Taste | Plan your best day in Tampa Bay

Plus: Barbouni, from Baba team, opens in St. Pete

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View on the web Go to our home page Subscribe to the Times Thursday, March 23, 2023 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters  [ DIRK SHADD | Times ] Plan your perfect day (with us!) in Tampa Bay  Hi, hello!    I'm back from a much-needed week off where I backpacked and camped my way through the Grand Canyon (intense!) and spent an early birthday weekend with some of my closest friends in Sedona (relaxing). If you haven't been to that part of the country yet, I highly recommend it: The American Southwest is beautiful, magical and full of mystery.    But it's also quite cold this time of year (night temps dipped into the 30s) so I'm pretty thrilled to be back home and welcoming these breezy, sunny Florida spring days. I'm even more excited that I get to share the following news with y'all:    Soon, my colleague Gabrielle Calise and I will launch a new newsletter series aimed at showing you how to spend your perfect day in Tampa Bay. In One Day in Tampa Bay, we'll explore a different neighborhood each week, offering insider tips about the best things to see and do.   Gab and I have been working on this newsletter for over a year now and, quite frankly, it's been a blast. We've spent our reporting days riding bikes on the Dunedin trail, sampling saganaki and Greek pastries at the Tarpon Springs sponge docks and immersing ourselves in the wonderful weirdness of Ybor City, among many other things.   It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.     Along the way, we’ll offer recommendations for the best things to do, see and eat while diving into Tampa Bay’s unique history and landmarks.   And the best part? It’s free to sign up.   Keep an eye out for a launch date, and sign up here in the meantime.  RESTAURANT RADAR  [ EDWARD ALLEN | Courtesy of Barbouni ] A new tinned fish and raw bar opens in St. Pete  Barbouni, a new tinned fish and raw bar concept from the team behind St. Petersburg's Baba, is now open.   The idea is a novel one for the Tampa Bay area and will feature a menu of 48 different types of "conserva" — tinned and preserved fish and shellfish — along with a daily rotating oyster, raw bar and crudo selection.    The teeny tiny spot only seats nine people at a bar and is now open Friday through Sunday evenings inside the former bakery space at Baba's Central Avenue restaurant. Read all about the new restaurant here.    Trophy Fish opens in Seminole Heights: We've been waiting a long time for this one, folks. Last week, the upscale fish camp-themed restaurant finally debuted its new location inside the old Bodega space in Seminole Heights. Here's everything to know before you go (whatever you do, be sure to order the Pistachio Mai-Tai).    Crislip Cafe closes: The St. Petersburg coffee shop cited staffing shortages and inflation as some of the reasons behind the shutter. The Merchant gift shop will expand in its place. Read more here.    Chef shuffles: Some big chef moves have taken place recently. Eric McHugh, formerly of The Fenway Hotel and Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine, is now the executive chef at Hotel Haya's Flor Fina, in Ybor City. It's the latest in a series of chef switch-ups at the hotel, which debuted with chef Douglas Rodriguez at the helm and later saw chef Nathan Hardin take over.   With McHugh's hire comes a new menu, which will emphasize a "coastal Mediterranean influence, while still maintaining nods to (Ybor's) Cuban heritage," according to a release from the hotel.    After closing her Cuban-inspired restaurant Kuba en la Playa in St. Pete Beach late last year, chef Felicia Lacalle is also on the move. Lacalle is now the executive chef at Teak at the St. Pete Pier and is in the process of revamping and overhauling that menu.    I've been a huge fan of Lacalle's cooking, both at her St. Pete Beach restaurant as well as at Hemingway's, inside Tampa's Armature Works, so I can't wait to see how this one plays out.  WHAT I'M EATING RIGHT NOW Drinks and snacks at Good Intentions A couple of weeks ago I popped into Good Intentions in St. Petersburg with a girlfriend for some snacks, drinks and some much overdue catching up. I love this new restaurant, in particularly for its creative and delicious takes on vegan cuisine and eye-catching mid-century modern decor.    On past visits, I've sat at one of the tables in the expansive dining room but this time we were able to snag a spot at the in-demand horseshoe-shaped bar — a stunning centerpiece toppling with hanging plants, ceramics and books. It's gorgeous and hands-down the best seat in the house.    Here, a sampling of what we tried:  Brussels sprouts ($12): Crispy and charred in places, these flavorful sprouts packed tons of flavor and came tossed in a spicy tahini Dan Dan sauce and showered with crunchy peanuts, fiery Fresno peppers and bright green onions.  Whipped ricotta ($14): This dish has been a constant on the menu here since day one, and for good reason. Made with tofu, the texture is silky and creamy, maybe even better than the real thing. The dip comes scented lightly with lemon, paired with a flavorful pistachio pesto and served with crunchy slices of sourdough toast for dipping. Absolutely do not skip this one.  Espresso martini ($12): I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the ever-lasting espresso martini craze, but there is a time and a place for everything. On this particular evening we had a long night ahead of us, so I decided to take the plunge. Turns out, the version here is classic and delicious, made with vodka, coffee liqueur, simple syrup and fresh espresso. It definitely hit the spot.     1900 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. 727-280-6068. goodintentionsfl.com   🍽️ Got a recommendation? Send me tasty tips here. Contact Helen Freund at hfreund@tampabay.com. Follow @helensavina on Instagram and @helenfreund on Twitter. Did someone forward this to you? Get Taste in your own inbox next time. It's free to subscribe. Sign up here. Contact us Privacy policy Terms, conditions and copyright Standard of accuracy © 2023 • All Rights Reserved Tampa Bay Times • 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 To ensure this email is delivered to your inbox, add custserv@elist.tampabay.com to your address book. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the "Taste" newsletter from the Tampa Bay Times. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe from this email.