GARY’S FAVORITES (Cont.)
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OAKLEY’S GRILLE
ISLAND FIN POKE CO.
6417 E. County Line Rd.
(813) 575-8002
17631 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(813) 523-5075
LITTLE GREEK SAKE HOUSE
New Tampa Center
19022 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(813) 972-0707
Shoppes at Amberly, Tampa Palms
15311 Amberly Dr.
(813) 977-3838
This unassuming little sushi bar and
Japanese restaurant has previously been called
Fong’s Sushi and Sushi Raw, but one thing has
remained consistent through all of its incarnations
— really good sushi (photo) and specialties
like gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) filled with
your choice of pork, chicken or shrimp, tempura
(shrimp, chicken, beef, scallops, salmon, veggie
or even tofu), and beef and chicken teriyaki. The
seared tuna tataki appetizer is outstanding, and
among my favorite rolls are the tuna trio (spicy
tuna inside, red and white tuna on top) and the
OZ roll, with fried grouper and spicy crabmeat.
Although it’s a completely different kind
of eatery than Acropolis, Little Greek also has
really good Greek food, as evidenced by the
crowds that usually are on line (but always moving;
great service!) during lunchtime. In addition
to the only true gyro sandwiches (photo) and
platters in New Tampa, this still-growing small
chain (with around 30 locations in Florida and
50 total in six states), also features excellent
steak, chicken, salmon and even lamb skewers,
spanakopita, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape
leaves) and hummus and the only true Greek
salad dressing in zip code 33647.
Even though the restaurant hasn’t been
owned by anyone with the last name Oakley in a
few years, current owner Luca Ammirati is a native
Italian who has added a number of specialties
from his homeland, starting with authentic
fried meatballs served with the tomato sauce on
the side. The last time I was in Oakley’s, Ammirati
had not yet added penne carbonara, lasagna
or penne al ragu (meat sauce), but all three are
now listed on his website, so I definitely need to
stop in to try them. And of course, Oakley’s still
has my favorite bacon cheeseburger (photo) and
crisp fries (sadly not pictured) in New Tampa.
This newcomer (see ad on pg. 26), which
was opened by former New Tampa residents
Brenda and Jeff Sproat in late 2019, has established
itself as the first Hawaiian-style createyour
own poke bowl place in New Tampa. I love
the regular and spicy ahi tuna as my protein (I
usually do two scoops of spicy and one scoop of
regular), and there are unique options like spam,
octopus, shrimp and tofu, plus veggie choices
(like regular and spicy pickled veggies, edamame
and corn), but as the Sproats say, the thing that
sets Island Fin apart are the sauces. I really only
need the OG and Island Fire marinating sauces...
and an occasional Dole whip dessert.
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THAI LANNA & SUSHI
Cross Creek Center
10022 Cross Creek Blvd.
(813) 991-0108
PETRA
MEDITERRANEAN
17503 Preserve Walk Ln.
(813) 898-8991
For those of you who don’t live off of
Cross Creek Blvd., Thai Lanna is another excellent
(and pretty) Thai place that offers really
good appetizers like the Thai spring rolls, panfried
dumplings (bottom right in the photo)
fried calamari and even fried eggplant. There
are three kinds of crispy duck, with the volcano
duck (with mixed veggies and sweet chili sauce)
being my favorite. Try the crab fried rice! Thai
Lanna also has really fresh sushi (cooked shrimp
sushi and California roll are shown above), too.
MR. DUNDERBAK’S
Oak Ramble Plaza
14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(813) 977-4104
When the original Mr. Dunderbak’s was
in the University Mall, I thought it was a cool
place for German food, even though I really
only had roast beef and pastrami sandwiches
there. The location on BBD (which has been
around the last 15-20 of its 45 years in business)
has a much more diverse menu, and I really enjoy
German dishes like the crispy jagerschnitzel
(available in veal or pork, both are great) shown
above, and the kassler rippchen (pork chops).
I’m not a big beer drinker, but Mr. D’s biergarten
has a huge selection and is always packed.
Great European chocolate selection, too.
If you’ve ever had a hankerin’ (as I
sometimes do) for authentic beef shawarma
hand-sliced off a rotating spit (photo), Petra
is the place for you. Petra’s Mediterranean/
Middle Eastern menu includes a great sampler
platter, which consists of fried kibbe, falafel,
hummus, babaganoush and grape leaves, served
with a side of tahini sauce. I also really enjoy
the nabulsi fried cheese appetizer, the tabouli,
fattoush and Greek salads, as well as the chicken
shawarma and chicken and shish (cubed lamb)
kebab sandwiches and the Petra mixed grill with
shish, kufta (ground lamb) and chicken kebabs.
GLORY DAYS GRILL
17508 Doña Michelle Dr.
(813) 513-7550
I told you last issue that when this, our
distribution area’s first Glory Days Grill, opened
a few years ago, replacing the popular Lee Roy
Selmon’s, I wasn’t a big fan. However, after Jannah
and I tried the new Glory Days on S.R. 54,
we recognized that the menu had been greatly
upgraded and we have visited both locations
quite a bit since then. We love the zucchini fries
appetizer shown above, as well as the steak rice
bowl, the grilled and comeback chicken entrées,
Boston chowda and the 1/2-lb. proprietary
blend burgers. Glory Days also has two sizes
(7-oz. & 10-oz.) of its tasty “1988” sirloin steak
and a great sports bar atmosphere.
24 For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 28, Issue 8 • April 10, 2020 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net Neighborhood News @NTWCNews
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