Taste | Get ready for a busy fall

Plus: Put Flaming Mountain on your go-to list

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View on the web Go to our home page Subscribe to the Times Thursday, September 15, 2022 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters  [ Courtesy of the Tampa Edition ] Start making those reservations now Get ready, folks — it’s about to be a very busy fall.    After months (and months) of delays, a long list of Tampa Bay area restaurants are readying to finally open their doors.   The scramble for so many restaurants to open now, or at least before the end of the year, isn’t a coincidence: The area's high tourist season is about to kick off, and with that comes an influx of diners, drinkers and tourist dollars galore. And let’s not forget that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner: No restaurant owner (or restaurant staff, for that matter) wants to miss out on the holiday rush and corresponding cash drop.    But I think it’s safe to say that most diners (myself included) are also pretty eager to see some of these new spots make their debut. What can I say? After an excruciatingly slow spring and summer I’m ready for something new.    Kicking it off this week are two highly-anticipated St. Petersburg restaurants: Good Intentions, an upscale vegan eatery from the folks behind Nah Dogs, Black Radish Grocer and Golden Dinosaurs, and Allelo — a Mediterranean restaurant on Beach Drive NE opening in the revamped Annata and Alto Mare space. And next week brings the addition of not one but seven new food and dining concepts at Water Street Tampa's Edition hotel.    I’ll be doing some first looks and reviews of all these spots in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout for those.    In the meantime, by my last count there are more than 30 (!) restaurants slated to open before the years’ end. Here are a few I’m particularly jazzed about:    Lucky Tigre — A new Filipino “sari-sari”concept (like a bodega, with sundries and food) is opening in South Tampa from the woman behind the wildly popular Good Fortune Baby pop-up. Opening: Late September.    Boulon – A French brasserie from Jeff Gigante’s Next Level Brands group (Forbici, soon-to-come Union New American) is opening at Water Street Tampa on the ground floor of the Thousand & One office tower.  Opening: Late October.  Hales Blackbrick —An offshoot of chef Richard Hales’ successful Miami restaurant Blackbrick Chinese, the new Tampa restaurant will feature modern Chinese dishes, including handmade noodles and soup dumplings.  Opening: October 25    Ponte — Chris Ponte’s highly anticipated new restaurant has been delayed for the better part of the last two years but is expected to open at Midtown Tampa soon. Guests can expect a fine dining experience with a few of Ponte’s greatest hits thrown in (yes, I’m talking about the chestnut soup).  Opening: TBA.    Wine on Water — Cru Cellars’ Jen Bingham’s new wine bar at Tampa's Water Street is just one of three food and dining projects she has planned for this year. There’s also Small Giant — an Ohio-style pizza parlor — and Bouzy, a champagne bar opening in Hyde Park Village.  Opening: Wine on Water and Small Giant will open in late November. Bouzy will open in December.  RESTAURANT RADAR [ ANGELICA EDWARDS | Times ] Smoke, spice and everything nice A couple of months ago, I caught up with a local chef over lunch. I chose a new Chinese restaurant in Tampa, an unassuming little spot tucked into a strip mall off E Fletcher Avenue.    I didn't really know what to expect from Flaming Mountain Chinese Grill & Skewer Bar, but suffice to say, I left thoroughly impressed.    Over the last few months I've dipped back several more times — the menu here is vast, and I wanted to try as much as possible. I still haven't come close to tasting everything, but what I've come across so far has been pretty spectacular.    There's the spicy beef stew (shown above), a hearty and warming dish brimming with chiles and those mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Also fantastic is the wide variety of smoky, grilled skewers — meats, seafood and vegetables — all heady with the flavors of cumin, chiles and fennel seed. And then there's the showstopper whole-fried fish, which arrives swimming in a vat of crimson chile-spiked broth, a portion large enough to feed a family of six.    The restaurant also features a large selection of offal, or organ meats, and more than a few unique menu items, including an oyster the size of my hand and a salt and pepper fried bullfrog, which I'll be honest, really did taste a lot like chicken.    For anyone with a love of spice (in particular, those Sichuan peppercorns), smoky grilled meats, or simply a healthy — and adventurous — appetite, Flaming Mountain is definitely worth a stop.   For everything to know before you swing by, read my full review here.    Tampa's Edition Hotel opens next week: Hotelier Ian Schrager's widely anticipated Tampa Edition hotel opens at Water Street Tampa next week. Here's what we're excited about: The hotel features seven new restaurant and bar concepts from Michelin-starred chef John Fraser.    Dunedin restaurant group faces pushback over new server pay model: After Dunedin's The Black Pearl switched to a flat 20% service fee instead of tips, some former employees have spoken out against the practice. The restaurant group claims the new system will offer better pay for their employees, including support staff like bussers and food runners. WHAT I'M EATING RIGHT NOW Lunch at The Tides Have you checked out The Tides Seafood Market & Provisions yet? If not, may I suggest you do so very soon?    The charming seafood market and restaurant in downtown Safety Harbor highlights regional seafood, meats and produce and has quickly become one of my favorite places to pop into when I'm struggling with what to make for dinner.   The general store vibe here means that shoppers have their pick of everything from Providence Cattle beef and Olivor Heritage Farms pork to whatever fish or seafood came in earlier that day or week from the Gulf of Mexico. There's also fresh flowers, charcuterie, cheese, local bread, beer and wine.   But the place also serves up a great lunch and dinner program, including their popular New Orleans-style fried oyster po-boys.    Lately, I've fallen hard for their sesame tuna salad (shown above), a tasty combination of seared Ahi tuna and avocado, mango, radishes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, all served over a bed of fresh greens from Brick Street Farms in St. Petersburg ($20).Tying it together is a gingery sesame vinaigrette so good you'll want to lick the bowl clean.    Also very good:  Crab cake salad: A large crab cake comes served over Brick Street Farms greens with onions, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes and a zingy honey and mustard vinaigrette ($20).    305 Main St., Safety Harbor. 727-699-8433. thetidesmarket.com   🍽️ Got a recommendation? Send me tasty tips here. Contact Helen Freund at hfreund@tampabay.com. Follow @helensavina on Instagram and @helenfreund on Twitter. 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