Red Mesa is now downtown

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Does the place look familiar? It should be unless you missed that old post about Latin bar/bistro De Santo, which closed some time last year. Well, the place is open again. But this time, it has been replaced by Red Mesa Restaurant. And yes, it is the same owner as the Red Mesa on 4th Street.

We chanced upon the place last night while driving downtown looking for a place to eat at. And it turned out to be a really good chance encounter. The food was just great. One of the better Mexican (fusion?) restaurants around town. From appetizers, to entrees, dessert and even the margaritas they served on tap were perfect. To top it all off, service was impeccable. I think that's all good for a place that's just been open two weeks.

What more could you ask for? Maybe that they don't close down anytime soon? I think they'll do alright. Check it out.

Red Mesa
128 3rd Street South

De Santo: Latin Bistro & Bar/Lounge

We just happened by this new resto downtown the other evening after seeing from outside that the former Accenture building has been transformed into quite a fancy new Latin bistro and bar. It's called De Santo.
From the outside until you walk in the restaurant, you will see how posh they've turned the place into with very modern touches, from the chairs to the light fixtures to even their menu. Quite impressive. They serve a variety of Latin flavors: Spanish, Peruvian, Mexican and even Uruguayan. For those just looking to hang out, the bistro has a separate full bar...not a bad place for after work drinks I'd say.
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Food was good. Nothing extraordinary. Serving was ample and presentation was fine. No complaints about the service as they keep on filling your glass of water almost every 15 minutes automatically.

I guess it's worth the try and maybe you can get back to us and let us know what you think of the food yourselves.

De Santo
128 Third St. S (the McNulty Station building)

Coffee at The Globe

Needing some afternoon coffee and craving for a piece of cake, we decided to actually visit the Globe Coffee Lounge downtown. We've always been talking about going there for sangria (they have an evening for real good sangria!) and never really committed to it. But now, we we're psyched!

It's a quaint little coffee place. The type you'll more likely see in downtown New York with all the eclectic furniture (seemingly salvaged from yard sales or second hand shops?) and walls peppered with just as varied types of works of art that are also for sale. It's very cozy and comfy...plus the "regulars" just make you feel like your an artiste just by virtue of osmosis.

Anyway, the coffee was actually good (the guy at the counter actually reminded me that it's NO Starbuck's coffee, how very anti-establishment LOL) and the cake called "Luv" was just as good! (It wasn't spiked...I think) And while you have your machiato, you can sit down on one of their couches and play whatever board game they offered (to kill time.) How all-in-one is that!

So try something different...and support your local coffee place!

The Globe Coffee Lounge is located at:
532 1st Ave North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 898-JAVA

Review: Elements Global Cuisine

If you have anything to celebrate, this may just be the right place to do it.

We've always thought about dining at this place everytime we'd pass through Gulfport and look for somewhere to eat at on the weekends. However, it seems like we were never in luck and the place is always closed. (Maybe because we always went on Sundays when most everything is closed in St. Petersburg. They need to change that. Don't people eat on Sundays, too?)

Anyway, this time it was a weeknight and T&L had a very good reason to celebrate (plus, nobody made dinner or wanted to make dinner...AGAIN!). We went to Gulfport and took our chance...and to our surprise, it was OPEN! Woohoo!

It was almost like fine dining except for the fact that we weren't dressed for the place. They didn't mind though and still served us quite exceptionally. They had very good wine (2 bottles of Artesi should make you feel very happy). And the meal we had was lovely. We had calamari and a salad for starters, a couple of roasted ducks (mmmm...duck), a nice piece of steak, some garlic mashed potatoes for entree and we just couldn't resist getting desserts that the owner just described with a French twang which made it even more tempting I guess. We got a chocolate cake that was like a lava cake since it had warm fudge inside and then since she liked us so much, we got a slice of tiramisu as a bonus! Isn't that spesh?

Anyway, try it out when you decide to dine at the lovely strip in Gulfport. Just dont go on Sunday.


Elements Global Cuisine
3121 Beach Blvd. South
Gulfport, FL 33707

Review: Island Flavors

This is a little bit of delayed post but nevertheless worth porting about. We found a new resto to try with Mr. Manlowe's suggestion based on his find from a neighbnorhood newsletter. The place is called Island Flavors (and Tings?).

It all started with a rainy evening and it was going to be a late dinner. To make a long story short, we got there just in time before they closed the kitchen which is 8pm. We were the only ones there but they gladly took us in anyway.

What it turned out to be was a very sumptuous and very authentic (from what we know) Carribean/Jamaican cuisine. Everything they served out table was just beautifully presented on funky tropical plates. We had jerk pork, jerk chicken, ox tail and brown-stewed chicken. All very tasty! (We had to have a bite of each other's plates :)) And since they didn't serve alcohol, they allowed us to BYOB and got us some Red Stripe to just complete the Jamaican meal!

Anyway, it's a place you should try out and see for yourself. It's definitely something to keep on going back to. By the way, service is just superb.

1411 49th Street South
Gulfport, Florida 33707
www.islandflavorsandtings.com

Savannah’s Cafe: I do declare!

From here or not, anyone would enjoy this southern style menu—that is anyone but the vegan that joined us. All oops on chosen company aside, the buttermilk fried chicken breast was yummy. Imagine how it would have been on dark meat! Served with garlic mashed potatoes, collared greens and corn and pineapple bread made right on the premises, the meal was as divine as the atmosphere.

I got a kick knowing we were eating in one of St. Petersburg’s first car dealership showrooms that still sports its original copper ceiling and marble floors.

Of course the biggest treat was my Long Island julep, which was as tasty as it was, eh hem, deadly. My friends sampled the pomegranate and vodka juleps.

For the three of us with drinks, it was just around $99 with tip.
Address: 1113 Central Ave St
Web: www.savannahsstpete.com (encourage owners to add menu at info@savannahsstpete.com)
Reservations: 727.388.4371