Lyn

I will only have one evening in
Tampa and it is day after tomorrow
(feb 16). Where is the one place
you would tell me to have dinner. I
called Berns but they could not give
me a reservation that evening. Any
other suggestions??

Patrick

Vote number 2 for Mis en place. My favorite in Tampa, and I agree better than Berns.

Mary

My personal favorite in Tampa is Le Bordeaux, which is about six blocks past Berns (heading south), towards Bayshore. REAL French food. Enjoy.

cmcdaniel

Agree with the previous posters that Berns is a has been, but I also feel Mise en Place has seen better days. Side Berns, sister to Berns, IS very good however, and Le Bordeaux is as well. Either one of these would be good choices. I'll qualify the next rec by saying first off that my husband runs the hotel in which this restaurant is located. For that reason I even hesitated responding to this post. That said, Armanis is the only restaurant in the Tampa Bay area that has earned Mobil's 4 star dining award. It's food is northern Italian and the restaurant has a great view out over Tampa Bay.
These are 3 very different cuisines, and of the 3, Side Berns is more casual than the other two but still quite chic...

joseph cameron

Mary, CMDaniel - thanks for the information about Le Bordeaux - we'll give it a try. Mis En Place may have declined a bit - I tried it two years ago and it was good, but places do change. If you have other recommendations for Tampa, St. Pete or the Gulf beaches, I'd really like to have them. We've just about run out of places down there, and we're dreading the day we retire and move to that area - we're used to east coast places. For example, do you know any great Thai, Indian or Vietnamese places in that area? Any suggestions would be gratefully received. Going down again February 18. Many thanks, Joe

sabrina

You can't go wrong with Mise en Place or Berns.

cmcdaniel

Joe you'll be just in time for some very nice weather--warming into the 80's by the weekend.

Do give Side Berns a try when you come down, then give us some feedback. Another good restaurant for Italian food is Caffe Paradiso on S MacDill. Have you tried the Grill at Feather Sound? Its a bit loud but the food was quite good. We went for an anniversary dinner and wish we'd done Le Bordeaux instead simply because of it's atmosphere.

Have also heard the dining room at the Don CeSar is very good, but haven't tried it myself.

If you care to drive down to the Anna Maria Island/Holmes Beach area, the Beach Bistro is supposed to be excellent, though of course a bit of a hike. Dinner for two there with limo ride from Tampa was auctioned off at a charity dinner we attended and it was bid after wildly!

Agreed, fine dining is kind of skimpy, especially at the beaches. Much depends on where you've come from as to what you expect!

joseph cameron

Many thanks for your suggestions. And yes, I will give some feedback after returning. I checked and you're right, the weather should be warm. Thank goodness - we've had it with the cold weather. Don Cesar is just okay, not terrific - probably the best on the beach. As you'd expect, the prices are high. We did check out the Beach Bistro - good, but very inflated prices for what they offer. The Salt Rock Grill is decent - but crowded and noisy. Need a reservation. Just a place for oak grilled foods and casual dress, but the waiters really work hard and are very nice people. The valet parking guys are terrific as well. It's a nice place, but as I say, very crowded - and not everybody's cup of tea. Good wine list at moderate prices - the best place on the beach, in my opinion. There is a little place just as the start of the St. Pete pier - by the boats - serves sandwiches and Chilean wines by the glass, and decent drinks. Sorry, do not recall the name - nice, casual. But finally, here's the "best" I know for the price: on 107th Avenue a block before Gulf Blvd. in Treasure Island, on the right next to the ABC store, the Florida, a cuban sandwich place - family run - and great food to eat there or go. If you have on more than a bathing suit, you'll be over dressed. Take care - Joe

Lori

Just curious as to which restaurant you chose and how you liked it. Any chance that you'll give us an update?

Lyn

My thanks to all who offered suggestions. We chose Mis En Place and were not disappointed. Food was excellent. We plan to be in Tampa again for a wedding in early April so that will be a good excuse to try one of the other restaurants recommended. Maybe Le Bordeaux or Side berns???