Station House – St. Petersburg, FL

Since we moved into the house & got married, we really haven’t been eating out as often as before.  We love our new kitchen so we actually end up cooking in more frequently, and we’re trying to be better about saving money. 

But last night we decided to celebrate our first 2 weeks of marriage with a date night out in St. Pete.  We had a CL Deal to Station House that was about to expire so we decided to go there.  I had gone there a few months back during my bachelorette party.  I think it was actually better this time around since most of the food is small plates and meant for sharing, which is easier to do for a date night with 2 instead of 15 people. 

Parking is sometimes difficult on the weekends in St. Pete unless you want to pay at a garage, but we found a spot near the Dali museum and took a walk since it was so nice out last night.  Station House’s location is great – right in the heart of downtown.  

It’s interesting because it’s actually a multi-purpose building.  The restaurant is in the basement but it is much more than just that.  The 2^nd level is a social club and used for events.  TeBella and Kahwa have their own mini coffee and tea shops set up in the building.  And their “Mind Body Station” hosts yoga classes on the 2^nd floor as well as in their rooftop garden.  It also incorporates a coworking space where creative professionals can set up shop and work rather than bringing their laptop to Starbucks (they can even rent a desk, office suite, or meeting room). 

The restaurant has a speakeasy vibe – we enjoyed live jazz music with our craft cocktails and small plates of food.  Our waitress, Sarah, was super friendly and recommended all the best things on the menu.  She said she’d only been working there a week but you would have never known she was so new.  She said we were her favorite people she served that night.   

I had the Russian Punch which was a tart fruity cocktail with berries & champagne.  Lance’s Suffering Bastard drink was good for him but definitely too strong for me – it was blend of gin and whiskey, luckily over a lot of crushed ice. 

We started with the Cedar Key Clam Dip which is served with their homemade potato chips.  While they weren’t Datz chips, they were pretty tasty and went well with the dish.  Then we had the Cauliflower Taboule which was fresh and felt very healthy. 

The Radicchio Salad was interesting because the bacon lardons were the same texture and color as the radicchio leaves – it was a crunchy mix with pecorino romano cheese, garlic croutons and topped with a soft poached egg that oozed over the whole salad as the dressing. 

My favorite part of the meal was the Dark Lacquered Pork Cap, which we were told is cooked all day in its own fat, so it was super tender.  It was served over a mirliton slaw with roasted peanuts and the meat had a caramelized glaze topped with scallions.  I wish we each had our own plate of it instead of sharing it – I love any dish that is Asian-inspired. 

We finished with one of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time.  It was a Dark & Stormy Budino – which is a sweet Italian pudding.  It had layers of thick custard with flavors of rum, butterscotch, and key lime.  We literally licked the little mason jar it was served in clean.     

They didn’t really know what to do with our CL Deal but eventually figured it out – we didn’t mind hanging around awhile though since the atmosphere is so nice.  The price is definitely more than we’d spend on a normal dinner out, but our coupon made it a lot more reasonable. I love that nothing we ordered was a dish I would have made for dinner at home.  All the food was original and creative.   Sure we’ll be back again!  

Station House is located at 260 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.  They are open Monday – Thursday 7am – 1am and Friday – Sunday 7am – 3am.  

Backfin Blue Cafe – Gulfport, FL

One of our Christmas presents this year from my parents was a stack of Creative Loafing deals to different local restaurants.  It was a really great gift idea because we’ve gotten a lot of free/cheap date nights out of them!  The only thing is you have to keep an eye on the expiration dates (usually you’ve got about a year until they expire, but some are only a few months…) 

Well last week we realized our Backfin Blue Cafe deal was set to expire, so we headed to Gulfport for dinner.  It’s a really laid-back town just west of St. Pete.  Usually when we go there, we’re by far the youngest people walking around (think most residents are retired…) 

The restaurant is in an old bungalow and the relaxed vibe makes it feel like you’re having dinner at somebody’s home.  Our table had reindeer salt and pepper shakers.  Being near the gulf, we decided to try out some seafood.  Lance ordered the Bacon Wrapped Basil Stuffed BBQ Shrimp and I had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi. 

Each was served with a simple house salad – then Lance had the mashed potatoes and I had the edamame salad with my entrée.  The coating on my fish was pretty generous – I definitely got my share of macadamias.  The edamame salad was pretty hearty – with chickpeas, corn, beans.  I couldn’t tell all the ingredients, but it was really tasty.  Lance’s mashed potatoes tasted homemade with some chunks and potato skins mixed in.  The shrimp was good, but the sweet BBQ sauce was a bit overpowering.  Overall, it was a great meal. 

We took a walk around town afterwards along the shore – most shops close up early, so there weren’t any open to wander through.  But we watched people fish off the pier and enjoyed the water views.  It’s not far from Tampa, but with the small-town atmosphere, it’s a nice getaway.    

