Brass Bowl Kitchen and Juicery Joins the 600 Block Next Week

Brass Bowl Kitchen and Juicery Joins the 600 Block Next Week

Have you ever craved fine dining cuisine, but didn’t have time to sit at a table for over an hour? A new Downtown St. Pete restaurant wants to give you the best of both worlds — flavor and speed. And they open Monday April 1st.

Brass Bowl is a new kitchen and juice bar concept located at 656 Central Avenue. Their aim is to offer one of the best chef-driven, organic, flavorful, and gourmet menus St. Pete has ever seen.

"We believe in protecting the environment, responsibly sourcing our ingredients, and supporting as many local businesses as possible,” says Executive Chef Jason Gordon, who was previously the chef at Sunset Grill in Ruskin, FL.

Brass Bowl is a 100% gluten-free scratch kitchen, so there isn’t anything pre-made coming into the restaurant. Everything from the almond butter to the hummus is made in-house. Even more impressive, there are no freezers, no fryers, and no heat lamps. All food is made-to-order with the freshest ingredients.

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WEPA! Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine Lands in St. Pete

WEPA! Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine Lands in St. Pete

Soon you won’t have to travel far to eat like you are in Puerto Rico. WEPA, St. Petersburg’s first authentic Puerto Rican restaurant, opens to the public this Saturday March 16th in the Warehouse Arts District. Located at 2149 3rd Ave South, WEPA is situated directly across the street from 3 Daughters Brewing.

“WEPA” (pronounced weh-pah) is a Spanish colloquialism used to express excitement, similar to “Wow!” or “Oh Yeah!” And as customers take their first bite of food, owner Jean Totti hopes to hear this exclamation all day, every day.

The menu at WEPA is inspired by Totti’s memories of growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he spent many afternoons by his mother’s, aunt’s and grandmother’s side in the kitchen. Many of the dishes available at WEPA come from hand-written recipes passed down over three generations. “Working with these recipes for months, we’ve selected a range of dishes that will represent our culinary history,” Totti adds. 

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SoFresh to Add Healthy Option to Downtown St. Pete Dining Scene

SoFresh to Add Healthy Option to Downtown St. Pete Dining Scene

With a plethora of grilled cheese, burgers, and pizza in Downtown St. Pete, it’s not always easy to eat healthy — especially if you are in a hurry. A new fast-casual restaurant from Tampa is hoping to change that. SoFresh will be opening this summer on the ground floor of 200 Central Avenue, Downtown St. Pete’s tallest office tower, in a space recently vacated by Subway.

The addition of SoFresh is one of many upgrades the office tower has planned for 2019. “As they embark this year on a multi-million dollar renovation to the building, our leasing team felt that SoFresh would be the perfect addition to the building and Downtown St Pete,” says Wendy Giffin, director at Cushman & Wakefield, the tenant representative.

“SoFresh is locally owned, offers healthy and creative fresh bowls and wraps with pressed juices and smoothies and creates a good mix of dining options with our other two great restaurants at the building, The Mill and the Craft Kafe,” says Giffin.

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Black Crow Coffee Targets Grand Central District for 2nd Location

Black Crow Coffee Targets Grand Central District for 2nd Location

It didn't take long after opening for Black Crow Coffee to weave itself into the fabric of Downtown St. Pete’s java community. Nestled in an unassuming retail building in Historic Old Northeast, Black Crow has become a space where creatives gather to share their art, where community members sip coffee and chat about the town, and where those trying to escape an office can read, study, work, or dream.

Black Crow's story began back in 2007 when Greg Bauman opened his first coffee concept on Gulf Boulevard in the beach town of Indian Shores, FL. Nestled between the gulf and the intercostal, the appropriately named Indian Shores Coffee Co. found its place in the community. Eight years later, Bauman set out to create more spaces for the community in other parts of Pinellas — which brought him to St. Pete.

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The Twisted Indian Graduates from Food Truck to Food Hall

The Twisted Indian Graduates from Food Truck to Food Hall

Can we take a moment to appreciate all of the new cuisine that has come to Downtown St Pete recently? Over the past few years, Iberian Rooster introduced us to Portuguese fusion, 11 Chicks brought us Venezuelan, Renzo’s specializes in Argentine asado, and Avocado Valley serves Middle Eastern fare. By the end of February, a Puerto Rican eatery named WEPA! will open. And in late 2019, Baba, a Greek-Lebanese restaurant and bakery from the owners of Bodega will join the Grand Central District.

But perhaps most exciting is the introduction of Indian cuisine in the EDGE District. For the past four years, Lokesh Vale has operated The Twisted Indian, one of the most popular food trucks in St. Petersburg. Over the years, the truck has gained a loyal following and become a staple of the Saturday Morning Market and Localtopia.

Today marks the next step in The Twisted Indian’s journey as Vale pulls back the curtain on a new pop-up storefront located at 1113 Central Avenue inside Baum Avenue Market (or BAM for short), a multi-concept space showcasing local makers of fresh fare. At long last, we no longer need to wait until Saturday to enjoy The Twisted Indian’s delicious food.

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