Oxford Exchange – Tampa, FL

It’s great living in the town I grew up in during the holidays because so many people come home to visit their families this time of year.  Luckily I’ve gotten to catch up with a lot of my friends who have since moved away from Tampa. 

Today a group of us went out to lunch at Oxford Exchange.  I don’t know how I somehow have missed writing a blog post about this place since I've been there many times, but better late than never.  It opened back in 2012 and having a background in design, I fell in love with it immediately.  They took two older buildings (one from the 1800’s) and transformed them into a multipurpose space with coffee a tea shops, a restaurant, bookstore, and gift shop. 

The interiors are beautiful with a gorgeous glass atrium that lets in the Florida sunshine, a mix of marble and herringbone wood floors, a grand staircase in the center, and a mix of brick walls and detailed wood paneling. 

It is right across Kennedy Boulevard from the University of Tampa, so it’s the perfect place for students to come study while enjoying TeBella tea or Buddy Brew coffee. 

Today I had an arugula salad with grilled chicken, quinoa, roasted butternut squash, crispy Brussels sprouts, dried cherries, pistachios, and feta with a citrus vinaigrette.  It was probably one of the best salads I’ve had – I would definitely order it again.  My friend Alex had a side of the fried Brussels sprouts and they were huge!  

I love all of TeBella’s teas – I’ve tried a different kind each time I’ve gone there.  With my lunch today I had the carrot cake rooibos tea which was sweet and cinnamon-y.  They bring you a little silver teapot so you can enjoy several cups. 

My only complaint is that the prices are pretty high.  Although the food is incredible, I spent $30 on a salad and tea, which is a lot more than I’d normally spend on lunch.  And their gift shop is outrageously priced – I played a game with my friend James once where we had to guess the price of different items in the shop.  They do have some really beautiful gifts and it’s nice to browse. 

I’ve actually been to two wedding receptions at Oxford Exchange – my friend Leslie’s in June of 2013 and my cousin Chris’s in March of 2014.  It is the perfect backdrop to celebrate and since the Oxford Exchange does the catering, the food at both weddings was delicious. 

Photos below of Leslie & Greg’s wedding are by Anna Kirby Photography

And these pictures from Chris & Marty’s wedding are by Jason Angelini Photography (who is our photographer for our wedding next April!)

The Oxford is located at 420 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602 and is open 7:30am – 5:30pm Monday – Friday and 9am – 5:30pm Saturday – Sunday.  

The Bake – Tampa, FL

 

Last September I went to Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay and had some delicious donuts by The Bake – a pizzeria and bakery on Bayshore near Interbay.  They’ve since added on an adjoining restaurant, Noi Italian Kitchen and Bar, which is more for sit-down meals. 

I bought a CL Deal for The Bake & Noi which gave me $30 for only $15, and it doesn’t expire until February 2016.  Of course, I used it a lot faster than that – I took my brother, David out for lunch to try it out.  We both live about a mile from there, so it was an easy place to meet up and grab a quick bite.  

 

We started off with fancy coffee drinks – I had the Molly Jane (salted white chocolate amaretto latte) and David had the White Mocha Motion (espresso, steamed milk, and Ghiradelli white chocolate).  They also brought a nice water carafe to the table so we didn’t have to keep asking for water refills. 

 

Since we had to spend $30, we ordered a lot of food.  We split the Spinach Salad, which had large chunks of candied pecans, gorgonzola, grapes, bacon, and raspberry vinaigrette. 

On the weekends they serve breakfast until 2pm, so David had the Le Duet – two slices of French toast, two eggs, and 2 strips of bacon.  And I enjoyed the OMG BLT Fried Egg Sandwich, which was made from their same thick homemade bread as the French toast. 

They also have family style dinners on Sundays from 4 – 8:30pm, which includes mixed appetizers, three pastas, salad, and four entrees (call them for reservations). 

I feel like my area south of Gandy is a bit lacking in quality restaurants, so I’m glad to have this one close by!

The Bake of Tampa is located at 5427 Bayshore Blvd, Tampa, FL 33611 and is open 6:30am – 9pm Tuesday – Sunday (they are closed on Mondays).   

Localtopia 2015

 

I was really excited to have off work on February 7^th because two of my best friends, Tony & Katie, got married!  Since I work most Saturdays, I wanted to make the most of it.  So that morning, I headed to St. Pete with my friend Vimmi for the 2^nd Annual Localtopia. 

 

It’s an event run by Keep Saint Petersburg Local featuring all sorts of local businesses.  It took place in Williams Park in downtown St. Pete.  Since I wanted plenty of time to get ready for Tony & Katie’s wedding, we went right at 10am when the event started. 

I was especially excited because The Hole Donuts teamed up with The Urban Canning Company to create the Glazey Susan – a glazed donut filled with strawberry balsamic & cracked pepper jam and topped with pecans and pretzels!  I love it when local companies collaborate together. 

Vimmi and I were looking for the donuts, but couldn’t find them anywhere.  Then we realized we were at the wrong park (the St. Pete Saturday Morning Market takes place a few blocks away at Progress Energy Park).  That market runs every Saturday 9am – 2pm from October to May.  While we were there, we picked up some coffees at Bay Coffee and Tea Company (I had an Almond Joy latte), and Vimmi found some gluten-free goodies at one of the local stands. 

 

 

While the Saturday Morning Market was big, the Localtopia event was huge!  It had over 100 vendors with all sorts of products, arts & crafts, food, and drinks.  There was live music on the stage and the park was packed!

 

I managed to score the last two Glazey Susan donuts (brought one home for Lance since he was working…but I could have easily eaten both myself). 

The filling was so good that I bought a jar of the Strawberry Balsamic & Cracked Pepper Jam too. 

Vimmi found some gluten-free cupcakes that looked amazing!

 

And we both purchased some awesome soaps from Bodhi Basics.  Their soaps are all organic with no artificial ingredients.  The company is named after their dog, Bodhi, so a portion of their profits goes to local no-kill animal shelters.  They’ll be opening a retail location on 1^st Avenue next month.  I got the Moroccan Clay soap which smells fantastic – with a variety of oils, shea butter, Moroccan rhassoul clay, and spices like cloves, cinnamon, and turmeric.  They even have a soap that’s made with local pork fat from Bodega on Central!

 

 

 

O’Berry’s (which was featured at Green Bench’s Brew Brunch) had some really pretty arrangements of cacti and succulents in fun containers. 

I was also excited for the Drink Like A Local truck – which had about 2 dozen different beers from local breweries, some of which aren’t even officially opened yet.  I tried the Kumquat Hefeweizen from Urban Comfort, which opens soon on Central Ave.  It was sweet, but not too sweet.  I’m looking forward to checking their brewery out soon!  My only complaint about the truck was that the people pouring the beers didn't seem to know much about the different breweries...I was hoping there would be a representative from Green Bench, 3 Daughters, Urban Comfort, etc. 

 

 

We grabbed some lunch before heading back to Tampa.  I had a meatball hoagie from Mazzaro’s which was huge. 

It was certainly a popular event, so I’m sure there will be a Localtopia 2016 to look forward to! 

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.