Backfin Blue Cafe is located at 2913 Beach Blvd S, Gulfport, FL 33707.  They are open 4pm – 10pm Mondays, Wednedays – Saturdays, 4pm – 9pm on Sundays, and closed on Tuesdays. 

Brewers' Tasting Room & 3 Daughters - St. Pete, FL

 

We bought a CL Deal for Brewers’ Tasting Room in St. Pete (it looks like it’s still available if you want $20 of food & drinks for only $10).  I didn’t know much about it before, but they offer a variety of beers from well-known craft breweries like Cigar City, Terrapin, and New Belgium, along with one-of-a-kind beers brewed on location by their community of brewers.   

 

It’s funny that a year or so ago when we starting making our rounds to all the local breweries, my flights always looked super light – the flight I got at Brewers’ Tasting Room was surprisingly all darker beers.  I guess I’m finally acquiring the taste for more than just fruity Belgian beer.  I liked the Laguintas Scare City Rye Cocoa and Breckenridge Vanilla Porter Nitro best. 

They only had 2 brewed on site that day – Bad Badger, a British Pale Ale, and Jonny Boy, a Scottish Light.  Lance liked the Bad Badger since it was extra bitter.  

 

We ordered some snacks while we were there – wings with spicy blue cheese and the Italian Flag Flatbread – with sundried tomato, basil, mozzarella, homemade pesto, olive oil & balsamic.  The sauce on the wings was very good – although it was a pretty small portion so we devoured them quickly.  It wasn’t a huge food menu, so it’s better to go there and snack then have dinner. 

They are actually having their 2 year anniversary party tonight (March 6^th, 2015) 5pm to midnight, so if you’re free, they’ll have live music and a new menu, along with commemorative pint glasses!   

While in St. Pete, we headed back to 3 Daughters since we felt like playing some games. We played ping-pong, foosball, and giant Jenga while enjoying their beers – unfortunately their putt-putt golf course is closed for renovations…hoping they fix it soon since that’s one of my favorite things to do there. 

 

 

 

Brewers’ Tasting Room is located at 11270 4th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33716.  They are open Tuesday – Thursday 3pm – 11pm, Friday – Saturday 11am – 12am, and Sunday 11am – 11pm (they are closed on Mondays). 

3 Daughters Brewing is located at 222 22nd St S, St Petersburg, FL 33712 and is open 2pm – 9pm Monday and Tuesday, 2pm – 10pm Wednesday and Thursday, 2pm – 12am Friday, 12pm – 12am Saturday, and 1pm – 9pm on Sunday.  

Piquant – Tampa, FL

 

One of our Christmas presents from my parents was a stack of CL Deals to use for date nights!  So for dinner last night, we headed to Piquant in Hyde Park. 

It’s in a cute location right on the corner of Rome & Snow Avenues.  I don’t think we’d been there since Sophie’s French Bakery was in that location a few years back. 

The previous restaurant had more of an eclectic coffee shop feel – it still has the bakery, but now it’s a bit more upscale now with ghost chairs, high-back black leather banquettes, and mood lighting.

I ordered the La Tour Eiffel cocktail – the Ketel 1, passion fruit, St. Germain, bubbly & rosemary.  It was served with crushed ice, so it tasted more like a fancy slushy drink.  Lance had the Coppertail Unholy Trippel (served in a 3 Daughters glass…) We still haven’t made our wait to Coppertail Brewery in Ybor, but Lance enjoyed his beer, so we’ll have to check it out soon! 

They served some crispy baguettes before the meal – I had to restrain myself from eating the whole bread basket. 

For my meal, I ordered one of their Signature Entrées, the Braised Boeuf Short Ribs with gratin dauphinoise, wilted spinach with pine nuts & preserved lemons, bordelaise sauce, and crispy leeks.  The portion wasn’t huge, but it was plenty enough for me.  And it was clear that it was quality over quantity.  The meat was tender and flavorful, and the potatoes and veggies were perfectly cooked.  

Lance had the Piquant Burger – made with Niman Ranch grass-fed beef, topped with a red wine onion confit, heirloom tomato, and white cheddar on a challah bun. It included parmesan, parsley, and truffle oil fries.  It was the perfect burger & fries. 

We didn’t have room for dessert, but their pastry display was filled with all sorts of goodies including tarts, cupcakes, and their famous cronuts.  We’ll need to come back another day and just have sweets & fancy coffee. 

It was a really wonderful meal.  The CL Deal definitely helped with the price though, so keep an eye out on the Creative Loafing website to see whether they post another deal!

Piquant is located at 1633 West Snow Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606 and is open 8am – 8pm Sunday – Wednesday and 8am – 10pm Thursday – Saturday.