Rapp Brewing – Seminole, FL

 

Lance & I have still been hitting up breweries any time we have days off together.  We’ve made it to most of the local Tampa Bay ones, but there are a few we’ve still got left to cross of our list in the area. 

 

Last week we took a long bike ride at Starkey Wilderness Park in New Port Richey, then stopped by Rapp Brewing in Seminole on our way home.  I read about them in Creative Loafing’s Meet the Brewer’s issue. 

They serve flights of 4, 6, or 9 beers.  I tried 4 – the Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, North German Altbier, Hefeweizen, and 2016 Pumpkin Ale (which were a nice variety). It was a Tuesday, so it wasn’t super busy, but the people there seemed to be regulars.  Our bartender was really nice and welcoming. 

 

While we were there, a customer dropped off his own beer for the Best Florida Beer Homebrew Championships. We haven’t tried homebrewing, but I’ve heard it’s super technical and takes a lot of practice to make anything remotely drinkable.  I think we’ll leave it to the experts and keep visiting breweries for our drinks!   

Rapp Brewing is located at 10930 Endeavour Way, Seminole, FL 33777 and is open 3pm – 10pm Monday – Thursday, 3pm – 12am Friday, 2pm – 12am Saturday, and 3am – 8pm Sunday.   

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe – Tampa, FL

 

We spent our day off at the Museum of Science and Industry – MOSI is offering free tickets in October to anyone with a YMCA membership!

 

Since we were already near Seminole Heights, we headed to Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe for dinner.  I tried to go a few years ago with my parents, but it was so crowded we couldn’t get a table!  And somehow I hadn’t made it there again until yesterday.  According to Tasting Tampa, it’s one of the top 10 best restaurants in Seminole Heights (it has good company on the list – including The Refinery and Rooster & the Till).

 

 

We got there just a few minutes before they opened at 5pm, so it was pretty quiet and there was plenty of parking.  But by 6pm, it was packed!  I’d recommend trying to get there early if you don’t want to wait. 

It makes sense to have “folk art” in the title – the entire places is covered in funky upcycled creations – much of the art being made from scrap metal.  The landscaping in front of the restaurant is lined with old bowling balls, and the booth we were seated at had a shrine to Elvis with all sorts of funky pieces of art featuring “the King”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have a great patio with outdoor booths, Adirondack chairs, and a big oak tree.  Had it been a couple degrees cooler, we would have dined out there. 

 

 

 

We were there during Happy Hour – Tuesdays through Fridays 5-7pm they have $3 draft beers and well drinks, $4 house wine, and $2 off their signature cocktails.  I tried The Revival – Sweet Tea with Wild Turkey American Honey Whiskey, muddled lemon, agave, and mint.  Sweet and refreshing.  If you’re a fan of Bloody Mary’s though, they make a pretty impressive one garnished with a rib!

 

We ordered a bunch of appetizers as our dinner – the Tuna Cracka’ Staka’, Rasta-Far-Fries, and Jerk Chicken Wings. 

 

They brought us bread while we waited – it was soft and warm with herb butter.  We got the fries and tuna together.  Wow the tuna was awesome!  It was served over crispy wonton chips with Asian slaw and topped with roe.  They tasted very fresh – I could have eaten a dozen. 

 

The fries were enormous!  They were cut in large wedges and topped with their house mustard, sea salt, cilantro, and Sriracha.  It was a bit more mustard than I would have liked, but the rest of the toppings were perfect – just the right amount of spiciness.

 

 

The wings were island spiced, hickory smoked, then flash fried and tossed in sweet & spicy jerk sauce.  They were some of the best wings I’ve tasted – and the lime cream sauce paired perfectly with the jerk seasoning.  We used the lime sauce to cool down the spicy fries as well. 

 

We ended with their chocolate covered bacon dessert – it won an award in last year’s Creative Loafing Best of the Bay.  It included 2 large strips of bacon dipped in dark chocolate and peanuts, along with 2 pieces of pancetta coated in white chocolate and almonds.  The pancetta was very good, but I especially loved how dark the chocolate was on bacon.  A perfect sweet and salty dessert!

 

If you haven’t been to Ella’s yet, I’d put it on your must-visit list.  We thoroughly enjoyed our meal.  They have live entertainment most evenings, and I hear that their Soul Food Sundays are incredible as well! 

 

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe is located at 5119 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33603 and is open 5pm – 11pm Tuesday through Thursday, 5pm – 12am Fridays and Saturdays, and 11am – 8pm on Sundays. 

The Mermaid Tavern – Tampa, FL

Seminole Heights seems to be the emerging foodie scene in the Tampa area – with the Refinery, Rooster & the Till, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, the Mermaid Tavern, and the Independent.  I’ve been recommend to visit all these places, but so far the only one I had been to before last night was the Refinery (which I highly recommend!)  The rest are on my must-try list.  Last night, Lance and I checked out the Mermaid Tavern. 

From the outside, it doesn’t really look like much – if I hadn’t heard of it before I probably wouldn’t have stopped in.  Inside, it has an eclectic and slightly nautical feel.  There are mismatching artsy chandeliers (including some funky ones that looked like jellyfish) and columns wrapped in rope.  It was dimly lit and a little tattered like a dive bar, but the crowd was mostly young hipsters.

The drink specials were outlined on a large chalkboard behind the bar.  Lance ordered the Two Brothers Hopcentric Double IPA & I got the Saint Somewhere Jasime Saison.  The food is ordered right at the bar – Lance wanted to try the Brisket Poutine, but unfortunately they were out.  Instead, he ordered the New Tavern Burger and I had the O.M.G. Grilled Cheese (O.M.G. stands for Oysters, Mushrooms & Goat cheese!)

It was pretty crowded (it was Saturday night) but we did manage to find ourselves a table.  Lance really loved his IPA – and mine was different than any beer I’ve had before.  Saint Somewhere is a local Tarpon Springs brewery – my beer was fermented with jasmine tea and was slightly tart. 

I enjoyed my sandwich – it was definitely a unique take on a normal grilled cheese.  I like that they took a risk and made it with unusual ingredients – the oysters, mushrooms, and goat cheese were combined with Welsh cheddar and roasted asparagus on thick crispy sourdough bread.  The hand-cut fries were spectacular.  I did see pictures of their truffle fries on Yelp though, and if their normal fries were that good, I’d imagine their truffle fries topped with shaved parmesan would be to-die-for. 

Lance’s burger was good, but not worth $13.  It was a little small, and the pretzel bun tasted more like a normal hamburger bun.  Although I’m sure the grass-fed meat was high quality, it was cooked well-done rather than medium. 

It has better food than most bars, but I’d emphasize going for the drinks.  They had a pretty unique selection (no Bud Light here).  It seems like it’s more of a late-night hangout…we’ll probably try one of the other Seminole Heights restaurants next time and just head here for drinks afterwards. 

The Mermaid Tavern is located at 6719 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33604 and is open from 5pm to 3am every day.