guests to this friendly bar. By contrast, fine dining Il Terrazzo has an arrestingly inviting menu. How does a grilled, dryaged fillet with Asiago brown butter mash, Gorgonzola butter and wild mushrooms shake up your appetite? They also offer Lobster Fra Diavlo and Braised Lamb Risotto, goat cheese pizzas, seafood calzones and lighter fare. COLUMBIA CAFÉ You’ll find Spanish and Cuban favorites at Columbia Restaurant’s café cousin, which is run by members of the five-generation Gonzmart dynasty. Arrive by boat (or water taxi) for the hearty “1905’’ salad, Cuban sandwich, Spanish bean soup or a variety of tapas. Sip mojitos and walk back in time at the Tampa Bay History Center. Dine indoors or on its waterfront patio and listen to live music on the weekends. RICK’S ON THE RIVER Up the river from Ulele you’ll find Rick’s on the River, seemingly always busy dock-wise. It’s also reachable by Pirate Water Taxi or by renting an electric boat at the convention center. Here you’ll find oysters (fried and raw), catfish, shrimp, and clam baskets. A family favorite are the fish fingers, and the smoked fish spread appetizer is very good. We’re sure they have some menu items that weren’t swimming at one point, but we can’t remember. Rick’s is reliable, unpretentious, familyfriendly, and features nice large covered patios overlooking the docks and the Hillsborough River. BEACH BAR RESTAURANT Beach Bar at the Bay Harbor Hotel Tampa slings big flavors with grouper sandwiches, seafood pasta in white cream sauce, Caribbean steak, and four kinds of tacos. All-American burgers have interesting cousins: Cajun blackened or Doughnut beignet-style hamburgers (with Applewood smoked bacon). All go down easily while sipping a Beach Berry Coco (rum, strawberry puree and coconut water served in a Thai coconut). ULELE Another Gonzmart home run, the picturesque 1906 Water Works Building houses Ulele (You-LAYLee). The menu at this historic city utility fuses Native-American and multicultural influences. It’s easy to fill up on crab mac-and-cheese, chargrilled oysters, Florida jumpers, and okra fries at Ulele. The pork shank, a sundriedcream and tomato pompano and stuffed Maine lobster make friends. Guests rave about the variety of house crafted beers. You’ll find three slips at the repurposed Water Works Park (the Pirate Taxi also stops here). Make a reservation or be prepared for a wait. Tierra Verde BILLY'S STONE CRAB SEAFOOD For more than 40 years, residents have returned to Billy’s for oysters on the half shell, Key West conch fritters, fresh soups and steaks and seafood. You’ll find medium, large, jumbo and colossal stone crab claws here. I like them chilled but you can order them hot as well. JULY/AUGUST 2017 localsDISH 21
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