Come Dine With Me: CopperFish Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar

Today is like Pre-Friday right? :)  Pre-Mother’s Day Weekend! Shout out to all you amazing moms out there!

Are you wining and dining a mom or are you preparing to BE wined and dined? 

If you’re still looking for the perfect place to take mom for Mother’s Day brunch, lunch, or dinner this weekend, I have a great suggestion!

CopperFishSeafood Grill & Oyster Bar

This isn't just a suggestion to get brownie points with your madre, but a suggestion for any occasion. 

Last week I was honored to go have dinner at CopperFish with the owners, Gordon and Lorena Davis, for an event called BloggerFish.  

Gordon and Lorena Davis completely took over the restaurant about six months ago. I can't say anything about it prior to this take over, but I have nothing but good things to say now! 

Since CopperFish was new to me, I told a few friends I was going before hand, to see if they had ever tried it out. They all mentioned the Sunday Brunch. So the word around town is their Sunday Brunch is quite satisfactory and I can’t wait to go try it myself!

The BloggerFish evening started off in the bar area where we were served Southside Royale for drinks. I am in love with this drink and want to recreate it at home pronto! Maybe I'm on a cucumber drink kick, but I want more! more!

Appetizers were served and before me were Grilled Oysters and Oaxaca Shrimp. Copperfish grilles their oysters New Orleans style (think of the delicious combo of butter and parmesan cheese).

If you remember back to my Uleleexperience, I'm not one to order oysters. But alas, I think I have officially transformed my food palate. I LIKE oysters and CopperFish only escalated this like affair. ;) Maybe its love? 

The Oaxaca shrimp have a great spicy jalapeño kick. 

After buttering us up with the delicious appetizers, we were lead to the restaurant’s private dining room. 

Can we just stop talking about food here (only for a second) and focus on the decor of this space? I could live there! Or just have my next event (birthday, Christmas party) there. The private dining room has an adjacent lighted outdoor patio to enjoy the motions of Howard Avenue while sipping a glass of wine.

(Photo from CopperFish Website)

Once we got settled in, our waiter Colin took orders. 

I went with the Butter Bibb Salad and Sea Scallops for dinner.

Oh my drink, you ask? A Refreshing white Strawberry Sangria. 

The Bibb salad and bread were served together.

A simple and fresh salad with crumbled blue cheese and julienne green apples. 

The bread...oh the bread. Par-baked and shipped in from San Francisco! You want Sour Dough with visions of the Golden Gate in your mind? CopperFish.

Everyone's dinner was served and everyone's eyes went wide with delight.
My Sea scallops, perfectly cooked, were on top a bed of sautéed garden mushrooms and Swiss Chard topped with a pomegranate sauce.

Sides were served a la carte. We enjoyed Brussel Sprouts, sauteed mushrooms, and Crab Fried Rice. I applaud all three! 

Aside from my sea scallops, I had a bite of the Flounder entree. Served over a bed of roasted corn, it is on the top of my "Best Fish I've ever tasted" list. 

After an evening of delicious food, dessert topped it off. Chocolate souffle served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I mean, can you go wrong with a warm chocolate cake with a gooey center?! The answer is no, at least not at CopperFish! 

The ice cream is locally made (#Supportlocal) and creamy goodness.  

So what am I saying? 

CopperFish surpassed my expectations and I suggest you go check out it out yourself!  

If you need a reason other than amazing food, what about Sunday Brunch with Live entertainment, Happy Hour, or just a night out with your significant other or girlfriends? 

There is a lot of admirable stuff going on over there at CopperFish with Gordon and Lorena Davis. 

The night, food, and drinks couldn't have been better.

CopperFish is located at 1502 S. Howard Ave Tampa, FL 33606
Call for Reservations: 813-251-6789

Happy Hour is Monday - Friday 4:00pm - 6:30pm
Sunday Brunch Menu
Tuesdays are Girls Nights with 50% off ALL drinks from 4:00pm - Close.

