Downtown St. Pete is about to get a little bit sweeter.  On Saturday, the owners of the beloved (swah-rey) dessert bar signed a lease for a second location on the 600 block of Central Avenue.

Gregg and Leslie-Ann Ciccone opened the original (swah-rey) in October 2015 at 2105 Central Ave in St. Pete’s Grand Central District.  At the time, it was St. Pete’s only dedicated dessert bar.  Offering delectable desserts such as cakes, pies, and créme brûlées as well as beverages such as beer, wine and Kahwa coffee, (swah-rey) quickly became the talk of the town.

While all of the desserts are fantastic, the star of the show has always been the Minis, the most delicious bite-sized cupcakes you’ll ever sink your teeth into.  They are baked fresh daily in about 13 different flavors, such as Chocolate Salted Caramel, Funfetti, and Strawberry Lemonade.  And if you’re feeling thirsty, upgrade to a “Mini Hook-up”, which pairs a Mini with a “shot” of beer, wine, milk, coffee, or another beverage.

Last year, when husband and wife Alex and Kelly Rodriguez adopted Lola, a Golden Retriever/Louisiana Catahoula Hound mix from Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida (GRRMF), they had no idea it would drive them and friend CF Hawkins to open a wine bar.  You see, Lola is sassy and has a penchant for trouble.  “When Lola is bad, we call her ‘Lolita’ and when she is bad, she causes us to drink. So, in order to afford to drink good wine, we had to open a wine market.  So here’s to Lola!” says Kelly with a grin.

Lolita’s Wine Market quietly launched last week at 16 18th Street South in the Grand Central District of St. Pete.  The space is a cozy 974 square feet — just enough room for around 25-30 people.  And the vibe is comfortable and laid-back.  “We want people to feel like they are coming to somebody’s house, not necessarily to a restaurant that they have to get dressed up for.  We like to describe it as a wine shop meets coffee shop concept,” says Kelly.  

Comfort food enthusiasts, rejoice — Maple Street Biscuit Co. has their sights set on Downtown St. Pete.  The popular biscuit joint plans to open around year’s end at 662 Central Avenue, currently home to The Local 662.

Earlier this week, a majority of the 600 block’s south side was acquired by Tricera Capital from Miami.  The new owners plan to make significant streetscape improvements to the building.  However, despite the promised upgrades, rising rents have some residents concerned that smaller businesses may be forced to move to other parts of town. Consequently, neighborhoods such as the Grand Central District and the Fringe District (located on 9th St) have recently exploded in popularity due to their affordability.

Maple Street is most known for their signature biscuit sandwiches, offering ten unique creations on their menu.  The most popular is The Squawking Goat, a flaky buttery biscuit sandwich with an all-natural fried chicken breast, a fried goat cheese medallion, and house-made pepper jelly. 

Empire Oyster is, without a doubt, the talk of the town. For the uninformed, I’m referring to the raw oyster bar that opened up at the beginning of March inside the EDGE District’s Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails.  Coffee, cocktails and oysters.  It seems like an unlikely trio does it not?  Certainly I would’ve never predicted it, but the combination has proven to be a smashing success at 1111 Central Ave.

Intermezzo Coffee originally opened as a pop-up coffee bar in September of last year — planning to only be open for 3 months.  However after much success, owner Jarrett Sabatini resolved to keep Intermezzo Coffee open permanently. 

In January,  Sabatini decided that instead of closing the coffee shop in the afternoon, he would simply transition the space into a cocktail lounge at 5pm every day.   Sabatini developed a fantastic drink menu that offers his own innovative creations as well as tried and true classics.  Again, he found success. 

Three months later, a new decal went up in the window — “EMPIRE OYSTER”.  It was then that St. Petersburg was introduced to an incredible raw oyster experience courtesy of Kevin Joseph, Master Mermmelier at Empire Oyster.