TBO Tweetup @ Fly Bar and Restaurant

I had the pleasure of attending the TBO Tweetup yesterday at Fly Bar and Restaurant. The event was a nice opportunity to meet new people, interact with people active in social media in Tampa Bay, and meet the people who make it happen at TBO, the Tampa Tribune, and WFLA, News Channel 8. The breeze and sunset setting on the rooftop of Fly Bar gave a nice backdrop to this event and was certainly part of some excellent planning by TBO.

There were some freebies, such as flash drives and pens as well as Yankees tickets given away. The best thing given away though was the free food from Fly Bar that TBO provided at their event! Fly Bar and Restaurant has been on my list for some time now and this was the perfect opportunity to sample some of their food.

Fly Bar’s Roasted Garlic Frites were very tasty. They had two dips available and the Chipotle ketchup was the superior choice. It was hard to stay away from the food booth because many of their appetizers were enjoyable to munch on and the garlic frites were among those free appetizers that were hard to resist.

The homemade hummus mixed with feta, tomato, red onions, and served with pita wedges was also excellent and hit the palate in just the right spots. I normally do not eat too much hummus, but I love onions and the mixture in their hummus was excellent.

The Kobe Beef Sliders were delectable little snacks. The mushrooms and onions on top enhanced the taste of the meat and the meat was cooked just right, retaining some great Kobe flavor to it.

I am not quite sure what this menu item was, but it was enjoyable. Oozing with what seemed to be a cream interior. My friend and I both noted that it tasted infused with some kind of alcohol, but we were unsure how to pin down the taste. The cream might have been a little overbearing if it was not for the tomato/marinara sauce served with it, complementing the dish quite well.

My favorite choice at the TBO Tweetup was the samples of ahi tuna with what appeared to be tomatoes and cilantro sauce. The tuna was excellent and perhaps the best ahi tuna I have enjoyed in quite some time. Ahi tuna tends to be a hit or miss with many restaurants and my past experiences have leaned more towards miss. The thing that really made this choice my favorite was the mix of flavors when sampling the dish. The ahi tuna, tomato, and cilantro sauce all bring about different tastes in your mouth all at once and leave a savory aftertaste.

Overall, the TBO Tweetup was an excellent event and I hope to attend a future tweetup. Fly Bar and Restaurant had some awesome food to sample and I look forward to visiting them again with some family and friends and enjoying another day on their rooftop deck in Downtown Tampa. I am really thankful to Karen McCallister and the rest of the TBO organizers for putting on this event.

Restaurant Name: Fly Bar and Restaurant

Address: 1202 N Franklin St. Tampa, FL 33602

Phone Number: (813) 275-5000

Neighborhood: Downtown Tampa

Website: http://www.flybarandrestaurant.com/

Twitter: @FlyBarTampa

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fly-Bar-Restaurant-Tampa-FL/369123911007