 **Disclaimer: Thanks to CopperFish owners Gordon & Lorena Davis, I was invited to dinner, and provided with food and drinks in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Come dine with me: Ulele Tampa Bay

My first time at Ulele was in October, less than two months after they opened their gorgeous iconic “gear” doors to the public.

Fast forward to January when Ulele has already won numerous awards including, "One of the Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. - Open Table", "One of the Best New Restaurants in Florida - Florida Trend" and "Best Overall Restaurant” - Yelp Tampa Bay.

These awards come to no surprise since Ulele is owned and operated by the same family that own one of Tampa’s best and oldest establishments, Columbia Restaurant.

During this review of Ulele’s fine drinks and food, I may over use the words amazing, original, delicious, local, and native. All words that perfectly describe the restaurant named after a young Princess, Ulele. Much of the food and drinks you find on their menu are made using locally sourced ingredients.

We start our journey with the beer, as all good journeys do. I sipped on a sample of Magbee’s Honey Lager and ordered a glass of Ulele Light to go with my food. All beers are brewed at the on-site brewery by a very passionate Brewmaster, Timothy Shackton.  After dinner, Tim guided us along the journey of simply 4-6 ingredients from tank to tap.  You can’t really get any fresher than that! The Ulele Light was my favorite as it had a refreshing, clean taste to it; while the Wedding Beer and Bob Buckhorn Black Lager were getting many compliments from others.

Then the food started being served and it didn't stop…for hours.
We were treated with three different appetizers. Mac & Cheese, Florida Native Chili and The Ulele salad.  The Mac & Cheese is award winning (many awards on this restaurant’s shelves) and  the Florida Native Chili features alligator, wild boar, venison, duck, ground chuck, cranberry beans and spices. Flavor galore!

After the appetizers, came more appetizers. Huge platters of oysters were soon in front of me.Raw Gulf Coast oysters served with cocktail sauce and lavash crisps.

Charbroiled Oysters with garlic butter, grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

Learning how to eat an Oyster

I looked at these platters with such interest. I’m not huge into seafood, and had never tasted an oyster in my life. Friends and family order them around me, but nothing has ever inspired me to try the slimy things. Today was different. I was ready to try an Oyster today, especially after all the praises I was hearing from the other bloggers.

Guided by Lora (thanks girl!), who was sitting next to me, I grabbed an Oyster shell, my tiny oyster fork, a crisp, and some cocktail sauce. With the oyster and crisp, topped with cocktail sauce, I put the entire thing in my mouth! Go big or go home, right?! To my surprise, it was extremely appetizing. Who knew?! After having the raw oyster, I was eager to get my fingers on the Charbroiled Oysters. These were probably my favorite appetizer of the night, maybe because they are unique to my palate. Highly recommended!

Other appetizers served included the Squash Gratin and Alligator Hush Puppies. As a vegetable lover, the squash gratin was a no brainer. The Alligator Hush Puppies were crispy balls of alligator, country ham, duck bacon, corn, and jalapeno. You see alligator at Ulele lot. Not in the “Look an alligator, RUN” kind of way. It’s all over the menu, and it’s done with expertise.

After we were stuffed from appetizers, the entrees were on deck.

Filet Mignon served with asparagus and white Cheddar Popcorn Mashed potatoes.

The Native Sautee  is meatless and enjoyable.

The Ulele Burger which is served during Lunch was absolutely delicious. Awesome served to you on a brioche bun.

When we were served the Florida Pompano fillet, I instantly gravitated towards the vegetables and grabbed a few of the fried carrot ribbons off the plate! I had never seen carrots like that! I gave the fish a try, how could I not at this point? Fresh and quite delicious (there’s that word again!)

Imagine being in a self-induced food coma, and then this gigantic Kilo Porterhouse arrives at the table.I had to have a bite, and glad I did! The waiter told us he had only seen two customers finish this piece of meat! Where is Adam Richman when you need him?!

