Locale Market – St. Petersburg, FL

 

We spent the day on Tuesday wandering St. Petersburg with our friends Laura and Thu.  We started the afternoon off at Locale Market – which just opened in the brand new Sundial shopping mall (previously called Baywalk). 

The market is led by chefs Michael Mina and Don Pintabona and consists of 11 different food stations in a gorgeously designed space.  When I was in college studying interior design, one of our school projects was to design a gourmet grocery store.  This is everything I could have imagined and even more!  The signage, artfully arranged displays, and even the plating of the food are all so thoughtfully crafted – it is clear their designers were attentive to the little details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It spans two stories and has everything – including a butcher, bakery, freshly made pasta, cheese, and charcuterie stations, produce, wine, beer, kitchen gadgets, and even ready-to-eat meals that can be enjoyed on their outdoor patio. 

 

 

 

 

While wandering, Thu enjoyed a grapefruit sorbet that was tart and refreshing.  We were given free samples as we walked around – including mozzarella that had just been made, sausage, and some delicious cheese. 

 

We ordered some lunch at the counter to eat out on the patio – the smoked St. Louis ribs with guava BBQ sauce came with an almond, molasses and marshmallow filled sweet potato and braised greens.  Lance had the Commander Hileman’s fried chicken, with potato & mushroom gratin and also served with greens. 

The seasoning on the ribs was incredible – and the fried chicken was surprisingly light with a bit of citrusy flavor.  The sides were equally as delicious.  We were blown away by our meals. 

It reminds me of Mazzaro’s Market (although it is definitely on the higher end for prices…)  It has only been open since December 17^th, but it has already had rave reviews.  The quality of everything they sell is top-notch.  If I had tons of money to splurge, I would buy this place out. 

Locale Market is located at 179 2nd Ave North  St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 and is open 10am – 9pm Monday – Saturday and 12pm – 8pm on Sunday.   

Brunch at Bamboozle Tea Lounge - Tampa, FL

 

One of my favorite restaurants, Bamboozle Tea Lounge, invited me to preview their new brunch menu, which debuts later this month on Sunday, October 26^th.  You can read more about Bamboozle on this blog post from August. 

 

 

Up until now, they have been closed Sundays.  The owner, Lynn Pham, tells me that they’ll start off with brunch on just Sundays, then if it is popular, it may expand to other days of the week. 

 

 

We sampled a bit of everything from their new brunch menu this morning, and I can tell you it’s all incredible!  Just like their lunch and dinner items, the brunch selection was all carefully crafted with fresh ingredients.  It was filling, yet light enough that we didn’t feel guilty afterwards. 

 

 

We started off with the mini beignets – French doughnuts coated with powdered sugar and cinnamon.  There were several drizzles to choose from – including honey, condensed milk, and chocolate syrup – and then roasted coconut, almonds, and crushed peanuts to garnish.  Lance loaded our beignets with a bit of everything!  They were perfectly light and flaky, just as if they were bought in New Orleans. 

 

 

 

 

Next we split one of the exotic fresh fruit parfaits.  The Greek yogurt was layered with tropical fruits, roasted coconut, local honey, and organic artisan granola from local Bake’n Babes.  I’d say it’s the best parfait I’ve ever eaten. 

 

 

Next we tried the pate chaud – a Vietnamese French chicken puff pastry.  Lance had skipped it at first since he thought it was just bread, but when he saw it had chicken inside, he grabbed one for himself.  It ended up being his favorite item this morning – I think if we didn’t fill up on other foods he would have eaten a half dozen more. 

 

There are several mini dessert options on the brunch menu as well – including Nutella cheesecake bites, mini pear cupcakes, mini Vietnamese coffee cupcakes, and mini 5-spiced carrot cupcakes.  I don’t think the carrot was there this morning, but the rest we sampled were wonderful.  The pear cupcakes were made again by Bake’n Babes – they were topped with a caramel miso glaze and ginger candy.  Wow!  The caramel on top almost tasted a bit like flan.  Then the ginger added a nice Asian twist. 

