Saint Petersburg Restaurants

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We've driven by Three Birds a number of times, and it always looks like a fun spot, both busy and unique. One night I finally ventured over to St. Pete looking for something different and Three Birds seemed like a great option. We parked in the small lot out back then entered onto the big porch. The hostess seated us inside the surprising small dining room between the fireplace and the bar. During our stay, we noticed another room behind the bar with pool tables and other games.

We started with a few beers I with a hefeweizen, ma with a local St. Pete beer that tasted a bit like a Hoegarden. For dinner, ma had the seared tuna sandwich with sweet potato fries, and I had the filet mignon sandwich with regular fries. Both were excellent and plenty big. The sweet potatoes were a great dessert, and we left the bar stuffed.

The menu is small, but it offers tradition pub favorites such as burgers and fried fish, along with more gourmet options like a seared tuna sandwich, a filet mignon sandwich, seared duck breast, and pork flat iron. They offer 18 tap draft beers including Guinness, Fuller's ESB, Carlsberg, Boddington, New Castle, Spaten Pilsner and Stella Artois, along with local brews from Cigar City and St. Pete Brewery.

Red Mesa has great Mexican food! Maybe some of the best in St. Pete.

In 2011, Red Mesa had a booth at the annual "Taste of Pinellas" music and food festival, held at Vinoy Park, along the water in St. Pete. I was very impressed with the food. We had had their awesome beef tacos, lots of shredded beef on a soft taco for $3.50.

The menu contains a bit of everything from tacos, quesadillas, and burritos to Cuban empanadas and even grilled tofu steak.

In 2011 Tampa Bay Metro Magazine named Red Mesa the "Best Mexican Combination" restaurant in the Tampa Bay area!

Parkshore Grill is a very nice restaurant along Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg's waterfront area. The inside is very modern and classy, while they have a huge, casual al fresco dining area on the sidewalks of St. Pete.

We stopped here for a nice lunch before visiting the Salvador Dali museum a few blocks away. We started with a few drinks--mimosas ($5 each) and local Cigar City Jai Alai beer ($4.50). For lunch three of us enjoyed two shrimp avocado wraps ($9) and a crab avocado salad ($12). The food was excellent and the service flawless. Our meals were reasonably priced, but we did select some of the cheapest dishes on the menu. Meals here, even lunch dishes can easily run you $20 or $30.

In 2011 Tampa Bay Metro Magazine named Parkshore Grill the "Best Sidewalk Cafe" in the Tampa Bay area!

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Season Cafe doesn't open until 12 June 2011, but we got to try a sneak peak of their food at the 2011 version of the annual "Taste of Pinellas" music and food festival, held at Vinoy Park, along the water in St. Pete. We agreed their Vietnamese sandwiches were the best and most unique food at the festival, though also one of the most expensive at $6 for a half sandwich. The sandwich featured three kinds of pork and a duck pate in a French roll with homemade mayonnaise.

The concept is a modern twist ona traditional Asian cafe. The founders are Vietnamese, and the food certainly has a Vietnamese flair, but it extends far beyond this nation of unique and tasty foods.

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400 Beach is known as one of the best restaurants in downtown St. Pete, and it has a prime a location along the waterfront. They offer "relaxed coastal cuisine" along with 24 beers and 48 wine varieties. Their meals include grouper, crab cakes, salmon, scallops, shrimp, mahi mahi, oysters, sushi, tuna, tilapia, steaks, burgers, and more. All Fish Entrees can be sauteed, grilled, blackened, Mediterranean-style, scampi butter, or citrus soy.

In 2011, 400 Beach had a booth at the annual "Taste of Pinellas" music and food festival, held at Vinoy Park, along the water in St. Pete. They had a great location, very close to the stage, and they had great food. We tried the unique lobster macaroni and cheese ($4), which was served in a large bowl and very tasty.

The owners of 400 Beach also operate Parkshore Grill and The Hangar, located in St. Pete, and The Pub in Indian Rocks Beach.

If you like food on sticks - even better if you can dunk it ---- then HEY --- "THE MELTING POT" is THE place to come.

Here fondue becomes a memorable four-course dining experience, where you can really dip into something different. Enjoy a choice of four flavorful fondue cooking styles and a variety of tasty entrees, including tender beef, boneless breast of chicken, duck, lobster, shrimp, scallops, salmon and much more. All are available in many different combinations with a variety of special dipping sauces. Cheese fondues can be ordered separately and are included with the purchase of any combination dinner. Along with every entrée, you’ll get breads, savory vegetables, and even a choice of three different fresh salads. As if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, you’ll also love the Melting Pot’s wide selection of creamy, mouthwatering chocolate fondue desserts. In addition to the Melting Pot’s ever expanding fondue menu, there’s also a growing list of fine wines. So come, relax and dip into an exciting new experience at the Melting Pot.

Favorite Dish: CHEEEEEEEESE FONDUE! ola la --- and not to forget desert !!!!!!! Chocolate dipped strawberries and grapes!
YUM YUM!

If you've ever seen the overflowing parking lots that surround every Carrabba's, then it's probably no surprise to see that it's favorite place to eat pasta. I applaud the fact that Carrabba's is the first caina restaurant to take a step away from the heavy Italian-American dishes like spaghetti and meatballs. It offers a trendy taste of lighter pasta dishes.
Carrabba's Italian Grill was founded in Houston by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola in December of 1986. Both Johnny and Damian have extensive restaurant experience and belong to one of Houston's most successful restaurant families. Many of the recipes on our menu are those of Damian's mother Grace and sister Rose. Damian has preserved the Italian authenticity of Carrabba's food by traveling the world in search of unique Italian dishes and by taking numerous trips to his grandparents' native Italy.

Favorite Dish: Vine : Montepluciano D'abruzzo

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Bonefish Grill is a great, upscale seafood chain owned by the company that runs Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, and Roy's. Their food is fresh, never frozen, and very healthy.

We started with drinks, though I was a bit disappointed with their brief list of bottled beers. Then came the staple Italian-style bread with olive oil and herbs. For dinner I decided on the cedar plank-grilled Arctic charr; advertised as clean, buttery Charr, topped with fresh herb-crumb & chorizo, and wood-grilled and drizzled with a citrus beurre blanc sauce for $17.90. The food took much longer than expected, but the restaurant's apologizer came by to ask for our forgiveness. The fish was tender and very mildly flavored, but the Spanish chorizo sausage really added a different taste. We also shared key lime pie, which was not quite like the pie I had in Key West--way too sweet and bitter.

The first Bonefish opened in St Pete in the year 2000, and it has since expanded to over 100 locations in 29 states.