Tampa Hotels/Berns restaurant
 

I am planning a weekend trip to Tampa with dinner at Bern's steakhouse. Does anybody know of a good hotel downtown near Bern's. Also any comments about the restaurant.

Hotels within walking distance? None, unless you are up for a little exercise before and after dinner. I run from two blocks north of there past the Marriott Waterside and Wyndham Harbor Island and back. Each hotel is about 3 miles out from Berns on a one-way jaunt--go for it! Work that dinner off. There's also a Hyatt downtown, another on Tampa <BR>Bay by the airport, and another Wyndham in the Westshore area. Why don't you consider staying at the beaches and renting a car instead? Bern's is Hyde Park/SoHo area, more residential than anything else. <BR> <BR>As for dinner at Berns, we just had a long discussion in this forum about a week ago. Do a search using key word Berns. Lots love it. It was hugely over-rated and a disappointment for my husband and myself. You will enjoy the tours of kitchen and wine cellar. You probably won't enjoy the decor, and certainly not the place settings or chained wine list. If you think about what you are eating, you'll realize that with a top notch cut of beef, you can do just as well on your own grill, your veggies will probably be more imaginative, and even Texas toast would be an improvement over their bread. JMHO Now we hear the dessert room is the thing. Not knowing if we'd have room for dessert, we didn't reserve space prior to dinner and afterwards it was too late to get in. If you go, do reserve prior. Oh yes...prepare to pay for your valet parking (plus tip for the privilege).

Oh no! The Berns debate pops up again. As Olive Oyl suggested, read the comments on the most recent post and decide for yourself!

YOu're right, Sal, here we go again. To balance Olive Oyl's diatribe (sorry, Olive, but that's what it sounds like to me!), we found our meal at Bern's to be an extraordinary experience! The decor isn't that bad. In fact, the room we were in was quite nice. The service is the absolute best. And, the steak is great! <BR>The place settings and chained wine list didn't bother us at all. I will, however, agree with Olive on a couple points: Definitely take the tour of the kitchen and wine cellar after your meal and definitely make reservations for the desert room. <BR>PS: I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that you can duplicate the dining experience at home on your own grill!

Diatribe? Howard, sniff, I didn't think my remarks could be construed as bitter, or abusive denunciations--only honest opinions of our evening, same as yours, with some attempt to inject a little humor, which fell flat on its face, I guess. :&lt; It's OK to disagree on these things, though, truly! <BR> <BR>The tours are fun, go for it and make your own decisions as to whether it lives up to its hype, Greg. As I said, lots of people love Berns it's just that we weren't among them, and there's at least one other local on this board who is in agreement. <BR> <BR>I'd never been behind the scenes in the kitchen before and it was fascinating! For those in the industry it's "everyday", but for the rest of us, it really is interesting. My husband gave a group of travel agents a tour of his hotel today after an elaborate Chef's Table. The thing that they found the most fascinating out of this 35 acre property...the massive washers in the laundry. :&gt; These things are completely out of the realm of most of our experiences, as are the wine cellar and commercial kitchen, with mixers the size of the average man, the computerized orders etc. It's great fun. <BR> <BR>Howard, my husband grills a great steak for us, every bit as good as Berns. Start with the right grade and cut of meat, trim it properly and there you have it. Tom Thumb/Publix sirloin isn't going to do it. I was speaking only of the food and its preparation when I said you could do the same. We won't duplicate the decor though, and you're right, there's no one but me to serve it to us. Then there's the matter of those pesky dishes to do up after. (But they are great looking at least, Minton china, if we decide to do it up right! :&gt;) The entrees though, you too can do, very basic.

Okay, Olive, I'll call a truce if I'm on the invitation list the next time your husband is grilling steaks! <BR>It is indeed a wonderful experience to be invited to the Chef's Table. I've been fortunate to have been invited to participate a few times at two major hotels and have enjoyed each one immensely.

<BR>OlIVE didn`t you used to post under your real name?(C.Mcdaniels or something close to that)..if so you were very informative...did you get spammed?....just curious..I stoppe using my real name and address ..getting hammered for things I gave some info on...people can be nasty..but I stil LOVE this sight..

Howard, Great! We'll have a Fodor's gathering here, followed by a tour of the laundry (the kitchen thing having already been done), starring the 15' tall washers with their 4' doors. :&gt; DH will be thrilled to hear I've volunteered his services on the grill. Can't guarantee your waitstaff will be the same high caliber though, my style being more akin to Dick's Last Resort. <BR> <BR>Chef's Tables are awesome, always. Prior to having gone to my first, I couldn't imagine why anyone would find eating in the kitchen anything special--growing up, that was the ultimate punishment for being annoying at the dinner table. :&gt; "You may finish your dinner in the kitchen young lady". Can still hear those words. <BR> <BR>xx, never have been spammed--singed a few times with minor flames, but nothing serious, which I guess is good for this site. I did at one time post with my own name, but prefer the OO moniker. Sorry to hear you were on the receiving end; it's an unfortunate bi-product of the anonymity here, and undoubtedly stifles valid input from sensitive souls (my own included).

OK, Olive, one more stipulation: You must hire a waiter from Bern's for the cookout. Hey, they train for over a year, so they are top of the line....and I'm sure you only want the best of service to go with the best of steaks!

Hey OO & Howard! Count me in! I'd love to see those washers! <BR>Joan

Bern's sucks. fuhgettttttt about it. I've lived here 6 years, never been, never want to go, though I know a waiter that worked there, highly overrated. Sam Seltzers on n Dale Mabry much much better value for the experience, its really nice, comfy intimate juicy steaks fresh food tie wearing apron wearing all in white waiters for under 20 a dinner.

Bern suck, you say, but you've never been there, eh tmac? Gee, that's sure to influence a lot of people!

PS: Olive, please don't invite him to the cookout!