many people just don’t understand the cuisine.

Advertising “Exceptional German cuisine from a family owned restaurant,” is an excellent way to grab my attention. Delivering the promised goods is a great way to keep my attention. The Old Castle Restaurant had accomplished the first. During our visit in search of delicious German comfort food, would it succeed at the second?

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See Creeping Things and Changing Scenes Along the Little Manatee

Little Manatee River State Park – North Trail, Ruskin

What fun activity does Ruskin offer when the orange picking and manatee sighting is out of season? My modest research online led me to the Little Manatee River Trail. I glossed over the helpful (as usual) info on Florida Hikes!, threw some equipment in the sporty little runabout and Christa and I cruised down U.S. 301 headed for Little Manatee River State Park for what would become the longest short hike I’ve ever accidentally not accidentally tricked my wife into completing. Continue reading “See Creeping Things and Changing Scenes Along the Little Manatee”

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Behold Bodacious Barbecue in Brandon

Down to the Bone, Brandon

That place. You know it. You passed it once in a while and thought to yourself, “If I had the time-,” or “If I was hungry-,” or “If I hadn’t just eaten, I’d stop. I’ll remember it next time I’m looking for a place to eat.” Next time comes, but you forget. “Next time,” you say. But it never comes to mind, because you only saw it for a moment when distracted by other things. Then one day you’re at home, in the mood for what that place has and it hits you. “Let’s go to that place.” So you do, and afterward, you kick yourself for never having made the time before.

We went to that place.

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A Sultry Ruskin Threesome: Citrus Picking, Savory Eats, a Scenic Bay Beach

Dooley Groves, Mariane’s Sub Shop, S&S Tacos and Stuff, and Apollo Beach Preserve, Ruskin

We needed to get to Dooley Groves to pick some tangerines and tangelos before they closed for the season. Inside, however, a deeper need was smoldering: the need to feed on those infernal mom tacos from S&S Tacos and a warm Italian grinder from Marian’s Submarines. So I suggested we make a stop on our way back from the groves for some subs and Christa was game.

I said not a word about my plan to also get tacos. Even when nearing twenty years of marriage I still don’t want to come off as a complete glutton. 

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Photolog – The Paved and Unpaved Paths of Pine-Filled Flatwoods Site

Flatwoods Conservation Park, Thonotosassa

Phew. Being gluttons for punishment, Christa and I decided we hadn’t walked quite enough after visiting the USF Botanical Gardens, so we jumped back in the sporty little runabout and headed over to the nearby Flatwoods Site of the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department. The Flatwoods Site website boasts a seven-mile paved trail as well as a two-mile paved extension connecting to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. I wasn’t a particular fan of paved trails, but Christa is, so we went. Then I discovered the unpaved trails.

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Don’t Feed Sad—Two Out of Three ain’t Bad

Skipper’s Smokehouse, University

Some places are just fine for one thing and downright bad for another. I don’t mean in the way that the gym is fine for pumping iron but bad for cruising for hookups. I mean how a place that hypes itself as several things may excel at one or two of those, but could downright suck at a third or fourth. This seems to be the case for Skipper’s Smokehouse.

I found Skipper’s while Google Mapping restaurants in the region of northeast Tampa. My wife is employed in that area and there were a few nearby spots we’d be visiting, so I thought I’d see what vittles could be dug up as well, should we find ourselves hungry when en roam. They are a college town watering hole known for outstanding food, a wacky architectural layout, and live music acts.

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Grub on a Gourmet Sandwich and a Big Ol’ Wedge of Cake

White’s Gourmet House

When planning our walking trip to the Hyde Park area of Tampa, it was with an aim toward something simple, comforting and inexpensive that inspired me to seek out a delicatessen for our lunch. Aside from famished, we’d be hot, weary and impatient after our trek and a deli sandwich could be just the prescription to cure our ills. Some internetting revealed that Wright’s Gourmet House was a short drive from Hyde Park and it was on our Must Eat Vittles shortlist for the area.

I had been wanting to visit White’s Gourmet for a few months since discovering it on Tripadvisor. The problem was that there was nothing else of interest drawing me into the vicinity of White’s (obviously I am not a golfer). So, I took the opportunity of being in Hyde Park to hop over to Palma Ceia West for a lunch of succulent sandwiches—made with house-roasted meats—and tongue tantalizing layer cake.

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Hike Tampa’s Gallery of Aging Urban Aesthetic

Bayshore Boulevard and Hyde Park, Tampa

Have you been burned out from nature hikes? Not completely, of course, but just for the moment. With week after week of sandy trails, weathered boardwalks and an endless sea of scrub, hammocks and pine flats, an antidote to the temporary blahs of abstract nature can be found by venturing into an orderly landscape of precise concrete, shorn lawns, and harmonic traffic noise.

Wait. Hear me out. I know the city seems like just the thing you’re trying to escape, but is it entirely? Or is it the hectic nature of daily life that just so happens to coincide with the urban setting? Is it the toil and drudgery of work and life in the city and it’s choked suburbs that have you clawing at the walls.

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Take a Hike Through Shrinking Alafia Scrub in Gibsonton

Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve, Gibsonton

What do you do in Gibsonton? It was there that I had already found two of the three key ingredients needed for a destination spot. We had secured spots for vittles and entertainment. An activity was needed to complete the trio and I found it: a hike in Gibsonton wilderness at The Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve.

Gibsonton has several great places to eat including A.J.’s on the River and The River’s Edge.  The Riverview 14 movie theater offers endless new things to see and there’s also a carnival museum across the Alafia. A spot to hike would add a fun physical activity to the mix—an even payoff for burgers, beer, and popcorn. Continue reading “Take a Hike Through Shrinking Alafia Scrub in Gibsonton”

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Welcome to Our Down-Home Go-To Spot for Vittles

The River’s Edge 2: The Out-of-Towners, Gibsonton

One excuse to revisit a favorite spot is to bring friends and family there to share in the joy of the gem you’ve discovered. Every town has that one spot that best represents the identity of the area, subjectively speaking, in terms of atmosphere, scenery, personality, and cuisine. It’s that spot where you take visiting friends and family to get the gist of the place, relax, and chow down.

With Christa’s parents in town, we had the perfect pass to put our hunts on hold and slip into a comfortable known. We were thrilled to take them to The River’s Edge—in close running to becoming our favorite spot on the Alafia River for affordable delicious food on an outstanding deck with a fantastic view, and excellent service. That’s a lot of hyperbole and it’s all deserved, within context.

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