Author: Carlos Hernandez

  • The Wat Mongkolratanaram of Florida (Tampa Thai Temple)

    The Wat Mongkolratanaram of Florida (or as I like to call it the Thai Temple in Tampa) has to be one of my favorite places in Tampa. Located right by Palm River, the temple grounds are simply beautiful with tall trees, picnic tables, a dock, and a golden Buddhist temple. Every Sunday they have a…

  • The Rack (Hyde Park)

    The Rack has long been one of my favorite spots to grab some sushi and chill. The food is consistently good, the bartenders are chill, and there is a crowd there from evening to close. Although they have billiards there, I have never played there. My last visit there was on a Tuesday night. It…

  • Timpano Italian Chophouse

    Timpano Italian Chophouse is a restaurant and bar located across the street from CineBistro in Old Hyde Park. The exterior seems fancy and upscale and that wouldn’t be an incorrect way to describe Timpano. Inside the place is lit well, most of the people there are dressed up. My visit was during evening hours and…

  • Bella’s Italian Cafe

    I had dinner at Bella’s Italian Cafe the other night after driving up Howard Ave. looking for a place to eat. After successfully finding parking (the lot was packed) right in the front (score!) I walked inside to put my name in to eat. The restaurant was packed, but it only took about five to…

  • Update: New Restaurants Opening in Tampa Bay in 2011

    This photo from Cappy’s Facebook page makes my stomach growl with hunger! Cappys Pizzeria: Cappy’s Pizzeria is opening it’s 4th location in the Winthrop Plaza where Cuenelli’s used to stand by Green Iguana. The new location is set to open in January 2011. Cappy’s Pizzeria has been around since 1995 when it first opened in…

  • Big Belly Burger Challenge

    Note: Big Belly Burgers has closed shop. Big Belly Burgers is a local restaurant chain in Tampa Bay. There is one in Bartow and one in Brandon. They are most famous for their Big Belly Burger Challenge: a challenge where you have 20 minutes to eat a 1 lb. fully topped burger and 1lb. of…

  • Belated Merry Christmas!

    I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I spent mine with my family. We ate and ate and ate (today I hit the treadmill for sure). We spent Christmas Day at Downtown Disney in Orlando, fun and chill time. Our Christmas Eve dinner was a feast! So many things. The arroz con gandules was excellent!…

  • Yuengling Tampa Brewery Tour

    While browsing Yelp yesterday I read that there is a Yuengling Brewery near USF that offers free parking, tours, and free beer at the end of the tour of the brewery. One Yelper said “FREE BEER…I could end the review there” and I was already starting to think that I have to go to this…

  • Tampa Bay Blogger Shoutouts

    I’ll take some time each week to highlight some bloggers and critics in the area or outside of the area who I think deserve some recognition and attention. A California Girl’s Quest to Fall in Love with Florida (http://myothercitybythebay.com/): This blog written by a NorCal blogger who is now living in Florida is a great…

  • How To: Research Restaurants Before You Dine

    Many people search Google for restaurant reviews and are not sure about where they should be looking for reviews or the reputation of where they are looking. Big cities have a number of resources for residents, but coming from a smaller place like Tampa we only have a few guaranteed spots to research restaurants before…