Favorite date-night spot:
My wife, Connie, and I love to explore the wine list at the bar at Bern’s Steak House.
Favorite place for a power lunch:
Malio’s Prime Steakhouse. I have not been in a while, but when we go, my oldest brother will reserve a large round table for the five brothers, and we will proceed to eat and talk over one another for two hours.
Favorite burger joint:
Goody Goody. They have a great burger, and it’s worth every calorie.
Favorite place to grab a meal downtown:
Taps on Ashley Drive. I love the food and the owners, James and Elizabeth DeVito.
Favorite Mexican restaurant:
We get take out from the Green Lemon on Howard Avenue at least once a week.
Favorite weekend brunch spot:
Oxford Exchange. [Owners] Allison Casper Adams and Blake Casper gave Tampa a fantastic place to enjoy. The food is as good as the ambiance and design.
Favorite Italian food:
Caffé Paradiso. [Owner/chef] Paolo Tini knows great food and service. What a special neighborhood restaurant!
Favorite pizza:
Cappy’s on Bay to Bay Boulevard. I have a deep love for deep dish.
Favorite nightclub:
I enjoy Edge at the Epicurean Hotel. It’s in my neighborhood and always has special drinks and a great atmosphere.
Favorite sports bar:
Champions Sports Bar at the Marriott Waterside. It’s on the water, has lots of TVs, fast, good food, and they blast the sound so you can hear the games.
Favorite exercise class or gym:
I work out with Tina Bozman at Pulse Personal Training by Alejandro on Manhattan Avenue. She is a friend, trainer, dietician and psychiatrist all in one.
Favorite museum:
Tampa Museum of Art – the gem of Tampa. It’s a special place that Tampa is lucky to have.
Favorite place to catch live music:
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. There’s nothing better than live music in the heart of our great city! I can remember when I was kid and downtown was not the place to hang out. Now we look for reasons to go downtown.
Favorite beach spot:
Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber Restaurant. My father used to take us there when we were kids, and I have carried on that tradition with my children.
Favorite Bay-area beach:
It’s a toss-up between Clearwater and Pass-a-Grille. I like them both equally, it just depends on where our friends are at the time.
Favorite place across the bay:
The Don CeSar Hotel. Many of my friends and I put on a wiffle ball fundraiser for four years benefiting All Children’s Hospital and have many great memories in that hotel.
Cool Tampa fact:
When the cigar factories burned down in Key West years ago, many of the workers moved here to work in the factories. The dialect of an old Cayo Hueso (Key West) native is very similar to some of the old-timers in Tampa.
