Pizza Fusion – Tampa, FL

 

We bought a Creative Loafing deal for Pizza Fusion awhile back, so last night we headed there for dinner to try it out.   

 

It is located downtown in the condo Skypoint right across the street from Curtis Hixon Park.  We didn’t realize that an Oktoberfest event was going on in the park that night – so searching for a parking spot downtown was pretty difficult.  We finally found one a few blocks away, and by the time we got there we were both very hungry. 

 

 

It was quiet for a Saturday night, so we had no problem getting a table.  They have a few beers on draft, but a wide selection of bottles.  Lance ordered the Peak Organic Continually Hopped IPA and I had the Key West Southernmost Wheat Ale while looking over the food options.  Mine wasn’t as citrus-y as I was expecting (the menu compared it to a Blue Moon), but the IPA surprisingly was a bit fruity. 

 

For a pizza restaurant, their menu has a surprising amount of gluten-free, vegan, and organic options.  Their motto is “Saving the Earth, one pizza at a time.”  They use hybrid cars for their deliveries, have LEED certified green restaurants, and even offer discounts to customers who bring back their pizza boxes for recycling.  

 

There were not only pizzas, but sandwiches and salads on the menu as well.  We thought pizza was our best bet though since it’s in the name.  We each ordered a small personal size so we could try two kinds – the Big Kahuna on multigrain crust and the Prosciutto Pizza on organic white.

 

We got our pizzas and they were both fantastic!  The Big Kahuna had crumbled bacon, pineapple chunks, red onion, homemade tomato sauce, and a blend of three cheeses.  It was an upscale version of the typical Hawaiian pizza. 

 

The Proscuitto one was slightly sweet, with fig jam, goat cheese, arugula, and their signature cheese blend.  While I liked the flavor of both crusts, I think they could have been slightly crispier.   It is clear though that they use high quality ingredients for the toppings. We devoured both of them. 

 

The only complaint I had about the restaurant was the cleanliness.  While they did clear the tables after each customer left, they just wiped the mess onto the floor.  The ground was littered in straw wrappers and bits of food – which really stood out on the dark wood. 

 

After we paid, we were offered organic lollipops that we took with us.  I liked the mango flavor – the watermelon tasted more like medicine to me.  We took a walk around the park and enjoyed the slightly cooler weather (although much of it was gated off between the Oktoberfest and a wedding at the Tampa Art Museum).   

 

 

 

While passing Pizza Fusion again on the way back to the car, it was much more crowded – I think we dined between the dinnertime and late night crowds.  It is in a smart location with all the condos downtown.  If I lived above it, I’d dine there regularly.  I’m sure we’ll be back – there were lots of other flavors left to try! 

Pizza Fusion has locations in Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Ohio.  The one we dined at tonight is located at 777 N Ashley Dr, Suite C, Tampa, FL 33602 and is open 11am – 9pm Sunday through Wednesday and 11am – 11pm Thursday through Saturday.     

Hula Bay Club – Tampa, FL

Last night we had dinner at Hula Bay Club.  It is a Hawaiian style restaurant located off Westshore Boulevard next to the Tampa Harbour Marina, so it has a nice waterfront view. 

They have specials most days – Thursdays for “Ladies’ Night” they have $3 margaritas, martinis, and mojitos and $5 sushi and appetizer specials.  We started off with mojitos and their Molten Martini – an appetizer of crispy shrimp tossed in a spicy sauce and served in a martini glass.  It reminded me of the Bang-Bang shrimp at Bonefish – would definitely recommend it. 

I got sushi for dinner – the shrimp tempura roll and Kilauea volcano roll.  Lance got the Mojo roast pork beach tacos. 

 

The presentation of mine was great but it wasn’t super memorable sushi – I much prefer Yoko’s if I want really amazing sushi.  It was actually a lot of food though so I ended up taking leftovers home.  Lance’s flour tortillas were all stuck together when he first got them, but besides that the pork tacos were pretty good too. 

 

In general, I’d say the food is maybe 3 out of 5 stars, but the view and tropical drinks are a nice way to relax and feel like you’re on vacation.  If you want to just come for a drink, you can go to the adjoining Duke’s Retired Surfer’s Island Bar. 

Hula Bay is located at 5210 W Tyson Ave, Tampa, FL 33611.  The restaurant is open Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday 11am – 10pm and Friday & Saturday 11am – 11pm (the bar has extended hours). 

tbt Luau Party with Tropical Cupcakes

I have so many recipes & restaurants I’ve tried in the past that I want to share, so for this Throwback Thursday, I want to share a cupcake recipe from a Luau party I threw last September.  I shared photos of these cupcakes on Pinterest and they’ve had hundreds of re-pins!

I’ve hosted a bunch of girls’ nights with my friends in the past, but I think this one was my favorite since everyone really got into the theme.  It was a Hawaiian potluck – I made piña colada shrimp (I’ll post that recipe another time!) and for dessert, I made fun tropical cupcakes. 

The basic cupcakes all followed the same recipe (below), then I decorated them in 3 ways:

Crabs on a Beach -   I added some crushed graham crackers to look like sand.  The crabs were made of several gummy fruits held together with toothpicks – an orange gummy for the body, peach slice cut in half for claws, and Lifesaver’s gummies for eyes.  I used some royal icing/edible glue to attach candy eyes to the Lifesavers.  

Bear in an Inner Tube – I dyed some of the frosting blue for water and added some blue sugar sprinkles and a mini umbrella.  The teddy graham is floating in a peach ring. 

Shark – I covered the cupcake with half graham cracker crumbs and half blue icing.  I added an umbrella on the sandy side of the cupcake.  The shark is cut out of blue construction paper.  Some of the shark cupcakes were a little bit morbid because I added teddy grahams to a few of them with missing limbs and drops of red food coloring. 

Here is the recipe I used:

Malibu Piña Colada Cupcakes with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting (from www.illeatyou.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 2 T Malibu rum
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/3 cup crushed pineapple
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line cupcake pan. 

2. Beat together melted butter, pineapple juice, rum and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until well blended.

3. In a separate bowl, blend flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

4. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients to wet, gradually.  Fold in pineapple and coconut.

5. Fill liners 3/4 of the way.  Bake 20-25 minutes.

6. While still warm, top with:

Malibu Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 T Malibu
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t butter

Bring sugar and water to a boil over med-high heat.  After 2 minutes, add Malibu, vanilla and butter.  Let cook 3-5 minutes more until syrupy. 

7. When cool, frost with:

Lime-Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 t Malibu or vanilla

Combine all ingredients except sugar using a hand mixer.  Add powdered sugar gradually to desired sweetness and consistency. 

8. Decorate them however you want!