Ask the Editor
TBI Editor Wendy Malloy answers your questions about the most fascinating people, places, experiences and events in Tampa Bay.
Submit your questions to Wendy and watch this space for her answers.
Q: Our family loves classical music, and we hold a season subscription to the Florida Orchestra Masterworks series. But we've been looking for more classical concerts. Do you have any suggestions?
A: Faculty concerts at the University of South Florida feature wonderful soloists and small ensembles. In many cases, they're also Florida Orchestra musicians, so you know the quality will be excellent, and because they're not restricted to orchestral works they can feature selections and composers that you don't usually get to hear at TFO concerts.
Q: We have Northern visitors coming this month and want to show off Florida. We want to do outdoor activities so they can enjoy the weather, but we get tired of the beach and the theme parks. Any ideas?
A: The nature trails at Lettuce Lake Park and Hillsborough State Park are wonderful, especially in the cooler months, for a taste of unspoiled Florida. Also, Walking magazine has named Dunedin one of the top 10 walking cities in country. Take a ride over and meander around the downtown shops, restaurants and galleries.
Q: I’m at a loss for interesting gifts for my friends. Do you have some suggestions for something other than the usual?
Susan, Clearwater
A: I love shopping at the museum gift shops around the Tampa Bay area — the Dali, Tampa Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. You’ll find everything from extravagant framed works of art to beautiful books and jewelry, all the way to stocking stuffers like coffee mugs, mousepads and fun little tchotchkes. Also be sure to check out the smaller galleries around town. We have a story in the December issue about the wonderful Florida Craftsmen Gallery, which hosts a holiday sale this month. Terrific gifts in every price range.
Q: I’m throwing a holiday party for some close friends and family and I need a caterer. I want something unique, though – not the same old, same old. Help!
A: Go to tampabayillustrated.com/partydirectory
Q: We love Howard Walker! His style is fun and fresh, with great ideas for luxury cars.
A: Thanks – and be sure to pick up our January issue! Howard has made his picks for the fastest, most exotic cars on the market and we’re featuring them in the first issue of 2008. I had a sneak peek and they’re amazing machines – just stunning.
Q: My family is spending the holiday season in the Tampa Bay area and we’re looking for some walkable neighborhoods for shopping. Can you make a recommendation?
A: Hyde Park Village is terrific, with blocks of shops including A Source for the Home, Crabtree & Evelyn, Kit’s Well-Heeled & Well-Dressed, Tommy Bahama — the list goes on. Two of our favorite restaurants are in the village as well: Restaurant BT and Wine Exchange. We also love St. Petersburg’s Beach Drive, which we’re featuring in the December issue, and Safety Harbor.
Q: I saw your September story about Robert Irvine from Dinner: Impossible. We love him! When is his local restaurant opening, and where?
A: Ooze and Schmooze, the side-by-side Beach Drive restaurants in downtown St. Petersburg, are on track for an early December opening, Chef Irvine tells me. Stay tuned for a special piece in our November issue featuring the Food Network celeb along with other shining stars of the Tampa Bay culinary scene.
Q: Your restaurant reviews are always on-the-money recommendations for fine dining in the Tampa Bay area. How do you select which restaurants to review?
A: Lucky for us, there’s never a shortage of great restaurants to spotlight -- from longtime classics to fresh upstarts. As we say at the bottom of each of dining critic Julie Martin’s reviews, she dines anonymously and at the expense of the magazine; our readers can be assured that her reviews are objective and are not tied to advertising in any fashion. As for how we choose where to go, when a new restaurant opens we typically like to give it some time to settle in before checking it out. If a place has a lot of buzz we’re always interested in giving it a try. We also enjoy revisiting old favorites every once in a while, particularly if a restaurant launches a new menu, or a new chef comes on board. I’d love to hear from readers about new places – and old favorites – that you’d like to see in our pages!
Q: I enjoyed your kitchen feature in the September issue, with the interesting takes on design. I know of several equally fabulous homes in the area – how would I let you know about them for possible inclusion in the magazine?
A: Send me an email! I’m always eager to hear from readers about intriguing places, people and events in our area.
Q: I just moved here from New England, and I’ve been invited to a fall gala. Can you make a boutique recommendation?
A: We’re lucky to have a variety of exquisite shops around the Bay area that carry formal gowns. One of the newest that we love is Paparazzi, on Race Track Road. Georgette’s, in Hyde Park Village, is another great choice. Deborah Kent’s and Kit’s Well-Heeled and Well-Dressed, in South Tampa, are longtime favorites.
Q: Has live jazz disappeared from Tampa Bay?
A: Not at all! Besides events at the larger performing arts venues around the area – for instance, Mindy Abair is playing Ruth Eckerd Hall October 9 – we have the Clearwater Jazz Holiday in Clearwater's Coachman Park, October 18-21. If you’re looking for a more intimate experience, check out The Fox in the Westshore district.
Q: I’m surprising my husband with a dinner out for our 15th anniversary. We’ve been to the usual destinations, and this year I’d like to try someplace new and fabulous – do you have a suggestion?
A: In the everything-old-is-new-again category, Malio’s has reopened, this time in downtown Tampa. The setting is high-energy and the food, according to early reports, is as stellar as guests remember from the first incarnation in South Tampa. I also love Bella Brava, on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Great Italian with a contemporary twist. Pelagia, in the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza, would be a fun choice for an anniversary dinner; you should book a room in the hotel and make it a weekend!
Q: We need a getaway, but with the kids heading back to school in a few weeks we simply don’t have time to go too far from home. We’d love a recommendation for a fun family weekend.
A: The choices are endless for quick getaways! Naturally, the first that comes to mind is the Don CeSar, which offers some terrific weekend packages. A little farther north on St. Pete Beach is the Tradewinds, with a full schedule of activities for kids – plus fine dining, entertainment and, if you prefer, pure relaxation for grown-ups. If you’re willing to drive just a bit, the Longboat Key Club is a wonderful choice for truly getting away from it all. I spent a weekend there in June and it was heaven – delicious spa treatments, dining at Sands Point, enjoying cocktails poolside. The guest suites have just been renovated and everything was divine.
CLICK HERE to submit your questions to TBI Editor Wendy Malloy.
Letters and e-mail to TBI may appear in the "Reader Forum" section of the magazine or in the "Ask the Editor" section of our website, and may be edited for style, length and clarity.
