Tampa Bay Weekend Recap

Out of the top five tampa events this weekend I was able to attend two. Sorry, couldn’t get to it all!

Tampa Bay’s Chillounge

Chillounge was just as promised, a night full of relaxation, entertainment and food. Curtis Hixon Park transformed into a South Beach style outdoor lounge with couches and cabanas throughout the entire park. You couldn’t beat the view either with the minarets from the University of Tampa lighting the river.

Guests had the opportunity to get their pictures taken on the red carpet. Click here to find your picture taken by Real Memories photography. The event was catered by Malios which offered amazing mac & cheese, sausage sandwiches, veggie/chicken skewers, etc… Entertainment included a samba parade, fashion show, music and fireworks. Also, it was the perfect night to spend in the park. The weather couldn’t have been better.

I’m a two-time attendee of A Taste of South Tampa and this year did not disappoint. The day consisted of all-you-can-eat and drink from over 30 local Tampa restaurants, in addition to live music, giveaways and contests.

The tuna tartare was my favorite dish of the day, and happened to be from the winning restaurant, Cinebistro. Other favorites included the salted caramel brownie from Sophie’s…a French Bakery & Cafe and the crab cakes from Timpano’s. If you haven’t checked out either of these restaurants, you must! Sophie’s offers “out of this world” pastries, cappuccinos, espressos, etc, and have recently added soups and sandwiches to their menu. I also recommend the mussels from Timpano’s, I don’t typically like mussels, but I love theirs! Timpano’s also has a Ladies Happy Hour on Tuesdays that’s hard to beat ($3 glasses of wine, champagne, martinis and a free app).

The fresh veggies and large couscous dish (the largest couscous I’ve ever seen) from Rollin’ Oats Market and Café rounded out my favorites and were a light and refreshing option on a hot Tampa day. But after all that, I couldn’t resist Gigi’s Cupcakes… 5+ flavors of mini cupcakes that were little bites of heaven! Lastly, I can’t leave out the flan, I’m not a flan person but for those of you who are, my friends described the flan from Oliver & Hentry Gourmet Flan as “the best flan they’ve ever had”.

As Voted on by Attendees, the Taste of South Tampa Winners Were:

Winner – Cinebistro Hyde Park!

1^st Runner Up – Grillsmith