Tampa And Saint Petersburg Florida

Tampa And Saint Petersburg Florida originally published on Food and Fond Memories on August 16, 2017 by sandy axelrod Leave a Comment (Edit)
Our departure from our beloved New Orleans left us with conflicting emotions. We were sad to drive away from New Orleans but happy that our vacation wasn’t quite over because we were headed to Tampa for a couple of days on our way home.

Tampa And Saint Petersburg Florida

It had been far too long since we had spent time with my SLCD (sweet little cousin Diane) and her husband Arnie. We were so happy to be able to stay with them for a wonderful visit before returning to our home in South Florida. To explain the acronym: Diane is a year and a half younger than I am and when we were toddlers our Zeyda (grandfather) would urge me to kiss my sweet little cousin Diane. Of course to her he would say “kiss your sweet big cousin Sandy”. So as adults we still sign off with SLCD and SBCS both remembering and honoring our Zeyda with love.

I don’t think Diane and I stopped talking for two entire days trying to catch up. It was fabulous! Honestly it didn’t matter what we were doing. All that mattered was that we were together. So Saturday morning Steve and I woke up and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast for ourselves since our hosts had arisen much earlier and had already eaten. I made eggs and when I went to dispose of the egg shells the garbage disposer made an ungodly noise. Now I think I have told you that Steve is a Handyman by trade; so you guessed it, he had to replace the disposer for them.

After he finished, Arnie and Diane took us for a delightful ride to St. Pete to a fantastic shopping center for the afternoon. First we went to this wonderful food emporium Locale Market to browse and get inspiration for dinner. More about Locale in my next post!

Then we went to Sea Salt for lunch. And what a treat that was! The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. Modern clean lines with unique decor in every direction. The enormous white marble topped bar has floating green glass fronts and comfortable bar chairs around its perimeter. The earth tones of the dining areas and the green glass are evocative of the land and the sea. There is even an awe inspiring 22 foot tall wine tower that’s the focal point of Sea Salt and houses 4,000 bottles of wine.

The restaurant did not get its name randomly. When we were seated at our comfy booth we were immediately presented with a trio of imported salts and extra-virgin olive oil which gave us an introduction to the restaurant’s central sea salt concept designed by chef/owner Fabrizio Aielli. Chef Aielli also owns Barbatella and the original Sea Salt in Naples, Florida.

Everything we ate was so fresh and delicious. My SLCD and her husband had the Vanilla French Toast with Pistachio Mascarpone, Vermont Maple Syrup and Fresh Berries and the Artichoke and Bacon Potato Hash. Steve had the Wagyu Beef Burger with Asiago Cheese, Arugula, Tomato Jam, Crispy Enoki Mushrooms and Truffle Aioli. And I had the Crab Cake B.L.T. with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Bourbon Sriracha Aioli on a Toasted Croissant. Is your mouth watering yet?

As a follow up to a previous post I wanted to let you now that Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans was just announced as one of Bon Appetit’s Top 10 New Restaurants in America !!! In fact they are the #1 Best New Restaurant. Congratulations to the Turkey and the Wolf team.

Sea Salt
183 2nd Ave North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-873-7964