Bathroom break before the dessert arrived!

Before we were treated with dessert, I didn't think I could possibly fit one more thing in my belly. My thought quickly changed when Candied Duck Bacon Maple Fried Ice Cream (mouth full) and a collection of other House-made ice creams were served.

Great end to the feast! The Espresso ice cream was my favorite, while Strawberry (made with local Plant City Strawberries) was also amazing!

Ulele is a must go to in Tampa, in all of Florida even. It brings the flavorful fruits of our Tampa land and tastefully serves them, in a brilliantly designed ambiance. Ulele raises the bar for all Tampa restaurants, in food and atmosphere; something the Tampa community has been longing for. I can’t wait to go back for more! I’m excited to go try more of their lunch menu and experience the beer garden and Water Works Park during daylight hours!

XOXO

 **Disclaimer: Thanks to the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was invited to dinner by Ulele, and provided with food and drinks in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

REVIEW: Malio's Prime Steakhouse

Review: Malios Prime Steakhouse
400 North Ashley Drive #310
Tampa, FL 33602

Malio’s Prime Steakhouse has been in Tampa since before I can remember. Doing some research, I found out it actually first opened in 1969! Back then it was in a different location (off Dale Mabry) and I couldn't even begin to tell you what was on the menu. I'm sure there are similarities to today's menu. But, I’ll start off in 2007, when it relocated to where it is today, downtown Tampa, right on the Hillsborough River.

It’s kind of shocking that it’s been around for so long and many people who asked where we went to dinner on New Year’s Eve, followed up with a “where’s that?” I've driven by the restaurant weekly for years and always thought “We have to go there someday”. I’m going to blame it on the location, downtown Tampa, and it not being a real happenin’ place at night yet.

The parking can be a bit confusing, as Angelo didn't have a clue on where to even park. Once we did some U-turns, we drove up the driveway and spotted the valet stand, which is not complimentary.

We had reservations at 6:30 pm (party of 4) and we were kind of looking forward to getting some items off their Happy Hour Menu. It turns out they weren't offering that menu since it was New Year’s Eve, so that was a bummer.

To get to the restaurant, you walk through the lobby floor of the sky rise. The restaurant has a very “hotel/business meeting” feeling.

What we ate:

Fried Calamari: Sweet Pepper Drizzle, Parmesan, Crispy Salami & Pepperoni. Marinara to dip.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes: This appetizer came with 2 crab cakes.

Malio’s Salad:  I got this salad as a side/starter with my steak. It wasn't anything special.

Steaks: I ordered the 6 oz filet, while Angelo ordered the 8 oz filet. They were both slightly under cooked, but good flavor.

Sides: We ordered 4 sides to split between the four of us. Smoked Gouda Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, Baby Button Mushrooms, and French Fries. I don’t think any of those needs a description. They were your traditional steakhouse a la carte sides. I do want to say that the French Fries were deliciously crispy.

Dessert:

Cheesecake and Crème Brulee

Drinks:

Champagne: Champagne Overload over here!

Moscow Mules: Angelo didn't think they had enough vodka in them.

The complaint box:
The happy hour menu wasn't available on New Years Eve.

We all think the waitress politely kicked us out, but it was about midnight and we just needed to leave at that point anyways. She was nice.

Score Card

On a scale from 1-5 stars (in the high end Steakhouse category) Malio’s Prime gets a 3!
While our food was excellent and I would probably go back again someday, I don’t think there was anything special about any of the menu items we ordered.  It’s your cookie cutter steakhouse with the same sides and appetizers as their competition (Flemings, Charley’s). I do like the location; it’s the only steakhouse in the downtown area, so it would definitely be a great place to go if you have tickets to a show at the Straz or Tampa Theatre. 

Have you been to Malio's before? Did you have a good experience?

What is your favorite Steakhouse in the Tampa area?

XOXO