 

 

 

The fresh rolls from their normal menu were also included in the brunch.  We sampled a chicken one served with peanut dressing, and a fresh fruit roll with citrus dressing.  My personal favorite roll of theirs is the Coco – Tiger shrimp, shredded coconut, pineapple, jicama, and mint with the citrus dressing. 

 

Lynn served us each pineapple lychee mimosas with mint syrup – they were sweet and refreshing.  We also tried the Vietnamese slow drip coffee – made with Monde-French Chicory coffee and sweetened with condensed milk.  It tasted more like a dessert drink – very yummy. 

 

 

 

 

Behind the counter they had 4 flavors of their seasonal fresh fruit infused sake that will be made into spritzers – those will available starting this Friday for their Open Mic Night. 

 

I noticed that they have a Pumpkin Spice tea on the shelf, so once it cools off a bit more, I’ll be back for that! 

 

We feel so privileged to have been included in this preview brunch – I have only good things to say about Bamboozle!  Everyone who works there is so inviting, and the food won’t disappoint.  If you haven’t been – go check them out immediately.  They have a downtown café as well, but I tend to go to the Tea Lounge since it’s close to my work and has a laid-back atmosphere. 

Bamboozle Tea Lounge is located at 109 N 12th St #101, Tampa, FL 33602 and open from 10:30am – 9pm Mondays through Fridays, 11am – 9pm on Saturdays, and 11:30am – 4pm for brunch on Sundays starting October 26^th.

Bamboozle Tea Lounge – Tampa, FL

After a tough workout this morning with my friend Thu, we were ready for something to eat.  I had bought an Amazon Local deal for Bamboozle Tea Lounge a while back, so we had $22 of food & drinks for only $11. 

It is located in the lower level of the condo The Place at Channelside – right down the street from where I work.  The tea lounge is a more relaxed version of their full Bamboozle restaurant downtown on Tampa Street.  If the weather is nice outside, there is outdoor seating and a small park right across the street. 

Today we sat inside.  The lounge has a cozy atmosphere with eclectic mismatched tables and chairs.  The walls are filled with pieces by local artists that change every month or so.  They have a variety of board games as well – today the kids at the table next to us were playing Connect Four.  On Wednesday mornings they host a free event called Storytelling with Mr. Teng – it would be a great place to bring little kids.  They also host Open Mic Nights and live acoustic music every once in awhile. 

Today we shared the BBQ Banh Mi and the Coco Bamboozle Roll.  The ingredients are all very fresh and vibrant – and everything there is so healthy it didn’t cancel out our morning workout. 

I’ve actually had the Coco Roll a few times now – it is made with Tiger shrimp, shredded coconut, pineapple, jicama and mint and served with citrus ginger vinaigrette. 

Obviously the Tea Lounge also has a variety of yummy drink options.  They sell smoothies and teas by the glass, along with jars of their loose leaf teas.  Today I had an almond milk drink with chia seeds and Thu had a strawberry banana smoothie.  I really loved my drink – I would definitely order it again. 

Plus, chia seeds have tons of benefits beyond making cute plant pets. They were a large part of the diet of ancient Aztecs and Mayans – “chia” actually comes from the Mayan word for “strength”.  Aztec warriors ate them in preparation for battle, and the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico used them for energy as well (they hunted by running their prey to exhaustion).

They are high in antioxidents, fiber, and protein.  They also absorb a lot of water, so they expand in your stomach and make you feel full so you don’t eat too much.  I was introduced to chia seeds by Lance’s sister, Brandi, who sent me a jar of them a few years ago with a list of recipes (I’ve made some amazing chia seed banana bread and I sprinkle them on my oatmeal).

To wrap it up, our lunch was fantastic and I’d recommend everyone go visit there. 

Bamboozle Tea Lounge is located at 109 N 12th St #101, Tampa, FL 33602 and open from 10:30am – 9pm Mondays through Fridays, 11am – 9pm on Saturdays, and 11:30am – 4pm for brunch on Sundays.