Ybor Aficionado Days – Carlos Eats

5th Annual Ybor Aficionado Days Stop 2: Bernini

I have always been curious about the food at Bernini in Ybor City. The restaurant is named after Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, of the late renaissance period (1598-1680) and founder of the Baroque art style. The exterior of the restaurant is beautiful in design and certainly makes me think Italy. During the Chevy Tapas Trail I was able to try two things from their menu. The item listed on the menu was “Sliced garlic marinated duck breast with chianti fig compote on a toasted crostini”. The duck was great, but what stole my attention was the crab and red pepper puffs with roasted corn mousseline that Bernini decided to add-on. Bernini was one of the first restaurants to open their doors and it was much appreciated as several restaurants on Chevy Tapas Trail were behind schedule and in a 3-hour trail you need all the time you can get. The attendants at the stand were helpful and explained the tapas to me. I left impressed.

The excellent cream puffs.

My plate with the duck tapa.

Restaurant Name: Bernini

Cuisine: Italian

Neighborhood: Ybor City

Address: 1702 E 7th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605

Phone Number: (813) 248-0099

Website: http://www.berniniofybor.com/

Go back to Yboy Aficionado Days Stop 1: Dog Bollock’s Pub

5th Annual Ybor Aficionado Days Stop 1: The Dog’s Bollocks Pub

Ybor Aficionado Days was the biggest restaurant tour I have been on to date. 17 restaurants in 3 hours. The tapas trail event was sponsored by Chevy who provided rides to each restaurant through Chevy vehicles. The drivers helped alleviate some of the distance between restaurants, but with the huge rush of people and the sometimes close distance between restaurant it was sometimes easier just to walk to each restaurant.

I documented each restaurant visit and will be positing each review individually. The first place we went to was The Dog’s Bollocks Pub.

The food was setup around the bar. The two employees at the bar were friendly with us and were happy to explain the tapas they were serving to us. I could see myself having a drink here and chatting with the employees.

The English Muffins at Dog Bullock’s were delicious. The muffins were soft and easy to chew. The beans and sauce were packed with flavor and the muffins had more flavor than they appeared to have. I was surprised there was such good food inside this small bar. I have probably passed the place tons of times when walking around Ybor City and never thought that stopping inside would get me a tasty meal. The owner mentioned that these were just a few of many creations they had been creating for the pub. The place had a clear European ambiance with flags everywhere and free pool tables, foosball, and darts…certainly a nice bar to hang out at during a night on 7th Avenue. The pub was empty since it was the middle of the day and I am curious to know what crowd spends their time in here.

It didn’t take long for us to finish our food and be on our way, but the food at The Dog’s Bollocks impressed us and was the beginning of a great food adventure on the Chevy Tapas Trail.

Venue Name: The Dog’s Bollocks Pub

Cuisine: Pub

Neighborhood: Ybor City

Address: 1704 E 7th Avenue Tampa, FL 33605

Phone Number: (813) 506-1889

Website: http://www.dogsbollocksybor.com/

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