DINING OUT
TAKEOUT
Our Culinary Alternative
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 145
We thought we
would have
been back at
our favorite
restaurants in June after the
coronavirus surely would
have left. By July, however,
we realized that it would
be awhile before we could
return to our normal dining
habits. To keep ourselves
safe, we, like most others,
relied heavily on takeout
options in March, April and
May, when the restaurant
dining rooms were closed.
Nowadays, we pick up
takeout for our office
staff at about 1 p.m., so
that everyone can eat at
their well-separated desks
without risking catching
the virus. Most days, we
have enough leftover from
lunch to enjoy again for
dinner at home.
Therefore, we decided to share some of
our favorite smaller takeout restaurants,
many of which do not normally get the
recognition they deserve.
At Aloha Ansley, 1931 West Bay Drive in
Largo, (727) 953-3757, we order Hawaiian
specialties such as Chef Ansley’s Maui
(Tuna) Poke, Volcano Flow Salad with its
black bean corn salsa and guacamole, plus
her cooling sorbet desserts.
From Burger Monger’s five locations,
we enjoy their 1/3 pound Texas bred
Wagyu burgers tailored with individual
toppings, their Steakhouse Ranch Salad,
milkshakes and freshly baked chocolate
chip cookies.
For Mediterranean specialties, we go
to Cafe Sahara, 1901 W. Bay Drive in
Largo, (727) 216-6221 for gyros, kibbeh
kebabs, wonderful hummus Tabouleh and
The new Frenchy’s To
Go in the Countryside
area of Clearwater at U.S.
19 North and Enterprise
Road, (727) 444-0831, is a
great addition to the area.
It serves Frenchy’s famous
grouper sandwiches,
she crab soup and other
customer favorites from
this “ghost” kitchen with
no dining room, but they do
have outside tables if you
want to eat there.
Happy’s Bayou Bites,
431 Skinner Blvd. (State
Road 580) in Dunedin,
(727) 240-1102, is our goto
place for Cajun/Creole
takeout of red beans and
rice, jambalaya, po’ boy
sandwiches and fried
catfish with hush puppies.
Their authentic New
Orleans cuisine is perfect
for takeout, or you can eat
at picnic tables under their oak trees.
It’s takeout only also at Hot Dogs
on Main at 505 Main St. in Dunedin,
(727) 408-5103, where Master Chef Susan
Norton creates great toppings that make
her hot dogs different from others.
For an Italian meal, we head to Julian’s
Little Italy at 916 Patricia Ave. in Dunedin,
(727) 234-8989, to load up on his lasagna,
gnocchi, fettuccine Alfredo and veal
piccatta. It travels well, and whatever is
leftover tastes even better the next day.
For omelets, we go to Our Place at 1617
Main St. (State Road 580) in Dunedin,
(727) 239-0450. Their entire menu is served
everyday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Chefs Greg
and Jay make so much more than just
omelets that everyone at our office finds
something they want from breakfast items
through dinner specials.
incredible baklava. Everything is made
fresh and travels well.
For a special treat, we order from
Currents Restaurant at 200 E. Tarpon
Ave. in Tarpon Springs, (727) 940-5377,
where owner Tracey Swade has developed
a takeout menu that includes items such
as Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna Tower, Grouper
Reuben, Hunter’s Chicken Breast and Pan
Seared Wild Caught Salmon.
For pizza, we go to Steve and Kathie’s
Fairway Pizza at 2901 Alternate U.S. 19
N. in Palm Harbor. In addition to their
fabulous pizzas, which we share for several
days since they reheat so well, we add
boneless chicken wings, their antipasto
salad with potato salad and the Summer
Sensation Salad with strawberries, apples
and mandarin oranges to make us believe
that we are eating a well-balanced meal.
NORAA