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March 19, 2010

Classic Florida

Rediscover a few Sunshine State restaurants that could only happen here.

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Timeless, scene-setting, unique—these are Florida’s iconic restaurants. We return to them again and again and take out-of-towners, not necessarily because they’re the best restaurants, but because they’ve weathered it all: trends, economies and even a few hurricanes. They have their own quirks and cultures, and some are dusty around the edges, but they remain with us, dishing up a taste of Florida’s best and, sometimes, its past, too.

Bern's Steakhouse, Tampa

On the edge of Ybor City in Tampa since 1957, Bern’s has attracted the notables and nobodies, locals and tourists alike for both the meats and its ultimate wine list—allegedly the largest in the country. From the stories of its founder, “benevolent tyrant” Bern Laxer, to dare-not-remove recipes like the French onion soup, to its Belle Watling’s parlor décor on steroids—these are the threads of this colorful tapestry of a restaurant.
If it has been several years between visits, you’ll find a new menu with a wealth of fish, chicken and pork, and trendy snacks like the housemade potato chips with truffle crème fraiche. Caviar’s still here with Bern’s six special condiments, sure, but so is a lobster sushi roll, as well as several nightly specials.

Musts: Have a drink at the sexy chic bar. At dinner, you can request “seconds” or more of vegetables; Bern was fervent about this perk for his guests.
The Tour: Everyone gets a walk through the kitchen if they wish after dinner; ask to see the meat aging room, and definitely visit the wine cellar to check out the old “bagged” wines. Make reservations for the dessert room while you’re dining and, if so inspired, choose an Amontillado as the appropriate wine to toast the ghost of Bern, as this was among his favorites.
Plan Ahead: Make reservations well in advance, especially during season or city events.
Checks: This is an a la carte menu and can add up to a ca-ching check. A 12 percent service charge is included.
Info: 1208 S. Howard Ave., 813/251-2421, bernssteakhouse.com 

Chalet Suzanne, Lake Wales

Long before Disney eyed the groves of central Florida, the Hinshaw family had created its own fantasy-type village with an inn and restaurant in Lake Wales. 

The five-room restaurant, built in part from an old chicken coop and a playhouse, was once as well known as Disney among the nation’s diners, thanks to a long-time guest and road-food writer of the post-Depression days, Duncan Hines. 

The pastel-painted buildings that make up the property, set prettily on 100 lakeside acres, were modeled on Swiss villages that the Hinshaws favored in their travels—hence the parapets and flower boxes. Pilots can fly in for dinner using the private airstrip. The five-course prix-fixe dinner, once the only choice, is now an option; an a la carte menu is in place.

Traditions: On any menu, you’ll find the sweet broiled grapefruit with chicken liver and the romaine soup, one of many created by the restaurant.
Watch For: Eclectic china and place settings are a trademark, and the soup bowls are so popular with guests that they’re sold in the gift shop.
Don't Miss: A peek inside the tiniest underground wine cellar of any restaurant (duck your head as you go in). Gateau Christina, a daquoise layered with chocolate, is a signature dessert.
Money Matters: It’s a pricey tab (brunch is the best deal at $30), and a 20 percent tip is tacked on by the house.
Info: 3800 Chalet Suzanne Drive, 800/433-6011, chaletsuzanne.com

Columbia Restaurant, Tampa

This Spanish landmark dates to 1905 and was established in Ybor City, a historic area near downtown Tampa that was settled by Cuban cigar makers. The founder’s family still runs the block-long restaurant. 

Numerous dining rooms done in Spanish-Colonial décor, with colorful tilework and stucco, surround a courtyard where flamenco dancers still perform.

A fruit-rich sangria is made in house, but the restaurant’s renowned for the largest Spanish wine list in the country. Sherries in particular are much sought-out; pair one with the tapas dish shrimp and crabmeat alcachofas (baked en casserole with artichokes), or, if you’re with a crowd, choose a combo platter that will include the albondigas (meatballs) and fried calamari.

Flavor: This is Spanish-Cuban cuisine; not the other way around. Shrimp and fish dishes are more Castilian than Caribbean, though influences from both areas appear. Paella and shrimp dishes are classics here, though the flavors are similar in both cuisines.
The Dance: There are other Columbia Restaurants around the state, but only at the original in Ybor City can you watch the flamenco performed (nightly, except Sundays). It’s $6 extra and worth it, especially if you’re wooing someone over dinner.
Info: 2117 E. Seventh Ave., 813/248-4961, columbiarestaurant.com

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