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TAMPA: MOUTH-MELTING POT OF FLAVOR,
HERITAGE, AND SOUL� Tampa Marriot Waterside
Recommends a Multicultural, Tasty Tour of TampaWhen you think of Tampa, you most likely get images of sitting by the beach, playing golf, or sipping drinks with little umbrellas. But the Tampa Marriot Waterside Resort wants you to think of diversity. The resort has suggested a city-wide tour of its cultural flavors and heritage. After check-in, guests can get a lay of the land by taking a brief driving/city tour of downtown and surrounding areas. Before dinner, tour �The Farm,� an 11-acre organic farm that grows almost every fruit and vegetable the restaurant might need: beans, peas, okra and eggplant; papaya and bananas for fruity pre-dinner drinks; dill mint, cilantro and rosemary for seasonings.
Dinner is at the legendary Bern�s Steak House. The evening will include a tour of the busy kitchen facilities and mammoth wine cellar (which any guest is able to request.) You will want to save room for dessert upstairs. The next day, explore Cuban fare and Latin culture. Breakfast is at La Tropicana Restaurant, where you can start out your morning with a breakfast of Cuban toast and a steaming cup of caf� con leche. Visit La Segunda Bakery, where the art of baking bread goes back three generations. This historic bakery churns out 5,000 loaves of Cuban bread a day. The More family will explain the secrets of baking Cuban bread and other delicious pastries, such as Guava turnovers. Take a walking tour of Ybor City�s historic 7th Avenue where you�ll see wrought iron balconies, globe street lamps, brick buildings and cobblestone streets. Learn about the rich history that shaped Tampa�s Latin quarter, including how it became known as the �Cigar Capital of the World� at the Ybor City State Museum. Tour the �casitas� where cigar workers lived. Next, enjoy lunch at Florida's oldest and the nation�s largest Spanish restaurant, founded in 1905 in historic Ybor City, the Columbia has been run by the same family for four generations. Spanish and Continental cuisine are served with flair. Several local experts will show you the true way to make a Cuban sandwich. View professional rollers demonstrate their trade of hand-rolling cigars at the Columbia�s cigar company. Or stop by El Molino Coffee Shop, established in 1921. Take a look at their roasting facilities right on Seventh Avenue. Continue the walking tour and visit Ybor City Brewing Company and the Italian Club.
Start your second evening in the nightlife capital of Florida�s west coast with appetizers at Sushi on Seventh, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. Starters include cripsy duck confit wontons and shrimp and lobster eggrolls with a thai chili sauce. Sushi on Seventh also features specialty rolls such as the Ybor Roll which includes tuna, crab, scallions, Japanese mayo and cucumbers rolled in seaweed and rice topped with smelt roe. Reflective of the Italian culture that helped shape Ybor City, the historic Bank of Ybor City building now houses Bernini, home to innovative Italian cuisine. The dinner menu changes daily and may include Carpaccio of salmon and black Angus filet of beef perfumed with Italian white truffle, or Vesuvio Pizza with marinated chicken, smoked mozzarella, sundried tomato, oregano and spicy three-chili oil. Ovo Caf�s uniquely artistic setting provides the perfect backdrop for indulging in delicious desserts and after dinner drinks. Ovo�s menu features decadent deserts such as chocolate Cuban coffee cheesecake, French cr�me brulee with fire-torched caramelized glaze and dessert waffles that can be topped with a variety of fruit and liqueurs. Top it all off with the nightlife of Ybor City. Saturday, depart Tampa Marriott Waterside for Busch Gardens. Take a look at food with a different twist. Go behind the scenes at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, one of the top ranked zoos in the country and see how the animals have first pick at produce coming into Tampa Bay. Then, feed them yourself. Go out on the Serengeti Safari and hand feed giraffes and other exquisite animals. For lunch, you get to choose from top restaurants like SideBern�s, Mise En Place Market or Castellano & Pizzo. You can take a break in the afternoon. Or, take optional tours, including The Florida Aquarium, shopping at Olde Hyde Park Village or whatever special arrangements to help make this trip work for your needs. What Florida trip would be complete without a taste of fresh seafood? Oystercatchers has an inspiring array of fresh and irresistible seafood, with an enchanting view of the bay from every table. Located behind the Hyatt Regency Westshore, it is nestled in a 35-acre nature preserve on the shores of Old Tampa Bay. Then move along to Armani�s for another glimpse at Italian fare in Tampa. Sunday, enjoy the third annual Bern�s Winefest, where you will have the opportunity to taste over 200 different wines from many regions of the world. Meet the winemakers, principals and winery owners. Chef/Partner Jeannie Pierola of SideBern�s will present her One World Cuisine, exotic edibles from around the world to complement the wines, and for a perfect finish to a multicultural adventure. Edited by Kerry Cohen Back to TravelLady Magazine |